A Guide For Side Hustlers To Understand How To Hustle In A Healthy Way
As a side hustler, your hustle mindset is everything. Running a business on the side of working a 9-5 or a full-time lifestyle can bring about challenges that require a strong side hustle mindset. The earlier or later hours, the slow growth and the determination are all a part of building your business. However, there is a fine line between hustle and burnout. And as side hustlers, that line can often become blurry. Let’s dive into how to create a healthy hustle mindset when it comes to your business.
A Hustle Mindset
A hustle mindset is your way of thinking when it comes to rolling up your sleeves and getting to work. And there can often be a fine line between knowing how to hustle in a healthy way and hustling yourself to burnout. Luckily for us, there are ways to decern this and help us avoid burning the candle at both ends.
Running a side hustle requires extra time and energy. There isn’t too many ways around this. We may build businesses that only require a few hours a week from us. However, the creation part of any business is always involved, calling us to work hard and create new routines. During these times, it’s important that our side hustle mindset is healthy.
Hustling for your business can be a good thing. Working hard and finding ways to push ourselves is needed as a side hustler. However, when the hustle becomes unhealthy, that’s when we start to notice signs of struggle and stop doing our best work. According to Forbes, millennials struggle with workaholism, perfectionism and burnout the most. We tend to push ourselves past just the hustle and create unhealthy mindsets when it comes to progress.
A healthy hustle mindset balances both hard work and rest. You have a realistic idea of what you can push yourself to accomplish each week without reaching total exhaustion. And sure, there may be some weeks where we hustle more than others. However, our mindset is the key to continuing a healthy hustle mentality.
Create Realistic Expectations
A part of a healthy side hustle mindset is setting realistic expectations. When you set realistic expectations for yourself, your time and your business, you are set up for success and are far more likely to cross more off your to-do list. If you find yourself trying to fit in too much throughout your week, you will eventually associate hustling with exhaustion, and that’s good for no one’s business.
Start by getting really clear on what you need to do each week for your side hustle. From there, decide how many hours a week you can actually devote to your side hustle. Try to be as realistic as possible. If you find that your number is higher, maybe 25-30 hours, be sure that you can realistically fit that in. And if you find that the number of hours you can work on your side hustle is smaller, perhaps 2-5, challenge yourself to see if you can find ways to hustle harder and sharpen your hustle mindset.
Balance Hustle With Rest
Another aspect of creating a healthy side hustle mindset for your business is to know when to rest. Side hustlers are go-getters by nature and we tend to take on a lot! Understanding that rest is a part of the hustle is key. And if you struggle with resting, think of it like you’re recharging your batteries. And you have to recharge your batteries if you want to keep working. Switching up your mindset like this can become very healthy and help you avoid burnout.
IDEAS FOR REST AS A SIDE HUSTLER:
- Brew a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy it without any electronics nearby
- Take a screen break and go for a walk
- Literally stretch on the floor, moving your body
- Incorporate rest habit stacking into your side hustle routines
The balance of hustle and rest is extremely important as a side hustler. And it can also be tricky to navigate. Side hustles do require drive but only in the right amounts. Having a side hustle routine can be a big help here as you navigate this. Start with my free Side Hustler Routine Planning Sheets to get started and get organized with balancing your schedule.
knowing when to hustle
Just like rest, hard work is also a big part of having a healthy side hustle mindset. Different seasons of your side hustle will require different work levels. Some reasons will require more hustle. This is usually when you’re building your business or working on a bigger project. These are the times when having a healthy and positive mindset can be a game-changer.
HEALTHY WAYS TO THINK ABOUT HUSTLE:
- This isn’t forever but just for a season
- I am doing XYZ to reach my goals of ABC
- I am working hard but I know my limits and am not at burnout
- When I reach my goal through this hard work, it will feel incredible!
listen to your body
Your body will tell you a ton when you listen. Listening to your body for signs that you need to slow down or that you can continue on is a great way to maintain a healthy side hustle mindset. This is especially true when it comes to sleep. Since side hustling requires you to work more hours, oftentimes weird hours, having a good sleep schedule is a key to doing your best work and keeping your healthy mentality.
If your body is telling you that you’re constantly tired, grumpy and/or fuzzy in the head; this could be a clear sign that your side hustle mindset needs to shift to a more restful tone. Otherwise, it won’t take too long for your mindset to shift on it’s on towards not liking your business and dreading any and all work for it.
If your body is feeling anxious a lot of the time, then that could be your body’s way of telling you that your mindset isn’t acting out of healthy, realistic goals. Perhaps you’re constantly anxious about getting the next step accomplished. Or you’re left with analysis paralysis. Either way, when your body shows signs of anxiety, try to alter your mindset to rebalance yourself and your thinking.
mastering your side hustle mentallity
Having a strong and healthy side hustle mentality can serve you and your business over and over. Side hustling and growing a business isn’t always easy and doesn’t happen overnight. If that were true, we would all be bored millionaires. This is why having a good mentality over working hard, balancing rest and being patient with yourself and your business is so important.
Mastering your side hustle mentality is easier to accomplish when you get clear and organized with your business. Having a clear schedule and an understanding of when and how the entrepreneur side of yourself will surface throughout your day can actually help balance life and business. Start with my free Side Hustler Routine Planner Sheets to get started mapping out your day, with your business in mind.
Running a side hustle absolutely calls for a mindset shift to both gear up your hustle and balance realistic restful expectations. But when you do have a healthy mindset over running your business on the side, the world becomes your oyster! Remember to take time to asses and evaluate your mindset and strive to make it healthier and healthier while hustling!
