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1. Be Clear on the Why and Set Clear Goals for Both Your Job and Side Hustle
The first to do when you’re trying to balance a side hustle and a full-time job is to be clear on the reasons why you need them and then also set out clear goals for each one.- Ask yourself the following, “Why do I need to have a side hustle?”
- “What do I want to achieve in my side hustle over the next six months?”
- “How do I want to grow in my full-time job?”
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Answering these will help you define your purpose for wanting to maintain a side hustle and also help you prioritize your time and energy effectively. Your full-time job likely pays the bills more or is the area you want to build a career in, so it remains a priority. But your side hustle may or may not pay as much or more, and you want it for some reason. So, balance both by managing your time according to the goals you’ve set.
2. Create a Strict Schedule and Stick to It
One of the challenges people often have with taking up multiple jobs or side hustles is realizing that even though they like the extra cash, they can’t take more than they have the time to handle. At the end of the day, every one of us has just 24 hours and you can’t increase that. So, it is important to manage yourself well concerning the time you have available to you. One way you can do this is to have a proper schedule in place. Without it, you’ll find yourself overwhelmed. You can create this by setting aside specific blocks of time for your side hustle, preferably after work or on weekends. Be realistic about how many hours you can commit without affecting your day job. You can use various productivity tools like Google Calendar or even a physical planner to help you track your time. Once you set this schedule, stick to it. Over time, your routine will become more natural, and you’ll learn how to manage both roles effectively.3. Avoid Burnout by Setting Boundaries
One of the biggest risks of balancing a side hustle and a full-time job is burnout. You may convince yourself that you can always work late into the night every day on your side hustles, but this can take a toll on your health and your performance at your main job. So, it’s important to set boundaries. Make sure to give yourself adequate time to rest and recharge. Prioritize sleep and exercise.4. Outsource Tasks When Possible
You don’t have to do everything yourself. As your side hustle grows, you may find that certain tasks can be outsourced to free up your time. This could be hiring a virtual assistant to handle admin work or getting help with graphics and marketing. Doing this can help you focus on the bigger tasks that will grow your side hustle. Outsourcing allows you to maintain balance without sacrificing quality in either your full-time job or your side hustle.Register to attend the CN Business Mixer
5. Use Technology to Your Advantage
Tech has come to make our lives easy. So, find ways to make tech work for you. If you are not so good at developing marketing or content schedules, you can ask Claude or ChatGPT to help you out. You can use Bing AI to generate images using prompts. You can use Canva to do a quick and simple design you can use for marketing. And of course, you can schedule your social media posts way ahead of time, and automate certain other things. Whatever your goal is, tech can be your best friend.Got a suggestion? Contact us: editor@connectnigeria.com
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