A Note from Julie, the Greenhouse Curator: |
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Have you ever noticed little green balls on top of the soil in a houseplant?
I was checking on my Marble Queen pothos recently and spotted a few of them scattered around the pot. They’re slow-release fertilizer pellets that gradually add nutrients to the soil.
I like that idea: something small that does useful work in the background. |
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There’s a lesson in there for our proofreading and editing workflows. We tend to notice the big things we could improve: a new piece of software, a better project-management system, or a whole new way of organizing our files. But often, the changes that help the most are much smaller. They save you a few seconds. They keep you from solving the same problem twice. They remove one annoyance you’ve been putting up with for months. By themselves, they don’t seem like much. But over dozens of projects, those improvements add up. Here are a few small-but-mighty things you could try: - Keep a list of things that annoy you. Maybe it’s a cluttered folder, an awkward file-naming system, or a template that never works quite right. Keep a running list, then spend 20 or 30 minutes fixing a few.
- Ask yourself one question at the end of every project: What would make a project like this easier next time? Write down the answer while it’s fresh, then turn it into something useful, like a checklist item, shortcut, template, or note for future clients.
- Leave a note for tomorrow-you. Before you stop working, jot down exactly where you left off and what you need to remember when you come back. It can save you from spending the first several minutes of your next session rebuilding your train of thought.
- Look for things that seem too small to automate. A keyboard shortcut, macro, saved search, or template can save only a few seconds at a time. But if you use it over and over, those seconds add up.
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Those fertilizer pellets in my plant aren’t doing anything flashy. They’re just sitting there, doing a little bit of work over a long period of time.
The same can be true of the best workflow improvements. They’re easy to overlook, but they keep saving you time, removing friction, and making your work a little easier. 🪴 |
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Favorite LinkedIn Posts This Week: |
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Here are three posts I enjoyed reading on LinkedIn recently. Click the links below to read them. - Are you showing clients they can trust you? Jeanette shares practical signs authors can use to vet an editor. I think her list is just as useful for editors and proofreaders. It highlights the things we should be doing to show clients we’re credible, capable, and trustworthy. 🛡️
- A handy guide to hyphens: Because I find hyphens particularly tricky, Sara’s post caught my eye. The graphic that goes with her post is especially worth a look for its great examples of correct hyphen use. I even spotted a beagle reference in there! 👀
- Small spacing mistakes to watch for: Nicci highlights a few sneaky phrases that are easy to close up when they should actually be two words. I especially like her reminder that even editors have words that make us stop and think. There’s always room to keep learning. 🤓
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Ordnance refers to military weapons, ammunition, explosives, and related equipment. Ordinance is a law or rule made by a local government or other governing authority. Catch of the Week screenshots come from my transcript proofreading. I can't change what a person said, but I can make sure words are spelled correctly and punctuation marks are in the right spots. If you're interested in learning more about transcript proofreading, I wrote an article about it here. |
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I love noticing the way light moves through my house. This Silver Sparkle pilea near my dining room window lights up like this for just a few minutes each day. I don’t always notice it because I’m usually busy working in my office, but when I happen to walk by at just the right time, it makes me smile. Speaking of sunlight, I recently discovered a tool called Shadowmap that lets you see how sunlight and shadows fall across a location at different times of day. It’s a fun way to get a better sense of which windows or areas of your home get the best light for plants. ☀️🪴 |
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Let's keep growing together! |
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