Now that kids are back to school, voice actor parents everywhere are breathing a sigh of relief and vowing to get more done in their voiceover career this school year. I recently returned from speaking at a voiceover conference and as happens every time during one of these weekends, conversations with other voice actors often lead to them finding out that not only am I a full-time voice actor, but I also have four children ages 10 and under. After they pick up their jaw from the floor, the next question I hear is usually, “How in the world do you do it?”
Here are a few tips for parents to get the most done in the least amount of time in the workday.
1. Plan tomorrow today.
Before my head hits the pillow at night, I’ve got a general idea of what tomorrow holds. Sessions are lined up along with corresponding childcare and I’ve mapped out my must-do tasks for the next day. I put absolutely every appointment into my iPhone and set alerts. I also share a digital calendar with my husband and set family appointments and activities so he can see them and lend a hand when necessary. I set work appointments so that only I can see them to avoid cluttering up his calendar.
If you’re ultra-organized, you could even plan certain days for certain activities outside of jobs and auditions such as writing an article or blog on Monday, following up with invoicing activities on Tuesday, strategizing for new business on Wednesday, meeting virtually with a VO friend for accountability on Thursday, or sending thank you notes to clients on Friday.
2. Maximize time blocks.
I used to be among those who bemoaned the limited time to work that parenting often brings. However, I’ve learned to embrace smaller blocks of time because I find that when I have a shorter window of kid-free time, I don’t squander a single second!
Instead of just creating a to-do list, try planning how long you will spend on each activity and give yourself a time limit. For example, if you have five new clients that you need to write thank you notes to, you could plan to spend five minutes writing each for a total of 25 minutes and add on a 10-minute buffer to address and stamp your cards. Then put this 35-minute activity on your schedule from 1:30 p.m. to 2:05 p.m. or whatever the case may be.
READ: Voiceover 101
3. Choose a more efficient business model with LinkedIn.
I can fully relate to the expression “Necessity is the mother of invention.” As many in the voiceover industry know, I’m constantly marketing through my free LinkedIn profile, because as I establish and continue to find regular clients, the paid work comes straight to my inbox. I’ve learned that LinkedIn is a much faster way to find production companies for the VO genres I specialize in as well as names and contact information for specific people who work there.
If you’re new to LinkedIn, take some time to look over your profile and make sure it’s not only up-to-date and showcases current examples of your work, but is also filled out completely. For tips on writing your “About” section, check out this article. Take time to familiarize yourself with how to search for decision-makers within LinkedIn. Put together some templates you’ll use to reach out once you connect with the right person to help establish and build a healthy working relationship. You can also pull out these same templates when sending emails to leads you may have collected through networking events, pay-to-play sites, or a targeted Google search.
Regular direct marketing on my part means that clients regularly choose me for their project without asking for an audition. This saves me tons of time recording my voice for free and instead I get paid to do it.
4. Find reliable childcare.
Dependable childcare help is an integral part of your ability to be available for your clients. Many short directed sessions and all kinds of self-directed recording can be accomplished while your kids are occupied with—let’s be real—electronics, but for clients who book you for a 2–3 hour time block for long-form narrations or for extremely competitive high-paying jobs that cannot go wrong, you’ll most definitely need some childcare. Whether it’s in-home childcare, daycare, preschool, a friend, or relative you can call in a pinch, or a mix, you need both a Plan A and a Plan B to maintain availability as a voice actor.
Everyone knows that there is no perfect formula for balancing work and parenting. Guilt is real and scaling up as a voice actor can require sacrifices in both your professional and personal life. But, do it right and you can totally create the dream life and dream income you’ve always wanted.
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The views expressed in this article are solely that of the individual(s) providing them,
and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Backstage or its staff.
