I stopped tracking every single hour and my income went up

I used to log every 15 minutes in Toggl, thinking it made me look professional. A client in Denver flat out told me my invoices were 'stressful to review' because of the insane detail. Now I just bill by project with clear milestones, and I'm making more with less headache. Anyone else switch from hourly to project-based billing and find it works better?

4 comments

4 Comments

elizabethblack2mo ago

Switched to project billing last year and it changed everything. Clients stop nitpicking your time and start valuing the outcome instead. I mean, it just feels more like a partnership than a timesheet audit.

wesleyburns1mo ago

Oh man, a buddy of mine tried this last year with his web design gig. He had this one client who would literally ask for screenshots of his timer every week, questioning why a button took 45 minutes. It was driving him nuts. He switched to a flat project fee for the next site they did together, and weirdly enough, the client stopped caring about the little stuff. They started talking about the actual layout and what the finished product would look like, not the hours. He said it felt like the whole mood of the project just lifted, way less tense.

jamieperez1mo ago

Funny you say that, I was just reading something about how hourly billing can actually make clients more suspicious, like they think you're padding the clock. A flat fee seems to flip that whole dynamic, just like with your buddy. It's wild how just changing the price tag can fix the trust issue.

hugo_cooper2mo ago

Oh man, that's so true. I was just reading an article about how billing by the hour can actually make you work slower, because you're always watching the clock. With a set project price, you just focus on getting the thing done right. It really does change how a client talks to you, like you said. They stop asking about hours and start talking about the actual work.