Freelance Smarter, Not Harder
Hard work doesn’t always pay off
Hard work and being hard-working has always been a virtue in Filipino Culture. We were taught from a young age that hard work will always pay off.
However, after freelancing for a while, I realized that that mindset isn’t always true.
Early in my career, I tried getting more jobs and working longer hours to earn more freelancing.
Yes, I made a lot, but in exchange, I burnt out. I lost some friends, I lost some time for my family, and I lost time for myself.
It wasn’t till I raised my rates did I learn that I could do much less and get paid much more. From working ~50 hours per week to earn 40k Pesos (~$700) per month, I went to working just 20 hours per week to make 80k Pesos (~$1400) per month.
Basically, I doubled my income while working fewer hours just by charging more for my work.
Unfortunately, my situation wasn’t an isolated case. In fact, it’s happening to a lot of freelancers in the Philippines.
According to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), freelancers who earn 50k to 100k Pesos per month tend to work 50+ hours per week.
However, notice how the freelancers who earn 100k+ Pesos work fewer hours than the former. DOLE couldn't have said it better:
Longer hours largely correlate to more earnings.
The exception is for those earning above P100,000 who work shorter hours but charge or command higher rates.
What we can see from this data is the key to earning more; it’s usually not working for more hours but charging for your work more.
The change doesn’t come from your client, it comes from you. Value your work more and charge more for your services.
No, this isn’t about ripping off your clients. It’s about valuing your time more. Trust me, you bring much more value to your clients than you initially assume.
