When is too much too much?
I recently had to turn down some potentially great freelance work because I felt I already had too much on my plate. I’m sure I could have squeezed it in though, I’m not sure I wanted to. I say this for two reasons:
I didn’t want to drop any of the current work I was working on. Whether the next opportunity is better or not, I can’t do that to current client. I try to be as transparent and ethical as I can, and I’d expect the same from people I’m paying for some service. But even when something better for them comes along, I’d expect to still come first. Perhaps it’s foolish and not great business, but that’s how I roll. Or design, however you want to say it.
Secondly, if I had taken the extra extra work, I’d have been locking myself in a room for a few weeks, and I’m not sure I’m ready to do this. As I do have a great day job, I don’t need to freelance to sustain my level of life-enjoyment, so I chose against this. One day I do want to go solo (full-time), and I realize I might be working like this more often than not, or until things get steady, but for now I’d rather keep a decent work / play life mix.
I lied. There’s a third reason.
I partly fear that I’d not have the creative juices to produce the exceptional (at least how I view it) level of work I do whilst juggling too many clients. I’ve always been a bit more fearful than I like to admit, but this is one area where I personally can’t afford to let anyone down. I strive to give each client 110% of what they want and more, and I ‘d hate to do less because I wanted an extra job.
So how do I know when I’m at my limits then? I also don’t have any answer for this right now, but it’s kind of a gut feeling. I was at the library last night while Kizaan (wifey) was at class. I was struggling to be creative and just couldn’t get anything out that I liked–and that’s when I really knew I was at my limits. That was a very crappy feeling I might add.
So, for now, I guess I have my barometer. Perhaps with more age and experience, I might be able to push that bar. Or I might just learn to deal with it and endure.
