You probably know someone who works as a freelancer for marketing, manages accounts or even has a side hustle of power washing houses or cutting grass.
Unsurprisingly, 62% of Gen Zers indicated they have started—or intend to start—their own business, and side jobs are commonly the way to start off.
Whatever the case, most of us know someone, or even a few people, with a side job – and you might even have one yourself. This side job can be anything – from social media marketing to writing blogs.
You might be in the throes of working your side hustle and trying to keep up with the beautiful balancing act of keeping up with your side hustle while still doing a great job at your full-time job and be wondering why you do this, and why so many other people do this as well.
Truthfully, you may wonder how much longer you can keep up with crazy hours and what are the best ways to prioritize your time.
This article will look at 8 ways to maintain a manageable balance between your side hustle and your full-time job.
#1 Define Why You Hustle
According to Bankrate, 41% of side hustlers need extra money to make ends meet. Another 43% plan to use the funds primarily for savings or additional disposable income.
On the other hand, 41% started a side hustle to spend more time doing things that brought them joy and gave them purpose.
As you stay up late at night and start early mornings to work your side hustle, define your purpose for why you hustle. This will motivate you to carry you through the hardest of times when you might feel burnt out.
#2 Establish Financial Goals
Set financial goals for yourself and be specific.
Americans who have a side hustle make, on average, $12,689 per year from it, with nearly 37% saying they make $5,000 or more annually and nearly 17% saying they make $15,000 or more annually.
Have your own financial goal in mind. Are you working a side hustle to add to your savings, or maybe it is for extra expenses that have come up? Shocking statistics show that as of 2022, 42% of Americans have less than $1,000 in savings, and Millennials are more likely than older generations to take on a side hustle to grow their savings. A side job is an excellent way to boost your savings and prepare for a rainy day.
Decide what your end goal financially is to have something to work towards and, when you have downtime once you have achieved your goal, to not feel guilty for taking a break.
#3 Consolidate What You Can
Instead of having your projects spread out in multiple apps, consolidate what you can within one program.
You are busy enough working a full-time job and having another job on the side.
Take the work out of DIYing everything and use a program to facilitate the process on your end. It will save you time and, most definitely, money.
#4 Outsource What You Can
Having a side hustle keeps you busy – to say the least. Studies show that Americans who have a side hustle spend, on average, 13.4 hours a week working their side hustle, and more than 44% spend less than 10 hours a week.
In addition, 13% go above and beyond putting in 30 hours or more in a week. That, along with a normal 40-hour-a-week job, is enough to keep any human being insanely busy.
Consider how much your time is worth and how long it takes to do something when deciding whether or not to outsource something
For example, say you charge $40/hour for your services. You are creating a website, and you know that it would take about 25 hours of your time since creating a website is not your strength – yet.
You find that you can hire someone for $300 to do the work for you. In this scenario, paying someone to make the website on your behalf is beneficial because you can spend 25 hours working on another project and earning a lot more money.
Even bigger companies follow this basic principle—any successful business eventually does. For example,the Patel Firm outsources its SEO and website development needs.
It would not make sense for a law firm to use in-house employees to focus on website development or social media management. So knowing what to outsource is also extremely important.
Another viable option for outsourcing is to use a free SMTP Server like Sendinblue’s to mass-send emails and access data and insights to see how you could improve. Instead of manually pulling these metrics, they are already put together for you.
There are certain things, of course, that you should always consider outsourcing. Instead of trying your hand at writing a contract, you should make sure you have a lawyer on hand to draft contracts and provide legal advice.
Starting your side hustle off knowing you can reach out to someone for concerns and to ensure documentation is correct will set you up for success.
Wherever you can conduct this evaluation to see where outsourcing is a good option for you.
#5 Improve and Speed it Up
The faster you work, the more money you make with your side job.
Juggling your 9-to-5 job and then coming home to put in heavy hours on your side job in the evening and early morning can be quite strenuous. However, if you can improve your skillset with time, you will probably be able to achieve the same outcome without spending so much time.
If you are a writer, consider specialized SEO certifications for your field; if you pressure wash buildings or mow lawns on the weekends, try to shadow someone who is more experienced so you may learn some shortcuts – and, of course, practice, practice, practice.
You can also use tools to speed up your work. For example, if you manage a group of content writers, keep standard operating procedures ready to send them when needed.
If you are sending over extra information to a client, you could create a QR code that leads directly to the information within the email itself.
With time, you will find that you can still create good work and be faster than before.
#6 Have A Plan and Know Your Focus
In a recent survey by Insuranks, nearly 4 in 10 respondents (38%) work one side job, and an equal percentage work two.
One-fifth of respondents were found to work three or more.
When expanding from your full-time job into adding a side job, decide first what you want to do and how many side jobs you want. Then, narrow it down to one or two and throw all your focus into turning your hustle into success.
It’s possible to have a side job that takes up a lot of your time, along with one that is not so time-consuming.
In the same survey by Insuranks, 95% of respondents took part in online surveys to earn extra money, while 18% sold items on sites such as eBay, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace. Only 13% did some kind of freelance work.
Weigh out the pros and cons of the side hustle you choose, then plan how you will commit to the side venture in the long run. Commit your focus to your plan, set achievable goals for yourself, and you will surely find success.
#7 Focus on Creating Other Income Streams
While you focus on your side hustle, your final aim is probably to quit your full-time job and become self-employed.
A good idea would be to create multiple streams of income before you get to that point.
With all the perks of being self-employed, one of the cons we have to face is that it might be a less dependable source of income—especially in the beginning.
To combat that sense of uncertainty, creating alternative income sources is a good idea.
Investing in index funds, stocks, and ETFs would be the most common ideas.
Depending on your approach, reading a variety of investing blogs and finding which one can be your primary source of information during your investing journey is a good first step. If blogs are not your cup of tea, you could find some good investor accounts on Twitter to follow instead.
#8 Don’t Procrastinate – Just Don’t
Unsurprisingly, 20% of U.S. men and women are chronic procrastinators. Don’t let the procrastination bug bite you because that will really hinder your performance in your side job.
Understandably, you might be tired after working a full day at your day job, but take some time to rest and then commit yourself to work on your side job.
Avoid procrastination and creative blocks by ensuring you have rested some before starting your side job.
You should also consider at what time you generally do your best work. If you are a night owl and can manage your side job in the wee hours of the night, set aside some time to work on your projects then.
If you find it easier to complete some projects first thing in the morning, wake up earlier than normal, commit an hour or two to your side job, and then get ready for the day at your full-time job.
Whatever the case, do your hardest work at your most productive time and avoid procrastination altogether.
#9 Health Always Comes First
Having a full-time job and working a side job is not for the weak of heart. Remember to take care of your health and mental health at all times.
Take care of your body and emotional state to avoid the burnout that may come with working so much. If you stay on top of these things, you will certainly be much happier and healthier.
Final Thoughts on The Balancing Act
If you currently feel overwhelmed working your full-time job and having a job, consider implementing the tips above to help you balance both worlds better. Always take care of your mental state, so if you need a few lighter days here and there to keep up the pace, do so and do so without guilt! Health always comes first.
Find and define your purpose for having a side hustle while working full-time. For example, does your side hustle simply bring you passion and energy? That’s great! Or maybe your side job is a means to adding a hefty sum to your savings account in uncertain times – that’s great too!
Whatever the reason you work full-time and have a side job, be certain to act on the tips above so you may fully enjoy the hustle and bustle of working a side job and a full-time job. It is certainly a balancing act, but one worth having.