Between a full-time job, friends, family, you-time, and everything in between, it may seem impossible to even think of starting a business. Or, maybe you’ve already started hustlin’ and are stretching yourself too thin.
Whatever it may be, finding time to invest in a side hustle (or a few in my case), is not an easy task. Full disclosure: I am not an expert at this. But, here are some tactics I’ve developed over time to help maintain my work-life balance.
Prioritize Your Goals
It’s easy to believe that you’re Wonder Woman and you can handle it all. I am totally guilty of this. But doing it all at once doesn’t make sense, nor is it efficient.
So instead, make a list of your business’s biggest priorities. Is it to post more often on social media? Or is it to write a blog once a week? Or get new clients? Write it down. Then, prioritize it based on what is most important and beneficial to your business both long term and short term.
Work through this list in order of priority. It IS that simple. What’s really beautiful about this model is that your list can be dynamic. If new priorities come up, figure out where it sits on your list and go from there.
I keep a kanban project management system on Trello to keep track of all of my projects, little tasks I need to get done, etc. Every tasks gets its own card and designated a deadline. There are 5 boards that have cards in them:
- Project Ideas: Brain dump of any and all ideas noodling in my brain. I love this because I will never forget about an idea that I wanted to try and it lives in this list until I get around to it.
- Not Started - First Priority: This bucket is for any card in my Ideas list that I want to tackle first
- In Progress: Projects that are in progress, and not yet complete
- Done: Completed projects (It's fun to see how much I've accomplished every month or year!)
- Delayed: These are for parked projects that I might have started, but is blocked or delayed due to outside circumstances. They're no longer "in progress", but I still don't want to forget about them.
Best part? Trello is FREE and you can invite other users to your boards as collaborators.
Make a Calendar & Stick to It
After prioritizing my goals and tasks, I make a weekly calendar that puts my priorities where it can fit into my schedule. This calendar takes into consideration everything – my work schedule, my social life, time to run errands, time for me to veg out on the couch binging on episodes of The Office, everything.
In addition, I keep track of my To-Dos on a weekly calendar from Get to Workbook (I bought the digital PDF to print). This is especially helpful for tasks that come up that you could not have planned for, and to keep track on the progress you've made for the week. I love the tactile nature of writing down my tasks and meetings, despite it being outdated. Writing it down in one place makes it an easy place to double check what I still need to get done for the day (without having to check my phone or online).
The weekly spread also sets REALISTIC deadlines for me to get my priorities done, so I don’t ignore them completely. Set it and stick to it.
Prioritize Yourself
This is a big one. At the end of the day listen to what your body, mind, and soul tells you. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a step back. You deserve it.
Over the years that I've run my business I am slowly learning that my happiness is my ultimate priority. When I’m feeling burnt out, I stop all client work and just do something I need to do for myself.
It could just be a nap. Whatever it is, do you boo, do you. We’ve all been there.
Keep in mind, these are all things that I do to keep on top of my hustle, without completely losing my sanity. These things may not work for you – everyone’s different! I’m always on the lookout for efficiency tips, so I’d love to hear other ideas on how you make time for your side hustle. Share in the comments below!
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