How mastering your day can build you a better business.
Starting a side hustle is one of the best things an entrepreneur can do. Not only does it help to build your business, but it also increases your income and offers you the ultimate form of job security. But finding consistent time for a side hustle isn’t easy. There are many factors that can get in the way of your side hustle progress. And much like going to the gym, you can easily fall off your side hustle bandwagon if you get out of rhythm. That’s why creating a side hustle routine is so important!
A side hustle routine is something I have mastered for myself over the past 8 years of entrepreneurship. And it wasn’t always easy! It took me many years to craft a plan that works specifically for me and my business. Today my side hustle routine is extremely structured. And by staying consistent with my routine, my business has been able to continue to grow without reaching burnout. If you’re a side hustler or thinking about starting a side hustle, let’s dive into building a routine that works for you and your business!
The Benefits of Starting a Side Hustle Routine
The benefits of starting a side hustle routine are endless. Whether you’re looking for more income, securing multiple streams of income or one day becoming a full-time entrepreneur, a side hustle routine is a great way to achieve your goals! By building out a good side hustle routine, you will be able to make progress towards your goals and keep up with your work-life balance.
By building a side hustle routine, you are building consistency within your business. It is easy to squirrel and focus on other details when you clock in for your side hustle. However a routine builds out discipline that keeps your focus on needle-moving tasks. You have a clear understanding of what your side hustle work week looks like. Therefore you always know what to work on when you start. A routine also guarantees you to clock in a certain number of hours each week. This comes in handy when we are feeling tired and not wanting to work. Pushing off work to another time subconsciously becomes harder and more uncomfortable when our routine says otherwise.
Just like it’s beneficial for our routine to protect our hustle, it’s also beneficial for it to protect our rest and time with friends and family. Having blocks of time that does not include work visually allows us to see where are rest is. This also helps when you need to run errands or spend more time with your household.
The effort, hustle and consistency that a routine builds, pays off tremendously within your business. Just like elephant eating, you create a profitable side hustle a bite at a time. And by creating a side hustle routine that tailors to your life, you create insurance for a needle-moving business that doesn’t lead to burnout.
Prioritizing Your Side Hustle tasks
The first step towards a successful side hustle routine is focusing on what’s important. You’ll hear (or see) I talk a lot about needle movers. The needle movers for your business are the items directly tied to creating a profit. And ironically, they can be the things we avoid the most. For example, refining a color pallet for a new product line is not a needle mover. Publishing the product on your website is a needle mover. These needle-moving tasks are the most important to pay attention to for your side hustle routine.
This might sound like an easy thing to do, but it’s not always easy. The thing about prioritizing your side hustles is that you need to make sure you’re spending your time working on the things that will have the biggest effect on your business and income. Here are some questions for you to think about:
- What actions can I take today or within the next few days that will have a significant impact on my business?
- When would I be able to see a return on investment (ROI) of my side hustle activities?
- What will help me grow my business the most?
When planning your side hustle routine, be sure you are strategically planning when these needle-moving tasks get done. Work on high-priority, highly effective tasks when you are at the most energized during your side hustle workday. And for lower priority tasks, like administrative tasks, schedule this for less energized times.
Crafting the Perfect Side Hustle Routine
The key to creating a perfect side hustle routine is knowing how you work best. Are you a morning person or a night person? Give yourself a mini routine interview and identify a few characteristics about yourself that will come in handy when crafting your side hustle routine. For instance, do you get distracted easily? Or have a tendency to overwork yourself? Take this into consideration when crafting the perfect side hustle routine for you.
Next, take an inventory of the time you have available for your side hustle. This is the time in which you will craft your side hustle routine. If you work a full-time job, there will be less time available for your side hustle throughout the week. And it may even require some hustle hours. For example, I wake up at 4:00 am four days a week to work on my side hustle. However, that is what works best for me and my body. Layout what a typical week for you looks like and commit certain hours to your business.
Mix up your routine! You don’t need to work 4 straight hours on your business. Perhaps you work 2 hours, take a stretch break, go for a run and work another two hours. Craft a routine with working blocks that seamlessly move you from one task to another. Set a timer for certain tasks! I use this timer daily for tasks that are harder for me to complete. However knowing that I have a countdown, helps me work faster and stay focused. Perfect for side hustlers and our limited schedules!
Also, don’t be afraid to reward yourself! Whether it’s finishing a project or reaching a certain amount of profit for the month, give yourself something nice after working hard! The more consistent you are with your side hustle, the more significant rewards should be given out over time. Don’t forget about motivation either- stay motivated throughout your routine by listening to motivational podcasts or watching videos on youtube that inspire and motivate you!
What Not to Do with your side hustle routine
A side hustle routine that sticks and actually helps is like finding a new favorite pair of jeans! Crafting a routine for yourself isn’t always easy. According to Psychology Today, it’s no longer believed that there is a certain number of days for a habit to turn into a behavior. However what is proven, is behaviors are created out of consistent habits and routines. This is why it is so important to be as consistent as possible with any new routine you implement. It can be hard at first. My 4 am routine certainly was! However give your mind, body and business time to adapt and observe any tweaks needed.
When building your side hustle routine, avoid biting off more than you can chew. This often becomes you’re excited and eager to launch and grow your business as fast as possible. Remember the beauty of side hustles is that you’re building a profit stream on top of an existing one. Don’t take your chances on not building the best business you can, out of rushing. Avoid burnout and create a routine that is realistic to your schedule.
On the opposite note, avoid not making your routine as disciplined as it can be. They don’t call them side hustles for nothing. And although we should avoid burnout, the hustle is real. I’ll reference my 4am routine again here! Challenge yourself a little because I know you are capable! We are stronger than we think and can most often do more than we think we can.
Lastly, avoid creating a chaotic routine. Start simple with a few work blocks, a timed schedule and water breaks. Don’t include too many tasks that may take longer than you realize. Looking at a bunch of incomplete tasks at the end of each day will only leave you feeling discouraged.
your tailored routine
Side hustles can be a magical form of income! And working them on the side can, dare I say it, be easier than we think! Start mastering your time management and build a profitable business through creating a side hustle routine. A consistent routine can be the key element for you to truly have it all. Run a business, spend time with family and friends, work another job and balance it all. Is it always easy? No. Can it be manageable, effective and profitable without leading to burnout? Yes!
Let me help you start creating a side hustle routine that moves the needle in your business and doesn’t leave you feeling lost when it comes to wearing multiple hats. Download my free Routine & Scheduling sheets and start seeing how you work best. Remember to give your routine time before you tweak it. The results may surprise you!
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