The Best Thing You Can Do for Your Side Hustle Is Focus on Your Career
The worst thing you can do is put pressure on your creativity
Happy weekend everyone. I wanted to start your Saturday with a story about work-life balance. The main takeaway is there’s no shame in working a stable job to get yourself established, at least for a little while. We struggle because we want instant satisfaction. We can’t help it, but maybe this quick read will.
You're better off without a side hustle. That's the truth.
Most people don't want to come home after a long day and work even more. That's why people quit their jobs prematurely and go all-in on their big idea. The problem is, it usually doesn't work out this way.
There's no shame in working a stable job to get yourself established, at least for a little while. I did it even though it was grueling at times, but job-hopping until I found the right one was the best thing to happen to my side hustle.
What you need to know about hustle culture
I joined the movement two years before the pandemic.
I worked a startup and a job. I woke up at 7 AM, ate breakfast, and rushed to the gym to get my lift in for the day. Then I made deliveries to our vendors or met up with the other founders over coffee and our weekly tasks.
Then I went to work from 1–9 PM. I'd get home, beat after a long day, and go to sleep knowing I had to do it all over again the next day. Mind you, my job didn't pay enough for me to live on my own, and the startup sure didn't pay me.
The hustle-until-you-break mindset isn't the dream people say it is. Even if it seems like you have to grind every day until you achieve your goal, it can always wait.
There isn't time to grind all day, every day. Appreciate the work you're doing.
There's always a catalyst
People love the idea of the "a-ha" moment.
It's a trend in blockbuster movies. Tony Stark mentally said "eureka" when the script let him figure out how to save the universe.
A-ha moments happen, but never in an instant like you think they should. That's why we're so impatient as a species. We want instant gratification and get upset when we don't get what we want.
Change happens, but it happens more slowly than we'd like it to. We often miss the spark that determines our future, and it's during times of reflection that we realize it.
My catalyst was the pandemic. I remember one angsty night when I hid my face with a hoody and took a walk, telling myself it was time to get myself together. I reluctantly left the startup that drained my batteries and opened my life up to anything else.
I didn't know what would fill the gap. I just knew something would. The important thing is to be patient with yourself.
Slow, but steady change
When one idea flies out the door, another comes barging in.
I started writing for the first time since college, and even though I didn't know what I was doing, I had a basic plan. I told myself:
"Stick with it for a year, and if you don't see any growth, then you can find something else."
It took less than a year for blogging to strangers on the Internet to shape a life path. I knew I wouldn't get rich just blogging, but reading other writers shifted my perspective about money.
Instead of putting all the pressure to make ends meet on my creativity, I decided to put the pressure on a typical job. So I found a new one. I stuck to the same industry but found a position that paid almost double what I previously made.
I did that for a while and then found a set of freelancing gigs that would support me the same but make my work-life balance easier to handle.
This process took almost a year, and now I'm entirely freelancing while putting the same amount of attention on my writing side hustle. And, funny enough, the side hustle is going better than it ever has.
Finally: Stop caring so much
When you take the pressure off your side hustle, money flows to you.
The most important question to ask yourself is this:
Why do you spend time on your after-hours side hustle anyway?
If it's just for the money, hopefully, you're successful sooner than later because I believe the notion that it takes 3–5 years to become a pro.
Instead of being broke and pissed off at the world because you think you deserve better, it's better to nurture your side hustle over the long haul and focus on something steady.
Working a 9–5 may not be the sexy lifestyle you want to live, but if you have a side hustle and are willing to give it the time it needs, you'll be more prepared for your later years than someone with a 401K.