How to be a happy freelancer You went freelance to have a happier work/life balance, enjoy all the perks of working for yourself and be your own boss - so why do you feel so miserable, stressed and exhausted? When we work for ourselves, we often make many mistakes that lead us to despise our businesses rather than enjoy them. We forget the reasons why we went solo in the first place and become trapped in a vicious circle of negativity. Being a business owner you'll have many ups and downs. There will be times when you'll feel like pulling your hair out. You'll have unpleasant experiences with people. You'll sometimes mess up considerably. You'll forget to take regular breaks. You may even work 15 hour days, seven days a week and push yourself to breaking point. No matter where you're going wrong, I've put together these top tips to help you become a happier freelancer... Have a morning routine When you work from home, it's all too easy to roll out of bed and stumble straight to your desk. Before you know it, it's 11am and you've not even had a shower or had any breakfast. Adopt a healthy morning routine. Get up, have a shower, get dressed, shave/put on make-up and relax and have breakfast. Start work at 9am like everyone else, if you can. Stick to normal working hours Just because you work for yourself, doesn't mean you have to work every waking hour to make yourself