How To Juggle a Side Hustle and Full-Time Job
Having multiple streams of income has become the norm and a necessity for many millennials. With the ever-growing world of social media, there are just too many opportunities not to take advantage of a least a couple of them. However, juggling multiple obligations can be difficult, especially if you’re determined to commit a large chunk of your time to each of them. Maybe you’re working a full-time/9-5 job to fund your passion project or you’re just a hustler who enjoys the thrill of having a few different gigs. Either way, you’re going to have to figure out a schedule that benefits all of your hustles, so that you can live a healthy, productive, and low-stress life. Here are my top tips for juggling your side hustle and 9 to 5. At the end of the day, it’s all about balance.
Plan, Plan, Plan
Scheduling your week will save you from procrastination and keep all of your commitments organized. I’d suggest breaking down every hour and scheduling in all of your tasks. First, block out your 9-5/anything that has a set schedule, then pencil in any tasks for your side gigs using your remaining hours. For example, in my schedule, I block out the time I work my 9-5, then I schedule tasks for my blog/side projects using any other free time I have. I’d also recommend scheduling in your “me” time too.
Take advantage of “downtime”
This means taking advantage of lunch breaks, commutes, or any other idle time to check things off of your lists. I use my morning and evening commutes and my lunch break to write blog posts, respond to emails, and post to social.
Early mornings, late nights, and/or weekends are a side hustler’s best friend.
Again, time is everything when you have multiple obligations to juggle. Sometimes you have to sacrifice a bit of sleep to get everything done. Wake up a few hours early or go to sleep a little later to fit in everything you need to do. You can also opt to work on your side/passion projects on your weekends/days off from your 9-5. Just make sure you have at least one day off for fun.
Automate your processes
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “work smarter, not harder” and that is great advice, especially for side hustlers. Automating and scheduling your processes to create an effortless workflow will relieve so much stress and save you a lot of time. For me, this means writing and scheduling blog posts ahead of time, so they can automatically post at a certain time without me having to think about it.
Another way to automate your processes is by using subscription services. For me, this means subscribing to the magazines I use in flatlays, or signing up for a stock photo service, so I won’t have to spend so much time taking and editing photos. Think of ways you could automate some of the recurring processes in your workflow to make your life easier.
Batch your work
Similar to automation, batching your processes is a great way to save time and get ahead of some of the things on your list. This means setting aside time to tackle a group of similar tasks on your list. As a blogger, for me, this means carving out time to shoot photos for the blog. I try to shoot enough product flatlays and outfits to spread out on my blog and social media. Another example could be setting aside time write multiple blog posts. Whatever the tasks may be, consider grouping similar ones together to maximize your time and energy.
What are some things that you do to help juggle all of your projects?
