No productivity life-hacks here. I’m going to share real-world advice that will have an immense impact on your success as a freelancer or remote worker. I have been an online worker for ten years, and had a good deal of success in recent times, but much, much more failure before that.

I love working on my own terms. I like choosing when to wake up and when to take my lunch-break. I also really LOVE making my own choices with product development and direction. Let’s be real; who wouldn’t? Being your own boss is the ultimate dream for many of us.

That said, I was in no way prepared to deal with the responsibility that comes with those choices. When I started my first business, I was broke, down, and out. Getting customers was hard and stability was elusive. I failed.

Saying ‘no’ is one of the most important things I have learned how to do during my time as a developer, business owner, and freelancer.

Not saying no can easily lead to a far more enraged client than if you had blindly given in to all of their requests. It can also cost you a lot of money, time and health to try to keep up with constant changes or scope creep.

Now, I’m not saying you should default to “No”, but here are some clear examples I have dealt with first-hand