A day in the life of a millennial freelancer who says the UK's corporate drinking culture pushed her to work for herself and prioritize work-life balance

Annor-Owiredu wakes up about 6:30 a.m. and starts her day with a prayer to ground herself. Next, she spends some time journaling.

At 8 a.m., she joins a Zoom group called "The London Writers Salon," a gathering of writers meant to spark creativity and hold each other accountable in establishing daily writing habits.

Then she eats a healthy breakfast — such as a berry smoothie, toast, or porridge — before heading to her workout. 

Annor-Owiredu sets out for Central London about 9 a.m.

Her bus commute takes nearly an hour, during which she reads or checks her emails.

In London, she spends an hour exercising before getting to work. Her exercises include walking, swimming, and strength training at the gym.

At 11 a.m., she walks to a shared workspace downtown. From then to 4 p.m. are her core working hours, she said. 

Like many millennials across the UK and the US, Annor-Owiredu lives at home, and 10% to 30% of her income goes toward supporting her family — a responsibility shared by many young people of color in England, she said.

"Having a coworking space means that I'm not working from my bed, or my mom is on the phone, or someone wants to watch TV," she said, adding that at home "there's just too much stimulation" for her to be productive. 

Since some of her income does go toward helping her parents, Annor-Owiredu saves money by finding free or low-cost coworking spaces when she can.

Her workdays are spent conducting pitch meetings with new clients, having recap meetings with current clients, and completing any projects she's working on. 

At 4 p.m., Annor-Owiredu shifts gears to focus on personal work, including the novel she's writing and the literary festival she launched in 2022.

She speaks with her festival cofounder about the budget, talent, and other topics to plan this year's events.

Annor-Owiredu wraps up work about 5 or 6 p.m. each day. She'll then meet friends for dinner or a cultural event around London — such as going to the theater or a movie.

"I think we're quite hobbyist in this country," she said of work-life balance in Britain.

That balance helps her with both her career and her personal development, she said. 

"It's important to have things that you do outside of work," Annor-Owiredu said. "Having time for cultural things, especially in my friendship group, like going to the theaters, is really key. That's something that I'm doing now to relax myself."

Annor-Owiredu is also money-conscious, so she and her friends often opt for cooking meals together.

After that, she heads home, spends some time reading or writing, and prays before going to sleep at midnight.