Want to know how to manage a side hustle and a full-time job? With more people than ever starting a side hustle, it is becoming increasingly common for someone to have a side hustle and a full-time job, but that doesn’t mean it is easy to manage. However, by making some wise choices and learning how to maximise your time you can definitely manage a side hustle and a full-time job without going insane.  

1 – CHOOSE THE RIGHT BUSINESS MODEL, SERVICES AND/OR PRODUCTS FOR YOUR SIDE HUSTLE

When it comes to starting a business there are endless side hustles, projects, brands or businesses you can have with different business models. The key to being able to manage a side hustle and a full-time job is busy choosing a business model that works alongside a full-time job.

For example, the main service 1:1 service I offer is an Intensive Strategy Day. This service works well alongside a full-time job because I can book the day in on a mutually agreed date and then afterwards all of my communication is via email. In addition, I have ran PropelHer’s Book Club for years. I lead the sessions on a Monday evening in a location that I can get to easily after my day job.

Can you see how in both of those examples my services work well alongside a full-time job? Now a very common service I see in the coaching world is the 12-week coaching programme. Now there is no way I can deliver this within the usual working hours, so it is a service I limit to other side-hustlers who I know would love the ability to work with someone in the evenings or at the weekend.

Hopefully, these examples help you to see how you need to think carefully about what you are trying to build alongside your day job. Think about the restraints placed on you in terms of availability and location and tailor your side hustle to work around that.

2 – WORK OUT HOW MUCH TIME YOU CAN COMMIT TO YOUR SIDE HUSTLE

Another thing that is super important in terms of managing your side hustle is being honest about the time you can commit to your side hustle. Do you have a demanding job that means you only have time to do your side hustle at the weekend? Do you have other commitments, such as hobbies, family, fitness etc that mean even outside of work you only have X free hours a week?

Now I’m not one of those people who is going to preach to spending every minute outside your job on your side-hustle. You might have the aim of having a side hustle that you work on every Saturday and provides you with a steady income stream of X number of pounds, euros or dollars per month. There is nothing wrong with that. However, very much like point 1 you need to be honest about the number of hours you can commit on an average week or month.

3 – FOCUS ON DOING TASKS WITH MAXIMUM IMPACT

It is very easy to get caught into the ‘being busy’ trap. That is where you are doing stuff. However, the question I want you to ask yourself is “are you doing the right stuff?”.

Pareto’s Law states that for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. Therefore, when time is limited, as it will be with a side hustle, it is key that you identify what are the tasks that will really move your business forward. Your focus should be on income-generating tasks, as well as tasks that will help you to increase your visibility and brand awareness.

Beware getting caught up with menial tasks that aren’t really moving your business forward. Look at all the ways you can use automation within your business and it may be that if you intend on keeping a side-hustle going long-term you may want to invest in a VA for the low-result tasks.

If you would like to learn more about Pareto’s law and making the most of your time you should consider reading The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch. You can find my review by clicking here.

4 – MAXIMISE YOUR TIME BY PLANNING AHEAD AND USING YOUR DIARY

Now that you are clear on the time you have and the most important tasks it is time to start using your calendar to maximise your time. To use your time as efficiently as possible you should be using your calendar, diary or project management tool to plan in advance what you are going to do. This means when you get home from work, exhausted at 7pm you know that you need to open your laptop and work on creating your next lead magnet or write 3 emails for your upcoming launch.

Using your calendar to block out the time you can commit to your side hustle and in an ideal world add information about the tasks you will do in each time slot based on those high-returning tasks that were discussed in POINT 3.

5 – TAKE A BREAK FROM BOTH YOUR DAY JOB AND YOUR SIDE HUSTLE

I am a side hustler and I have no shame in sharing that for many years I have used my holiday from my day job in order to work on my side hustles, but at least once a year try and take a break from both your day job and your side hustle. As a side hustler, you are likely to be essential to growing your business. Whilst taking a break may feel counter-intuitive it is key for recharging and it will help you to return your side hustle with fresh eyes, which will no doubt bring new ideas for services, products, process etc.

THERE YOU HAVE IT! 5 TIPS TO HELP YOU MANAGE A SIDE HUSTLE AND A FULL-TIME JOB.

I’m not going to pretend that running a side hustle alongside a full-time job is easy, but you have to be super clear about why you are doing both. If you decide that it is the right thing for you then it is possible to do both and benefit.

In the comments, I would love to know what your day job is and what your side hustle is.