No thanks, I’m stuffed

Last week, I turned down two opportunities. 

One was a current client offering to connect me with a potential lead. One was a sure thing — an actual assignment with a brief and a dollar amount attached.

In the past, I would agonize over these decisions for ages, wasting precious minutes (hours?) waffling, followed by additional time spent regretting my decision (no matter what that decision was). 

But turning down work has gotten easier in the three years since I started freelancing. Here’s how I do it, and more importantly, why:

1. My plate is full

It’s a cliche that happens to be true: freelancing is feast or famine. Six months ago, I was in major famine mode and would have jumped at the chance at a referral that could turn into a paying project. 

But right now, I have consistent work with 4-5 clients, including a rather large website content writing project. Also, it’s finally warming up in Saskatchewan, and I have a lot of upcoming afternoon appointments with my hammock and my book ☀️

Here’s how I declined this referral:

2. The timeline doesn’t work

I work with a few clients through nDash, a platform that connects brands with freelance writers. (Imagine Upwork, if it was actually good.) When I get an assignment request through nDash, it’s usually due in one week. Because I intentionally make room in my schedule for these requests, the turnaround time usually works great.

But last week, I caught a cold. What started as a tickle in my throat on Monday night had me bedridden next to a tower of tissues and cough drop wrappers by Wednesday. So when an assignment request came through, I entertained the idea for .25 seconds before sending this message:

3. It’s just not a good fit

Sometimes, after exchanging messages with a lead or having a discovery call, I find out the project isn’t a good fit for me. A “bad fit” usually means one (or more) of these issues:

I’m not interested in the topic/niche

I’ve written about a lot of things AND I love learning new things! But there are some topics I just truly don’t want to write about. Like, for example, cryptocurrency shudders

There are budget discrepancies

This is a polite way to say “They can’t afford me.” 😉 

I get bad vibes

I once had a discovery call with a man who clearly hated his job and was visibly disinterested in the projects he was describing to me. It was bizarre. I’m pretty sure we ghosted each other and pretended the meeting never happened.

I don’t offer the type of writing they’re looking for

I primarily write long-form content — articles, case studies, SEO blogs, website content, email newsletters. I dabble in copywriting. But I have always hated writing social media posts for clients, and I also don’t really like writing marketing/sales emails. 

Here’s what I said when one of my agency connections asked me about my interest in email writing:

Turning down work has gotten easier, but it’s still hard. Every time I do it, a part of my brain says:

• Who do you think you are?

• The money could dry up at any moment!

• If you turn this down, they won’t like you anymore!

• Reliable, competent freelancers say yes!

But slow times come regardless of whether I’ve turned down work while busy. The extra cash is often not worth the borderline burnout. Ultimately, I rarely regret a “no.”

Remember, this scarcity mindset simply doesn’t serve you. 

And your next “no” might make room for the best “yes” yet.

See you next week,

Kara

P.S. Inspired by my friend Stephanie at The Simple Freelancer, I’m sharing an “Ask Me Anything” link! Ask me about self-employment, anti-hustle culture, business books, or anything else.

Kara Detwiller is a writer and creative based in small-town Saskatchewan. She specializes in long-form content writing for enterprise SaaS, cybersecurity, and manufacturing clients. She is also working on her first novel, among other creative pursuits. To connect, reply to this email or find Kara on LinkedIn or Bluesky. To support her work on Wishful Working, share this email with someone or buy her a “coffee.”

Why Wishful Working? I write this newsletter because I want to see more people enjoy a life not centered around work. For some, the path to freedom and flexibility is through self-employment, but we also need to challenge cultural norms and champion healthier working conditions and work/life balance for all types of workers.