August marks my second month of full-time entrepreneurship, and I still can’t believe how fast time has flown! I’ve loved every minute of it so far though and I couldn’t be happier about this new chapter in my life. ???? Especially since it’s been such a long time coming! Over the last few years, at one point or another, I’ve juggled university, part-time jobs, a full-time corporate job, my business, a blog, and then life on top of all of that! Needless to say, I’ve been there, working 9-5 while juggling my side-hustle on evenings and weekends. So girl, I get it – it’s tough!
Being on the other side now (mind you still working some long days haha!), I can say it’s totally worth the hustle! If you’re in the midst of chasing your dream, all the hours spent will pay off! While you definitely have to be prepared to put in the work if your dream is to run your business full-time, I have some tips and tricks that I’ve learned along the way to be extra productive while having even more fun!! The last thing you want to do is burn out (I’ve been there – three weeks on bed rest while fighting mono – and I don’t recommend it), or even start to resent your passion project/side-hustle because it’s just-too-much.
That said, I fiercely believe in supporting my fellow entrepreneurs and girl bosses, so I’m sharing my best tips for juggling all the things that come with life, work, and growing your business!
1. Schedule time in your calendar
Make it a priority, a non-negotiable. If it’s important to you, you have to make time for it! It’s oh-so-easy for life to get in the way, and suddenly weeks have gone by and you haven’t made any progress. And while of course, sometimes life happens and it’s not worth beating yourself up over it (more on that later) – it’s important to make little by little progress towards your goal.
So plug it in your calendar as if it were a meeting. Know that during that time, you’re dedicated to working on your side-hustle. And try your best to have no distractions! Especially now that I’m working from home full-time, I know that when I’m at my desk, it’s go-time. If I’m trying to watch TV while I work, nothing really gets done. I might as well work hard for the hour, and then truly enjoy my reality TV because I’m not trying to multitask!
2. Know when you work best
A bit of a follow-up to tip number one, but when you’re scheduling your time, know when you’re most productive. Are you an early bird? Is it realistic to get up an hour early and work on your side-hustle? Or are you a night owl? Can you get some work in after everyone’s gone to sleep? For me, it was hard to do any work late at night. I’d come home from a long day, make dinner with Guido, maybe try to sneak in a little time to unwind, and then before I knew it, it was 9pm. Time to start getting ready for bed so that I could get up at 6am the next day and do it all over. So I would make time during my lunch hours, on weekends, and on nights that we would order take-out for dinner, and that worked for me!
Don’t try and push yourself to work at a time that you know you won’t be productive. It’s amazing how much more you can get done when you’re present, awake, and focused!
3. Set goals
I recently ordered Lara Casey’s Powersheets (the 2018 ones should be out later this fall, but she has some free resources on her site!), and I absolutely love her approach to goal setting! Lara’s a big advocate of little by little progress adding up, and I totally agree! I even wrote a blog post all about goal setting! ???? To get started on your goal setting, get out a piece of paper and write down what’s important to you. What are some goals you’re trying to achieve? Habits you’re trying to cultivate? Areas of your life that you want to nourish? Writing it all down and seeing it in front of you makes it real and holds you accountable.
Let’s say you’re trying to leave your 9-5 job so that you can run your business full-time. How are you going to get there? When do you want to get there? Do you need to save a certain amount of money? Have a certain amount of clients or projects? What are some small steps that you can take to put a plan into motion?
While things don’t always go as planned (I can attest to that!), it really helps having goals to work towards. From there you can create action steps and smaller to do list items to help you reach your goals and dreams!
4. Connect with other boss babes
Being around other inspiring, uplifting, motivated women successfully running their own businesses is amazing! You can’t help but be pulled in when you’re surrounded by that kind of positive energy! So get out there – go to networking events, meet new people, connect over coffee dates. Ask questions, have conversations, share what you’re working on. You want to surround yourself with a tribe of entrepreneurs who can support you along this crazy-awesome journey! It makes things a lot easier and way more fun along the way! ????
I’ve been so lucky to meet some incredible women through networking groups, many who have now become my friends! And we cheer each other on through the ups and downs of our businesses, rave about each other to our peers, and have fun together!
Another great way to surround yourself with other boss babes is to set up some work dates! Recently I’ve started getting together with a few other ladies at a coffee shop and we spend a morning or afternoon working together. We hold each other accountable on what we’re working on, get feedback on projects, bounce ideas off each other, and enjoy the great company!
5. Give yourself grace
I’ve written an entire blog post on why it’s important to practice giving yourself grace, so this will be a mini version of that! But I highly recommend giving that one a read as it really is so so important!
Growing a business and juggling a side-hustle is HARD. I get it! Some days are going to be crazy-busy and you just won’t have time to get to your side-hustle. And that’s okay! Growing a business takes time, it won’t happen overnight. It’s a journey, and one that’s meant to be enjoyed! Full disclosure – I’m totally guilty of working way too hard and letting weeks just pass me by. And you know what, it’s not worth it. Life’s too short! Tomorrow is another day! There will always be something to do, work that needs to be finished, part of the house that needs to be cleaned. So there’s no point of constantly stressing about any of those things!
Your business won’t suffer because you go on a date with your man, catch that yoga class, or grab brunch with a friend. The irony is that the exact opposite will happen! You’ll be more productive during the time that you do spend working on your business, and happier in your life overall! ???? I know that sometimes it can seem impossible to take a break – and while occasionally the exact opposite of what I just said above is true and you do need to work extra hard and push through – know when taking a break is needed. Give yourself the grace to take care of yourself first! ????
All photos by Wilson Lau Photography.
Now go get ’em girl!
Time to take the world by storm and go kick some booty! You got this girl! Know that you’ll get there, your dreams will manifest, and it’ll be amazing! One day you’ll have to take that leap of faith in your business, and all your hard work will pay off!
But don’t forget to enjoy life along the way, and remember that this is just a season of hustle. Seasons change in life and when you do get to the season of reward, cherish it! Support your fellow entrepreneurs in their journeys, build friendships, and don’t forget the why behind what you’re doing! You’re crazy passionate about your business, so here’s to being just as passionate about each and every day in life!
Let me know in the comments below, are you juggling a side-hustle? Do you run your business full-time? If you could share one other side-hustle-juggling tip, what would it be? ????
XO
Danielle