Five Signs that You Need to Say “No”
February 24, 2008
For any of you musical theater fans, you’ll know what I mean when I say I’ve been the “the girl who cain’t say no” lately in my freelance career. It all started with the “holiday rush,” which has lead right into the “paying the closing costs on our new house squeeze.” All in all…I’m one burnt out writer.
I know a lot of writers, including myself, advise to stay busy whenever possible since you never know when you’ll be going through a dry spell. But experiencing my circumstances right now, I’ve been thinking about the times where it’s not only okay, but it’s necessary, to say “no” to clients - old or new.
1. You are chained to your computer.
If your family doesn’t recognize the look of your face without the laptop in front of it, it’s time to take a break. Writing is a creative process, and sometimes takes a lot longer than people expect it to. If your clients are piling up tight deadlines, you may find yourself working back to back on projects, and missing out on the rest of your life. If you’re already piled high in work, pass the lead onto another writer.
2. Your quality is suffering.
“Sure, I can write 10 pages a day” you think when you accept a new assignment. Then when it’s time to actually write the ebook, you find yourself needing to do a lot more research than you thought you would. Close the doors on your business, finish the project with an adjusted deadline and keep your quality high.
3. Your productivity is down.
When you get burnt out, your daily word or daily page count may decline. Writing isn’t automatic, and it’s hard to write when you’re feeling tired, frustrated or overwhelmed.
4. You have to excessively outsource.
Crowding your schedule with work leaves you with two options to get that work done: outsourcing or delivering late. Since you definitely don’t want to develop a reputation for late delivery, you’re stuck with outsourcing…which can eat in to your profits and possibly cause you more work in the long run. Unless you really, really trust someone to write like you, outsourcing when you’re under the gun can be risky business.
5. You’ve lost your love of writing.
This is perhaps the biggest sign that you need to take some time off, or at least free up your schedule. Take some time off, do some other things and then come back to writing when you feel inspired again.
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February 24th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Great post, Courtney, and oh so very true! I’m about to hit one of those crunch periods myself…better buckle down!
Sandi
February 25th, 2008 at 4:55 am
Crunch periods can teach you a lot about how you work and refine your methods. Good luck!
I also forgot to add another important part of “saying no” - when your gut feeling is to say “no.” After a half dozen times of ignoring my instincts and then having to deal with a bad working relationship, I’ve learned to say no if I sense something may be wrong with the situation.
February 26th, 2008 at 4:25 am
Excellent advice, Courtney. I’ve got to admit, I’ve been here too many times. I always know it’s time to change things up a bit when I’ve slowed waaaay down, and can barely crank out in an hour what used to take 15 minutes.
Good stuff!
February 27th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Hi Courtney
I can SO relate to what you’re saying as that’s where I am right now. I’m happy to be earning online through my writing (mostly article writing), really proud of myself about that; but I am SO tired at the mo’ as I also have a part-time job (4 days a week). I’m not getting as much sleep as I used to and coffee doesn’t seem to be working these days.
But you’re right about what it can teach you about yourself. I’m not the most organised person on the block, and I do feel that maybe if I organised myself better, I’d be able to cope better.
However, I definitely do need a break - just a day where I don’t have to meet any deadline/s and get some good sleep.
I can’t remember how I came by your site, but I do plan on passing through again.
take care…
February 27th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Courtney, great advice. I’m writing two books about blogging right now. For me, “chained” isn’t strong enough - it’s more like “welded” or “fused.” Between the burning eyes and the aching forearms lie an exhausted mind and heart.
But … I can’t say “no” just yet. In a few weeks, holy smokes, yes. I won’t want to touch a book for a good while.
March 7th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Courtney,
This is why it’s so important to take a vacation. I’m soooo looking forward to mine in a few weeks. I have guest bloggers lined up and I’ve notified my major clients.
April 20th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
[…] is client communication. To get started I’m building My Blog Client Wish List and considering Five Signs that You Need to Say No. And if negotiating new terms is an issue, there’s advice on What to Do When Your Project […]