Editors Need Emergency Plans

This post has been adapted from a presentation for the Editors’ Vine, a virtual group for Editors Canada members who face barriers to participation in face-to-face branch or twig meetings. Since everyone’s business needs are different, we recommend that you review your emergency plans with your financial and legal advisors.

Most of us have at least the basics of a personal emergency plans in place — like a will or power of attorney — but what about for work (whether freelance or in-house)? I fully admit that my worst-case-scenario plan is not as robust as it should be.

Whatever we call them — emergency plans, SOS binders, just-in-case files — everyone should have comprehensive strategies for what to do during emergencies. It is equally important to tell loved ones where the SOS book is (what shelf, what drawer, etc.) so they can find it!

When you’ll need emergency plans

I’ve divided my plan into three categories: external forces, incapacitation and death (EID). How you prepare for these different scenarios can greatly impact how easily they are navigated by you or on your behalf.

External forces

These are things like weather events and natural disasters. This is a fairly broad category, since it can include things for which you have warning and things that are totally unexpected. However, it is more a matter of timing than the actions that need to be taken, as you will be the person taking the action (even if you’re also frazzled because of the emergency).

Incapacitation

Often, these events will be unexpected — an accident, a stroke or a heart attack, for example. You may be unable to work and/or give coherent directions.

Of course, there are other events that can impact your ability to work, like a family emergency or the death of a loved one. See my Editors’ Weekly post “Editing in Times of Chaos and Loss” for a discussion of the impact of emotional times on your work. The contingency planning done for emergencies can also help you navigate those stressful times.

Death

This is self-explanatory. People often avoid discussing the “what if” of an unexpected demise, but taking steps now can save the survivors a lot of headaches.

Getting started with emergency plans

It can be overwhelming to do everything all at once. The first step is to commit to creating your “just-in-case” plan. Break down what needs to be done into manageable steps. Beyond that, the process of creating the plan is going to be as unique to you as the plan itself will be. 

Do you pick the lowest-hanging fruit to get the ball rolling, or do you prefer to strategize? Remember to set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) goals. Having said that (and I’m talking to myself here), don’t let organizing the plan become a form of procrastination to avoid actually putting the plan together. If you’re struggling to even start, would asking for help get the ball rolling? This could be about simple accountability or an unbiased set of eyes.

Remember that your editing is only one part of your life. Even though I’m concentrating on business, your final creation should include all aspects of your affairs.

What to consider when creating emergency plans

This is intended to be a buffet of ideas you can select from in your planning.

Who will use it?

• Who is the most likely person to handle your affairs in the different situations listed above? Do they (and your executor) know about your plan?
• What format will be most helpful for the person handling your affairs?
  • If the person is not tech-savvy, having everything on the computer may be problematic. Maybe a physical copy of passwords in a safety deposit box would be helpful.
  • A visual learner might do better with screenshots than words. (See Tango under “Further resources.”)
  • A technophile might be frustrated by not being able to just click on links.

What do they need to know?

• What is the highest priority information or task that needs to be done quickly?
  • My first addition to my emergency plan was my list of passwords. If something happens tomorrow, someone will have access to them.
• Where can your delegate find more information?
• Do you have any joint accounts that may need to be handled differently? (I’m not a lawyer or accountant, but if your spouse or adult child is jointly listed on your bank account, they will be able to continue paying your business bills.)
  • The CRA’s Represent a Client feature can allow a trusted person to monitor your account.
• What are your current travel and conference plans? Who can the delegate contact in the event of an emergency?

What will happen to your work?

• Where do you track your work(s) in progress? Would it be useful for your delegate to know who needs to be contacted most urgently?
• Do you have a trusted colleague or network of fellow editors who could take over a work in progress if you’re unable to finish? A list of their names and emails could be useful.

Final thoughts

You don’t have to start from scratch. If you want a sample Word document that you can download and make your own, you can use my free template! 

Once you’ve developed your plan, an annual review will ensure your links are still active and you haven’t missed any significant changes (such as removing a subscription that you cancelled).

Creating this presentation and modifying it for The Editor’s Weekly has kicked my behind. My emergency plan is still a work in progress, but the binder is on the shelf, and my sons know where to find it. I hope that by sharing I can encourage others to make a start too.

Further resources

Some of these resources are more author-centric, but they have useful business information that can apply to editors too.

Advice from authors

• Craig Martelle’s “Preparing for the Afterlife” presentation for the 20Books Vegas 2023 conference (video recording)
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s estate planning series (check number five, “Life-Changing Events [Estate 4]” to be scared into starting — and glad to be Canadian!)

Governmental resources

• Prepared BC’s “Emergency Plan for Small Businesses” (from page 5 there are suggestions for who needs to be contacted)
• The Government of Canada’s page “Retirement or death of business owner or partner” (this includes links for all the different types of businesses, from sole proprietorships to corporations)
• If you haven’t yet done the basics, consider checking these pages from The Government of Canada:
  • “What to Do When Someone Dies: Estates and wills”
  • “What every older Canadian should know about: Having a will and making funeral plans”

Digital tools

• Tango is an AI-powered way to capture the steps for complicated processes. There are free and paid tiers.
• LastPass is one of several password-storage options. That way, your emergency planning delegate only needs the one password for this site.

Hard-copy tools

In addition to my template (linked above), pre-made forms — both for download and in book format — are plentiful. The search term “emergency planning” tends to bring up variations of emergency preparedness, while “emergency kit” gives bags of supplies and sometimes lists. “Life planner” tends to find inspirational content, while “end-of-Life planner” leads to more specific tips. Here are a couple of my results to use as starting points; I have not used them and this is not an endorsement.

• Printable emergency binder by DigitalDynastyCraft
• Printable emergency binder by poppaletteprint
• End of Life Planner by Planners with Purpose

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Previous post from Nicola Aquino: Editing in Times of Chaos and Loss

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