I can’t even believe I need to say this, but… you deserve to be paid.
You deserve to be paid in a timely fashion, without a fight, and without jumping through flaming hoops over shark-infested waters. And you definitely deserve to be paid what you’re worth for every billable minute. Neither you nor the people paying you should devalue your work or your worth in any way.
AND THIS SHOULD NOT BE A FUCKING REVELATION!
You just did a job. You expect payment in a timely fashion. From the client or your employer or whoever you just traded your precious and finite time in exchange for remuneration.
Only they don’t pay you… “yet.” They make you sit around waiting for your dough because [insert boring ass, uncreative excuse here]. So you start pestering them for the money you’re owed. Hesitantly, politely, even forgivingly or apologetically at first… and then with increasing frustration.
You spend more of your precious and finite time nagging the client to pay you for the time you’ve already spent working for them. And in so doing, you permanently lose the opportunity to spend that time working for another client to make more money for yourself.
In other words: if the client is going to make you keep working for your money, then by the power of Grayskull, you should get paid for that work.
Every hour you spend trying to squeeze blood from that late-bill-paying stone should be a billable hour. I guarantee they’ll pay a whole lot faster the second you start sending updated invoices with “late fee” as a line item.
- Freelancer, Protect Thyself... With a Fair Contract
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I was having lunch with a friend recently, and she confessed that she was worried because she didn’t have a side hustle generating piles of money for her. She has a Good Job (steady work, a living-plus wage that is fair for the job, and decent benefits), but she felt she should be making more money by working more—specifically, by turning her crafts into an Etsy store, and also running a white label service for other people to sell her crafts. She does amazing things with paper, and, in fact, I had just exclaimed over her latest project, thoughtlessly commenting on how great it would do on Etsy. (Note to self: stop that.)
We talked it through, and (Spoiler Alert!) she concluded that no, she doesn’t need a side hustle, despite what all the side hustle gurus (Chris Guillebeau, in particular, was the one that had given her serious doubts about relying on her day job alone) assure us that we all need, and must do, no matter what.
The side hustle sages tell us we shouldn’t rely on just one income stream, that having multiple sources of revenue is the only way to achieve financial security in the Gig Economy. But isn’t running a bunch of side hustles instead of / in addition to having a Regular Job just perpetuating the Gig Economy? If you’re spending every minute you’re not at your day job working your side hustle, when do you have fun? When do you do things that bring you pleasure? When do you sleep?
She doesn’t need the money; sure, who doesn’t appreciate extra cash in their bank account? But it would not enable her to quit her day job (unless it became her day job), and it would take a great deal of her free time, which she really needs to decompress from her day job. Instead of being a source of relaxation and creative pleasure, it would become one more area of pressure—to produce, to be perfect, to devote more time and energy, even when she didn’t have much of either. One more obligation, on top of the obligations she already deals with every day.
When I was in college, some friends had a band for a while. They eventually split, unable to agree on why they were playing—two of them wanted fame and fortune, and the third one wanted to play local gigs and have a good time. When I asked him about it, he explained, “Music is my joy. If it becomes my work, what am I going to do for fun? Work in an insurance office?”
I paint. I’m terrible at it—I can’t draw well, so the paintings are a mess, but, to borrow from Winston Churchill, “painting keeps the Black Dog away”. Painting is something that has absolutely no connection to my day job, and isn’t part of my public persona, so there are no expectations. I can paint (badly) all I wish, and the result is a few hours spent peacefully, and my improved mood. No amount of money generated by a side hustle can buy that for me.
I make clay objects for my altars (some of them featured here and here on my blog!). Making them is fun, and is also a form of devotion. Are the objects perfect? No. Could I sell them on Etsy? No. But they don’t have to be perfect, they just have to be good enough for me to feel good about putting them on my altars.
I took a tapestry weaving class, and then took several months to weave a tapestry for runecasting. It’s far from perfect, but it’s complete, it’s usable, and I greatly enjoyed making it. Would someone pay me to make one for them? Not even. But the reward of learning to weave, and spending those hours engaged in a pleasant and relaxing activity, is far greater than the cash such a project would produce.
Allow yourself to have free time. Allow yourself to do things because you enjoy them, even if you don’t think you’re very good at them. (If you ever need to feel better about your skill level at something, come over for a visit—I’ll show you my terrible paintings; no one will ever suggest I open a a gallery.) Allow yourself to make mistakes with those things, to learn and improve—or not—as you play. Do things for fun, for pleasure, for personal gratification—regardless of whether you are good at them, or whether you can make money doing them.
If you do want to monetize your hobby, or have a fleet of side gigs—gig on! Make all the money! I wish you all the best.
As for me, I’ll be over here, painting unsellable art and making imperfect candle holders for my altars.
Not every hour is billable, and personal benefit is as important as financial profit.
Recommended reading:
Molly Conway, “The Modern Trap of Turning Hobbies Into Hustles”
Jia Talentino, “The Gig Economy Celebrates Working Yourself to Death”
Another masterpiece, certain to fetch a staggering sum, posthumously.
Master time tracking & audit systems with RescueTime and Toggl
Ever feel like your day disappears into a black hole and you’re left wondering where the hours actually went? If you’ve ever had that messy mix of lost focus, shaky invoices, and “wait, did I log that right?” stress, this is going to hit home.
Is time slipping through the cracks when billing clients or reviewing productivity? Many freelancers and small teams struggle to reconcile automatic activity tracking with manual, project-based timers. The result: misallocated hours, disputed invoices, and unclear productivity signals.
This guide shows how to build robust Time Tracking & Audit Systems with RescueTime and Toggl so data becomes accurate, auditable, and billable. The focus is practical: setup steps, audit workflows, reconciliation techniques, and fixed templates for freelance billing and internal audits.
Key takeaways: what to know in 1 minute
- Combine RescueTime (automatic) and Toggl (manual/project) to get both passive productivity signals and defensible billable records. - Set clear mapping rules so RescueTime categories map to Toggl projects or tags for reconciliation and auditability. - Run a weekly time audit: export CSVs from both tools, normalize, and reconcile differences before invoicing. - Use Toggl for billable hours and invoicing, and RescueTime for context, focus metrics, and anomaly detection. - Troubleshoot RescueTime quickly by checking permissions, exclusions, and app installation—then re-run a short audit to validate data.
RescueTime setup for freelancers step by step
Step 1: choose the right RescueTime plan and install
Once you can see every minute clearly, the real question is: how much money and time have you been missing all along?
Understanding this fully means looking at the details covered in master time tracking & audit systems.
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Efficient Billable Hours Management: A Practical Guide for Your Business
Unlock the secrets to effective billable hours management with our practical guide tailored for businesses. Dive into proven strategies and actionable tips to streamline your workflow and maximize profitability. From setting up robust tracking systems to optimizing resource allocation, this guide equips you with the tools and insights needed to achieve peak efficiency. Whether you're a startup or a seasoned enterprise, mastering billable hours is essential for financial success, and this guide provides the roadmap to help you achieve it with ease.
Mastering Billable Hours: A Comprehensive Guide for Calculation and Management in Your Business
Dive into the intricacies of managing billable hours with our comprehensive guide tailored for businesses. Learn essential techniques and best practices for accurate calculation and efficient management of billable hours. From setting up effective tracking systems to optimizing resource allocation, this guide equips you with the knowledge and tools to streamline your billing processes and maximize profitability. Whether you're a small startup or a growing enterprise, mastering billable hours is essential for financial success, and this guide provides you with the roadmap to achieve it.
