How to Start Your Side Hustle and Stay Sane

How in the world am I supposed to balance my full-time job with my side hustle??? Everyone makes it look so easy.

If you are feeling this way at all, there is hope!  As some of you may know, this photography business is actually my SIDE HUSTLE.  I work full time as a technical lead (web developer) for a non-profit company. Because of this, I have dealt with the CRAZINESS of a completely full schedule and learned (very slowly) how to make the most of my time, for my work, business, and time to relax/refresh.  

I know this is a hard, uphill battle for many people, so I thought I would share some tips that have helped me stay on track with a packed calendar - and still have some space to have some fun.

TIP #1: Schedule.  Schedule. Schedule.

I am an extreme planner at heart, so I LOVE this tip because it falls right in line with something I actually enjoy doing.  But, I know a lot of you are not like me - you would much rather let things go with the flow. The only problem with this is that you end up pushing tasks and items off for your side hustle until you realize you are a few months behind where you wanted to be!  Scheduling is the main way you can combat this. When I schedule, I lay out everything a month in advance: what projects and tasks I want to complete EVERY DAY, my 3 main goals for the month, and actually scheduled hours PER DAY - you have to treat your side hustle just like a job or going to school!  I also make sure to purposely schedule in REST TIME - I know already that I will get burnt out if I go 100 miles per hour every day, so I make sure that I also leave time for breaks - even if that means I can’t do everything I want in that month.

TIP #2: Write out your dreams.  Then split them up into small, actionable tasks that you can complete in 1-3 days per task → THE AGILE METHODOLOGY

Along with tip #1, tip #2 goes into an even deeper method of scheduling.  A lot of times, I have gotten caught up in dreams for this business, only to fall short of starting anything because they seemed too big to accomplish.  If you are feeling like this, take a deep breath. We are all there! Being in software development at my job, we actually run into this same issue - but we have a solution.  In our methods (agile), we take a HUGE idea and split it up into small, actionable tasks - I’m talking tasks that can be completed in 1-3 days. With this, you start getting results quicker and actually plan better for the final result - and you don’t get overwhelmed with what your next step should be.  You CAN accomplish those big, crazy goals!

TIP #3: Get an accountability partner.  Preferably someone you respect greatly and that is very stubborn.

Accountability partners are KEY in making you successful.  An accountability partner is someone that can check in with pretty regularly - at least once a week - to make sure that you are staying on track with your goals.  I tend to recommend finding someone who is in a similar field as you, so that they understand a bit more of what you are working towards and ways that they can both challenge and help you along the way.  Choose someone you greatly respect and that is also pretty stubborn - that way, they won’t let you go easily if you continuously skip tasks and miss goals. Hank (my husband) is my accountability partner because we both are big dreamers and motivate each other easily.

TIP #4: Learn how to say NO.

It’s really easy to want to say YES to everything, especially if you are a people pleaser.  Here’s the deal - if you find yourself struggling with knowing what to say yes/no to, take a step back and really prioritize things in your life.  No, you probably don’t need to volunteer for EVERY school picnic, but yes, you should probably make some time to go to your sibling’s or child’s graduation.  If someone wants an answer for you, be honest and just explain that you are pretty busy and need some time to see if it will fit in your schedule.  

TIP #5: Don’t hide the fact that you are working/in school full-time - capitalize on it.

I’ve seen a lot of people on social media that hide the fact that they actually have a full-time job/school while they are building up a side hustle - I personally think this is such a BIG MISTAKE!  First of all, you are spending almost ¼ of your entire week at your job/school, so you are hiding from your followers and clients so much of your life! Instead, inviting them in to see a whole other side of you is exciting, and it also provides a lot more opportunity for conversation.  Also, allowing them to see that you are working/studying full-time makes people more understanding when you have longer delivery dates or aren’t as quick to reply to messages/post on social media - instead of seeming absent and uncaring, they actually are excited when they see you being able to invest time into your side hustle (and totally understand when you need to take a break).

With these tips, I hope that those of you in the middle of your side hustle, or even those thinking of starting one, have the ability to take a deep breath, assess how you are doing, and just dive in with more passion and drive than before!  What tips have helped you stay motivated and moving forward with your side hustle?