You’ve now built an impressive foundation in gig work if you’ve followed guides 1 to 8. Now, it might feel like you are growing and turning this into a fully paid career. At this point, you need to help protect everything you have built, in this guide on how to avoid gig work mistakes.
Even experienced gig workers can make mistakes, and these can lead to costs like lost income, burnout, or even unexpected tax bills.
In this guide, we’ll share five common gig mistakes workers make and how to avoid them in 2025. Let’s make sure your hard work continues to reap rewards, not problems.
Why Mistakes Can Derail Your Gig Progress
Gig work can be a tremendous opportunity because it leaves you in charge of your own success (and income). However, small mistakes along the way can derail that and become big problems over time.
Financial Loss
Underpricing your services or missing out on higher-paid work can leave you with a financial loss. You could find yourself turning to low-paid gigs that don’t cover the money you need to get by.
Burnout
Burnout is a common worry with any job, especially with gig work. It can happen if you are chasing 60+ hour weeks to try and boost your income.
Missed Opportunities
Gig work is evolving, and if you don’t keep up, you could miss out on some fantastic, highly-paid opportunities. You could be stuck with lower-paid work while others move ahead.
Mistakes aren’t the end of the world. It’s important you catch them early to keep your gig journey growing.
5 Common Gig Work Mistakes
Even if you are organized and motivated with gig work, there are still some traps to avoid. Here are five of the most common mistakes made by gig workers.
1. Underpricing Your Services
If you are on a gig app that allows you to set your price, it might be tempting to set it low to attract customers. However, this is a bad strategy in the long run because it undervalues your work and will often lead to attracting poor-quality clients who demand a lot for the price.
Fix: Research market rates for your niche and price competitively without undercutting others
2. Overworking
Set limits on the hours you do. When you get paid for hours worked, it’s tempting to do a few more each week to help boost your income. Sometimes, there are sensible reasons for doing that, especially if you are paying off debt. But too much will leave you exhausted and prone to mistakes.
Fix: Set clear boundaries. If you have a long week, take some time off the week after to recharge.
3. Ignoring Taxes
Forgetting to set aside money for tax can leave you stressed and face the risk of penalties if you can’t pay on time.
Fix: Save a quarter of your income and set it aside for tax. Keep it in a different bank account if you find that easier to manage.
4. Skipping Peak Hours
Missing high-demand times for your gigs can leave you short of income or searching around for lower-paid gigs.
Fix. Get to know the busy period for that gig app and schedule your hours around that as best as possible.
5. Not Diversifying
Relying on a single app can leave you at risk of money problems if you suddenly lose access to that account or the business closes.
Fix. Always diversify. Join at least one or two other platforms to keep your gig work flexible.
Avoiding these five mistakes will save you time, money, and hassle later on and set you up for a more successful gig career.
How to Stay on Track With Your Gig Work
Don’t let mistakes trip you up. Building on the right habits is the best way to stay on track and move forward. Here are some tips.
Research Your Gigs
Research your gig marketplace, and if you are setting your own rates, update these regularly. Check other gig platforms to ensure you are getting paid competitively for the work.
Set Hour Limits
Decide at the start of the week how many hours to commit and block book these in your calendar. Use downtime to refuel yourself mentally and physically so that you feel energized for the next working day.
Use Smart Tools
Investing in the right tools, like Mint and Everlance, makes it easier to manage the admin for your gig work. It’ll help you avoid mistakes and reduce your working hours.
Stay Flexible
Even if you find a gig you enjoy, be flexible and open-minded about trying any new ones you see. Sometimes, shifting your energy elsewhere can bring financial rewards you hadn’t expected.
Stay Connected
Take the time to connect with other gig workers. Communities via Facebook and Reddit can help answer your questions, and they are great places to share tips.
Task List: Steps to Avoid Gig Work Mistakes
Stay ahead with your gig work and avoid mistakes that could cost you money or time. Here are some tasks to check off your to-do list:
- Review your rates and ensure they remain competitive
- Set boundaries with your working hours
- Set aside money for tax payments later on
- Diversify your gigs
- Track your earnings and expenses using a tool
- Join a gig worker community online
Once you have these items mastered, it’s time to move on to the final guide in our series. Join us there!