Poll: Do you ever take a day out to do administration work?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Aug 25, 2016

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you ever take a day out to do administration work?".

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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 02:15
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other Aug 25, 2016

I just can’t understand the question! I’m my own boss and I do as I please! If I decide to take a day out, it won’t be to… work. Isn’t administrative work a small part of the whole package?

 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 03:15
Spanish to English
+ ...
Other Aug 25, 2016

I do my admin when it has to be done. It's the part of my job I enjoy least. I don't "take a day out", rather just fit it in whenever I have a breathing space.

This poll obsession with "time off/vacations" is getting irritating, especially when some of us - like myself - would rather not have to think about it so often.


 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 19:15
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Other Aug 25, 2016

My situation is similar. Most of my "administrative work" is invoicing, and that happens every time a job is delivered. I usually do long jobs, so it's not very time-consuming. The one client who sends me short jobs pays me on her cell phone 5 minutes after I deliver them - no invoice!

That said, my annual tax preparation is usually a 3-day job, and most of that work is business-related. I have a lot of little expenses, including maintenance of my car and the house, which are parti
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My situation is similar. Most of my "administrative work" is invoicing, and that happens every time a job is delivered. I usually do long jobs, so it's not very time-consuming. The one client who sends me short jobs pays me on her cell phone 5 minutes after I deliver them - no invoice!

That said, my annual tax preparation is usually a 3-day job, and most of that work is business-related. I have a lot of little expenses, including maintenance of my car and the house, which are partial business deductoins and it just doesn't seem worth it to take the time to enter them throughout the year.
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Enrico Zoffoli
Enrico Zoffoli  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 03:15
Member (2013)
German to Italian
+ ...
Yes Aug 25, 2016

Once a month, invoicing etc.

 
Ana Vozone
Ana Vozone  Identity Verified
Local time: 02:15
Member (2010)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Half a day, perhaps... Aug 25, 2016

My administrative work requires a few (around 2 or 3 hours) every month: I have to issue invoices, and also have to issue "receipts" on a Government portal for every amount I receive.

I also have to pay my Social Security contribution every month, and have to sort bills to send to my accountant every month: utilities (water, gas, electricity, Internet), gas, meals, insurance (office, professional liability), stationery (photocopies, ink cartridges, etc.), professional memberships (t
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My administrative work requires a few (around 2 or 3 hours) every month: I have to issue invoices, and also have to issue "receipts" on a Government portal for every amount I receive.

I also have to pay my Social Security contribution every month, and have to sort bills to send to my accountant every month: utilities (water, gas, electricity, Internet), gas, meals, insurance (office, professional liability), stationery (photocopies, ink cartridges, etc.), professional memberships (two associations plus Proz), plus the accountant's fees...

I also need to track payments, to see if they've been made...

So this takes a little bit of time each month and I need to sit down and do all this in one go... because it is a bit boring, but needs to be done!
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Michael Harris
Michael Harris  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 03:15
Member (2006)
German to English
No Aug 25, 2016

I get my invoices done every Friday evening and my accountant does the rest - he knows what can be deducted, etc. so I leave it to him.

 
Ventnai
Ventnai  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 03:15
German to English
+ ...
As and when Aug 25, 2016

I generally write new projects into invoices in Excel on an on-going basis and file receipts away regularly. Some clients send me their own credit voucher, so I don't need to do anything. It then takes me an hour or two to sort out invoices and expenses at the end of the month, which I'll normally do in the evening or at the weekend.

[Edited at 2016-08-25 11:51 GMT]


 
Mario Chavez (X)
Mario Chavez (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 22:15
English to Spanish
+ ...
Funny question Aug 25, 2016

At first I thought it was some sort of Britishism (to take a day out), but I understand that one takes a day out away from work in any case. Like taking a day off here in America.

Plus, I think taking a day out means going out and enjoying yourself, maybe at a local museum, park or going out of town.

As my colleagues said here, most of the administrative work involves invoicing and tax preparation. For the former, I bill the jobs as they are finished. For the lat
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At first I thought it was some sort of Britishism (to take a day out), but I understand that one takes a day out away from work in any case. Like taking a day off here in America.

Plus, I think taking a day out means going out and enjoying yourself, maybe at a local museum, park or going out of town.

As my colleagues said here, most of the administrative work involves invoicing and tax preparation. For the former, I bill the jobs as they are finished. For the latter, I take one or two days off (not out) to prepare my taxes and file them.
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Elizabeth Tamblin
Elizabeth Tamblin  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:15
French to English
Not necessary Aug 25, 2016

I don't really get enough work to need to spend a whole day on admin. Yes, that's me complaining again!

 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 02:15
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Admin is a necessary part of running a business Aug 25, 2016

I do spend a good part of the last working day of the month preparing and emailing my invoices. But it isn't a "day out"; it's just part of running a business.

 
Erzsébet Czopyk
Erzsébet Czopyk  Identity Verified
Hungary
Local time: 03:15
Member (2006)
Russian to Hungarian
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
no and yes Aug 25, 2016

for administration? No. I do it right away.
for SLEEP? YES, I WOULD
"(*/*)"


 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 23:15
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Really? Aug 26, 2016

I have answered QPs that asked if we are able to take a day off for resting (or vacations, many times), then for your birthday, then for many other reasons. Now for Admin services? What else? How much can professionals be so worried about what days-off we can take?

Administration is a daily task, between one job and the other, or at the end of the day. Taking a day off for that purpose is really a sign of "I need more translation jobs, urgently!"


 


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Poll: Do you ever take a day out to do administration work?






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