It’s alright to say No.
And not feel like a jerk after saying so.
As I write this, I am buried under a ton of work. Professional commitments, freelance projects, hobbies and life issues; it’s all happening at the same time and it’s almost (read: almost) driving me insane. The hunger and excitement to work on as many projects as possible is exciting and challenging; but that very hunger is, again, almost leading me to a burn out. Let me tell you why.
In between all the exciting projects that I am working on, another fun project came up. Content writing for a stationery brand. I was like “Aah! I love stationery and I love writing, I should do it!”. I sent some samples over; which followed up with making a few changes to the said samples. After going through the motions of making the changes, it made me realize that I wouldn’t have time to dedicate for the project. I didn’t want to deliver sloppily written content just for the sake of adding another piece of work to my growing portfolio. So I sent a mail back to the concerned person with apologies and a thank you for considering me. And after sending that mail, I really didn’t feel crestfallen that I lost a project. In fact, I was happy, that I was able to say no and move on.
Similarly, I got another offer to conduct a series of workshops in the city where I live. I jumped at the opportunity. Fast forward a couple of weeks and I realized no, I couldn’t do it. Not at least at the current moment, since I had so many other things happening to which I wanted to dedicate time to. I apologized to the people involved and it almost felt like a load went off me. And I felt good. I didn’t want to deliver sloppily conducted workshops and ruin the experience for everyone. Which is why I decided, it was better to say no instead of delivering a half baked workshop experience for all.
And that’s something you all should also think about. The art of saying No.
At the beginning of a freelance career, the thirst to take on multiple projects sounds and feels absolutely exciting. The fact that people are seeing your work and commissioning you makes you feel so good that you take on every damn piece of work that comes your way; even if it means that you sacrifice your sleep and health for it. But believe me, there are repercussions to that. There is a thin line of difference between working hard and working smart. And a lot of that depends on when and where to say no.
Taking on too many things just because it’s exciting is not a reason you give just because you need to prove to the world that you are good at what you do. I have learnt that the hard way; I took way too much work on my head and I couldn’t dedicate proper time to each. And it sucks, right? To deliver mediocre work for a client who thought you were good. This translates to you becoming depressed, sad and angry which in turn can affect your health.
In this immensely competitive and comparative world where each one is trying to jump above the other, it’s important to realize that in the long run, it’s just not worth it.
You’ll be sacrificing a lot on the way; friends, health, family, fun; and that’s something you will realize after you go through all of it. But there is a silver lining to that: Learn to say no. No to projects to which you can’t dedicate time to. No to projects where the client breathes down your neck. No to projects if the money is not good. Just say no if you feel apprehensive and think you just can’t do it. It’s okay. Nobody is going to think bad about you. And even if they do, you shouldn’t feel bad about it. Remember, everything is in your control. You are in-charge. And if something doesn’t feel right, just say no.
It’s okay. You may lose out on some great potential clients. A really awesome project. A super cool collaboration. But, if you stick on, keep doing your work at a normal pace, produce great quality work along with balancing life, all these clients will come back to you. You may lose clients and projects when you say no, but the one thing that you won’t lose is your sanity.
Peace!
