I want you to take a moment and think about your favorite boss chicks and creators. You know the ones who are killing it running their own businesses and building their brands. They seem to be at the top of their game. But trust me when I tell you that many of them started out with a day job just like you. We live in a culture where entrepreneurship and having your own is praised. Black women make up the fastest number of new small business owners. But not all of us can afford to establish these brands without the financial backing of our 9-5 job. So we’re left to figure out how to balance a 9-5 and a side hustle.
As someone who is currently juggling a career in television and the influencer marketing industry, let me assure you that its not impossible. Here are a few ways you can bring more structure to your work life in order to balance your 9-5 and side hustle.
Wake Up Earlier or Stay Up Later
You may not like this tip but it is the truth. There’s only so many working hours in the day sis. Squeezing in even two extra hours into your day can help you maximize the amount of time you have available to work on your side hustle. Wake up two hours earlier or go to bed two hours later and dedicate that time to your personal project. Need help becoming a morning person? Check out these tips!
Create a Schedule
When trying to build your side hustle and maintain a day job, how you manage your time is super important. Every minute matters! Creating a daily schedule will give you clarity on the holes in your daily routine where you can slot in time to work on your business. Buy a cute planner or use your phone calendar to create a daily schedule.
Establish Uninterrupted Work Time
We’ve all been there. You’re working on a project when someone comes over to your desk or the phone rings. Next thing you know you are looking at the time and its an hour later. All that time, just wasted. I will say it again. When you are balancing a 9-5 and a side hustle, you. don’t. have. time. to. waste. Set in place uninterrupted time to work. Let friends and family know that you are unavailable during your designated office hours. This can be easier if paired with tip #1 since you won’t be receiving a ton of calls at dawn or midnight. Put your phone on do not disturb during your office hours. I promise the world will still be there when you get done.
Focus on One Thing At A Time
Now that you’re finally sitting down and ready to work uninterrupted, the real fun begins. As much as you think you are a great multitasker, now is not the time for that skill. Its actually the opposite. Focus is your friend. Working on too many projects at once hurts your productivity. It’s better to do one thing at 100% than to do five things at 30%. Identify one task or goal to complete during your work session. Finish it at a top level then move on to your next task.
Become a Weekend Warrior
The weekends are truly God’s gift to side hustlers everywhere. Play your cards right and you can make major strides in your side hustle over the weekend. During one weekend of the pandemic, I shot 4 different outfit posts, 2 Youtube videos, an IGTV video and wrote 3 blog posts. That was enough content to spread out over 2 weeks and it only took one weekend to get it done. Sacrifice 1 or 2 weekends out of the month and dedicate them to building your side hustle. You won’t regret it.
Balancing a side hustle and 9-5 job is not impossible. It just takes a little determination, time management and sacrifice. I challenge you to implement these tips for one month and check your progress after. Send me an email and share your results at hello@miaabrumfield.com. And don’t forget to follow me on Instagram to get a behind the scenes look at how I balance my full time job and being an influencer.
