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I Was Almost Self-Destructing as a Freelancer

4 min readMay 14, 2025

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When I quit my full-time job and started freelancing, I felt unstoppable.

No more 9-to-5. No boss to report to. No restrictions on how I spent my day. It felt like I finally had control over my time, energy, and income.

But what I didn’t realize was that freedom, without structure, is just chaos.

A few months in, I wasn’t thriving. I was unraveling. I thought I was working hard. But in reality, I was just stuck in unhealthy patterns that looked like hustle but felt like burnout.

My Work Hours Were All Over the Place

I convinced myself that I was more creative at night, so I often started working at 7 or 8 PM and continued until the 3AM.

Sure, it felt productive in the moment. But the next day, I would wake up late, groggy, and disoriented. Half my morning would be gone before I could even think clearly.

To make up for the lost hours, I’d work late again. And so the cycle continued, disrupting my sleep, my focus, and eventually, my motivation. The worst part was I didn’t take the mornings off and would spend the whole day on the laptop.

I Was Constantly Trying to Perfect Everything

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Aditi Chakraborty
Aditi Chakraborty

Written by Aditi Chakraborty

Writer | Content Creator I talk about marketing, writing, AI, cinematography, editing, and a career in freelancing.