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
Leonie Annor-Owiredu is a millennial freelancer in London.
courtesy of Annor-Owiredu
Leonie Annor-Owiredu is a 26-year-old working in London.
Her first experience with an office job gave her the impression that British work culture wasn't for her.
Here's how she navigates British work life and personal development as a freelancer.
This story is part of a series called "Millennial World," which seeks to examine the state of the generation around the globe.
Leonie Annor-Owiredu always felt pressure to succeed.
As a child growing up in England, she attended a boarding school where Russell Group universities — similar in caliber to America's Ivy League schools — were the goal.
Annor-Owiredu's parents encouraged her to pursue her dreams, though they emphasized the importance of a financially stable career. So she graduated from college and entered the workforce, hoping to follow a linear path upward.
But with her first internship, she began to realize her impression of British work culture wasn't for her.
Annor-Owiredu doesn't drink alcohol. She said that hurt her ability to make connections and grow in the organizations she'd worked for. On top of that, she often felt underrepresented and undervalued as one of only a few Black women in a given room.
The experiences encouraged her to build a career outside the corporate world. Today, Annor-Owiredu is a full-time freelance writer, researcher, and brand strategist.
Here's a day in her life as a millennial living in London:
6:30 a.m.: Attend a writers group and eat a healthy breakfast Annor-Owiredu eats a healthy breakfast each morning.
courtesy of Annor-Owiredu
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.
9 a.m.: Commute to Central London and exercise before work Annor-Owiredu takes a bus into Central London.
courtesy of Annor-Owiredu
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.
11 a.m.: Start work at a coworking space Annor-Owiredu works from a coworking space to give herself a quiet area.
courtesy of Annor-Owiredu
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.
4 p.m.: Focus on personal projects Annor-Owiredu launched a literary festival in 2022.
courtesy of Annor-Owiredu
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.
5 p.m.: Wrap up work and decompress with friends Annor-Owiredu, left, grabs dinner with friends to get work-life balance into her schedule.
courtesy of Annor-Owiredu
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.
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By: [email protected] (Alexandra York) Title: 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 Sourced From: www.businessinsider.com/uk-drinking-culture-millennial-freelancer-2023-5 Published Date: Wed, 31 May 2023 10:15:00 +0000
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