When the fear of famine ruins the feast
Find out how having too much work can cause as many problems as too little
Failing Publicly is being handed over to freelance journalist Ella Delancey Jones this week, as she recounts what happened when she took on more work than she could handle.
There’s a constant nagging worry in the freelance world that you’ll not have enough work. In fact, it’s the overarching reason that many people choose not to take the plunge into going it alone.
While absolutely valid, something a little less spoken about is the problem of having too much work. When I ended my agency role and became a full-time freelance journalist and creative copywriter, I was terrified of not being able to make enough money. Living in London - with those rents - it was constantly niggling me.
I had a couple of regular long-term copywriting clients which were enough to tide me over, but I was constantly applying for other gigs for extra money. Over time, I had several clients, which was excellent on paper, but in reality, I was struggling. The money coming in was great, but I was finding that I was spreading myself far too thin.
Because my clients were all in different time zones and required different services, I had no real routine, finding myself working at odd hours and across the weekends. At home, I was constantly telling my husband I just needed to finish “this one thing”. Out with friends, I was on edge that my phone was going to buzz with another task, barely staying present during conversations.
One particular client was very demanding, with the tasks she was asking me to complete straying further and further away from our original agreement. Afraid of losing the work, I did my best, despite the fact I was slowly realising I was becoming answerable to her at all hours. Worse, because I was so time-poor, my once high-quality work was beginning to show cracks across the board.
My husband finally sat me down and asked me to reconsider my amount of clients, after watching me struggle with my workload for months, losing sleep and my sanity.
Having someone else break the news to me that I wasn’t being the greatest wife, friend, or ally to myself was a wakeup call.
I decided to get in touch with the clients I was finding the most demanding but who I could still afford to lose. I asked them to restate our terms of work and agreements - and if they couldn’t do that, I would do my best to find a replacement for them.
One client took this exceedingly well and is still with me today. The other took offence, asking why I had agreed to the work when I clearly couldn’t provide the service she wanted. I apologised, but I can’t say I didn’t breathe a sigh of relief when we decided not to continue our working relationship.
Once that client had gone, I felt like a bit of a failure and was quite hurt at her reaction, although I was aware that it was partly my fault for taking on the work when I didn’t have the capacity. However, the headspace the extra time gave me meant my other work came on amazingly, and I was so pleased with the content I was submitting to my other clients.
The main thing I learned is that it’s much better to focus on quality rather than quantity.
I know this is not always possible, especially when the freelance market feels saturated and competitive, but before going ahead and saying yes to anything, I would really think through the impact extra work will have on your mental health, your relationships, and the results you give your clients.
Now, before I start applying for a role or connecting with a new client, I consider not just whether I’ve got enough hours in the day to complete the tasks, but whether I am mentally ready to take on more work, to ensure I don’t suffer personally and, in turn, waste anyone’s time.
I’m going into my third year of freelancing in 2021, and the biggest lesson I have learned is that it really is what you make it. It’s literally all on you to sink or swim. Having lots of clients and work is impressive; but at what cost? Check in with yourself before you take on too much.
Huge thank you to Ella for sharing her Freelancing Fail! We often hear about freelancing as being a cycle of feast and famine, but sometimes the feast can be just as tricky as the famine. It’s all about striking that balance, and Ella’s advice is so apt. Don’t sacrifice your health and sanity for the sake of a stacked portfolio.
My biggest aim for this newsletter is for people to get more comfortable with sharing their mistakes and realising that being imperfect is part of being human.
If you’ve got a past Freelancing Fail that you would also like to share, this is your opportunity to share it with the group. You can either write your story as a guest post or simply submit the information to be shared.
It can be anonymous if you prefer and it certainly does not have to have a shining lesson of redemption. Sometimes, we just do stupid things - and that’s okay!
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