This Simple Habit Helped me Fight The Feast and Famine Cycle

Stop crying in the middle of a ‘Freelance Famine’

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Another fruitful month came to an end and I was busy invoicing my clients for the ‘help’ I extended. But this time, there was something amiss.

It was as if I had a sudden premonition that this will be the last time in a while that I would be billing my clients.

The year doesn’t matter. I am sure we all have been there at some point in our professional lives. Despite our best efforts, we end up losing good clients without getting new ones. And before you know, a famine kicks in.

Just the other day, I was talking to a fellow professional who told me how he hated the cycle of ‘feast & famine’ as a freelancer. (By the way, he evolved into an agency owner now).

The conversation brought these scary memories back. If you’re in a job, most probably you won’t relate to this article altogether. But if you had a business in the past, are a freelancer or a consultant, you should read further.

The Good Days & The Not So Good Ones

I can’t say that I didn’t know freelancing comes with its own perks and demerits. In fact, I knew it all along.

The first project I completed on Freelancer.com was not paid for. The second was rescinded and I was left with a negative balance account. But I didn’t give it up then.

Slowly, I found clients who appreciated my honesty, even when I didn’t have much experience. And things started rolling.

I even worked in full-time roles and came back to freelancing when I started missing the freedom. All these were good days, knowledge-vise, if not money-vise. I was still a lowly-paid writer back then.

But never in my entire career, I have felt the dire and desperate need to make a cold pitch. Work was always there and I was happy being busy with whatever was on my plate.

With every client I billed, I learned something new and realized how valuable I am to the startups and businesses wanting more. In a way, I related to that hunger — of getting all that’s in this world.

But, just like all good things in this world, one day, I suddenly lost interest. My appetite…