Why I Quit Freelancing—and How It Made Me 10 Times Happier

I was a top-rated writer for 3 consecutive years on Upwork.

Do you want to know why I quit freelancing?

Maybe you’re thinking of quitting your freelancing job as well.

It’s a lot of people’s dream job, but why are you having these feelings?

Don’t get me wrong. I am truly grateful for the experience.

I also know that many people thrive in the freelancing world. However, this article is not for those people.

If you feel like the freelance life is not working for you, then keep reading.

Knowing When to Quit Freelancing

Now, I know everyone talks about how to be a freelancer, and why you should start freelancing.

Not many people talk about “why freelancing might not be for everyone” or “why you should quit freelancing”.

I guess, it’s not as fancy.

If you think that freelancing is not working for you anymore, I have shocking news for you:

You’re not alone.

A lot of people are feeling this way too about freelancing even though not everyone wants to talk about it.

In this article, I will tell you why I quit freelancing and how that decision made me happier.

“The beauty of truth: whether it is bad or good, it is liberating.” — Paulo Coelho

Why do Freelancers Quit?

I want to start off by saying that if you’re having a blast freelancing, then I’m happy for you!

But again, this article is not for you.

This article is based on my own personal experience and I’m writing this because someone may relate to it.

It’s never a one-size-fits-all.

Maybe you don’t have to quit freelancing. Maybe you just need a break.

Or maybe you’re just in the wrong freelancing industry.

Maybe freelance writing is not for you and something in social media would be a better fit.

Who knows?

Whatever it is that’s making you feel like freelancing is not working for you at this time, maybe sharing my personal experience would make you feel less alone.

When to quit freelancing?

As a general rule, if your mental health is suffering, if you’re feeling unhappy or unmotivated, you probably shouldn’t be doing it.

There’s this phrase that my yoga teacher, Teneele, always says when she gives us easier variations of poses:

“I’m giving you different options, so you know that suffering is optional.”

People always beat themselves up thinking they “should” do something.

But who is making this rule?

You are in charge of your own life, your own happiness.

If you’re happy, you increase your vibrational frequency and therefore attract more things and experiences that align with that.

More on that later.

I know it sounds woo-woo until you check out the recent Quantum Physics studies.

If you want me to write an article explaining the scientific studies supporting the law of vibration, let me know in the comments section.

Long story short, being afraid of following your heart and living in fear, is so 2010.

Even if following your heart means that you’re giving up on something that other people are dreaming of.

7 Reasons Why I Quit Freelancing

There are pros and cons to everything, but here, I’ll tell you some of the reasons why I quit freelancing and got a stable day job.

Please take note that this post may be biased because I am burnt out as hell from freelance writing for 3 years straight.

1: I wanted to have more stability

The fact that you may lose clients in just a snap of a finger, caused me to be anxious all the time.

They could be giving you so much work for a year and one day say “We’ll just let you know when we’ll have more work for you in the future”.

They’re not obligated to you. They will only give you as much work as they want/need.

Some will even promise consistent work and then never get back to you.

It sucks when you get ghosted by someone you like, but imagine getting ghosted by someone you’re relying on to pay the bills?

I will choose heartbreak over financial crisis any day.

That sounded like something I’d print on my shirt.

Some would message you once in a blue moon like the guy in Taylor’s song “Cardigan”.

After a while, I started to crave something I never thought I would:

Stability.

“Boooo.”

I know. I used to binge-watch reels about how to quit your 9-5 and live your dream life too.

Unpopular opinion: a stable job is not actually that bad and it doesn’t make you a loser. It’s not a life sentence either.

Even Rich Dad, Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki sees it as a means to learn useful skills and have a safety buffer, while you build up your assets to escape the rat race in the future.

Let me know if you want me to write a blog about this!

2: I wanted to have peace of mind and security

When working on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr, there’s this fear that a client might ruin your reputation with a bad review.

That fear was sitting freely in my head while I was working my ass off from my couch.

Reviews are important in landing great gigs, especially when you’re starting out.

Just like how we check reviews when we buy online, clients also check the reviews that other clients leave on your profile.

Ask any business owner who has an online presence and they’ll tell you that you can’t please everyone.

And if I ask you if bad reviews affect your decision-making, I’m sure you’ll say that it does.

So, if you just happen to work with someone who’s having a bad day, they could just easily give you 1 star.

And no, it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been working for them.

They could act based on impulse without consequences.

That one bad review can make it harder for you to land great gigs.

3: I wanted to have more consistent income

The feast and famine cycle is very common in the life of a freelancer.

Maybe for a few months, you hit the jackpot. The next month, you’re struggling to find a new client.

For a few months you are doing well, you have your shit together, and you proved your parents wrong.

Cut to: you’re considering moving back in your parents’ basement until you get ‘the next big gig’.

Not that there’s anything wrong with moving back in but isn’t freedom and independence the main themes of the life of a freelancer?

I started to appreciate knowing how much exactly I’m gonna get by the end of the month just for “showing up.”

(And working, of course. I’m not the wife of a billionaire yet. This is a joke. Or is it?)

4: I wanted to be able to clock out and shut my brain off

Surprise! This is the opposite of what freelancers always say on TikTok but here’s the truth.

With freelancing, you don’t “clock out” and just forget about work on your way home until you show up the next day.

As a freelancer, you are taking on a lot of roles. You are managing your own freelancing business.

“When you have a business, you don’t have a 9-to-5 job. You have a 24/7 job.” -Anonymous

For example: you set up your profile, you market yourself, you build your portfolio, you find clients, you send your pitch, and they give you a discovery call.

You learn their processes and business model, you figure out and adapt to their needs, you learn new skills or study software they require, you make a schedule to make sure you tick everything on time.

They stop responding after a month, you find new clients and do it all over again, etc.

If you think it’s easy, think again.

I came to the point where I just wanted to show up, know what to expect, do my job, clock out, and shut my brain off.

7: I wanted to have less stress and more structure

According to studies, long-term stress can affect our health negatively and cause chronic diseases.

As a freelancer, you need to have a lot of self-discipline and strong boundary-setting.

If you’re that organized girl boss who thrives on keeping busy and mental stimulation, you’re gonna love freelancing.

You might be surprised that not everyone likes all that stress.

Some people want to show up, get told what to do, go home, and get paid.

At this point, that is me’. I’m at a point where I want to keep my stress levels low.

Maybe someday my entrepreneurial spirit will pop up again but now I just want to relax more and drink kombucha while staring at the sky.

This might also be you and there’s no shame in realizing and accepting that.

I love my routine now.

I head to an hour-long yoga class after work, have dinner with my partner and puppy, watch a ‘romanticizing life’ YouTube video, sleep, and show up to work the next day.

Repeating this daily while saving up for when I’m ready to make the next move in this game called life.

4: I wanted to enjoy what I do

I fell into this constant loop of procrastinating because “hiking sounds better than writing today.”

And then, being stressed out because I needed to reach deadlines.

I didn’t enjoy writing for other people anymore about topics I didn’t want to write about.

If you’re gonna have an online business, which freelancing is, you have to love what to do.

This is key to having a sustainable business.

That’s why I quit freelancing.

It’s not fun anymore.

I would wake up thinking about the article I need to write, but not having the motivation to do it, then getting stressed out because I’m not doing it, but I can’t do it.

Long story short, my mind was exhausted and I was unhappy.

5: I wanted to value my creativity

Another reason why I quit freelancing is that I believe in one of The Four Agreements: “Always do your best”.

If I’m not able to do my best at something, I would rather give that up and focus my energy where I would be inspired to do my best.

I felt bad about squeezing my creative juices for little pay, considering how well my articles on their blogs were doing on Google.

I’d rather get paid for doing something less mentally exhausting.

If I will start writing again, it will be for me and my own enjoyment.

And if my writing earns someday, I’d rather have the fruits of my creative work go into my pocket rather than to someone whom I’ll probably never meet in person.

If you’re a freelancer who relates to this, please let me know what kind of job you do!

6: I wanted to feel more valued and protected

Freelancing platforms have made it easy for clients to tap a global talent pool.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that, if they’re paying them right for the work they do.

However, considering how competitive it’s become, more and more clients now have the confidence to lowball freelancers.

Even if you are a skilled freelancer, it could get hard to get high-paying gigs when somebody with around the same skillset offers it for a lower price.

Yes, some freelancers would rather land low-paying gigs than nothing, especially those starting out or those living where the cost of living is lower.

With this, you have to constantly adapt or improve your skills to stand out from the rest of the competition and this is why I quit freelancing.

I’m just not that competitive so they could have the whole floor. Ciao.

7: I wanted to have benefits

You know, sometimes it’s nice to have “2 weeks of paid vacation leave”.

It’s nice to have a 13th-month pay.

Heck, it’s nice to have healthcare benefits, to get sick leave and not feel like your “time off” has a huge impact on your finances.

With Freelancing, it’s hard to plan that expensive trip when you know you’re not getting paid when you stop working, or if you don’t know how much you’ll be getting the next month.

Getting insurance could be pricey and cause financial strain during low or famine seasons.

Getting housing/motorbike loans could also be hard when you don’t have a stable job.

Credit companies are not exactly fans of freelancers.

8: I wanted room for growth

Most clients who hire freelancers don’t give salary increases.

The truth is, they outsource so they could cut back on expenses.

So don’t expect to get the same salary increase you could get from being loyal to a company as a regular worker.

One of my clients even asked me if I could decrease my rate after working with him for almost a year because his business wasn’t doing well.

Of course, I said no. Luckily, he still kept working with me because he “loved my work”.

My point is, that they could easily find a new freelancer that’s within the same budget.

They could lessen your workload and give easier tasks to someone who charges cheaper.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I quit freelancing.

Where I’m working now, we get salary increases.

FAQs

Why is freelancing stressful?

Freelancing can be stressful because of the instability. You don’t have a stable paycheck, workload, not even separation pay. You are constantly acquiring and adjusting to new clients, often losing them before you even feel settled.

Why is freelancing not for everyone?

Freelancing is not for everyone because it requires taking on a lot of roles and responsibilities. Freelancing is like running your own digital business and your whole career and paycheck depends on you. A strong stress tolerance is needed.

Why do freelancers fail?

Most people fail at freelancing because they have a hard time finding good, long-term clients. Another factor could be undercharging and not having strong self-discipline and boundary setting.

Conclusion

There are pros and cons to everything, whether you’re freelancing or working a 9-5.

It just depends on what will or will not work for you.

I guess what I want to say is you have to be honest with yourself. Only YOU know what’s best for you.

How can the right fit come into your life if you’re not making space for it?

How can you attract what you want if you’re not letting go of what’s not working for you?

I told you the reasons why I quit freelancing but I’m not saying that’s my end goal.

I am taking a break and enjoying getting paid for showing up and my daily work life looks mostly the same each time.

I work at a resort on an island.

I show up, work, and get paid the same amount each time.

I am loving the peace and stability for now.

Maybe when I recover from the burnout, I’ll start writing again.

Not for clients, but for me.

While starting out, I’ll keep my day job so I could keep enjoying what I do without the financial stress of relying on just that.

If you’re reading this, then I’ve probably already started.

Are you thinking of giving up on freelancing? Why? If you already took that leap, I would like to hear your story in the comments!