The "All Nighter"

Working when everyone else is asleep...

While for most this is a distant memory from university days when youth was on our side and cheap pints at a seedy nightclub on a Tuesday were higher up the scale of priorities than impressing our tutors, I have to admit that the (relatively few) times I sat up all night writing an essay, surprisingly, turned out to be all part of the training for real life and working freelance.

I must say first and foremost that the main lesson I learnt from scribbling away at my desk in a cloud of fag smoke and coffee fumes was that the "all nighter" was something to be avoided if at all possible - even when flopping back into bed for the rest of the day was still an option: I soon discovered that work produced under these conditions was inevitably sub-standard, and even found myself making up the last two paragraphs of an essay on Medieval Spanish Literature as I was reading it out because what I'd written was illegible.

The occasional late night may be inevitable, but don't let it become a habit

But when you are being paid for what you produce, you have to up your game. Translation is a competitive business and clients are not as forgiving as my university tutor - quite rightly they expect to receive the highest quality job for their money. Your work must always be the best you can produce, regardless of the hours you choose to work. Ideally, we freelancers all know that we should set ourselves a strict timetable for work and stick to it, yet "real life" sometimes dictates that we simply cannot work a bog standard 9am to 5pm.

In a hugely competitive line of work such as translation, and in particular in the current economic climate, we are less inclined to turn down jobs despite a tight deadline. And not forgetting the old "London bus" analogy: you can spend days waiting for a job to come through, then 5 or 6 come along all at once. Add into the mix the frantic juggling of work with other commitments, family, and thousands of other reponsibilies and activities, and the sad truth is that, from time to time, you find yourself working strange hours, and yes, the occasional "all nighter" or "late nighter" at least, once the chores are done and the house is finally quiet. This is fine once in a while when you have a lot to get through, a busy daytime routine and a deadline to meet, but it is important to remember that lack of sleep on a regular basis can have serious knock-on effects, not only on your work, but on your health, family relationships, emotional state, stress levels, and much more.

However, for those tight moments when a late night work session is unavoidable, here are some tips:

1- Plan ahead. If at all possible, leave plenty of time to revise and proofread your work the next day once you have had a chance to sleep. All translations need to "rest" between completion and checking - even more so in the case of an all-nighter. You'll be amazed at the amount of silly mistakes that can slip through the net. It's much better to polish up your work in the morning when you are no longer cross-eyed!

2- Power nap. Taking a siesta before settling in for the long haul can work wonders. I find napping for 20-30 minutes can make all the difference and I wake up surprisingly refreshed and productive. Don't forget to set an alarm though!

Almonds are full of minerals and vitamins which can help boost mental functioning

3- Keep hydrated - and go easy on the caffeine! I find the best thing to drink while working late is water. Coffee and tea are tempting, but they can often make you too jittery to concentrate properly. Similarly, try to avoid snacking on the wrong things - you may think sweet foods and high GI carbohydrates will give you a temporary boost, but this actually takes the form of a sugar rush / insulin peak followed by a slump and loss of concentration. Drinking plenty of water will actually keep you much more alert and ward off most of those hunger pangs. If you must snack on something, try low GI foods such as an apple, or a handful of almonds, which provide you with the sustenance you need to keep going.

4- Pace yourself.  Set yourself achievable targets. Personally I have discovered that I can function pretty adequately the next day if I've gone to bed before 3:30 am, so I aim to use that as my absolute cut off limit. Setting yourself a goal of X number of pages or words is an alternative option. It's much easier to work towards one or more pre-established milestones than simply plough on blindly through the night, only to wake up at 6am dribbling onto your spacebar and with "qwerty" imprinted on your left cheek.

Keep your blood flowing and release tension with a foot roller

5- Take regular breaks. When working at night, the same rules should apply as during the day. Get up, stretch, walk around, breathe in some fresh air. Also remember to sit properly and take care of your posture and circulation. I have a great little foot roller under my desk which helps prevent getting heavy legs as well as keeping me alert by stimulating endorphine production. A squeezy ball is also a good idea for exercising and releasing tension in hands and wrists.

Obviously, the best advice is to avoid a situation where you have no choice but to work at night. Sometimes taking on that extra piece of work at the last minute simply isn't worth it, no matter how well paid it may be. Negotiating with clients, organising your week differently, and learning to say "no" are all a key part of striking the balance between work and the rest of your life. But freelancing is also about flexibility, and having the freedom to work as you please - so if working the occasional late night (without compromising the quality of your work, or your health) means you can watch your son's all important football match or do your Christmas shopping in a blissfully empty shopping centre on a Tuesday morning... then so be it!