Recently I received an e-mail from an old client. I worked with this particular individual for a year back in 2005. And it was this gig that uncovered my interest in personal finance topics. Since then, I’ve earned the bulk of my income writing on this subject matter, and I’ll forever be grateful to this client for giving me a chance. Thus, I found myself in a difficult situation.

I hadn’t spoken to this client is almost a year. She contacted me out of the blue to work on a project. She wasn’t annoying, offered fair compensation and I received a payment every Friday. But after my services were no longer needed….I moved on. I acquired new projects; and I even scaled back on freelancing to focus on personal interests.

But for a brief moment last week, I actually considered re-working my entire schedule to fit in her project. Besides, this was one of my oldest clients—that’s the least I could do….right?

I didn’t immediately respond to her e-mail. I could have bent over backwards and put the client’s need ahead of my own. But the truth is - I like my schedule the way it is. I’m able to freelance a couple hours a day and meet my financial obligations and goals. And since I’ve reduced my workload, the days of burnout, carpal tunnel and eyestrain and no more. Plus, I’ve scheduled a few vacation days for the near future, and taking on a new project might require working longer hours or playing catch up upon my return.

In the end I decided to be upfront and honest. Thanks for the opportunity; but unfortunately, I’m at capacity. The old me would have jumped at any and every opportunity and worked myself into an early grave. But I’ve grown as a freelancer, and I’ve learned…it’s okay to say “no.”