1. Plan days around things you like Every day I make time for things that make me happy. Thing like reading, drinking tea, plyaing my music loud, going out for a walk and talking to my friends give me a boost that helps me stay happy day to day. Even on a bad work day, make time for something you enjoy so you’re never too far from a wee moment of happiness. 2. Know when you work best I’m a morning and a night person, it’s the afternoons that get me.. Find when you work best and plan important stuff for then. Prioritise big client projects, thinky stuff and your own work for when you’re at your best so you’re making progress where you want to. You might have to try lots of schedules to see what works best for you. But you’re in this freelancer thing for life so it’ll be worthwhile! I even have a summer and winter schedule so I can make the most of the sun. 3. Put your phone away! Do it. Go on. Put it down. Back to whatever you were doing. c ya l8r. 4. Take regular breaks Okay so I don’t always keep to this one but it’s important! Our brains can only concenrate for so long before we start to lose focus and feel tired. Like a three hour uni lecture or a church wedding, we’d all feel better if there were a few breaks. Some people try 40 mins on 5 mins off, I like to block time into big chunks of similar tasks. Whatever works for you, take a break, rehydrate and then get back to it! 5. Plan your working week This is huge! Weeks I plan I get loads done, can work late and still feel fresh, and I hit deadlines left right and centre. Weeks I don’t plan, I get the basics done, play around with a few bits that come to mind and end the week unsure what happened. Your time is important and so are your life goals. Take the time to plan your progress and you’ll make more… progress. 6. Take weekends off [this slide was phoned in to make a point] 7. Morning walks with friends I love my peeps. They make life worthwhile. Even on mornings we can’t be bothered, when we’re goading each other to cancel, those days I finish the walk feeling miles better than the extra half hour of sleep would have made me feel. Good peeps + outside + coffee = great start to the day 8. Appreciate yourself for what you achieve If you’ve ever felt like you’re putting in list of work and going nowhere, this will help! Most of these are based on day-to-day life. Reflecting on what you achieve will help you stay happy long term. Think about where you were at last year, two years ago, five years ago. If you got the experience look 10 years back ya old coot! None of us are stood still. You might not be where you want to be yet, but every minute, day, year you give gets you closer. The pace doesn’t matter, your progress does. So look back from whence you came and smile, because you’ve come far! And you’re a champ for every day you open your eyes and do your thang.