What to Do When You're Fully Booked But Under-Earning

You’ve worked so hard to have your calendar full, clients on deck, inbox buzzing with new requests. You should be feeling on top of the world. But instead, you’re exhausted, wondering why your revenue still doesn’t reflect the hours, brainpower, or stress you’re putting in.

Let me be clear: there’s nothing wrong with you.
What’s broken is the business model.

If you’re a freelance writer, medical communicator, analyst, or consultant in the STEM world and you’ve hit this wall—this post is for you. I've got five key shifts that will help you reclaim your time, raise your rates with confidence, and finally start earning like the expert you are.

In this article:

1. Why Fully Booked Doesn’t Always Mean Well Paid
2. Redefine What Booked Out Really Means for You
3. Raising Your Rates = Growth (Not Greed)
4. Diversify with Tiered Offers and Retainers
5. Create Scalable Systems (and Optional Income Streams)

Why Fully Booked Doesn’t Always Mean Well Paid

It’s easy to assume that a packed schedule equals financial stability. After all, if you’re in demand, that must mean you’re thriving… right?!? Not necessarily. One of the biggest traps I see STEM freelancers fall into is equating busy with profitable. But just because your hours are spoken for doesn’t mean your income reflects your expertise.

Here are a few reasons STEM freelancers often stay stuck in the under-earning loop:

• Charging hourly instead of pricing for impact

• Saying yes to every project because you’re scared the work might dry up

• Working with low-budget clients out of loyalty or comfort

• Underestimating the admin time (emails, proposals, onboarding, revisions, billing)

• No clear service hierarchy (i.e., no premium offer)

If you’re stuck in the cycle of constantly doing but never really growing, the first step is acknowledging that this isn’t sustainable or strategic. The good news? You can shift it. But first, you have to see it. STEM skills are highly valuable and paid well—but not if you’re unintentionally signalling that you’re the bargain option on the market.

Redefine What Booked Out Really Means for You

Fully booked should not mean chronically overextended. Just because your week is full doesn’t mean it’s filled with the right work. Many STEM freelancers are operating at max capacity but earning well below their potential because their time is consumed by low-leverage tasks or misaligned projects.

How do you fix this problem? Start by doing a capacity audit. Track where your time is actually going (e.g., client hours, admin, meetings, revisions, communications). Then ask: Are these projects aligned with what I want to be known for? Are they paying enough to justify the time spent? How much of my monthly income is coming from the top 1-2 clients?

Once you have the data, get brutally honest about how many quality hours you can and want to work. You’re not a machine. And you probably have other responsibilities besides your clients. Set new goals to be strategically booked with premium, aligned, profitable work that moves the needle. And consider delegating time-consuming admin or operations tasks to a virtual assistant (VA) or online business manager (OBM).

Related: Business Coach vs. Online Business Manager vs. Marketing Strategist: Who Do You Need to Hire to Grow Your STEM Business?

Raising Your Rates = Growth (Not Greed)

Talking about money in STEM spaces can feel weird, especially if you come from academia or research where the culture is often one of underpayment and overwork. As a STEM professional, your thinking, problem-solving, and expertise deserve premium pricing. These are (usually) more important factors than how long it actually takes you to complete a task.

If you’ve been undercharging, your pricing probably doesn’t reflect the true cost of delivering it well. That includes the preparation, client communication, mental load, and years of experience behind the scenes. Moving away from hourly or per-word rates and toward value-based pricing allows you to stop trading time for money and start being paid for outcomes. And trust me, once you get a taste of that, you won't turn back.

Good news: you don’t need to overhaul your pricing overnight (if you don't want to). Start by introducing new rates for new clients (simply ask for $5 more per hour with every new inquiry). If you package your offers so they reflect a clear outcome, clients who value your expertise won’t flinch at fair pricing. The ones who do? Probably not your people long-term. And that's okay!

Diversify with Tiered Offers and Retainers

You don’t need dozens of clients. You need the right few, on the right terms. One of the fastest ways to create breathing room in your business (and your brain) is to stop relying on project-by-project work. The next step is creating service tiers and retainer options that allow your income to become more predictable, and your workload more balanced.

Tiered offers give clients choice and give you leverage. You might have a basic package for those needing deliverables only, a mid-tier that includes strategy and consulting, and a premium tier for ongoing high-touch support. This allows you to serve a range of budgets without diluting your value.

Retainers, on the other hand, give you financial stability and foster long-term client relationships. If you’ve already proven your value with a client, pitch a monthly retainer that bundles ongoing services (e.g., editing, strategy calls, data updates, content creation) at a premium flat rate. It saves them time and gives you predictable income.

I currently work with 10 international research groups and have personally edited over 60 scientific manuscripts published in Q1 peer-reviewed journals. Here's an example of the ongoing academic edition service I offer my long-term retainer clients:

Since scientific manuscripts can vary between 3,000-10,000 words, each of my tiers has its own flat per-word rate to standardize costs for the research institutes. With this pre-established scope of work, I don't need to send out proposals for every new manuscript because my clients already know what to expect.

Create Scalable Systems (and Optional Income Streams)

Once you’ve adjusted your pricing and packages, the next question is: how can I stop reinventing the wheel every time I land a client? The answer: systems. Building repeatable workflows saves time, creates a more professional client experience and gives you capacity to take on better, not more work.

Start with your client onboarding. Create templates for estimates, invoices, and project kickoffs. Use platforms like Airtable, Notion, ClickUp, or Trello to map out your project milestones. Automate the repetitive stuff (like follow-up emails or reminders) so you’re not spending precious mental energy on admin.

From there, you can start exploring low-effort, high-impact offers like digital products, templates, or mini-courses. If clients can’t afford your full services yet, point them to a self-serve option. It’s a great way to diversify your income without burning out and positions you as a leader in your niche.

Your Time Is Too Valuable to Waste

If you’re a brilliant, overbooked STEM freelancer who’s still under-earning please know: it’s not your fault, and it can change. It's possible to build a business that honours your capacity, expertise, and goals without working harder.

It’s okay to say no. It’s okay to raise your rates. It’s okay to build a business model that supports you, not just your clients. You’re allowed to be well-paid for work that lights you up and rest without guilt in between.