Side hustling has been the bread and butter of my ability to reach many of my financial goals for the past two years.
Juggling a full-time job, a side hustle, and being a mom and managing my home all with having only 24 hours each day to work with hasn’t been easy by any means, but I make it work.
Many people ask me how I do it all, and sometimes I wish I had a better answer than simply managing my time better but that’s what it comes down to. Working is a priority because I need to eat and live.
Side hustling is a priority because I need to pay off my debt. Being a mom is a priority because it’s my main responsibility and I love it. You get the point. In order to get everything done each week without going crazy, I need to be very careful with how I manage my time and my productivity.
Here are a few productivity and time management hacks that will help you make time for your side hustle so you can increase your income and meet your financial goals.
Cut Out Time Sucks
We all have them. Time sucks are unproductive hobbies or activities that basically waste our time. It’s easier to get sucked into them and before you know it, you’ve wasted 30 minutes that could have been used doing something more productive.
My main time sucks are T.V. and social media/browsing nonsense online. It’s tough because I manage social media profiles for a few clients, so when I log on to schedule Facebook posts for example, I can easily get caught up with other unrelated activities on Facebook like checking out my friend’s profiles, liking and commenting on things, etc.
It can add up to be a huge waste of time so I now set aside designated social media times so I can get online for a few minutes throughout the day and get that out of my system. Ideally, I’d like to spend only 30 minutes or less of leisure time on social media and that can be broken down into 5-10 minute blocks.
Cutting out time sucks completely may be unrealistic, so it’s important to at least designate a few minutes throughout the day to indulge in your time sucks so you can get it out of the way.
Limit T.V. Time
I’m going to make an assumption that watching T.V. is a huge time suck that a lot of us share which is why you’ll need your own separate strategy for limiting T.V. time.
I’ll admit that I love watching T.V. I have my list of favorite shows to catch each week and it’s a great way to relax and unwind after a long day. However, I understand that when you have a side hustle, television can cut into your spare time and hold back your progress.
This is why you should set designated times during the week to watch television and track the time you currently spend watching T.V. If you think you don’t have enough time to side hustle, add up how many hours of T.V. you watch each week and you may find the culprit.
I only watch T.V. mainly on weekends now and if I’ve finished a significant amount of side hustle work during the weekdays. I don’t watch T.V. every weeknight because I have other priorities, and giving up a few hours of T.V. time helps me get way more accomplished.
Go to Bed an Hour Later or Wake Up an Hour Earlier
I wouldn’t recommend doing both since sleep is important. Find out whether you are a morning person or a night person based on when you are most productive.
Since I am more productive throughout the morning, I choose to wake up earlier so I can get more side hustle work done. I generally lose productivity and motivation throughout the day so I get less work done at night.
However, getting up earlier, even if it’s only an hour one week days will give you 5 extra hours to work on your side hustle each week or 20 extra hours a month at minimum. Plus, you’ll probably get more done since you’ll be working during your most productive hours.
Utilize your Break Time Wisely
When I get a break at my full-time job, I often use the extra time to work on my side hustle. Whether it’s checking emails, editing a post, fixing something on my blog, or commenting on other blogs, I make use of the small break I have so I’ll have less work to do when I get home from work and rest up.
If you have any other breaks throughout the day or a long commute via public transportation, you can utilize the extra blocks of time to get more work done with your side hustle.
How do you make time for your side hustle?