5 Sure Ways to Balance your Side Hustle with your Day Job

Ladies let’s face it, in this economy a side hustle is a necessity! We need to create multiple streams of income so we can keep on top of bills and also live comfortable lives while fulfilling purpose! But as many of you can testify, 24 hours a day isn’t enough to get one day job done, so adding extra work to our schedules can be quite a tall order. Well, here are 5 ways to help you balance both your side hustle and day job

1. Ensure you are working in different fields: I have seen it a few times. You work for a tax company and your side hustle is a tax consultancy. Hmmm…..this situation spells conflict of interest and could get you into a lot of problems with your employer. If you really would like to start a business in the same field you are currently working in, build your contact list, start putting the framework for your business together (legal, marketing, business plan etc) save up an emergency fund and hand in your notice.

2. Be ready to sacrifice some sleep time– I know it sucks. Especially with this new Harmattan breeze. But if you want to really create a sustainable side hustle which you could one day transit into and still keep your day job, sleep and/or TV time will have to reduce. Decide how much time you can realistically spend on your side hustle in a week and divide by 7 days, with more time devoted on weekends.

3. Get some help: the sooner you can start building a team around your business the better. Get a virtual assistant, hire help for the weekend, or invest in equipment that allows you to reproduce your services in quicker times (i.e. industrial ovens etc). The best way to figure out where you really need help is to write down all the tasks you do, circle activities that take the longest amount of time and/or which are you least skilled in. These might be the areas where help could come in useful

4. Be honest with expectations-for many of us, we are all our own versions of wonder woman. Multitaskers of life- able to hold down home, children, work, family and life all in one hand. But as much as this is true, this is a sure fire way to slip ups! If you have a side hustle (or more) you really are working two jobs minimum. So you have to be honest about the level of commitment and expectations people have of you. Don’t promise your boss that you can finish that report tonight if you know you have an order for a client pending. Do not accept to take those last minute orders for 100 cup cakes when you know you have a meeting in the morning, which you haven’t prepared for. Be honest with your employer and customers about what you can realistically deliver. Believe me they will appreciate you for it.

5. Find some time to relax– relax keh? Didn’t we just say 24 hours isn’t enough! Where on earth are we going to find time to relax? The best way to do this is to schedule some me time. Once or even twice a week, do something you really enjoy besides work catch up on series, go to the spa, watch a movie, go out to dinner, catch up with a friend you haven’t spoken to in ages…wha ever it is schedule time to relax and let your mind rest. Remember you can’t do a good job if your job is all you do.