6 ways to juggle a side hustle when you have a full-time job

If you’re trying to juggle a side hustle with your full-time job, it’s easy to feel like you’re drowning. It’s like there are never enough hours in the day, and you’re constantly running at full speed just to keep your head above water.

You keep telling yourself that it will all be worth it eventually, that the extra effort will pay off and you’ll enjoy the fruits of your labor. But in the meantime, you feel like all you’re doing is working, working, and then working some more, with no break in sight. It’s exhausting and discouraging, and you feel like you’re never going to get ahead.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. If you follow these simple tips, you’ll make consistent progress toward your goals, without sacrificing the time and energy needed for other aspects of your life.

1. Get clear about your goals

Before you start working on a side hustle, get clear about your goals. Are you looking for income or experience? Do you want to make money from home or in person? Thinking about this will help you stay focused when deciding what kind of work or service to provide and how much time and energy to devote to it.

You should have goals regarding how much money you want to make, how many hours per week or month you want to work at your side hustle, and what kind of success rate (or failure rate) would be acceptable to you.

When setting goals for your business, don’t compare yourself to other people’s achievements or even what others seem to accomplish. Instead, focus on what you have in common with them: wanting more freedom, flexibility, and happiness through entrepreneurship.

It’s important not to get caught up in the comparison game; instead, focus on what works best for YOU—because what works best for one person may not work as well for another (and vice versa). Your best bet is to follow your gut instincts and use logic rather than emotion when deciding what kind of work suits your abilities/skills/interests and your needs in terms of hours per week spent working vs. living life outside the workplace (which can often conflict).

2. Create a schedule for yourself

You can’t expect to find time for your side hustle if you don’t give it time. Make a schedule and stick to it, even if it’s only an hour or two each day. You might need to cut back on other activities to make the most of the time left over after work, but creating a schedule will help keep you on track and save stress down the line. You might need to cut out some of your favorite activities and time with friends, but creating a schedule can help you make the most of your time.

3. Set a deadline for your side hustle

When you have a full-time job, it’s easy to get caught in the trap of thinking that there’s no way to accomplish your side hustle and still do well at work. But setting a deadline will help you focus on the task at hand and ensure you accomplish it. If you don’t set deadlines, it’s easy for them to get pushed off until later in favor of other tasks that are more urgent (or interesting).

With a deadline in place, you’ll know exactly when everything needs to happen—and what needs to happen first, which makes prioritizing your tasks easier. Set deadlines for all aspects of running your business: one for when taxes are due, another for when invoices should be sent out, etc. The more organized these processes become, the less stressful life will be.

4. Create a workspace separate from your home

The more distractions in sight, the harder it will be to focus.

You already know how distracting it is to have the laundry hamper cluttering up your kitchen or to have all your bills and paperwork stacked on your dining room table. Create a dedicated workspace in an area of your home where there are no distractions—or at least fewer distractions than usual. You don’t need anything fancy. Just find an empty corner and clear off some space.  When you enter that space, you know it’s time to work.

5. Create a routine to help you make consistent progress toward your goal

To make progress toward your goal, have a routine. A routine will help you create the momentum you need to keep going even when things get tough.

For example, if your goal is to hire a virtual assistant (VA) for your side hustle, provide them with clear instructions and examples from previous projects you’ve worked on yourself (which will also give them more confidence in their work). One way to create this kind of routine would be to:

• Make a weekly schedule for yourself with specific times marked off for checking in on how well your VA is progressing with the tasks that need completion before upcoming deadlines.
• Create a daily checklist of small tasks that take little time but are still important for tracking how much progress has been made.
• Write down what needs to be done each day so there’s no confusion about what needs to be done next—and don’t forget about taking breaks. You’ll be amazed at how refreshed and motivated you feel after taking time away from working on something difficult or tedious.

6. Consider taking on partners to lighten the load

If you have a side hustle, you might be looking for ways to make it less of a burden on your time. Get partners involved in your hustle if possible. If another person is working toward similar goals or doing something complementary to you, and your personalities and aspirations mesh, go for it. Just make sure the partnership is a good fit.

Conclusion

Juggling a side hustle when you have a full-time job can be challenging. It requires discipline, focus, and hard work to keep up with both. However, by managing your time well, taking advantage of available resources, and creating a supportive network, you can successfully balance a side hustle with a full-time job. With perseverance and dedication, anyone can make their dreams a reality.