5 Signs Your Side Hustle is Slowly Taking Over Your Life
HUSTLE. HUSTLE. HUSTLE.
Having a side hustle or job or 3 is something that is MAJORLY accepted in our culture today. And being productive is seen as ALWAYS better than doing “un-productive” things that don’t produce successful results.
If you have this mindset, you may be in danger of letting your side hustle take over your life.
Now, I’m ALL for working hard, especially if your side hustle also happens to be your passion project. But we were not built for 24/7. There needs to be a line in your life were you step AWAY from the work and invest in yourself and your rest.
If you are wondering if you are in danger of the “side hustle craze,” check yourself with these signs below:
You don’t have any rest time scheduled or just occurring in your life. If you are literally bouncing from work to your side hustle to working out to your social life and then maybe some sleep, you are going to burn out FAST.
Your social life has completely disappeared, including just talking with people. It is SO important to have relationships to help your mind relax and continue to grow yourself, so if you suddenly realize you haven’t talked to or seen your best friends or family in a while, you might have a problem.
You can’t stop obsessing over the results. Being focused on results is definitely a part of building a side hustle, but when your every waking thought is all about what you can do to keep moving ahead, your quick-moving pace is going to become harder and harder to manage.
You feel stressed, anxious, tired, or even empty all the time. Again, rest is SO KEY in your life. If you aren’t taking time to refuel yourself with activities that don’t demand results, you are going to be taking a major hit to your mental health.
You’ve lost your love for what you are working on. If you honestly aren’t enjoying ANY part of the process of building your side hustle, and haven’t for a while, you might need to take a step away, or just some time off, before you just become a mindless working drone.
If you identify with some or ALL of these, chances are that you are letting your side hustle take over your life - but what do you do?
SCHEDULE TIME OFF. Make it an ABSOLUTE in your schedule to have a day or just a couple hours a day where you completely shut off your side hustle and take a step away from anything that demands results. Use that time to REST, work on a hobby that is soul-filling, spend it with friends and family, or even invest in some self-care.
The difference this little amount of time you make will be so MAJOR - you’ll have time to reset your brain, get the creative juices pumping, and allow yourself to relax within a very demanding space. I get that it’s hard to put the computer away and feel like you are falling behind, but getting rest instead of working 24/7 will actually IMPROVE your work on your side hustle - trust me.
My action item for you? Look at your calendar or planner and schedule out time off for the next month. Try out different days or times to see what works best for you, and DON’T schedule anything side-hustle or work related in those times. And just wait to see what a big difference it will make for you and your life :)
