8,000 words a day, zero shortcuts

Starting at 26

Returning home after my time abroad, I was 26 and stepping into the workforce at square one. I temped, did admin work, and kept looking for a relevant opening. And then I got lucky. My aunt got the contact details of a translation agency that might hire an intern. And that is how, at 26, I landed my first job in my line of studies. After three months of proving myself, the owner offered me a full-time project management role. It was during this period that I achieved a personal milestone that meant the world to me: taking after-hours translation gigs, saving every cent, and buying my very first laptop.

To some, buying a laptop at 26 isn’t much of a milestone. To me, it meant everything I’d earned had gone into buying it myself.

Getting creative

After a year in project management, I saw an opportunity to move to one of the towns I’ve always wanted to live in: Knysna. I had memories of driving through this picturesque coastal town thinking to myself, “One day, I will live here”. Of course, when I saw a copywriter position at a local ad agency in Knysna, it seemed like fate. When I landed the job, I didn’t have to think twice. It was a win-win. I got to work (and write) on more creative projects, in one of the most beautiful towns south of the equator. 

I have many fond memories of this period and got lucky again when I teamed up with two new mentors and fellow wordsmiths who taught me how to find my own voice and, ultimately, trust it. 

It was during this chapter that I learned about an opportunity to help an acquaintance with iGaming projects. And so, to pad my income, that’s exactly what I did after hours. And if you haven’t noticed a trend by now, let me point it out. In every phase of my journey, I have worked additional hours to achieve something. After working on these big projects, I thought it would be a good idea to try freelancing full-time. And that’s exactly what I did.

8,000 words a day kept rent paid

Transitioning into freelancing offered freedom, but it demanded intense output. To keep retainers filled and rent paid, I hit a benchmark that sounds almost absurd today: delivering roughly 8,000 words a day.

For context, this was long before generative AI could draft outlines or produce bulk text. At a rate of $0.01 per word, survival meant hitting a baseline of at least 1,000 words per hour, every single hour.

I remember one Christmas Eve, my boyfriend at the time was waiting for me to wrap up. At midnight, I closed the laptop; every single deliverable was submitted, zero deadlines missed. That volume took speed, stamina, and discipline. Mostly, it just kept the lights on.

Beyond vocation: integrity in the contract

People say things like “it’s just content”, or “we’re not saving lives here” a lot. I get what they mean. I’ve just never agreed with it. Here’s why:

To me, work ethic isn’t dictated by whether you are performing open-heart surgery or sweeping a street. The person sweeping the street to the absolute best of their ability is honouring their contract with themselves and their employer.

High output was never about hustle for its own sake. It was about an unwritten agreement: whatever the role, admin clerk, typist, copywriter, freelancer, head of content, you give it your best. Integrity isn’t role or situation-dependent; it’s a value you honour in everything you do, even when no one is watching.