When I started freelancing, I thought the hardest part would be doing the work.
It wasn’t.
The hardest part was everything before the work.
- Reading job posts
- Trying to understand what the client actually wants
- Figuring out if it’s even worth applying
- Then writing a proposal that might get ignored
And this process repeats… over and over again.
The hidden time drain
Most freelancers don’t notice how much time this takes.
You open a job post → read it → overthink it → maybe apply → move on.
But if you track it, it adds up fast:
- 5–10 minutes reading + analyzing
- 10–20 minutes writing a proposal
- Do this 10 times a day
That’s easily 2–3 hours gone daily before doing any actual work.
The real problem isn’t writing
At first, I thought:
“I just need to get better at writing proposals.”
But that wasn’t it.
The real problem was:
- understanding what the client actually needs
- deciding what to say (and what to ignore)
- not overthinking every line
Most of the time, I wasn’t writing…
I was just staring at the screen thinking.
What changed things for me
I started simplifying everything:
- Focus only on what the client is really asking
- Ignore unnecessary details
- Keep proposals direct and specific
Instead of trying to sound impressive, I tried to sound clear.
That alone improved my response rate more than anything else.
One thing I wish I realized earlier
Freelancing isn’t just about skills.
It’s about:
- speed
- clarity
- decision making
The faster you can understand a job and respond properly,
the more opportunities you create.
Curious how others handle this
Do you spend more time:
- analyzing jobs
- or writing proposals?
Or is there something else that slows you down?
