Monday, January 28, 2019

Update Day: Taking Action

Usually, Update Day is on the last Friday of the month, but even though last Friday really sneaked up on me, I actually did remember. It's just that I've been so crazy busy this month that I had my first mini burn-out on Friday and that lasted straight into the weekend.


Yes, I'm fully aware that having the first burn-out of the year within the first month of the year has to be some sort of record. But let me explain.

I managed to rest for all of three days before the extra jobs (as in the ones not associated with my main contract) came in. And boy did they. I had something like a bumper month where I never had fewer than two jobs to do at any one given time, and all of them were on short deadlines.

The problem with that was... I need to work a certain number of hours at the contract job to ensure I get the monthly income I need to make rent etc. and my editing work just seriously started cutting into my work hours. Except... if I only did my editing work that came in, I wouldn't make rent. So there was the problem.

I didn't want to let anyone down, but I also didn't want to not get my contract hours in. So.... I started working between 18 and 20 hours per day (including weekends) to get everything done. I managed that, but then had to increase my daily contract work hours to make up the shortfall because the editing still took up most of two weeks.

And then I suddenly had three projects that I had to finish writing in a week (plus the research). This I managed. But I literally had to work non-stop on Friday to get everything in.

So when I was done, and I still had my blog post to write, I just felt like crying.

At which point I decided to give myself the entire weekend off with no screens (except Netflix) so that I could recover.

Fortunately for me, I did.

But the thing is, it made me realize that I had to change something for my own well-being. 

I worked until I was exhausted and that also made me feel sick. And if I kept it up, I definitely would have derailed in some way or the other. But that did give me the impetus I needed to make a change I'd been worried about for months now...

My freelance rates and turnaround times. 

See, when I got started, I really stressed how fast I can work and how relatively inexpensive I was. It was my way of getting into the market. It was good, and for quite some time, I never felt the impact. First, because I didn't have anything else to do. Then because I basically entered a quiet editing time while working on my contract. 

But this month when everything crashed together, I realized that I could no longer deliver work in seven days unless I was compensated for the fact that I was taking time away from my other contracts. 

So I completely restructured the way I charge for my work, which you can check out on Fiverr

I used to be somewhat worried about making this change. What if my clients didn't come back? What if I didn't get any more orders? 

But the last month has shown me that I'm willing to only work on my contract rather than 1) burn out because I have too much to do or 2) take a knock on my income because I wanted to keep my editing prices low.

So that's basically what my January was about. How about you? Are you also working on changing things this year? How is it going?


16 comments:

  1. You had to adjust somewhere or you'd never sleep. You're more experienced - raising your rate is reasonable.

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  2. We want to do it all but we can't.

    I'm set up on Fiverr and I've had one client from it, but they take WAY too much money. I have to charge higher there than on my website just to compensate. I get enough work from clients on my own anyway.

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    1. Most of my clients are from Upwork, and about a quarter of the same amount is from Fiverr.

      Upwork is nice in that they charge progressively less the longer you work with one person. (And they add up over your history.)

      I'm actually not a fan of Fiverr. Other than the high rates, they seem to be really punitive.

      Still, I don't really want to start a dedicated website just for my editing services, because I actually like the idea that I don't have to chase after my clients to make them pay me my due, for example.

      The idea is to create free time in order to write more. (Although... that's working out REAL well right now. :-/ )

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  3. Doing what is best for you is essential Misha. Sorry you got burnout.

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  4. Hi Misha - well done for adjusting and staying sane through it all ... now good luck with the adjustment change through the year ... cheers Hilary

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    1. Thanks Hilary. Lots of big adjustments happening at the moment. So I need all the luck I can get. ;-)

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  5. I checked it out. Your rates seem very low. It's hard work; you deserve to be compensated fairly.

    Diane does make a good point...setting up a website and advertising on your blog could help cut out the middle man and help you keep more of what you earn.

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    1. Thanks Elizabeth. I'll definitely keep that in mind, because I might make more changes if I feel I need to, so it's nice to know I have some leeway.

      Basically my rates are calculated to be an equivalent of about USD 40 per hour, which I thought is a lot. :-D

      But then USD always looks a lot to me because of the currency difference and also the differing value for money here.

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  6. A very modern dilemma, Misha. Hope you are recovered x

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    1. Thanks Carole. I'm getting there, but it's basically me nursing myself along to this weekend so I can properly rest.

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  7. Know exactly where you're coming from. I've experienced some pretty bad burnouts over the years, and always knew something had to change whenever one happened. Am more mindful of what I can handle now, and try to price my work more fairly, too. (The latter is still a struggle sometimes, though, thanks to my insecurities.) Your new rates seem very reasonable to me. Glad you're putting yourself first and making changes that are more fair to you!

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    1. With regards to pricing, I'm trying to look at it from an economics point of view. I have high demands on my time, so naturally, the value/price of that time increases.

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  8. Sorry that you had your first burnout of the year so soon into the year, but I'm glad you're adjusting and taking action to take care of yourself. That's so important.

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    1. Yeah. It was a pretty harsh lesson, but I'm guessing it's one I needed to learn.

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