What if boredom means your freelance business is working?

I read a post the other day that really stuck with me. It said: "If you're getting bored with your freelance business, it might mean it's finally working." And it's helped me to really think about how we define success with freelancing. (Inspo from Austin L. Butler here).

Last year, when I landed a new client, it came with a full adrenaline rush. (Which, in hindsight, I now realise was probably just panic.) I'd scramble to write up a contract, put together a project outline from scratch, and frantically open my Mac notes app to list out all the things I needed to do. It was chaotic, but it felt exciting because everything was new.

Now? I still get that rush of pride and excitement when someone books—but I also just know what I’m doing. I have onboarding templates, a clear plan for how I run each project, and a system that makes the whole process smoother. I’m quicker, I’m better, and it’s a fraction of the stress.

That corporate-to-freelancer shift

When I first went freelance, it felt like the complete opposite of my old 9–5 corporate job. No templates. No HR team. No manager to double check things with. Just me, my laptop, and a lot of combined guessing/ hoping for the best. Fast forward to being over a year into my freelance journey and honestly freelancing now doesn't feel that different to corporate life. I’ve got brand guidelines, presentation templates, business processes, and a whole suite of documents I’ve built myself. The difference is that now, when I spot something that needs tweaking, I just block out some time to fix it myself rather than email a department to ask permission.

Autopilot isn’t lazy

Some days I set myself up for full autopilot. One task, all day. Whether it’s blog writing, a full design sprint, or mapping out a business strategy. And because I’m clear on how I work, those days feel easy. But not because the work is easy. But because I’ve put in the work to get to this place.

I used to think that if something felt easy, it meant I was charging too much or not working hard enough. Or actually couldn't offer it as a service at all. As work should be hard right? But I’ve been doing this for 10 years. It’s not easy because I got lucky, it’s easy because I’ve built systems and learned the hard way. And I wouldn’t be able to do what I do now if I hadn’t gone through the messy, stressful, all-hours-at-the-desk version of freelancing first. So just because it's now 'easy' to me (and I feel like I'm using that term very very loosely in this blog!), doesn't mean it's easy, or even possible, for everyone.

You don’t have to hustle forever

There’s also such a strong narrative online that being self-employed means you have to hustle, especially in the early years. And yes, you do need to put in the work. But looking back, so many of the hours I worked weren’t even productive. They were me trying to do everything manually because I didn’t have the right systems yet. Or coming up with tasks that weren't benefitting me or my business because I felt like I should be working all evenings and weekends.

Now, I’m working more effectively. I know what needs to be done, how long it takes, and how I want to approach it. I’m still growing my business, and hopefully will be continuing to grow it for many years to come, but I’m doing it in a way that’s sustainable. I’d rather go a bit slower and actually enjoy what I’m building than burn out by year two.

Freelance boredom is just confidence over chaos

The truth is, I kind of like that things feel a little monotonous now. Every project is different, every week has a new challenge, but I still know what I’m doing tomorrow and how I’m going to do it. There’s something really nice about that quiet confidence.

And if that means I’m “bored”? I’ll take it. I have to remind myself that the quieter, more 'boring' weeks in my corporate job used to be what I'd look forward to, and so I shouldn't feel guilty about occasionally having them as a freelancer too. This time, it's not boredom because there isn't enough work for me, it's borderline boredom because I'm doing my freelance job well. So instead I should feel proud.

P.S. If your website isn’t quite working for the business you’re becoming, I’d love to help. Check out my services here.