How to make time for your side hustle? Let’s face it, trying to make time for your side-hustle in an already crazy schedule can seem like an impossible task. And if this thought is going through your head just know you’re not alone!
Finding time for your side hustle can be difficult but before you quit on your awesome idea, I hope you’ll stick around and have a go at some of those tips because they could make all the difference.
There are many reasons why people start a side hustle, it could be a hobby, it could be a passion, it could be a necessity to make enough to live off, or it to save extra money for something important.
However, in today’s hectic world, increasingly, a side-hustle is the light at the end of the tunnel to get the heck out of the rat’s race once and for all…
Whatever the reason, it is important that you can make the time for it so that you can live the life you love.
So here are the TOP 15 PROVEN tips on how to make time for your side hustle.
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How to make time for your side hustle?
#1 Wake up Earlier
I know that this will be disappointing news for all the night owls out there who enjoy a lie-in or struggle to get out of bed in the morning. But, especially at the beginning of your business (yes, your side hustle is a business), you will need to invest that extra bit of time to get things going.
Remember that one day this side hustle could blow up into a full-time thing, giving you the time freedom, you want. But until then, sometimes it will mean doing the uncomfortable. Like waking up an hour early.
By no means do you need to do it every day but even a couple of times a week and you have to fit in extra 2 hours a week to work on your gig! It adds up – believe me!
#2 Work on Your Side Hustle During Your Commute
This could be another way to fit in an extra hour or so a day which you would have otherwise wasted.
Now depending on how you travel to work it might not be possible for you to fire up your laptop and work vigorously, I get that. But even if you are on a busy tram or bus, if you are walking or driving, there are still things you could be doing to utilise this time.
There are small things you could be doing on your phone for example, like sending out emails, uploading social media posts, doing some other marketing work, networking with others, or even simply making a schedule for yourself. These small things may seem insignificant but lots of small things add up to a big bulk of time at the end of the day. If you can get some of them ticked off, then you’ll have lots more time to work on other projects.
These small tasks are also the things that will scale your business up quicker.
Another thing you could try is listening to audiobooks and podcasts. So many people underestimate the importance of continually learning when you’re running a business. In many cases, a motivational podcast about self-growth or personal development could be game-changing
Too often the thing standing in the way of your success is you – you gotta work on yourself to succeed.
UDEMY is a fantastic platform for courses and if you are stuck on a great resource to learn from then I absolutely recommend it. Enrolling in a course is a perfect way to use your time on your commute ;). Also, there is a 30-day money-back refund policy if you do decide any course was not worth the price. So really it’s a no-brainer.
#3 Work on Your Side Hustle During Lunch
Lunchtime is another 30-60 mins that you could utilise for your side hustle.
It might e difficult depending on your job, the general work culture, your boss, or your colleagues. At work, you might also need that break just to recharge before the second half of your day so it might not be feasible for you.
But if it can work why not find a quiet spot somewhere where you can fit some side-hustle work in.
#4 Create Systems and Automate
What do we mean by creating systems? Well, in its formal business definitions it is:
a set of principles, practices, and procedures that are applied to specific activities to achieve a specific result.
In a nutshell, it is all about taking the repetitive activities in your side hustle or business and creating shortcuts so everything can still get done, but much faster.
I mean those repetitive ongoing tasks can take up so much time and they are often a drag to have to do. For example, I love creating Pinterest Templates so that I can just spruce them up rather than having to start them from scratch every time.
Automating your work is also vital so that areas of your business can run in the background without you having to be present.
Going back to the example of Pinterest, I love scheduling my Pinterest pin using a scheduler so that they get automatically uploaded without me having to carefully time them every day.
Similarly, when using email marketing, you could batch create emails and schedule for them to be automatically sent out.
#5 Start Saying “NO” More Often
The two-letter word is probably one of the first words we learned to say as babies yet as adults we’re often paralysed when we have to use it.
When you’re doing the fine balancing act of working full time and building your side hustle then the word NO has to become your best friend. Your time is so valuable, and you have to take care to prioritise the things that matter to YOU.
Don’t fall into the trap of doing something out of guilt or fear of letting people down – trust me everyone is thinking about their own selves so it’s only fair that you take care of yourself first.
Say no to anything that you do not want to do that could take precious time away from your side hustle.
#6 Find Your WHY: You Gotta Want It!
Doing a 9-5 and then spending extra hours in the evening or at weekends to do more work is not easy. If you are doing just that you are a SUPERWOMAN, and it will pay off.
One thing that will certainly make it easier to make time for your side hustle is having a very strong WHY!
You gotta know your why and be so convinced in it that there is simply no alternative.
What is the purpose of your side hustle? What do you enjoy about it? And what impact will it make? To you and to others?
Knowing the answer to these questions will help you keep going and keep the motivation up even at more challenging times…
#7 Set the Vision
Once you know your why you can now begin setting a vision of where this side hustle will take you. What will it help you achieve? What dream will it help you fulfill?
This might sound like such an obvious and unimportant thing to do but it is a powerful exercise that can help to keep your focus on what is important.
It is the essence of manifesting!
People often think that manifesting is some magical thing! It is not. Focusing your mind on what you want simply helps to bring it into your peripheral vision and make it the focus of your life. Having your goal in focus will help you make the necessary decision that will help you get there. It will help you get excited about it and keep your motivation high.
I love creating vision boards on Canva and referring to them to keep me in check so I continually remember my WHY and my LONG-TERM VISION!
#8 Make Decisions That Support Your Vision (not Sacrifices)
So, this point was sort of touched upon in #7. If you want this side-hustle if you want to make this thing work you have got to put on what I call your BUSINESS FILTER.
With any decision you have to make, you can run it through the BUSINESS FILTER. In essence, it is there to help you decide with any choice, decision, or opportunity, if it will serve your side hustle and help it grow in one way or another or if it could hinder it.
This is a general tip but also refers to managing your time. If there is a task, an event or your boss asking you to take on more work, having this filter firmly in place will allow you to get clear on when to say no or set a boundary.
#9 Figure Out Where Your Time is Going Now
Sometimes it is not just about figuring out how to fit your side hustle into your current schedule. It is about looking at your current schedule and deciding how effective it is and where your time is going.
Is there anything in your schedule right now that you could optimise that could save time?
I have to say that batch cooking literally changes the game for me – it saved so much time. I made sure I had something I could just pop into the microwave after work. Quick and easy and minimum cleaning up required. It also helped me to stay on track with my health.
#10 Identify Your Highest Priority Tasks
(and break them down into the smallest actionable chunks)
Learning how to effectively prioritise tasks is gold when it comes to making the most of the time you have.
I recommend doing a brain dump first – literally grab a piece of paper and start writing down everything you need to get done without considering the order Once you have exhausted the list split it into three columns
MUST DO: These tasks cannot be put off and have to be done ASAP. These are the tasks you need to do today.
SHOULD DO: These are the tasks that are a bit pressing but could be left until the next day if needed.
COULD DO: All the things that can be put off and are not imminent. Only work through this list if you have finished all tasks from the other two columns and you still have some time.
This system works great to help you prioritise tasks effectively and have a system on how you assign time in the most efficient way.
#11 Work on Your Time Management
Getting to grips with time management is also a vital skill that will help you make room in your life for your side hustle.
Making a to-do list and prioritising tasks is only the first step. You also have to know how much time to assign to every task on your to-do list and be realistic about how much you can actually accomplish.
There is no magic tool that can help you with this other than a bit of trial and error. It is just too task and person-specific. But over time you will be able to build a more realistic idea of how much time you need so allow yourself to initially get it wrong!
#12 Schedule It and Time Block
Once you master this skill of time management, time block specific tasks in your calendar. Literally, color it in, highlight it and make sure it is your sacred time with no distractions so that you can focus on accomplishing your task.
Let everyone know that you are unavailable at this time.
#13 Break Projects into Tiny Tasks
Sometimes you might find yourself looking at a task and just being too overwhelmed at the sheer size of it to even be motivated to start it “what is the point, I’ll never finish it anyway”.
If you’ve ever experienced this, I feel you, sis.
But these big tasks simply can’t be put off forever. The longer they get put off the more overwhelming they are down the line, and the desire to procrastinate will be greater.
So what can you do?
Those big tasks can often be broken down into smaller more manageable (and less overwhelming) tasks. Look at the task as a whole and try to divide it – then schedule in the small subsets of the tasks in your calendar. To keep yourself accountable may do something nice for yourself after you accomplish each part.
In many cases the longer, you put them off the more they will.
#14 Make Appointments with Yourself and Keep Them
A lot of managing your time well is about the relationship you have with yourself. Your business is you and particularly in the humble beginning, it is likely to be you and you only.
Work for yourself as you would work for anybody else as an employee. Be the Boss you want to impress and keep yourself accountable.
Set yourself deadlines and work towards them.
Know when to take a break and reset.
You need to be able to trust that side of yourself and know that she will pull through whatever happens.
Keep working on your personal growth. Keep learning
Make appointments with yourself and keep them ;).
#15 Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
Every SUPERWOMAN sometimes needs a helping hand. SO never be afraid to reach out.
Having to handle a full-time job and then finding time to work on a side hustle is a lot of pressure. Especially while juggling all of life’s other responsibilities like family and kids.
It is a lot for one human being to take. I haven’t got kids yet so I can only try and imagine how tricky that must be and I am giving you a massive shout-out if you are one of those super businesswomen who is also a super mum.
Having to tackle all of this at once can quite easily lead to burnout so it is important to share your feelings with others. Just talking things through can help immensely and especially in a family dynamic it could open the discussion to find a more suited distribution of responsibilities. At least for a little while.
Always share your feeling and never be afraid to ask for help from others. Those who love you and support you will have your back.
On a Final Note
Finding time to work on your side hustle can seem impossible in today’s hectic world.
However, these tips and tricks will hopefully guide you to find new solutions on how best to use your time.
When things get overwhelming, never give up on your dream…do everything you can to find a middle ground solution.
Although beginnings of running things on two fronts is intense – one day it could be the answer to you having ever more freedom in your life.
That will always be worth it!
What is your side-hustle? Let us know in the comments below…
To summarise –
How to make time for your side hustle:
#1 Wake up Earlier
#2 Work on Your Side Hustle During Your Commute
#3 Work on Your Side Hustle During Lunch
#4 Create Systems and Automate
#5 Start Saying “NO” More Often
#6 Find Your WHY: You Gotta Want It!
#7 Set the Vision
#8 Make Decisions That Support Your Vision (not Sacrifices)
#9 Figure Out Where Your Time is Going Now
#10 Identify Your Highest Priority Tasks
#11 Work on Your Time Management
#12 Schedule It and Time block
#13 Break Projects into Tiny Tasks
#14 Make Appointments with Yourself and Keep Them
#15 Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help.
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The Comments
Crystal Green
These are some pretty awesome tips. I strive to make time for my side-hustle a lot more lately. I am on a mission to take my blog to the next level one step at a time. I have been doing a lot of the things you mentioned on this post in the past six months, and it’s definitely made a powerful impact.
Natasza Klas
Crystal GreenI’m so happy to hear and wish you lots of success with your blog. Keep going, stay consistent and it will pay off 🙂