Being able to balance your day job and side hustle can be a lot of work and cause unnecessary stress if you let it. Almost a year ago I wrote a post about blogging with a fulltime job so today I’m here to talk about how you can balance your 9-5 and a side hustle. When I wrote the last post I was working full time, blogging, in graduate school, and planning a wedding. Now I am still doing all of those things plus starting my own business so I need to be more organized and manage my time even better. Now onto how to balance your day job and side hustle without going completely crazy.
How to Balance Your Day Job and Side Hustle
Take advantage of your free time // To keep my blog + biz going steady while working full time, I have to utilize my free time wisely. That means after work I hop on the computer from 6-9 working on my blog and biz. I also use Sundays as a work day for both grad school and my blog + biz. I know that this doesn’t sound ideal to most people, but it’s so worth it. I use Friday evenings and Saturdays as my days off from working on the blog/biz.
Set weekly goals // Setting goals is absolutely necessary so you know exactly what you want to achieve each week. Make sure your goals are attainable so you’re not reaching the end of the week and feeling defeated because your goal was a little too intense for that week. For example, this week my biz goal is to finish up some client work and complete at least one lesson of my free Pinterest email course that I will be offering over on my biz blog, Confetti Social. I tried to make it attainable but still working towards my overall goals.
Use Scheduling Tools // Using MeetEdgar and Hootsuite in conjunction has been an absolute lifesaver. I haven’t had to think about scheduling blog content on social media for Breakfast at Lilly’s in weeks. When I first got MeetEdgar, I put in all of my blog posts for BAL and MeetEdgar rotates through all of them and then re-queues the content once it’s run its course. The only time I have to add new content is when I have a new post. It saves so much time and makes me look active on social media even when I’m on the go.
Remember to schedule some time for yourself // Although you may be working overtime, it’s necessary to find at least 30 minutes for yourself each day. Whether that’s at the gym or pampering yourself at home, it’s essential to take care of yourself. Also, make sure you’re still making time for sleep. You can’t fully focus on work or your biz if you’re too sluggish. I’ve been there, trust me.
RELATED: 7 Tips for Planning Blog Content Like a Boss
How do you balance your day job and side hustle? Please feel free to let me know down in the comments.