How to actually make time for your side hustle

You have probably know reasons why you should start a side business, and you probably agree with these reasons including the:

• Flexibility that comes with remote and freelance opportunities
• Opportunity to try something new and test ideas you’ve always had without quitting your current job or role.
• Chance to grow and supplement your current income.
• An opportunity to make a difference and make the world (or your community better)

Why you abandon your side business projects.

Recognising that you want to build a business or opportunity on the side is one thing, following through is another.

I started Pineapplly as a side project a couple of months ago to encourage more women to pursue their dreams of entrepreneurship and building lasting wealth.

This desire was borne from my interactions with many women over the past couple of years. I found that some of these women wished to start a business or try out a new career path but never did. So many of them have unrealised dreams and don’t know how to go about actualising them.

We say we want these things but either start and never follow through or never start them.

When I started my health & safety business, a couple of years ago, it was one of the scariest things I had ever done. It seemed downright foolish to leave the known for the unknown. But today, it remains one of my best decisions to date.

And here is the thing, we cannot accurately foresee the outcome of such a choice unless we try it out.

You cannot fully know how that side project will go if you don’t test it out.

You cannot fathom the impact it will have on your life if you don’t at least try.

This is your call to take a chance, to do something about that unrealised dream.

It may mean taking that course to learn more about your proposed business, finally buying that domain name or writing a chapter in your dream book.

Whatever it maybe, you need to move from abandoning things to taking up the ‘shovel’ and ploughing on.

This idea has been the guiding force of Pineapplly.

I want to see more women win, and this starts with taking ownership of your decisions and making choices that serve your present and future self. 

What is Stopping You from Starting your Side Project?

Over time, I have collated some of the major reasons why we do not pursue the things that matter to us. Here are a few:

1. We don’t have the time.
2. We believe it is too late to try.
3. We are afraid of failing and of what people will think.
4. We don’t know where to start (overwhelm is a real thing).

In a recent post, I shared 3 myths keeping us from starting over or switching careers, and how we can overcome these obstacles. You should check out that post here.

Today, I want to show you how to actually make time for a side business or project, using lessons from my journey building this blog while also running a brick-and-mortar business, full time.

What Type of Side Hustle do you wish to Start?

You may not realise this but some of the most successful people in our era started their current business and the things they are known for as side projects. Some even started them as hobbies and today, these seemingly small or fun activities have grown to dominate industries and generate staggering revenues.

For instance, Airbnb started as a side project while the founders were working on other things. Today, it has totally changed how we live and the things we do.

Not on the High Street (NOTHS) is a UK brand started by two friends, Holly Tucker and Sophie Cornish, while they were both still working full time. NOTHS currently has over 4 million customers and continues to grow. 

There are a few things to consider when thinking about the type of side project or business you wish to start, including:

1. Your passion and areas of interest
2. Your target audience and their pain points.
3. Capital or resources on hand.
4. Time available. Some businesses will take longer to go from idea to execution, while some can be done in a day. For instance, you can buy a domain and hosting, and start your blog in one day.

Find Pockets of Time in Your Day.

One thing you do not have when working on a side job is the luxury of time. You quickly realise that every minute counts and it is up to you to use them judiciously.

It also means you must be willing to make the sacrifice to build your project or business.

Having a plan in place is key. This will help you decide on the when and how of your work.

I once shared the story of Toni Morrison, a highly awarded author who wrote on the side while working full time at a publishing house.

Ms. Morrison, who was a single mother at the time, would wake up around 5am to write before heading to work. Her sacrifice paid off and today, her books and legacies remain.

What about you?

Are you willing to pay the price; to make time to work on that dream, even if it’s for only 30 minutes a day?

No matter how busy we think we are, we can always find at least 30 minutes to work on the things that matter to us.

Are you willing to do that?

Theme Your tasks

To successfully theme your tasks, you must first identify the key things you need to do to make progress on your project.

Theming your task is about focusing on one area or one big idea per time.

I created theme days to work on my blog since I had limited time and other responsibilities. I work on my blog for at least 60-90mins before my workday begins at 9am. While some days work out better than others, I have seen some traction with this method and less overwhelm.

Right now, my blog themes days look like this:

• Monday: Pinterest (create and schedule pins)
• Tuesday:  Write or finalise blogposts.
• Wednesday: Work on a digital product
• Thursday: Write or finalise blogposts.
• Friday: Read blogging resources or create on Pinterest.
• Saturday: Work on Email newsletter
• Sunday: Read blogging resources or take courses.

Having these theme days has been very helpful. It has created much needed cohesion and structure to my blogging process. More so, I can focus on just one or two things per day rather than trying to do everything at the same time.

Since my blog is relatively new, you will notice that I only have a few daily tasks. I expect I will add a few more tasks as we grow.

Don’t over think it!

Just start and avoid the temptation to overthink your ideas and actions. I promise you that things won’t be perfect, you will probably make a lot of mistakes, but you will also learn along the way.

Be open to the learning process and be flexible enough to iterate and adapt as you go along.

For more about what you should do before you start a business, check out my 12 questions to ask before you start your entrepreneurship journey.

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