Are you struggling with ways to balance your 9 to 5 job with a side hustle? Yes, we know creating this balance can be very challenging when there’s no adequate knowledge of how to manage both areas.
Due to the high cost of living in many countries, most 9 to 5 workers find themselves starting one or more businesses. However, others started side hustles out of their interest in pursuing their passion which also leads to a higher income.
With the incessant inflation rise, having a side hustle is no longer a mere hobby, but also a necessity for sustainability and financial independence that everyone craves.
If you’re struggling with balancing your 9 to 5 job with your side hustle, this article is carefully created to guide and share tips you need to create a healthy balance between both sides.
Balancing both career and business takes a whole lot more than expertise. It requires some level of discipline, time management, discipline, delegation and more.
Let’s take a deep dive into the details of balancing your 9 to 5 job with a side hustle in 2024.
Also Read: 5 Ways To Stand Out At Your Workplace In The First Three Months
How To Balance Your 9 To 5 Job With A Side Hustle
Here are tips you need to guide you on how to balance your 9 to 5 job with a side hustle in 2024.
1. Create a schedule
To balance your 9 to 5 job with a side hustle requires deliberate actions and one of them includes creating a working and realistic schedule. This schedule should contain your 9 to 5 job, side hustle, personal life, and self-care.
There are twenty-four in a day and you have to master the art of time management to be able to fit your schedule and have time to rest. Free time management tools can be used to ensure your schedules are created and you can even set a reminder to help you keep you in check.
Creating a schedule will help take notes of your deadlines and in cases where you have more thank side hustle, you’re able to assign and distribute your tasks on different days and times of the week.
2. Leverage on technology
One of the tips that will help you balance your 9 to 5 job with a side hustle is taking advantage of the advanced technology made available today. In the fast-evolving world of today, every career or business person will achieve a lot by leveraging the latest technology.
For example, several artificial intelligence tools are made available to help automate tasks, thereby improving efficiency and saving time. This is quite important if you have to combine your 9 to 5 job and side hustle.
From scheduling with Calendly to project management with Trello, comprehensive CRM with HubSpot and other automotive tools.
3. Make a to-do list
Creating a to-do list is one of the best ways to balance your day job with your side hustles. It’s important to write out all you have to do daily before even creating a schedule for each of them.
While creating this to-do list, you can group them down into batches for easy scheduling and execution. The list will help you put your tasks into perspective without leaving out or omitting any of your tasks.
4. Take advantage of your free time at work
Combining a 9 to 5 job with side hustles can be overwhelming and time-consuming, hence every free time is important. Once you notice you have free time at work, you can take advantage of the free access to the internet and power to deliver some of your pending tasks with close deadlines.
However, some organizations have a strict policy of non-compete for their employees, hence you have to be more discreet and stay back to work on your side hustle after the official closing hours.
If you won’t get into trouble, use these free times in the office to work on your side hustle. After all, this is also your work hours so you might as well work.
5. Delegate or outsource
When you find yourself in a fix where you’re overwhelmed with a lot of deliverables, the best way to balance your 9 to 5 job with a side hustle is to delegate or outsource.
The first step is to identify the tasks that can be delegated to your staff or outsourced to a trusted professional with your supervision.
If you’re running an online business or you’re offering digital service, consider hiring a virtual assistant to help with administrative tasks, so you don’t miss out on responding to your new or returning customers.
You can also leverage freelance platforms to source for professionals you could outsource to. Ensure you do a due diligence test by checking their portfolios and resumes before outsourcing the work.
Balancing your 9 to 5 job with a side hustle or more is no small feat as you have to consistently search for ways to improve your skills while trying to increase your income and have a life outside work.
Be flexible, kind to yourself and open to new strategies that can strike a balance.
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