How to Work Less and Earn More as a Freelance Writer

Publication Date

February 11, 2022

Summary

Once you hit that milestone for the first time, everything shifts. You start to see how your time, your boundaries, and your pricing directly affect your income. And suddenly, making more while working less doesn’t feel like a fantasy anymore—it feels like strategy.

Step 1: Set Boundaries

You will not be able to increase your income without clear boundaries around your time.

That means setting office hours, limiting the number of clients you take on, and deciding upfront how much you’re willing to work each week, month, or quarter.

Think about this:

If you charge $3,000 per month to write 20 marketing emails and it takes you 20 hours per week, you’re making $37 per hour (before taxes and overhead).
If you complete the same work in 10 hours per week, your effective rate doubles to $75 per hour—and you get 10 more hours of free time every week.

Working more hours doesn’t always mean earning more. It often means the opposite.

Step 2: Set Your Rates (and Stick to Them)

Your rates are the foundation of working less and making more.

Here’s how to approach it:

Start with your ideal annual salary.
Work backward to calculate your minimum hourly rate.
Build packages and retainers that meet that rate or higher.

And here’s the hard part: stick to those rates.

You don’t charge too much—you’re simply out of that client’s budget. The right clients are out there, and undercutting yourself isn’t the path to long-term freedom.

Example: In my own business, I noticed that no coding bootcamp was willing to pay more than $300 for a 1,500-word blog post. But the same companies would happily pay three times that amount for email sequences. So, I pivoted my services toward email copywriting.

Step 3: Know Your Why & Your Worth

Working less while earning more isn’t just about money—it’s about values.

Ask yourself: Why do I want to work fewer hours?

Here are some reasons my Pop Club members have shifted their businesses:

To be able to work while traveling
To spend more time outdoors
To create more space for family and relationships
To reduce burnout and stay in love with freelancing long-term

And remember: your rates are worth it. Your skills, your experience, and your energy all matter.

Pro Tip: Anchor Clients Make Everything Easier

One of the best ways to stabilize your income while working fewer hours is to land an anchor client.

An anchor client:

Makes up 30% or more of your income
Provides a predictable workload
Works with you on a consistent schedule

The best anchor clients are retainer clients. They pay you a lump sum on the same day each month for a standard amount of work. This not only stabilizes your income but also reduces the need to constantly hustle for new projects.

Want to learn how to land retainer clients? Check out “The Juicy Stuff” section in my newsletter archive for strategies.

Try This: Your First Step Toward Working Less and Earning More

This week, take action with these simple steps:

Set your office hours—and create an incentive for sticking to them.
Create work/life separation by choosing where you’ll work (home office, coffee shop, or library).
Set your goals: How much do you want to earn this quarter? How many hours do you want to work? How will you budget your time?

The sooner you start practicing boundaries, the sooner you’ll see results.

FAQs

Q: How many hours should I aim to work as a freelancer?

A: Most freelancers find balance between 20–30 billable hours per week. The key is to make sure those hours align with your rates and financial goals.

Q: What if clients push back on my rates?

A: That client may not be your client. Stick to your rates—there are plenty of businesses with the budget to pay fairly.

Q: What’s the difference between project-based work and retainer clients?

A: Project-based work is one-off and unpredictable. Retainers are consistent monthly agreements that stabilize your income and reduce client-chasing.

Q: How do I find anchor clients?

A: Focus on pitching businesses that value long-term relationships. Highlight how ongoing content or strategy can grow their business, and position yourself as a partner, not a one-off writer.

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