My freelance income doubled in 6 months after I stopped saying yes to everything

For the first two years, I took every single project that came my way, even the ones that paid $25 for a full day's work. I was scared to say no and my calendar was just a mess of tiny, stressful jobs. Then, around last October, a client offered me a big project but wanted me to drop everything else. I said no to three small regulars to take it, and it was terrifying. That one project paid more than the three small ones combined and took less time. Since then, I've been super picky, only taking jobs that pay my new rate of $75 an hour minimum. My income went from about $2k a month to a steady $4k+, and I work way less. But part of me wonders if I just got lucky and this 'niche down' advice is risky for people just starting out. Has anyone else made a hard shift like this and had it actually work long-term, or did the work dry up?

4 comments

4 Comments

christophero652mo ago

My own freelance journey started with me saying yes so much I basically became a human doormat. The shift to being picky felt like a huge gamble, but it forced better clients to find me. It's less about luck and more about making space for the good stuff by stopping the bad.

ericw931mo agoTop Commenter

Ugh, my doormat phase was epic.

quinn6062mo ago

My last roommate did this with her dating life too.

jason_stone5913d ago

@ericw93 same here, I literally said yes to everything for years and it was exhausting.