I Failed at Freelancing on Upwork. Here’s What I Learned.

You don’t have to take every opportunity to write for money.

My freelance writing career on Upwork started like a real success story. After sending only three proposals, I landed my first job. I had to write a test assignment before I got the job, and I passed the test.

I took the Upwork readiness test and was awarded the shiny Rising Talent badge in no time. Even though I didn’t have any reviews yet, Upwork kept sending me new job offers. Some employees even sent me job offers personally. I felt overwhelmed by these offers because I wasn’t interested in most of them.

I was very optimistic about my future success with my new client. I took my time before I even started working on the project. I thought I had plenty of time. Here we go again; my ADD brain was doing the project management. That never ends well.

The job I got was a long-term project. The client wanted me to write at least one assignment per month, but I could do more if I wanted to. Of course, my ADD brain was very optimistic again, and I thought I could write multiple assignments per month.

Three weeks passed, and the client sent me a message asking how I was doing since they hadn’t heard from me. I didn’t realize you were supposed to send updates to the client about your progress. I managed to finish the assignment before the deadline, and the client was happy with my work.

I started working on my second assignment. Now I sent short updates to the client once a week as I knew they expected that.

But I wasn’t progressing as I had planned. I was starting to feel stressed and overwhelmed again. I didn’t even think of getting new clients because I had trouble even dealing with the one I had.

The deadline was approaching. I spent a couple of days only working on the assignment. I still wasn’t finished.

The familiar feeling of despair started to creep up on me again. It reminded me of studying in the university before I got my ADD diagnosis and my meds. All those nights I spent working on assignments that were due the next day. So many times, I failed to finish the task and had to drop out of the class.

Now I had my ADHD meds, but they’re not magic pills. I had pushed myself too hard, and I knew I was going to fail. I tried to finish the assignment, but I didn’t.

So, I gave up. Maybe if I had got paid more, I would have kept pushing myself. But for the money I got, it didn’t feel worth it anymore. It felt like decent pay before I started the job because I didn’t know how long it would take to finish it.

I had only two options. Either I could ghost the client or tell them I wasn’t able to finish the assignment. I chose the latter. I felt very embarrassed to fail the client and send them a message explaining the situation. But I knew it was the right thing to do. I had to put myself first.

Trust Your Intuition

If I had listened to my intuition, I wouldn’t have ended up in that difficult situation in the first place.

I was never that excited about joining Upwork. I read some stories on Medium written by people who had made good money on Upwork. I didn’t want to join Upwork, but I needed money. The idea of working with freelance clients and sending them pitches didn’t feel good to me. But I figured out I must go outside my comfort zone to be successful.

When I got the Rising Talent badge and landed a job quickly, it boosted my confidence. But my Upwork adventure didn’t end well.

You Don’t Have to Take Every Opportunity to Write for Money.

You don’t need to take every opportunity to make money online. You don’t even have to take every opportunity to make money writing online.

There are so many opportunities you can’t make time for everything. I saw all those successful Medium writers who had freelance clients. I thought that’s what you’re supposed to do because everybody’s doing it.

But when you’re doing one thing, you have less time for something else. Richard Koch states in his book The 80/20 Principle that only a few things produce remarkable results. The mental energy spent on the 80-percent activities takes away from the 20-percent projects.

According to the 80/20 rule, 80 percent of your results and your enjoyment come from 20 percent of your activities. That applies to writing activities as well. All ways to earn money writing are not equal. I realized writing for freelance clients was an 80-percent activity. I don’t enjoy it very much, and it doesn’t pay very well.

When you work for freelance clients, you sell your time. Selling your time is not scalable. There’s no potential for passive income either.

For me, writing fiction and blogging is what I enjoy the most. I’m not a copywriter. Writing on online blogging platforms like Medium, and writing a novel on top of that already takes me a lot of time and energy. I love writing, but I also need free time for hobbies and relaxing.

Sometimes I get FOMO (fear of missing out) when I look at the successful writers who manage to write on multiple platforms multiple times a day, make YouTube videos and keep freelance clients on top of that. But I’m not them. I’m an autistic person with limited energy. I need to be selective about which endeavors I choose to pursue.

I choose to spend my time and energy on the 20-percent activities. For me, writing for freelance clients is not one of them.

You Have to Learn to Say No

Saying no to people doesn’t feel good. It doesn’t feel good to disappoint people, and that’s what often happens when you say no. That is even more likely if you said yes first. That’s why it’s crucial to think before you commit yourself to anything.

You have to learn to say no. It’s one of the most vital skills you need to live a happy and balanced life.

The client I got on Upwork was probably one of the best clients you can find on Upwork. I was lucky to get a long-term job so quickly.

But it turned out working for freelance clients is not for me. There are so many opportunities to make money online writing. You don’t have to do all of them, and you probably shouldn’t. Your time and energy are limited. Only pursue the opportunities that are the best for you. The ones you enjoy the most and make you the most money.

Have you tried freelancing on Upwork? How did it go? Please share your experience in the comments.