You Have Time for Your 9-5 & Side Hustle

Three Tips For Balancing your 9-5 & Hustle

Do you hate getting up and going to your job every day? Do you feel unfulfilled with your career?

If so, I’m here to tell you…suck it up kid because you’re really going to hate being cold and hungry because you quit your day job too soon to chase your dreams. Too many Millennials and Gen Z’s think success happens overnight. It’s not necessarily our fault. I blame it on social media. It only lets us and these celebrities we idolize only show what they want to show. So a lot of times, other’s “success” sometimes seems like it did happen overnight.

What we don’t see is all the time they put into perfecting their craft and creating the works that we actually get to experience. We don’t see all the flops in between, them grinding at a 9-5 to fund their dreams, or even them still feeling like they haven’t made it yet. I hate when I hear people complain about not having enough time to do something related to their dreams because of their 9-5. NEWS FLASH!! There are 168 hours in a week. That’s more than enough time to do a 40-hour workweek and develop your dreams. In fact, your 9-5 can help streamline your dreams. Keep reading to see how!

1. Funding

Use your day job to fund your hustle. I think that’s pretty self-explanatory, but for the ones who don’t get it use your take something (you determine how little or how much) from your paycheck to put towards starting your business, purchasing the equipment you need, or whatever. This may also include living below your means for a while. That means moving back in with your parents if you can and/or limiting how much you spend on leisure and unnecessary shopping. There are tons of affordable products and software out there to help get you started.

2. Network on the Clock

Depending on where you work and the scope of your business, it could be a great way to meet potential business partners or investors. This doesn’t mean that the base of all your conversations at events and in the breakroom needs to be based on your business speech. But, don’t be afraid to express that you are a multifaceted individual with dreams and goals beyond your current place in life.

If someone asked about your weekend, hobbies, or any other aspect of your life outside of your 9-5 and the answer relates to your side hustle or future entrepreneurship goals, then answer truthfully– but only if you’re comfortable. All co-workers aren’t allies…

Don’t get too deep into it off the rip thought. Try to pay attention to their social cues. If they seem intrigued and ask questions, then that’s probably a green light to carry on with that topic. You never know what could come of it!

3. Build Discipline & Get Organized

If you genuinely want to become an entrepreneur and ditch your 9-5, it’s going to take discipline and organization. So why not develop it while you’re living the best of both worlds?

Managing you’re 9-5 and side hustle is going to be a lot like what we witness on Hanna Montana– 9-5er by day and entrepreneur by night with some special appearances throughout the day (sometimes you might have to sacrifice your lunch or downtime on the clock to hustle).

When it comes to building discipline, just do what you gotta do when you gotta do it. Keep your end goal in mind and do whatever you have to reach it, even if it means losing sleep.

When it comes to organization, get a planner, download an app, set notifications, do whatever you have to do to remember what you have work on. You also need to learn to prioritized things in the right way. Don’t overload yourself, ending the day feeling underachieved because you couldn’t complete every item on your endless to-do list. Never sell yourself short, though. Set realistic daily goals and strive to meet them every day.

Are you balancing your 9-5 and side hustle?

If so, comment on some of your tips below!