Whether the pandemic afforded you more time to focus on a longtime passion, or helped you discover a new interest that sparked a business idea, having a side project seems more popular than ever. Time management remains key, though, to ensuring you’re maximizing the hours you put into your side hustle in order to grow the business, while not compromising your performance at your full-time job or feeling like you work 24/7.
Entrepreneurs who have done it offer their tips on how they manage their time and stay motivated.
Stick to a schedule
“Set time aside for your side hustle the way you would any other important appointment,” business and life coach and Let It Be Easypodcast host Susie Mooresays. “Don't prioritize your schedule, schedule your priorities.”
Don’t waste time trying to perfect your business
“It’s easy to be like, ‘We’ll do it when we get this figured out,’ but sometimes the stars don’t align that way,” says Danielle Tullo La Testa, who cofounded custom merch company Partierand creative social media marketing agency DLT Creativewhile working full-time as a magazine editor. “We can convince ourselves of 1,000,000 reasons to slow down but, just do it and you’ll figure it out. It’s okay to feel like a fish out of water.”
SEE ALSO:When to make the jump to your side hustle full timeUse vacation days to focus on your passion project
Jessica Goodman used PTO from her full-time job at Cosmopolitanto write her first book.“I would take vacation days and not go on vacation, I would just write,” Goodman, who published her third novel, The Counselors, in May, says. “I would book an Airbnb upstate [in New York] or one time I went to Maine. Instead of vacationing, I worked on edits of my book. Those vacations kept me motivated.”
Outsource when possible
Melissa Bell, who founded Topical Tattoowhile working full-time in advertising and marketing, recommends entrepreneurs “automate everything that you can,” from social posts to “having a generic ad running so you can get new traffic and leads without having to organically reach out to people.” For tasks that can’t be automated, Bell likes outsourcing overseas so “you can have someone working while you're sleeping.”
Mashable Light SpeedWant more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories?Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter.By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Thanks for signing up! Keep a separate space for your side-hustle
Amanda Batula would stay late at the office to focus on Loverboy, the beverage brand she helped launch with her husband and Summer Houseco-star Kyle Cooke while working full-time as a designer at L'Occitane en Provence. “There were nights that I would stay until 8:00, 8:30 because I was working on Loverboy and I was able to focus. When I got home, it was hard for me to switch back on,” Batuala says. “One thing that works for me was recreating my work space from my office at home.”
Work in batches
Siffat Haider co-founded supplement company Arraewhile running her Icing & Glitter blog and The Dream Bigger Podcast.To do both, she relies on batching content, such as setting aside one day to shoot photos and videos for multiple posts or conduct numerous interviews. “I batch most of my interviews on Tuesdays, and I usually batch my weeks,” Haider explains. “I like to have meetings on Tuesdays as well, and Mondays I like to keep light on meetings. If I'm filling my Mondays with meetings, I tend to start my week very reactive versus proactive.”
Make a list of priorities
Side Hustle Nationfounder Nick Loper believes writing down his top three priorities for the next day helps him be “really intentional” with his time. So when he has a spare moment, “I know exactly what to do and in what order,” Loper says. “If you can consistently be proactive about knocking out the stuff that is going to move the needle forward, you'll be in really good shape.”
Set reminders as often as needed
Eric King started easygayovenwhile working as an editorial assistant at a theater website and swears by digital scheduling. “The Apple Reminders app and Calendar app are my bread and butter,” he says. “I would forget everything without constant pings.”
Match your energy level to the day
“On days when I’m feeling creative or high energy, I’m creating content for social media or working on designing new projects. On lower energy days, I do more admin tasks,” says Hudson Houndstoothfounder Nicole Wilson, who launched the sustainable pet accessories brand while designing sleepwear for a large department store full time. “Not doing the same thing everyday keeps things interesting.”
Strategically use small pockets of time throughout the day
New Mindset, Who Dis?’s Case Kenny, who began his podcast at the same time he led a sales team at an advertising technology company, says he would work on it “whatever I get a chance.” “On one occasion, we had to go on a trip to a client in the Midwest and I remember being in the car with my co-workers, and everyone was like, ‘Hey, why are you so quiet?’ I was writing out my scripts for the episode. Then when we landed, I had to go and record it,” Kenny recalls. “It's finding those moments in an Uber, the airport.”
Be realistic about your schedule
Feeling burnt out after starting sticker and print company Cranky Craniumin July 2020 while working as a virtual assistant, Jess Watchman took a six-month break. Watchman brought her digital shop out of vacation mode last month and adjusted her schedule to ensure Cranky Cranium still feels like a rewarding opportunity to create art. “I committed to myself that I’m only going to dedicate one day a week to Cranky Cranium,” she says. “I need flexibility in my creative endeavors.”
顶: 9975踩: 835
Side hustle advice from 11 entrepreneurs who've been there
人参与 | 时间:2024-09-22 13:25:10
相关文章
- Wordle today: The answer and hints for August 29
- 彰显榜样力量 传承红色基因
- 培养选拔优秀检察人才 提升刑事检察队伍水平
- 德国畜牧业隐冠企业在中德生态园开工建设
- A global problem is preventing the wars in Ukraine and Gaza from coming to an end.
- 涓栫晫杞介噸鍚ㄤ綅鏈€澶х殑澶氱敤閫旈噸鍚婅埞鈥滄嘲鍏粹€濊疆棣栬埅灞变笢娓彛鐑熷彴娓痏涓浗灞变笢缃慱闈掑矝
- 水乡+古村+田园+非遗+民俗+美食……禅城“带”来新年大礼包!
- 梁晓声|爱阅读的人 一生将是幸福的
- Apple iPod: The First 10 Years of the Ubiquitous Media Player
- 平度首家城市文化综合体落成 打造文化新地标
评论专区