No more vague ClickUp tutorials. I only share what I use myself every. single. day. over my decade of freelancing experience. You can expect relatable stories and uses for ClickUp you'll get to building ASAP.
why you can't say no to clients (and how to fix it)
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In case you missed it: I've decided it makes basically zero sense sending newsletters on a Thursday, so Tuesday is the new day. Being a "yes" freelancer isn't necessarily a you problemSaying yes to clients is a muscle we learn to flex early and often. We'll be on a call, they'll casually say, "We were talking about [insert brand new thing needed ASAP]. Can you do that?" But of course, dear client. 😬 What harm could it possibly do to please the person who signs my cheques? Listen, I get that way of thinking. And TRUST ME, I also get how much ICK there is when you're on a call, face-to-face, wondering how tf you can say no without feeling like an a-hole. But the YES TAX... that shit's STEEPYou say yes on the call, all seems right in the world, UNTIL you sit down with the mile-long list you already needed to get done, just to add one more thing. Guess you're working this weekend... Guess you need your brain power to extend that much further. So that when you shut the laptop, the ONLY thing you have energy for is Selling the OC in bed with a glass of wine and a bag of chips. I don't know about you, but it's hard NOT to feel slightly resentful of the hand that feeds in those moments. Ruminating in bed thinking: they clearly don't respect my time...But in all honesty... they aren't the ones disrespecting your time. Real talk: it's kinda, actually... you. But also not, because you can't actually see it. 👀 Last summer, we went to the UK for my sister-in-law's wedding and spent some time in Edinburgh. On the tram, there was an announcement that played on repeat: If you see something, say something. See it, say it, SORTED. Same rules apply here. You need to SEE specifically what's already on your plate and what specifically is being added. Specifically meaning TIME. And not some bullshit "1 hour" estimation that you already know means nothing. 🙃 I'm talking about specifics.This 3.5 hour project. With 30 minutes to do this. 2 hours to do that. 1 hour on this other thing. And that 5 hour project. Now you want me to add this 2 hour project? CAN'T BE DONE. See it = all my time is accounted for already. Say it = I can either move out X, or this needs to wait. But this kind of detailed planning? The most experienced freelancer also tends to be the blindest 🙈Bc everything they do, they've done so many times, it's happening almost automatically. So in their mind, it feels simple... easy... quick. Until you actually look at every single step you take. And think through how long each individual step takes. And watch those chunks of time add up to a lot longer than you realized. 😳 A client recently said, after I showed him and his team their new case study workflow... "Wow... now you can really see everything that goes into it" Him and his team had done a thousand of these case studies. But even with all that experience, they couldn't clearly see all the work that went into it – and their "easygoing approach" had them all feeling REAL burnt out. So here's a quick and dirty way to start thinking about it:Look at a list of tasks that make you feel anxious/overwhelmed/avoidant... Find the task that you want to do least. Ask yourself: What is the SINGLE deliverable of this task? Is there more than one? Think about the subtasks and ask yourself: What is the SPECIFIC step that can be taken in one working session? Or is there more than one? Lets take an example.Client rebranding - colours & fonts, website, email templates, business cards - NEED DONE BEFORE 2026 WOOF. The strongest cannabis in the world can't inspire me to get going on that one. 😵 What is the SINGLE deliverable of this task? Is there more than one? Hell yeah there's more than one. There is at least 4 to my count.
But I would actually argue a fifth which is: 5. Re-Branding Strategy What is the SPECIFIC step that can be taken in one working session? Or is there more than one? Colours & fonts probably isn't a specific step you can take in one go. But it is a part of coming up with a re-branding strategy and those steps may actually look more like:
I'd also argue that you should include a brainstorming, analysis, mood boarding step as well, to get the ball rolling. Now repeat the exercise for each of the projects, and you can VERY quickly see how the scope of work comes to light. Start adding time estimates to each of those tasks, and watch it roll up into HOURS AND HOURS of your time. ⏱️ I put together a quick 2 minute demo of what this actually looks like in practice, which is much more impactful to see than read. ⬇️
That's when SEEING that you don't have time for EXTRA becomes OBVIOUS. You see it. You say it. SORTED. Your "protect your time" cheerleader 4ever, Robyn Robyn Henke Subscribe on YouTube Do Your Worst 💔 Unsubscribe P.S. Everything I just walked through? That's Focus Framework territory: how to identify what's actually a project, how to set it up in ClickUp so the work is visible and manageable, and how to use time estimates to protect your sanity. No templates, just the strategic thinking you need to build a system that actually works for you → Here for you |
Robyn Henke
No more vague ClickUp tutorials. I only share what I use myself every. single. day. over my decade of freelancing experience. You can expect relatable stories and uses for ClickUp you'll get to building ASAP.