How I Juggle My Full-Time Job with my Side Hustle
The entrepreneur life is no joke. You hear it often—long hours, no sleep, lots of stress. But, as they say, eventually with will, luck, and determination it will work out in the end.
I’m living that right now. The long hours, the no sleep, the lots of stress part. Not the I’m-ballin’-on-a-yacht-because-I-sold-my-business part. Often, people ask me “how do you juggle everything?”
A little bit about me: I consider myself a side-hustler with many years of experience. I’ve been freelancing and picking up side projects since before I graduated college. Through all the ups and downs over the years, I’ve learned that it boils down to two things:
Discipline and Support
Whether you still want to keep your full-time gig and have a side hustle, or you want to turn your side hustle into a full-time gig, it gets rough. You need copious amounts of discipline with your schedule and support from your business partners, life partner, family, and friends to survive without burning out.
Discipline
My Current Schedule
I outlined my current weekday schedule to show you what my day-to-day looks like. To add, I also wanted to list a few things which I’m very proud of: I workout 5-6 days a week, I’m training for a half marathon, I cook about 90% of my meals (sure, I want to eat healthy but it’s more out of necessity due to my numerous allergies and dietary restrictions), and I read about 2-3 books a month.
I am also very lucky to have a full-time job that has flexible hours, but it’s no less demanding. With my full-time job and side hustle, I work 12-13 hour days, 6-7 days a week. So, I have to be extremely disciplined and compartmentalize my life to-a-t.
My weekday schedule:
7:00 am - wake up
7:15 am - gym
8:15 am - go back home and shower
9:30 am - head to work via metro (during this time, I read)
10:00 am - arrive at full-time work
5:00 pm - head home via metro (during this time, I read)
5:30 pm - get home, hang out with hubby, cook, decompress
7:00pm -12:00am - side hustle work
12:00am - sleep
I know that this schedule is not sustainable for the long run, but at the moment when I’m trying to turn my side hustle into a full-time gig, it works. What keeps me going is that I know it will be worth it all in the end. There are three ways that help me manage my schedule:
Say No
They say the entrepreneur life is lonely and I’ll be real. It is. Friday nights I work, weekends are work days, and I try to give myself at least one day to rest but when deadlines loom ahead, I have to buckle down. My social life has taken a major decline within the past few years.
Luckily, I have a wonderful group of supportive friends and family that understand my situation. However, I don’t like skipping things. I make sure I work extra hours on other days so I can make birthdays, coffee catch-ups and dinners.
Don’t Burn the Midnight Oil
I’ve been in many conversations with entrepreneurs who say they get anywhere between 2-4 hours of sleep a night. Realistically (and scientifically), you should be getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep a day for major health reasons and so you don’t burn out from exhaustion.
Arianna Huffington’s Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder changed how I view sleep and how I set up my schedule. While she was running her media empire, she collapsed due to exhaustion and has since been an advocate for changing the way people think about sleep and mental health, especially for high-powered CEOs and entrepreneurs. I’ve noticed that with getting 7 hours of sleep a night, I have more endurance, I’m more present and more alert, just as Huffington promised in her book.
Work Out, Eat Healthy
Eating healthy and keeping an active lifestyle keeps my energy levels stable throughout the day. I also don’t drink caffeine in any form (tea or coffee), so working out really helps me focus from morning until night. Aside from my food allergies and dietary restrictions, I cook most of my meals because I want to be as efficient as possible throughout my week without having to think of what my next meal is going to be. Also, as an entrepreneur funneling funds into my business, it’s a great way to save money.
Support
In my early 20s when I was starting to make moves in my career, I thought I could do everything myself. What happened was that I burnt out, really hard and really fast.
I would be lying if I gave myself all the credit on how I manage my day-to-day. I’m blessed to have a partner who supports my career, incredible business partners I can lean on, and an amazing group of supportive friends who cheer me on every step of the way.
My Partner
I am very blessed to have a husband that really supports my goals. Not only do we split household tasks (laundry, cleaning, errands), but he is there for emotional and mental support. He’s always the one pushing me and giving me positive anecdotes on how this is all going to pay off in the end.
Even if you don’t have a current SO, start surrounding yourself with people that support you emotionally and mentally sending positive vibes your way. Don’t get dragged down by unhappy people. Or if you’re looking for a partner at the moment, find someone who’s happy with themselves so they can support you in your happiness.
Business Partners
I am also blessed to have business partners that take on each respective roles in our company. That’s how we’re able to divide and conquer! Without each other, none of us would be getting any sleep. In our business, we each have our strengths and knowledge from prior experience which helps us move our company forward.
The strongest companies have the best teams, so I strongly urge you to find the best support from the people around you. If you don’t feel like you have it right now, cut-those-bad-vibes-out!!! And get rid of anyone that doesn’t serve you.
My Friends
My friends are amazing which is why they’re my friends. Even though we are on different paths in life, we are all passionate about constantly bettering ourselves and getting ahead in our careers. I love having that energy around and we reciprocate it with each other. And yes, we don’t see each other often, but I think the greatest gift is the understanding and love we have for each other.
This was not built in one night. While I’m lucky to have found my friends and business partners way back when, it took me awhile to get disciplined on my schedule. My advice is to start with baby steps. Maybe it’s getting one extra hour of sleep a week or stop texting a toxic friend. It’s up to you on how you want to approach it, but once you start building that momentum, you can’t be stopped.