Everybody’s slammed. How do you handle it?

We’ve been exceptionally busy for over a year, and most other agencies and writers we know are in the same boat. 

A flood of work can be both blessing and curse. How much of each depends on how you manage it. 

We get by with a little help from our friends. (OK, a lot of help.) We built The Writing Company because working as a team provided all sorts of benefits to our clients and ourselves, including the ability to share work. As solo freelancers, a big project could make us feel like a python digesting a goat—glad for the sustenance but painfully overextended. At TWC, those of us with excess work could get help from those with excess time. 

Here’s some of what we’ve learned about teamwork over the past few decades: 

It takes good teammates—people who are curious, competent, reliable, trustworthy, honest and caring. Those human qualities are what make a team cohesive and sustainable. We think they’re just as important as experience, even when considered purely from a business perspective. 

Teammates have to possess the skills to pitch in where needed. Versatility is valuable. Cross-training takes an investment of time and resources, but it’s worth it. (Variety makes work more fun, too.)

Teamwork demands simple organizational systems. In times of stress, elaborate systems can add to headaches rather than relieve them. We love the list-making app Workflowy, and we’re exploring how Asana’s project management platform can help us focus more on editorial work and less on busywork.  

Maybe most important, teamwork thrives in a culture of communication, supported by systems that encourage people to request and offer help. For example, we recently set up a Slack channel where people can post when they’re too busy or not busy enough, with an automatic midweek prompt reminding all of us to use it.

 Those are some of the touchstones that help us work as a team through busy times. We’d love to hear yours.