How to keep your day job and side hustle while avoiding burnout
Whether you have a side hustle for a disposable income for spending, paying for regular taxes, or an income for savings — you should not let your side work take over your full-time job and your life.
While it’s true that a lot of people use a side hustle to stay afloat, you should consider whether or not it’s becoming too much of a chore or if it’s sapping all of your energy.
Here’s how to tell if your side job is taking over your life and what to do about it.
Don’t let your side hustle take over your full-time job
If you’re doing extra work that you’re passionate about, there’s a higher chance that you might overdo it. Overdoing your side job leaves you little time for other activities like going to the gym.
According to Amanda Dixon, a senior reporter at Bankrate, it’s not healthy for people to let side work, and their day job takes up most of their time every single day. She recommends scheduling and setting up reasonable expectations for people who have side hustle jobs.
- Put the pen on paper about what you want to tackle first and prioritize it. Decide how much time you want to spend on a side gig.
- Find a very specific task or time and try to understand how long it’s going to take.
- Always plan. Don’t go to sleep without planning what you want to accomplish the next day.
Don’t mix a side hustle with your day job
It can be quite tempting but you shouldn’t bring your part-time job to your full-time work — it’s unethical. You can proceed with side work during your lunch break if it’s really necessary but not during the hours where you’re paid to work in your full-time job. (See Related: From Side Hustle to New Career)
You could lose your full-time job if your boss accidentally stumbles upon you secretly working on your side hustle during regular work hours.
Conserve your energy
You might find it hard to regulate how much time you’re spending on a side hustle. Especially, if you’re too passionate about it.
Time passes by so quickly when you’re working on a side hustle from home with your laptop. Try to treat your part-time gig the same way you would treat your day job — make points to take breaks for meditation, a movie, dinner, or family time.
Stepping away from your side work allows your body to unwind and rejuvenate.
Know when to say when
Losing your focus or drive to maintain your second job could be due to the stress of handling extra work hours beyond your full-time job. You begin to realize that juggling two jobs can be overwhelming and is no longer worth the rate of return — emotionally or financially.
Don’t ignore that stress and take a step back. Try to reassess what you want to accomplish. Take a look at how much time you want to spend on your side work.
Ask yourself how much value your side hustle is adding to your life and be honest. Sometimes, it’s more important to be in tune with your priorities — that extra work might be unnecessary.
Final Thoughts
While it’s cool that you’re making money on the side doing what you love, sometimes you might overdo it and could lead to stress later on. Determine your priorities and how much time you should spend on a side hustle. Conserve your energy — save it for the things that matter most.
