Saving for a Future When Your Income Isn’t Predictable
Having work that isn’t guaranteed, and sometimes means months off at a time, can be exhausting and incredibly stressful. The anxiety that comes with not knowing when the next job will land can be overwhelming.
When I first started out in a freelance career, I never fully considered how the quieter periods would impact my life. During those times, I find myself scrolling through LinkedIn, looking at jobs I would never usually consider. Jobs I know wouldn’t make me happy, but the consistency makes them tempting. I catch myself thinking that surely consistent work must be better than this constant uncertainty.
There are perks to being a freelancer. After every job I wrap, I make a point of going away, whether that’s locally or abroad, to unwind and reset before the next one. It helps the time in between not feel so long or daunting. I spend more time with family and friends, catch up on housework, and appreciate the little things that make the days feel full. But by around week four, the black cloud starts to creep in. Thoughts of I’m never going to work again, I’m not good enough for this industry, or no one wants to hire me because they don’t like working with me all hit at once. The pressure builds until I just want it to stop.
I know I’m not alone in feeling this way. People across so many freelance and self-employed industries experience the same cycle of highs and lows, even if we don’t always talk about it openly.
In my early twenties, I didn’t think much about the future. But as 30 approaches, I find myself questioning how sustainable this lifestyle really is. If I decide I want kids, and that’s a big if, how would I support myself during maternity leave? Do I need to start saving for that now, even if I’m not sure it’s something I want? And what happens if there comes a time when I can’t manage the long, draining hours and need to cut back? What then?
I genuinely applaud the mothers and fathers in my industry. Sometimes I can barely cope as it is, so how they manage feels almost superhero-level. I would love to understand how they balance it all, because right now, I just can’t see how it works. Then there’s the dream of buying a house, which feels increasingly out of reach with a career like mine.
You save your payslips into a savings account, only for it all to disappear on rent, bills, and food when you’re not working. How are we supposed to cope?
There’s no perfect blueprint for building a future when your income is unpredictable. Freelancing requires you to hold two conflicting truths at once: enjoying the freedom and flexibility, while living with uncertainty and fear about what’s next. Feeling anxious during quieter periods doesn’t mean you’re failing or that you’re not cut out for this work, it’s just a valid reaction to uncertainty.
Maybe coping looks like building small safety nets over time, even if they’re modest. Maybe it means accepting that plans can change, and that you don’t have to have everything figured out right now. Planning for the future doesn’t mean committing to every choice today, it just means giving your future self more options.
If you’re feeling the same, please know that you’re not alone. So many people are quietly having these same thoughts. It’s okay to be undecided. It’s okay to reassess. And it’s okay to take your time. Sometimes the most balanced thing you can do is acknowledge how hard this is, be kind to yourself in the quieter weeks, and remember that your worth is not defined by how busy you are.
If you’re in one of those in-between phases and the days feel long, I’m always here for a chat to help the time go by a bit faster. But let’s also remember not to wish our lives away. These slower moments are still part of the story, even if they don’t look productive on paper.
Ciao for now…
S x
