dream12s post

7 Tips for Balancing Your Side Hustles 1. Create a central organizational hub. Whether it’s on paper, in your laptop, or in an app, a central place to track hours, commitments and deadlines is imperative to keep you organized. Apps like Asana and Basecamp can track projects and deadlines, while Toggl and aTimeLogger help you track your hours spent working. If you’re more hands-on, set your schedule and log projects in a paper planner. Save notes in a folder or in an app like Evernote, which can store photos and links as well as text notes. Keeping all your dates, times, and responsibilities in one place will help you feel more in control of your schedule. 2. Dedicate a workspace. Even if your side hustles take you out of the house most of the time, having a place where you can sit down, review your calendar, and keep track of things like receipts, taxes, and communications can really help you feel supported. Dedicate one place in your home as your workspace, and then ask others in your household to respect your boundary. Keep all your pertinent papers, files or notes in your workspace to stay organized. 3. Block off time for you. Since you’re the one in charge of how much work you accept, why not set your own days off? Even if you split time off over a few afternoons rather than two full days in a row, having those times to refresh and rest are vital to your sanity and the health of your relationships. Be sure to block them off of your calendar and commit to yourself to uphold them, so you don’t accept work during your downtime. 4. Defend your priorities. Just as you block off time for your family and yourself, you also need to block off time for work. Let people know your working hours, and really focus while you’re on the job. When you don’t have one primary, full-time job, people can look at what you do and see it as less important. This leads to interruptions. Show by example that your work is serious by taking it seriously and setting down the phone during work or closing the door to your workspace. 5. Try outsourcing. If you’re running your own knowledge sharing or creative service business on the side, consider outsourcing administrative or communication tasks. Answering emails, sending invoices, and uploading documents can all be done by someone without much knowledge of your business. You can create email templates they can use or record video instructions for a project where you want more in-depth help. Delegating and outsourcing are vital to growing your business, so start early and set a productive habit. 6. Look for passive income opportunities. To really maximize your return, invest your time up front in a side hustle that can give you passive income down the line, such as direct selling, affiliate marketing, or real estate investments. While these ventures may not pay loads at the beginning, you could be setting yourself up for a steady stream of additional income later on. 7. Stay encouraging. When you’re juggling a lot, it can be easy to slip into a negative attitude or even subject yourself to negative self-talk. Rather than berating yourself for not getting enough done, focus on how you can get help, get organized, and stay focused. To do those things, you’ll benefit from some encouraging self-talk and a little understanding. If you’re only considering a side hustle at this point, all of this may sound like a lot to manage. But think of this like you would your day job: Your priorities, workload and schedule there have probably shifted countless times over your career. Change is as inherent to a side hustle as it is to a straight gig. You’ve got to learn to deal with it—and odds are, you will, especially if you stick to the above rules. The big difference? In a side hustle, you’re in charge. Tips for Balancing Your Side Hustles