Hello. I am Aaron.
I am a Human.
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My preferred method of communication with clients in general is by email. Consultations and meetings can take place in person or via phone-calls/zoom but I would request to avoid using those for general working updates, written communication is so much more efficient for me for those.
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I can be very easily unsettled by lots of messages/emails in a short space of time - you might think it helpful, I find it overwhelming. Please try to condense your communications - I have several ways to help us avoid this becoming a problem, we will discuss them if needed.
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I balance my working time across lots of different clients - as much as I would love to put everyone at the front of the queue, sometimes there is a queue, and I will need to manage my time accordingly. I will always be clear about this where it applies, though.
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I maintain strict working hours - otherwise I am prone to getting lost in a sinkhole of time. I will track the time I spend on your project(s) accurately and report it to you at an agreed interval. This also helps me maximise my efficiency on what I am working on for you, and has the bonus of keeping your costs down!
I do sometimes keep very strange working hours depending on my workload at any given time, but in general I would request that all communications are kept to “standard office hours” - 9am-6pm - if you contact me outside of these times please do not be upset or offended if I don’t respond straight away.
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I love detailed feedback and notes, it’s very helpful for me to have details on what is required or needs to change. Sometimes I might need to ask clarifying questions - please remember that I am not trying to be argumentative or contrary, but my questions help me to understand your requests.
Similarly, sometimes I will feel the need to explain why I have done something when you are asking to change it - again, this is not me arguing with you, but clarifying my understanding.
(I genuinely hate that I need to include this point, but many clients have misinterpreted or taken umbrage with my intentions in the past!)
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This last one should be obvious from the tone of this site, but just in case - I am vehemently against the use of Generative AI in any of my work, and I will always advise clients to avoid using it for themselves.
I will never make use of any materials which are generated by AI, please avoid the embarrassment of asking me to.
You can read more about my policy on that, here.
Here are a few helpful things you might like to know about me before we work together, and a bit about what you can expect going forward, if we do collaborate.
I am fully freelance/self-employed, autistic and I have ADHD. On top of that, I regularly suffer from anxiety and depression.
Yes, it’s a particularly pleasant combination of statements. All of it together means that I prefer to be up front and request some extra considerations, which I have detailed here:
I advocate very strongly and passionately for a healthy work/life balance - on both sides of the working relationship. I enjoy my work, and I want it to stay enjoyable so I think it’s good to make sure all of my clients are aware of this up front.
We can certainly discuss any of these points in more detail if you would like, but hopefully they will help you to make an informed decision about whether or not to work with me. Besides, if you disagree with any of this I don’t really want to work with you anyway, so we’re saving us both the trouble.
Thanks for reading!
Aaron.