This post is VERY helpful for any of you who have side hustles (bloggers, entrepreneurs, innovators, etc.). This weeks post is written by Jessie from www.justjessieblog.com. Take notes and enjoy! 🙂
Hey there! I’m Jessie and I’m so excited to be guest posting for Jenna today!
Nowadays it seems like every.single.person has a side hustle (or a couple of them!) and I’m all about living out your dreams. I have a couple of side hustles alongside my full-time job. By “day” (AKA 8-4:30) I’m a social media manager for a startup in Chicago, and by night/lunchtime/break/morning/weekend I am a virtual business manager specializing in social media and blogging + I manage my own blog and social media accounts. Good thing I like the world of social, huh?
Oh, and I’m a dog mom to a golden retriever named Cora (had to throw this in here somewhere….)
My goal is to be entirely working for myself doing social media and blog consulting, but for now the side hustle life is necessary. Having a side hustle of any sort can be exhausting and the last thing you want to happen is to start hating your passion projects. Here are 5 of my favorite tips to live that side-hustle life without going too crazy:
1.) Take breaks.
Is it bad that the FIRST tip I give you is to take a break from the hustle? Ha! It’s true, though. You need to make it work for you. For example, sometimes I don’t want to work the whole weekend away on my client work, so I’ll make sure to buckle down during the week. Sometimes I take days off – even weeks – on my blog/social media because I just can’t focus on it and, in turn, am not putting out quality content. If you’re grinding, I guarantee you’ll need to take a break before you totally burn yourself out.
A break doesn’t even need to be time off – maybe it’s getting your nails done, going shopping with friends or spending a Sunday afternoon watching Harry Potter all day. I know I do that.
2.) Make use of any little bit of time you have.
I will usually try to get in some sort of work during the day at my full-time job. I’ll take my laptop to a breakout room while I eat my lunch and finish up some client work or schedule my social media. I’ll get up earlier or write on my couch after work. I’ll go to a coffee shop on the weekends for an hour or two with my boyfriend (he owns his own biz, so he always has work to do) to crank through some stuff. If you’re doing work at home, take a look at https://poundcoffee.com to take care of your caffeine needs at home to keep you going and motivated! I’ll take outfit pictures for my blog or Instagram whenever there’s a small crack of sunlight (Fall/Winter in Chicago is the WORST). Anytime a new blog idea comes to me, I’ll quickly open up Evernote to write it down. I try my best to get ahead of the week so I don’t have anything on fire.Â
3.) Talk to people about your projects.
I tend to tell everyone about my passion projects – not to brag, but because it makes me stay accountable. My friends will ask me how blogging is going, will remind me (or even suggest) I take outfit pictures when we’re out and about. Some have even introduce me to potential future clients. I also recommend joining fun Facebook groups like The Brightly Business Bunch and Virtual Assistant Savvies where I can talk to other business owners and bounce ideas off of them.
4.) Only do something you love.
Now, this might not be plausible for everyone, but for me, it’s the only way to keep going. I’d rather my business grew at a snail’s pace, but I was continuing to do things I loved. I fired a client after a couple weeks even though I only had one other client besides her, but I hated the work she wanted me to do. It’s so much easier to pick up your laptop or force your boyfriend to take pictures of you in front of the whole neighborhood (still getting used to that!) if you’re doing it because you LOVE IT.
For example, maybe you’re really good at accounting and you know you can make a lot of money doing it, but you hate it. Do not start an accounting side hustle! Instead, you love photography and fashion, but you only have 15 followers on Instagram. Who cares?! Pursue that instead. Plus, clients/followers will come if they can see you genuinely love what you do. I’ve been blogging for 5+ years and only recently have started to get a solid following, but it’s okay. I still blog all the time because I love to write and make connections in the blogging world. Don’t settle for anything less than doing something you love, ESPECIALLY if you’re doing a side hustle because you don’t feel fulfilled in your full-time job.
5.) Remind yourself why you’re doing it.
I also just started using a goal journal, so that helps keep me in line when I’m feeling out of sorts. Something as simple as reading, “I can’t wait for the financial freedom to work for myself” is enough to get my fire reignited and spend some time busting out a few blog posts.
I hope these tips resonate with you! I’d love to hear if you have any to add. Remember at the end of the day, you’re only human. Be kind to yourself and take it one step at a time. You can do this!
Make sure to connect (or get more puppy pics, I get it)!
I couldn’t agree more with this whole post, but especially the do what you love part. That’s something I have focused heavily on this year! I can’t tell you how amazing the difference in feeling is.
Talk to you soon!
xox
Blogger blogger guest post Guest Post Jenna LeeAnn justjessieblog tips for side hustles
Yay! Thank you so much for letting me guest post, Jenna!
Thanks so much for doing it!! 🙂
Great guest post…nice job, Jessie!
Great post. Reminding people to take breaks is so important. When you set goals, it is easy to get so wrapped up in trying to achieve them that you forget to take a few minutes for yourself. Taking a little time for yourself, even just a quick walk around outside, can refresh you and even make you more productive.
Couldn’t agree more !!