A long time freelancer told me my "hustle" mindset was ruining my life

I was talking to this guy named Tom at my gym last week, he's been a freelance graphic designer for over 20 years. I was complaining about how I need to take every client offer that comes my way or I'll fall behind financially. He just looked at me and said, "You're burning through your best work years chasing bad clients." At first I thought he was being lazy or just picky, but then he explained how he only takes projects that match his rate and schedule, even if it means a slow month. He told me his worst burnout came from saying yes to everything, and his best years came after he started saying no. It hit different because I've been doing this freelance personal training for about 4 years now and I'm constantly stressed about money. I never considered that turning down a $500 client might actually save me from quitting the whole thing. Has anyone else tried being more selective and seen their stress go down?

3 comments

3 Comments

brian_hart4d ago

WHOA hold on, he said he TURNS DOWN $500 clients?? That's absolutely wild to me. I've been doing freelance web stuff for like 6 years and I've NEVER turned down a paying client, even the ones that make me want to pull my hair out. The idea that you could survive a slow month on purpose is just... I don't even know how that works. But I've also been feeling that burnout hard lately, running on fumes from taking every $300 website job that comes my way. Maybe Tom is onto something crazy but I need to wrap my head around it first.

rosepark4d ago

Bad clients cost more than they pay. Your time has value.

viola_garcia564d ago

Hold up, @brian_hart, is it really that crazy though? Like yeah, turning down $500 sounds harsh, but a bad client can eat up way more than that in stress and extra work. I mean, is your sanity really worth that much?