I’m a big believer in side hustles.
No matter what you do, how much experience you have, or what industry you’re in, it’s important to be able to work on something completely for yourself and learn the independence that comes with being 100% responsible for earning your own money.
I’m in quite a few groups on Facebook dedicated to entrepreneurship and side hustles, and while they do get the glamourous part of side hustling right, sometimes they gloss over the hard part. So that’s what I’m here to talk about today.
Side hustles are hard, especially when you have other priorities as well. Be it a full-time job, school, kids, whatever, sometimes you just want to come home and veg out on the couch with a Netflix marathon and a tub of ice cream. But when you only have so many hours in the day and clients relying on you to focus your limited “free” time on them, it can be super easy to get burnt out.
In the department I work for full-time, there’s a couple of us that do similar work on the side for other companies in the region, and we’ve talked quite a few times about how we don’t really want to side hustle anymore. When you’re just getting started in the industry, especially marketing, a side hustle can be a great way to gain more experience and exposure to the industry. However after a while it gets to the point where it’s a bit exhausting and you need to take a break.
Does this mean I’m going to quit my side hustle? Nope, not right now. I love my clients and enjoy being able to work on other projects in my field but not for the same company. Since I do graphic design, being able to work with different palettes and for different audiences really gives my brain a refresh and lets me see my work with new eyes.
After this year of side hustling (along with finishing up an intensive course that took 3 nights of my week AND learning to play a musical instrument), I’ve definitely learned a lot about myself and about how I time manage. I won’t say I’m perfect at ALL, but I think I know myself better now. And while I have to schedule in time to go see a movie with friends weeks in advance, and if the boyfriend has people over one night without much warning it screws up my entire schedule, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Do you have a side hustle? How do you find it best to schedule your time? Leave me a comment or send me a message, I’m always open to improving my productivity and time management!