Freelancing can be hard.

It is not unusual for freelancers to experience periods of overwhelming amounts of work followed by panic inducing lulls in business. And freelancers don’t just have to do their work. They also have to find their work, provide customer service related to the work, and pursue payment for their work. In this way, freelancers are administrators, marketers, book-keepers, and executives …all at once.

In the midst of these challenges, it can be easy to forget that there are many benefits to freelancing. If you’re feeling burnt out or just want to take full advantage of being a freelancer, try one of the following ideas for putting the back in freelancing!

1. Do Something Enjoyable in the Middle of the Day

Go to the beach, a museum, the movies, or anywhere you think is fun in the middle of a traditional “work-day.” It’s what half of your 9-to-5 friends think you do every day anyway so you might as well try it.

Yes, a day-time adventure may mean working late or sacrificing a week-end day, but the feeling of freedom and control over your own schedule is worth it.

2. Meet Other Freelancers

It is a blast to commiserate with other freelancers. Freelancers are a diverse and fun crew whose personalities range from “corporate” to what can only be described as “wacky.” Freelancers also have a knack for finding interesting ways to make money. By talking to freelancers, I’ve learned about industries and gigs I didn’t even know existed.

Organizing other people’s personal and business spaces? There’s a market for that. Marketing for CBD products (a compound found in cannabis)? There’s a market for that.

How do you find freelancers? You can join your local Freelancer’s Union SPARK and attend one of their monthly events. Or, just go to a local coffee shop or the library during the middle of a work-day. Chances are at least one of the other people typing away on their MacBook is also a freelancer. (Ok, Ok. It could be a PC but MacBooks are so widely used by freelancers that they almost seem like part of the freelancer uniform.)

3. Take on a Passion Project

One of the best parts of freelancing is that you aren’t limited in the type of projects you can take on. Try taking on a small side project in an area outside of your usual work. Go wild and do something completely out of your usual. I have an engineer friend who took on a paid side gig to paint custom corn hole boards. Or do something that is just incrementally different. If you’re a writer, write on a subject that is out of the norm for you.

If none of these ideas resonate with you, I challenge you to choose your own adventure by answering this question: What’s something fun that you cannot do with a traditional 9-to-5 job? Now go do it.