Decision fatigue: The hidden challenge of freelancing
Hi Friend,
When people talk about freelancing, they often think in glowing terms about the flexibility, the unlimited income potential, and the ability to choose your own projects, not to mention the freedom to work from anywhere you want. What they don’t always talk about is how freelancing also means you are the one making all the decisions. Every. Single. One.
This was highlighted for me yesterday, when I went to set up a process in which people could sign up for something through my website and be added to an email sequence through my CRM. I learned (after I had already chosen the platforms for this process) that my sign-up form and CRM don’t integrate well together. So my options became:
Stick with what I’ve purchased and purchase a third (or fourth) option to liaise between them, but still not be entirely sure it would work.
Try new solutions, none of which have exactly what I’m looking for, either, and hope they work. But then I’d have to learn yet another platform and probably pay for that.
Throw my computer out the window out of frustration, give up, and become a lifestyle influencer. But then I’d have to choose and learn a new social media platform. Also, I don’t know that anyone wants to emulate my lifestyle.
Believe me, I weighed every option very carefully. Every option.
After 7 hours (over two days) of trying to solve my own technology problems, I was no further ahead than at the start of the process. In fact, I suspect I was further behind because there was so much I didn’t get to during that time that I wanted to (like writing this newsletter, marketing myself, and doing some client work).
You’re responsible for all decisions
As a freelancer, you’re not just responsible for doing the work (although that is a large part of your job, of course). You’re also responsible for identifying where a challenge exists, analyzing information about that challenge, finding potential solutions, analyzing information about those solutions, picking a path, reviewing the outcomes, and adjusting as needed.
And these aren’t just decisions about your craft. You’ll need to make choices in areas where you may not feel confident:
Financial decisions: How much should I charge? Should I incorporate? What’s my tax strategy? (What even is a tax strategy for freelancers?)
Technology decisions: What software do I need? Which laptop should I buy? What’s the best invoicing system?
Marketing decisions: Do I need a website? How do I position myself? Do I have a niche? Which social media platforms should I use?
Client decisions: Who do I work with? When do I say no? How do I handle contracts and scope creep?
These decisions don’t end when you’ve set up your business. You’ll constantly be faced with options and with a sense that there’s a right and a wrong answer. And then you might get stuck in what’s commonly known as analysis paralysis, which means you don’t move forward.
When setting up Happy Freelancing, I had to pick a newsletter service (I’m constantly evaluating that decision), a website host, a theme, a sales platform, a CRM, an SEO service, a way to get images, and a system to integrate them all. I also needed branding, which came with its own decisions. Each decision came with a million little factors to consider—cost, integrations, ease of use, scalability—and no single solution had everything I needed. I had to consider the tradeoffs.
The consequences of decision fatigue
Let’s be honest, constantly making decisions is exhausting. Your brain is constantly working, analyzing, and evaluating. Being the sole decision-maker means you carry all the responsibility for every choice. You don’t have to check in with anyone, but it also means that every decision that doesn’t work out is on your shoulders. This adds extra pressure and can make even small decisions feel overwhelming.
Consequences of decision fatigue include
Procrastination
Poor decision-making if you make impulsive decisions
Avoidance of important decisions or hyper-focus on minor decisions
Reduced creativity
Each of these can harm your freelance business far more than one ill-advised decision.
How to manage decision fatigue as a freelancer
If you’ve ever felt completely drained by the sheer number of choices you have to make, you’re not alone. Here are a few strategies to take some of the stress out of decision-making:
Set a deadline. Don’t let the choices drag on indefinitely. Give yourself a timeframe (“I’ll pick my invoicing software by Friday”) to keep things moving. Or set one-day a week where you focus on business decisions so you don’t spend all day every day worrying about making decisions.
Limit your options. If you try to evaluate everything out there, you’ll get overwhelmed. Narrow your choices to 2-3 strong contenders and move forward from there.
Seek trusted recommendations. Ask fellow freelancers what they use and why they chose it. Find out the strengths and limitations to determine if it could work for you. If you know experts in other fields (technology people, for example) talk to them as well. Tell them what you need and ask what questions they would ask in making a decision.
Start with “good enough”. Especially if you need to move forward now, make a list of your top three priorities and find the solution that fits them. Remember, your decisions aren’t set in stone. You can always refine things later. Looking for the perfect solution keeps you stuck (and it means you’re likely to fail). Focus on moving forward, not on perfection.
Outsource when needed. If tech, finances, or branding aren’t your strengths, hire someone who can guide you. It’s an investment that can prevent costly (and time and energy-consuming) mistakes.
Stop thinking that there’s a right and a wrong solution. Every choice comes with trade-offs. Some will work well enough, others will drive you nuts. Almost all will check a few boxes, but not all of them. The key is finding what you can live with right now. And here’s the good news: as your business grows, you can always reassess and adjust. Decisions aren’t set in stone.
Make decisions based on the business you have today, not the one you might have in 10 years. If you’re choosing invoicing software, don’t stress over whether it can handle 200 clients five years from now—focus on what actually works for you right now. Future You can reassess when the time comes. The best decisions are the ones that support your business today, move you forward now, and keep the door open for growth.
Create decision-making systems. If you know you’ll need to revisit certain choices (like pricing), set a reminder to review them every six months instead of agonizing over them daily.
You don’t have to do it alone
After I posted on LinkedIn about my tech issues, I had people reach out to offer to help me. The person who resolved my issues did so in under 30 minutes (much faster than my 7 hours over 2 days).
There are people out there with expertise in areas you’re not comfortable with, friends who you can bounce ideas off, and colleagues willing to share their opinions. Just because you’re responsible for decision-making doesn’t mean you have to do it on an island by yourself. Ask for help.
If you’re starting out or looking to grow your business, check out my free Freelance Success Toolkit.
Here’s to your ongoing freelance success,
Heidi