How to Balance Side Hustles While Working Full-Time

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side hustles while working full-time

A full-time job can be a lot, depending on the industry that you’re in. For many people, a full-time job isn’t enough. They need more money. There is no problem having side hustles while working full-time. Tons of people work a full-time jobs and have a side hustle. I’m one of them. 

Occasionally, I get questions from people asking me how I do both. Some folks think they’re too busy or need more time. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Anyone who has a full-time job can do a side hustle. In today’s post, I’ll be going over how to balance side hustles while working full-time. Hopefully, you’ll be able to take some of the things from this post and apply them if you struggle to do both.

How to Balance Side Hustles While Working Full-Time

I do several things to make sure I manage my side hustle. It hasn’t always been easy, but I’ve gotten better over the years. Discipline has been one of the keys. There are also other things that you have to do.

Take Advantage of Your Lunch Break/ Downtime

I currently have an hour lunch break. It typically takes me 15-20 minutes to eat. During the rest of my break, I do something side hustle related. I usually reply to blog post comments or ship out packages. There’s a post office about seven minutes away from my home office.

If I have downtime at the job, I usually work on content or do something else. If you have a job with downtime, instead of wasting time watching shows or videos that won’t help you, be proactive and work on your side hustle.

Wake up Early

You can get up an hour earlier a few times per week. You can use the additional time to do stuff that will help your side hustle. You can review courses, read, watch YouTube videos, and work on content. That extra time will be essential for you.

Stay up Later

If getting up early isn’t your thing, staying up later may work better for you. Some people are night owls and can get work done. I used to be a night owl, but things are changing. I’m not nearly as focused after 10 pm as I used to be. If you can stay focused later than that, then you will have a good chance of getting some late-night work done.

Use Fiverr When Needed

Designing t-shirts is one of my favorite side hustles. I’m not a designer at all. My Photoshop skills could be better. Instead of using hours that I don’t have to try to teach myself Photoshop, I go to Fiverr and get my designs from there. I found a designer that had good reviews and lovely samples. Now, all I do is send a message and give them a description of what I want my design to look like.

Usually, the designer can have the designs ready in 24 hours. You can’t beat that. I get three designs for $7. That’s a win. Not only does Fiverr have designers, but they have editors, writers, and more. If you need something done and you don’t have the time to do it, check out Fiverr.

Delegate Tasks

Sooner or later, you will realize you can’t do everything alone. You will need to hire a VA (virtual assistant). Sometimes, you need someone you have worked with for a while – who just understands what you need. Once they are set up with all of the passwords and a workload, all you need to do is make sure you send money on time for their good work.

Hiring an assistant can be hit and miss, but when you get the right one, it makes a huge difference for people who are time-poor. And being time-poor happens often when you have a hustle and a full-time job! It will be one of the best things that you can do. Your VA can help you do things such as editing, checking emails, and creating images. If you have difficulty balancing side hustles while working full-time, delegate tasks. If you want to avoid getting a VA, at least ask your friends or family if they can help you with things from time to time.

Sacrifice

Some people don’t want to sacrifice. That is why they are struggling. Sometimes it sucks, but you must tell your friends and family “no” at times. You can’t always be available to do things. Sacrificing could be different for everyone. As for me, it’s going out less than I used to. For others, it could mean not going to dinner as much or something of that nature.

One thing that I want you to realize is that sacrifice is only temporary. I need to say that again. A sacrifice is not forever; it is temporary. Once you reach your goal, you can go back and do what you used to as long as it’s not messing up the business of the money.

Be Honest With Yourself

There are no handouts. If you don’t get this shit done, then it won’t happen. Your side hustle is not going to work itself. If you don’t put in the work, the business won’t grow. This is your life, and the only way it will get to where you want it to be is because of your work. Unfortunately, everyone doesn’t get that when it comes to their side hustles or business. You have to put your heart and soul into it if you want to be a success. If you don’t want to do that, you must reconsider what you’re doing.

The Weekend

The weekend can be a time to complete a lot of side hustle work. Most people don’t have to work their full-time job on the weekend. Many folks chill and sleep in on both of those days.

Instead of doing that, use those two days to work on your side hustle. You don’t even have to work that many hours. You can do something for 5-6 hours each day. That will give you time to enjoy your weekend still. 

Watch Less TV

This is very important to me. I used to love watching TV back in the day. It would be on at all times of the day. I can’t believe some of the trash (reality shows) I used to watch. When I wasn’t working a few years ago, I stopped watching TV until the afternoon (4–5 pm). I noticed that my productivity got better. I also stopped looking at the news and reality TV.

Since then, I’ve started back working, but I still don’t watch as much TV as I used to. I only watch TV on Saturdays and Sundays after 2 pm (unless it’s football season). The silence in my home keeps me focused a lot longer.

Content Calendar/Notebook

If you have a blog or a website, you need to have a content calendar or notebook. I have a calendar that I printed out at the beginning of the year. I have post ideas organized for different months. I’m not always 100% accurate with the posting dates, but it does help to keep me organized. You can do the same thing.

I also have a notebook similar to this one where I write my blog post ideas, concepts for future shirts, and possible future business ideas. I know we are in the age of technology, but I love writing things out. It helps the creative juices stay flowing.

Below are some tools to help you balance your side hustles with your full-time job.

Social Media Management 

I use Tweetdeck to schedule posts on Twitter. Buffer and Hootsuite are great platforms for you to use when scheduling content on multiple platforms.

Amazon

Amazon is my go-to spot for notebooks, planners, and other items. If you need to grab those items, you can do that here.

Grammarly

If you do any writing, you must ensure you are using Grammarly. It helps you with spelling, punctuation placement, and other grammar issues. As a blogger or writer, this tool is a must-have. Try Grammarly for free here.

I’ve included a few ideas below if you are still looking for a side hustle.

Sell on eBay

Check out eBay if you are looking for a side hustle that will make you decent money. I’ve been selling on the site for a few years now. I got serious about it in 2017. I currently bring in $800-$1000 monthly, selling in my spare time. I sell all types of things, including shoes, hats, and board games. I have a free webinar where I go over some basic tips that will get you started. Click on the link below for more info.

eBay for Starters

Selling Ebooks

Do you like to write? Can you come up with stories that people want to read? If so, you should consider selling ebooks. We are at a time when it’s easy to do many things with little overhead. Creating ebooks is one of them. You can write romance novels, horror books, etc. To get started, check with Amazon KDP. 

Teespring

Are you a designer? If so, you should check out Teespring. It’s one of the platforms I use to make t-shirts and other merchandise. It’s free to use. All you do is upload a design. You get paid a percentage when someone purchases a shirt. The amount of money that you can make is up to you. The truth is, the more shirts you upload, the more money you can make.

Related Reading: How to Sell Shirts on Teespring

Sell on Fiverr

I talked about Fiverr earlier in this post. Not only can you buy things on Fiverr, but you can sell things as well. People can do multiple services, such as writing and designing. Sign up for Fiverr today and start making some extra cash.

Scooter Charger

This side hustle has been around for a couple of years now. If you live in a city where people ride those electric scooters, you can sign up to be a charger. Lime and Bird are two of the companies that are hiring for scooter chargers. I tried this side hustle, and it wasn’t for me. My friend, MJ of Young & Debt Free ATL, made a killing with it, though. He paid off his debt with the money he made charging scooters. Check out his IG page to see him in action.

Balancing side hustles while working full-time isn’t the easiest thing to do, but it can be done. The things I shared in this post can help you better manage your side hustle.

 

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Jason Butler is the owner of My Money Chronicles, a website where he discusses personal finance, side hustles, travel, and more. Jason is from Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from Savannah State University with his BA in Marketing. Jason has been featured in Forbes, Discover, and Investopedia.