Should you take on that freelance project?

12 questions to ask

I feel like every freelancer struggles through a period of figuring out what projects she should and should not take on, what clients she should and should not work with, what kind of work she should—and wants to—do.

For me, after years of trial and error, I’ve finally (mostly) learned when to say ‘no’.

So in the hopes of saving you some years of error, and as a reminder to self, I thought I could share the set of questions I’ve come up with to help me decide in the moment if I should take on that freelance project.

Do I want to?

1. Will I be working on an interesting problem?
2. Will I be working with people I admire and from whom I will learn a lot?
3. Does it mean a lot to anyone who means a lot to me?
4. Will it help me build relationships with other designers?
5. Will it help me become respected for what I want to be known for?
6. Will it help me increase my mastery of my craft?
7. Will I be proud to put it in my portfolio?
8. Will I be working on something I’ve never done before but want to do?
9. Is it something I’ll probably be unable to help thinking about in the shower?

Should I?

1. Am I being compensated adequately (if it’s not pro bono work)? (For a handy guide on if you should take on pro bono work, see Should I Work for Free?)
2. Will I be working with people who respect my time and understand the value in my work?
3. If not, am I willing to teach them the value of my work?

I don’t have a scoring system, but too many ‘no’s’ are definitely a red flag. Usually, the mere act of answering these helps me by articulating to myself why my gut is already telling me to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

What criteria do you use?

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