Obsessive Discipline

Table of Contents

• Why You Should Take Advantage of Upwork
• Never Go Full Upwork
• The Best About Upwork
• How To Succeed on Upwork
• Never Stop Selling Yourself
• The Takeaway

Why You Should Take Advantage of Upwork (and other freelancing platforms as well)

Whenever someone asks me if Upwork is worth it or not, my answer is always this:

Create your Upwork profile. It costs nothing other than 10 minutes of your time. Put whatever you can in the Portfolio section.

Good. Now you have another platform showing you as a professional.

At this point, there’s only one thing left to do:

And that is to give yourself a 5-star rating. I will go over how to do this in more detail later in this article.

That’s it. After you do all of this, you’re done setting up your Upwork profile.

Now you can start taking advantage of Upwork’s Project Catalogs and Upwork Consultations. I’ll talk more about these later down in this article.

And, yes, Upwork isn’t perfect.

Yes, they take a 10% fee from your payments.

And, yes, clients do pay extra due to Upwork service charges.

But the upside? you get leads. Passively. This is huge.

The bottom line? Upwork is a tool. You don’t have to rely on it—you should never rely on it.

But you should always take advantage of every platform at your disposal. Don’t be lazy.

Never Go Full Upwork

NEVER rely on Upwork. Or any other freelancing marketplace for that matter.

That’s how you fail.

Think of Upwork like fishing in a river. You cast your line, wait, and hope something bites.

You’re waiting for clients to come to you.

You might land a big fish sometimes, but most days, you’re either getting nothing or a few small fries.

Meanwhile, freelancing outside of Upwork is like spearfishing.

You chase after the clients. You hunt. You spend all day doing cold emails, cold calls—you’re in control.

You choose your clients. You set your terms. No waiting around.

Compared to cold-emailing people all day, Upwork is VERY easy.

And that’s why should never rely on it.

It dulls your ability to sell yourself.

Upwork dulls your spear.

If you’re always waiting for clients, you’re not sharpening your ability to go out and get them.

Sure, you might land some nice gigs on Upwork, but don’t let that become a crutch.

Another thing to consider on Upwork: Connects.

Every job on Upwork costs Connects to bid on.

Yes, they’re annoying. They make you second-guess every job you apply for. This is both good and bad.

The good thing is it forces you to stop bidding on everything, allowing you to focus on the right opportunities.

The bad thing is that once you run out of connects, you’ll have to bust out that credit card for more.

Though, to be honest, some might consider this just the cost of doing business.

Oh, and here’s something else to keep in mind about Upwork:

Don’t be a rat. You see all those freelancers cutting their prices just to win jobs? That’s a race to the bottom. That’s a rat race.

You should never compete with these people. In fact, you should never worry about them.

And you’ll never have to if you don’t rely on Upwork as your main source of clients.

You just set your price, and that’s it. Trust in your skills.

If the client can’t afford you, that’s on them.

Remember, Upwork is just an extra place to get clients.

And that’s it. Upwork has its place. You’ll get good clients occasionally. But never go full Upwork.

Keep your spear sharp, and always be on the hunt for bigger and better opportunities outside the platform.

The Best About Upwork

By this point, you know Upwork is best used as a tool.

A tool for showcasing your skills for free.

You can do this in two ways:

1. Via Upwork’s Project Catalogs:
2. Via Upwork’s Consultation Feature:

Through Upwork’s Project Catalogs, clients can browse the services you offer. You set them once, and then forget about it until new clients start messaging you out of nowhere.

Passive leads, no extra work. Really good.

Another powerful tool is Upwork’s Consultation Feature. It works like the catalogs but it’s more for client consultations. You set your rate and clients book time with you. It’s easy and effortless exposure.

For more info on how to create awesome Project Catalogs and Upwork Consultations, check out this article.

How To Succeed on Upwork

Success on Upwork starts with your profile.

Make it sharp. Clear. Professional.

Clients are scrolling through a sea of freelancers. You need to grab their attention fast.

But that’s not all.

You also need to hold their attention to secure their interest in your skills —and the best way to do this is having lots of positive feedback from past clients.

If you still don’t have any positive feedback on your Profile, let me show you how to get one.

Here’s the move:

• Create a separate Client account using a different e-mail and hire yourself (against TOS);

OR

• Get a friend to hire you (a TOS gray area).

The secret for both cases is to simulate a real contracting scenario. Make it believable. Don’t just accept the contract and approve it immediately.

After finishing the job you—or your friend—requested, give yourself a 5-star review. But don’t leave it blank, write some stuff in there. Hype yourself up. Just don’t go overboard.

And that’s it, you’ve jumpstarted your Upwork career. With this first positive feedback, clients are more likely to trust you.

On Upwork, reputation is everything.

And here’s another tip: Be selective. Don’t bid on every job you see.

Choose projects that match your skills and value your time. Remember, each bid costs you Connects. Don’t waste them on low-quality jobs.

Instead, focus on jobs that let you showcase your strengths. Quality over quantity.

And finally, communication is key. Clients love freelancers who are clear, responsive, and easy to work with. Always be professional. Be prompt. This is how you turn first-time clients into repeat customers.

Want more Upwork tips for success? Check out this article.

You can make bank on Upwork. All it takes is strategy, effort, and knowing how to play the game.

But never settle for only Upwork. You still have to do your cold emails and your cold calls. Don’t be lazy.

Never Stop Selling Yourself

Freelancers who stop marketing themselves? They disappear.

You need to be everywhere. Not just on Upwork. Sign up for Freelancer.com, Fiverr, YouTube—every platform that can showcase your skills. The more places you’re visible, the more clients you’ll reach.

Your face should be out there. Your skills? On display. Clients don’t come to those hiding in the shadows.

Think of this as planting seeds. One seed here, another there. Over time, those seeds grow. Clients come looking for you.

Don’t just wait for the perfect moment. Get out there. Show what you can do. Everywhere. All the time.

Here’s the truth: Upwork’s not enough. Not by a long shot.

You’ve got to constantly sell yourself. Whether it’s videos, portfolios, or blogs. Put it out there. Consistently.

Want more advice on this? Check out my article on How To Teach Yourself A Skill. It’s all about pushing your boundaries and becoming the best version of yourself.

The key? Never stop. The moment you stop, opportunities vanish. Keep pushing.

The Takeaway

Listen, amigo. It’s time to wrap things up.

I’ve got bills to pay.

So here we go.

Upwork is a tool. Use it. But don’t depend on it.

It’s great for getting those clients passively. It’s great for those quick easy jobs that sometimes turn into big jackpots.

But the real wins?

They come when you actively go after clients.

Build your own brand.

Don’t rely on one platform.

And remember these quick tips:

• Set your price. Never lower it to compete. Compete on value, not price.
• Always market yourself. Across all platforms. Every chance you get.
• Be professional. Every client, every job. It leads to more work.
• Invest in yourself. Constantly improve your skills. The more you know, the more valuable you become.

And remember, the key to freelancing success? Consistency. Keep showing up. Keep improving. Keep selling.