Just crossed the 500-project mark and realized I've been doing this way too long

I hit my 500th client project last Tuesday, and it really threw me for a loop. I mean, I've been freelancing since 2011, so it adds up, but seeing that number in my spreadsheet made me pause. The funny thing is, my very first project paid me 50 bucks for a logo, and now I turn down work under 500. Back then I took any gig that came my way, no questions asked. These days I spot the red flags way faster - like when someone says 'this will be great exposure' or asks for a free sample. Has anyone else tracked their project count and felt weird about how fast it adds up?

3 comments

3 Comments

lisas7810d ago

Oh man, I started tracking mine like two years ago and it genuinely stressed me out.

craig.parker10d ago

Wait, are you including revisions and follow-up work in that count or just brand new projects? Because that changes everything. I see people bragging about hitting crazy numbers but half their "projects" are just updating a font or swapping a color for an existing client. If i counted every tiny revision as a separate project id probably be at 2,000 but that would be straight up lying to myself. The real milestone isnt how many youve done, its how many you actually finished and got paid for without wanting to throw your laptop out the window.

angelamurphy9d ago

omg fr i started adding tiny tweaks to my count too and honestly it made me feel like a fraud lmao