Working two jobs can drive you crazy. In my case, the drive is revealing.
One job is rigid. It has immutable deadlines. The pay is fixed. I work for someone else. They tell me what to do. I MUST get along with others.
The other job personifies flexibility, finesse, and self-direction. There’s a little more room to fudge, but no one else to blame.
There are loads of pros and cons to both, of course, and I’m not here to judge…only to say that being a VO requires SO MUCH MORE personal discipline.
The trick to discipline — beyond will power — is PROCESS. “…a continuous action, operation, or series of changes taking place in a definite manner.”
I’m wasting time if I try a different method of recording, editing, naming and sending a file to a client every time. Decide on the most workable PROCESS and stick to it. Combine that with the process for answering email, the process for sending out newsletters, and the process for tracking your expenses, and you’ve got a SYSTEM. A system makes you more efficient and more effective. An effective voice actor is a working voice actor, and a working voice actor makes more deposits.
The following are 7 suggestions for streamlining your VO process.
1) Trial and error is good. But it can’t last forever. Nothing’s perfect. Decide.
2) Find what works. Do that.
3) Take advantage of amazing hardware & software tools to help you stay on task.
4) Plan. Visualize your plan. Enable your plan.
5) Schedule. Schedule. Schedule. Stick to it. (even schedule your sleep, and don’t cheat)
6) Set alarms. Be reasonable and realistic with your deadlines.
7) Change will happen. Set a new process to adapt.
I’m not a Process expert. I’m Dave. These are some observations I’ve made. I DID, however, consult a number of online sources, and my favorite was: BUSINESS PLANING PROCESS TIPS, STRATEGIC PLANNING, LIFE PLANNING.
I also found a pretty cool Marketing Process Map.
I hope these thoughts have helped you. Feel free to add your own in the comments below.
CourVO
