Wanted to see anyone else is working this Thanksgiving holiday? I have a project where I got drawings 2 days ago and it is due the Monday after Thanksgiving. Soo…that means I get to furiously work to get the project specifications completed. argh. AND as you all guessed it, the design professional will be taking the holiday off. I guess I get to make some walls hot pink or purple in my painting section. LOL!
I am staying the night at my office and passing out on the couch when my eyelids cannot stay open anymore. LOL!
By the way I thought I would tell you all Happy Thanksgiving!!! May you and yours have a safe one. (My birthday falls on Thanksgiving day this year, LOL)
Can you tell that I am in need of conversation…I am going nuts over here. LOL
There’s an old saying - “Lack of planning on your part does not necessitate a crisis on my part.”
Somehow that doesn’t always work in our profession.
I had a similar situation in my office this week, with the same deadline. Fortunately I was able to hand it off to someone else as I am going out of state next week.
We nicely suggested next time they provide us with sufficient advance notice.
You might try the same with the same with your client.
Whatever you do - DON’T WORK ON THANKSGIVING, especially if it’s your birthday!!!
That is true. I have had this project for more than two weeks now awaiting drawings. They are pushing to get it out before first of year…we all know why $$. Get the billing out before first of year or lose it type of situation.
Anyway, I have been screaming at them everyday for the last two weeks or more to give me information because I saw it coming. It never fails that this firm does this every year for the last decade. yep. they do this every year. i have kept score. The nice thing is that the economy is so bad that I would do just about anything to get this job out myself to pay my company bills and have turkey on the table for the holidays. Plus, it would be nice to buy myself a German Choc BD cake. LOL
I wished I did not have to work but I have to pay bills and that comes before my bd. I will have others, the next one on Thanksgiving will be in about another 7 or 8 years from now though.
Melissa,
I too have to work the holiday weekend; and have been working furiously on 3 projects the last week with the end coming right after Thanksgiving. Fortunately I have an understanding hubby who whisks me away from my desk for 2 hours for dinner out, and a wonderful friend who has invited us for Thanksgiving dinner. I’ll take time out to make my bourbon potatos and join them for dinner that day, but after desert it’s back home to the computer.
From the sound of it you have an office, and don’t work out of your home. Take some time for yourself. It will get done, and if it’s a bit late, sounds like its their fault not yours, you kept after them to get started to avoid the collision. Take care and Happy Birthday!
Nice to hear from you. I hope this year treated you well. Sorry to hear you will be at the computer as well this Thanksgiving. I know I will find a couple of hours to walk away to eat dinner with my family at home and then get back to work afterwards.
The design professional issued a statement today to all of the team saying that he will not accept late work and he gave us a time to send it to him. Wasn’t that wonderful of him? Maybe if i did that a couple of weeks ago and told him about my plight on getting the specifications out to them it would have made a difference. Probably not though. LOL
Thats the biz though, huh. feast or famine. I am exhausted now.
One possible answer is “No.” It’s interesting to see the affect it has on incompetent managers. “No, I’m sorry, but it will take me until the Wednesday after Thanksgiving, because you didn’t provide the information in time for me to meet your deadline.” Surprisingly, their response is often “Oh … okay.” And if you lose a low-functioning client who makes unreasonable time demands due to their mismanagement, it will give you time to look for another one who is actually able to manage their projects. They’re out there.
Specifiers are valuable team assets; we deserve to be treated with basic professional courtesy.
One of the advantages of being self employed aa an independent specwriter is that I can take any time off that I want…I seldom do, but I can; in past years I have not taken turkey day off, not much to be thankful for, but this year my wife may be finally winning her battle over the big C, if not for just a while, so we have something to be thankful for, she might even be able to eat solid food on turkey day, it would be nice…she’s off chemo for a while, so even though work is as busy as ever, clients are not paying, and as demanding as ever, and those bills are piled higher than ever, its time to be thankful for the days, weeks, and months ahead…
Nope, not working T-day. or the day after. Or sat or sunday. It has taken me awhile, but I no longer have a problem telling clients “no”. And, I haven’t lost a client or a job yet. To be honest, I find it incredibly disrespectful of me as a person and as a co-professional if the client gets me info at the last minute and expects me to work over a holiday weekend. I made the decision a few years ago that I wasn’t going to allow anyone to disrespect me, my time, or my profession, that way.
Now, last year, one of my best clients had a crisis develop the week before t-day and I offered to work over the t-day weekend to help him out. He paid me quite well and was very thankful, but he certainly didn’t “expect” me to do it.
I am not trying to preach, but I often find that consultants are willing to do whatever it takes to keep a cient, and that is a horrible business model. Like Phil said, maybe loosing a client isn’t the worst thing.
2 years ago I told a very high-volume, high profile and high-paying client I wouldn’t work for him anymore because it was to stressful for me. I turned down proposals on over $150K in fees. A few months later, I was offered Echelon - a 5 Billion dollar project - by a wonderful firm. If I was still working for the stressful client, I wouldn’t have been able to interview for Echelon.
Good for you Robin–perhaps the hardest lesson we as independent consultants can learn is how to say no. Ultimately what we offer is our reputation; clients will remember for far longer if we do a halfway job on a project than if we decline it because of an absurd schedule.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all-- and all others reading this!!! This is a glorious holiday and so Ameican!! Indeed, take heart, even in our darkest days we still have a thing or two to be thankful for-- sometimes we just have to look a little deeper. And remember all those who also will be working to protect, help and keep us safe!!!
Guess it’s not so much the day, as the thoughts we give it!
Our office policy is closed for the holiday AND the day after-- sure tough to learn these new ways!!!
Robin,
I wish I could have the ability to work like you do. I however have experienced the slow down of the economy and my health bills are unbelievable. So when I got a job, I was beyond happy that I might be able to pay of a little of the 100k that is stacked up on my table. LOL! Sometimes you have to do things you dont like to in order to keep moving forward.
Like Ralph, my company is closed for the holiday weekend so Im thankful for that. Im lucky that my company is pretty generous with holidays, and adjacent days, off. Of course a big part of that is that the project managers dont want to work over holidays any more that I do.
Ill say a special prayer for you and your wife Jerome. God Bless you
Jerome,
I am sorry I meant to say something to you and your family just a minute ago. I wish all the best for you and your family this holiday season. I know I forget sometimes just how lucky I am.
I pray that your holiday is filled with love and laughter. I hope that you both have a peaceful and joyful season. God Bless the both of you.
Doug, Melissa, thanks for your words of support, I am thankful that I have such good friends on 4specs, in CSI and SCIP, most of whom I have never met; I am also thankful that preliminary results of cancer treatment for my wife has been very positive, unfortunately she is in some of the worse pain of her life right now, so bad that last night with loads of pain medication she still lied awake most of the night in pain primarily caused by neuropathy effecting her feet. She was nice to let me sleep for a while, and although I am a sound sleeper, her groans managed to wake me.
The architect in me came to the rescue as I was able to fashion a tent out of cardboard so that nothing would touch her feet - they need to be kept warm, but even a blanket touching her feet sets off more excrutiating pain. Gave her even more sedation and she finally got some Z’s.
Its very frustrating to see her go through this, I am curious if anyone on this board has ever had to endure Neuropathy pain to the feet -goes to show you how desperate I am to seek out solutions, talking to a bunch of spec writers about such things…but at this point I’ll take a witch doctor; actually I need to find an acupuncturist locally, I used one many years ago for migraine pain, its a bit odd having all those needles stuck in you, but at this point my wife will try anything to relieve the pain…
Thanksgiving is a unique holiday. I don’t know of many other cultures that take the time to look at what they have and express gratitude. We seem to find it easier to complain about what we don’t have! So when we have the opportunity to reflect on what’s good in our lives, it’s important to do so.
That we have work, and for the most part, work we enjoy; that we have friends - like all of you; that we know family and love; that we live where we can freely express our thoughts - for all this and more, I am grateful and blessed and give thanks. (Jerome, you are all still in my prayers.)
Jerome,
I am sorry that your wife is going through this pain. I have had 12 surgeries in the last 11 years and the last one was double back surgery two years ago that made me bedridden for one year without the ability to walk. I have neuropathy from hips down to toes everyday. I am on a cocktail of meds daily as well to ease the pain. I know exactly what you are describing. The only thing I can do is ball up and pray for the pain to go away as well. I try not to talk to my hubby about it because I dont want to seem weak and whiny sometimes. I know the pain hurts unbelievable. I am truly sorry. The only thing I do from what my pain management doctors tell me to is to use the heating pad for 20 minutes and alternate with ice wrap on the area to numb the sensations. it works for a bit but it comes back. I usually have to up my pain meds to make it go away.
I am so sorry about this and I will pray for you both to find your way through this safely.
Melissa, wow I had no idea you have to endure such discomfort, you must be a very strong person to endure this and still work. My wife has shown a lot of endurance, three cancers in a year, radiation, more radiation, and now chemo, but it seems the neuropathy is finally bringing her down, have u ever tried acupuncture, I have my calls out, even called by brother (he is a Holistic Healer in Jerusalem)searching for a practitioner who is experienced in relieving this pain…I’ll let you know what I find and if it works…
Thanks Lynn, the problem is that we have a tempurpedic mattress in an unusual platform arrangement - very little to clip on to, I have to get a cabinet shop to fabricate something to accept the foot tent supports - more to do, I had a deadline for this morning, oh well, they will have to wait, wife comes first these days.