Balancing Your Side Hustle with Your Full-Time Job

posted on Oct 2, 2018 |   91 likes

Learn How To Balance Your Side Hustle With Your Full Time Job

Working more than one job though not ideal can often be necessary as you may find yourself piecing together an income from several part-time jobs, or you may want to earn a little extra spending money on top of your regular paycheck. Extra income can help you save money for retirement, pay off debt, and bulk up your savings account.

In any case, learning how to handle two or more jobs requires some special considerations to help you manage your time and keep you from becoming stressed and overwhelmed.

Here are a few tips to help you achieve the balance you need;

1. Pursue work that builds your career

We strongly recommended choosing a freelance or side hustle closely related or in the direction of your career so your duties complement each other making the workload easier for you. If the side hustle is not directly related to your job path, it is important that at the very least it is what you love to do and does not require so much of your time. If the side job is not something you love and does not relate to your career path, you end up getting frustrated and it may begin to affect your performance.

2. Learn Time Management

One of the most important skills you will need in life is the ability to manage your time. You cannot get enough of it, but when maximized properly you are able to achieve more results within a short period of time.

Sometimes it may seem like you just have a lot to do, but one of the tricks to time management is the ability to prioritize using a to-do list that has the most important item at the top. Having a to-do list is cliché, but very effective. Not only will it guide you through what should be done, it also reduces the amount of task that would be left undone or forgotten.

Remember, "Failing to plan is planning to fail." Plan out your week ahead of time (schedules, checklists, to do lists)

3. Establish boundaries and abide by them

It is important to establish boundaries even before you start the job. You might think the more jobs you take on, the better off you’ll be, but stretching yourself too thin, leaves you burnt out with a possibility of jeopardizing your quality of work. While managing your time, set skills you are sure you can achieve within the stipulated period of time. Do not put a short time frame on a task that requires total attention and extra caution, that will only put pressure on you as you might want to finish right on time. Be objective and realistic with yourself when delegating roles to yourself.

4. Rest, relax and network

As self-explanatory as it is, people still hardly find the time to rest. There is a thin line between unproductivity and mental breakdown and that is lack of rest. When you have to shuffle between several activities without rest, not only will it result to unproductivity, you would also lack creativity. It may seem like you are doing just fine, but after a while, you just realise you have to do a simple task over and over again because you are tired and it’s beginning to affect your productivity.

Find time to relax, take a vacation and connect with new people. While you are at it, you could get more creative ideas on how to be better at work and achieve better results.

5. Save and Invest your extra money

Side hustles are meant to be temporary so don’t get too comfortable. Work, save or invest and grow. What would be the point of having a side hustle if at the end of the day it does not yield any tangible results? Learn to save and invest your extra money. Saving might seem regular to you but with Page, you could earn up to 10% on a target savings plan so you have more after a period of time. Investing might also seem far-fetched, but it’s worth it when you earn up to 20% more on investment plans with Page.

But if your side hustle is something you would love to pursue later as a full-time career, you could get a quick loan of up to N4, 000,000 to set it up while on your current job.

Above all, it is important to stay focused on what works best for you, your time and your effort.