The thought of being booked solid (and even beyond booked solid) sounds awesome.
And it is awesome … until you’re in that position for few weeks or months at a time.
Which is ironic. Because you used to dream of having a ton of work! But once you’re in the middle of it, you quickly realize that having TOO much work is not a good thing either.
It cuts both ways.
So what can you do about it?
As you can imagine, there’s no single (or easy) solution. From my experience, it takes a combination of strategies.
Here are six ideas to consider when you find yourself in that situation:
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Don’t Let Fear Rule You
Be careful about what you take on.
Are you saying yes to new clients and projects out of fear? Fear of disappointing people and/or fear of an uncertain future?
For a long time, I said yes to everything. I didn’t know what the future held. I decided I should hedge my bets by accepting every good opportunity that came my way.
But you can’t make decisions purely out of fear. You need to be strategic about what you take on and what you say no to.
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Set and Maintain Boundaries with Clients
Setting and maintaining boundaries with clients is essential. When things get delayed, or the client has an unexpected change in schedule or direction, you don’t have to automatically concede to their demands.
Most of us have troubles with this. We don’t want to say no or disappoint people.
But when we automatically agree to every client ask, you end up with a very unbalanced client relationship. You create an unhealthy co-dependency that has no winning outcome
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Track Your Time and Capacity
If you’re not tracking your time and capacity really well, you’re bound to get overwhelmed at some point.
You need to get a handle on using a simple spreadsheet or some other tool.
It’s the only reliable way to know what’s on your current schedule and what else you can take on—and when.
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Add More Buffers into Your Capacity
Many of us pride ourselves on efficiency. We don’t want any wasted moments in our schedule!
But if you’re struggling with overwhelm, you need to add more buffer into your capacity,
even if that means sometimes you end up with unused gaps of time.
It’s easy to be overly optimistic and tell ourselves that we won’t need that kind of cushion. But don’t listen to that voice.
This is one area where it’s best to play it safe.
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Consider Hiring a Contact Writer
A contract writer can help you with lower-level projects or repetitive work for some of your clients.
You’ll have to spend some time training, editing and reviewing, for sure.
But if you can find the right person, this can take a huge load off your plate.
So keep an open mind. Don’t give up on this idea too easily.
Keep trying new angles and approaches to get help from other writers until you find the right mix for YOU.
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Hire a Top-Notch VA
A reliable, top-notch virtual assistant can clear a ton of administrative stuff off your plate (and even do some project management work when it makes sense).
When you hire the right person and you have a good onboarding process in place, this can be a lifesaver.
There’s No Single Solution
Unfortunately, there’s no single solution that will solve all of your capacity problems.
Typically, it’s a complex issue that requires a multi-prong approach and a lot of calibrating over time.
Whatever you do, don’t give up. It just requires some creativity, courage and testing.
By the way… whenever you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you grow your freelance business:
1. Grab a free copy of my book.
It’s called Earn More in Less Time: The Proven Mindset, Strategies and Actions to Prosper as a Freelance Writer. The title says it all. 😉 — Click Here
2. Join my implementation program and be a case study.
I’m putting together a new implementation group this month. If you’re earning $5k+/month (or the part-time equivalent) from your freelance business … and you’d like to grow your income quickly with better clients … just email me at [email protected] and put “Case Study” in the subject line.
3. Work with me privately.
If you’re a 6-figure writer who’s trying to earn more in less time, with less stress, I might be able to help you get there faster than you think. Just email me at [email protected] and put “Breakthrough” in the subject line, and I’ll get back to you with more details.
