Summary

A freelancer who has recently experienced a lull in client work expresses relief and reflects on the opportunity to return to personal writing projects, despite the shift in focus from passion to profit-driven work.

Abstract

The author, a seasoned freelancer, finds themselves in a period without client work and surprisingly feels a sense of relief. This break comes after a financially successful period where the freelancer earned nearly as much in three months as in the previous two years combined, thanks to high-paying clients. However, this success led to an imbalance, with the majority of time spent on client work and administrative tasks, leaving little room for personal writing on platforms like Medium. The author's audience growth has stagnated as a result of this shift in focus. With the completion of major projects, the freelancer now has time to reassess priorities and considers re-engaging with personal projects, including a newsletter, Medium writing, and potentially launching an investing website. The author acknowledges the importance of Medium as a creative outlet rather than just a source of income and is contemplating which personal projects to prioritize during this downtime.

Opinions

The author values the creative freedom and personal fulfillment that comes from engaging in personal writing projects.
There is a sense of pride and accomplishment in the author's recent financial success and the work-life balance achieved.
The author views the current lull in client work as an opportunity rather than a setback.
Medium is seen as more than just a platform for income; it's an essential outlet for creativity and self-expression.
The author is somewhat critical of the changes in Medium's algorithm, which have affected many writers' metrics and earnings.
There is a recognition of the need to balance profit-driven work with passion projects to maintain a sense of personal satisfaction and audience engagement.

My Freelance Client Work Finally Dried Up

What a relief.

I don’t have any client work at the moment, and I’m…relieved.

That’s something I never thought I’d say.

I lived invoice to invoice for the first 26 months of my freelancing career. I barely saved money — some months, I lived within an anaconda-tight budget. But I was smart about it. Before I made the proverbial leap, I set aside a year of expenses to offset the unpredictability and possible insanity of not making enough money to get by.

That changed toward the end of 2021. I landed a few game-changing clients, who have plenty of high-paying work to pass my way. Fast forward to the present, I’m clearing $10,000 a month with relative ease.

I used to daydream about where I am today.

The work-life balance. The financial stability. The self-fulfillment of building my own business.

Forgive me for tooting my own horn for a second, but I’ve earned nearly as much in the last 90 days ($34,753) as I did in 2020 ($34,998) and 2021 ($34,961).

But, man, I miss personal writing.

I’ve all but abandoned this platform since August. Even after redesigning and optimizing my schedule specifically to carve out time for passion projects, my client work swelled and consumed my available hours. Outside of my weekly newsletter, which I feel handcuffed to (in a good way, sort of), I stopped giving any thought to passion projects — a deflating admission.

To add some numbers for context, I spent 88% of my time on client work and administrative tasks from August through October, leaving a measly 12% for things like Medium (2%), my investing newsletter (9%), and social media (1%). In comparison, I spent 23% of my working hours on Medium in 2021.

And my audience growth reflects this digression:

Momentum = gone.

When I first started on Medium, I thought it would become a legitimate source of income once I hit 20,000 followers or so. But the platform and its underlying algorithm changed. I read story after story from successful writers who saw their metrics nosedive, despite budding follow counts.

However, after spending several months away, I realize that Medium means more than reads and earnings — it’s an invaluable outlet for creativity. Outside of a personal journal, there’s no better place to unpack my mind and let the thoughts scatter across the table.

Fortunately, I’ve stumbled into a clearing. I wrapped about a couple of massive projects and have considerable down time, at least for the moment, presenting an ideal opportunity to recalibrate my schedule once more for personal writing.

Except I’m at a bit of a loss. I’ve tested the waters with a bunch of different personal projects, which ones should I prioritize?

My newsletter?

Medium, obviously, but should I delve back into financial or freelancing subjects?

Do I finally launch my investing website?

Old questions that still need answers, but I welcome the opportunity to ask them again.