Tricks For Side Hustlers To Stay Positive At Their 9-5
As a side hustler, chances are you’ve experienced working a 9-5 that you do not love. Not all side hustlers experience this. Some side hustlers truly love working their full-time job while also growing a successful business on the side. However, if you’re building your business to begin easing out of a 9-5 that you don’t love, some working days can be harder than others. Working a 9-5 that you don’t love, that causes stress, that you aren’t passionate about or that completely bores you can be draining. Especially on your mental health! As a side hustler with a 9-5 that you don’t love, here are a few ways to protect your mental health and create a positive mindset while working your full time job.
Before we dive in, it’s important to note that your career (no matter what career) will not fulfill you every day. And we shouldn’t find our whole identities in our careers. This concept is really hard to live out because we traditionally spend more time working throughout the day than we do with our families. So when discussing mental health while at work, it’s important to know that no job will leave us feeling happy 100% of the time. And if we chase that, we may end up making poor choices or being disappointed. Or both. Instead, it’s important to strive for a healthy work mindset.
I have had full time postions that I’ve loved. And I’ve also had full time postitions that I really struggled with. Both of which had a side hustles incportated. Something that I’ve been able to take away is that you can truly find peace in more situations than you think.
Your 9-5 Mental Health
Your mental health is extremely important. And should absolutely be an aspect of your 9-5 or full-time career life. Traditionally speaking, we spend more time at our full-time jobs than we do at home with family. So if we are miserable at work, this is a significant amount of time to be unhappy. Your mental health at work can also trickle into your home life and your side hustle. According to Mental Health America, 4 in 5 employees say that the stress within their workplace affects their relationships outside of the office.
If you’re a side hustler, this unhappiness that you feel is often rooted in the thought “I wish I was full time. I don’t want to work here anymore. I want to run my own business.”. Trust me, it’s a thought I know well. And this thought can really have an impact on your mental health.
Suddenly your job isn’t a job, but more of an annoyance keeping you from your business. And this mindset can turn into a rabbit hole of unhappiness. However, it’s important to check this at the door and create healthy mindset shifts before the bitterness snowballs.
Read below my best tips for side hustlers to create positive mental health while working a 9-5 you don’t love. Our 9-5 jobs can actually be a blessing. And if we can learn to make mental shifts that lead to a healthier mentality, then those skills will only help our businesses grow and develop us further as we take our businesses full time. To help create this positive even more, I created this free Side Hustler Routine Planner. This free planner can help bring balance to your side hustle schedule and help you carve out times to work on your business around your 9-5. Sometimes going to work, knowing you’ve already worked for yourself can make a huge difference.
The Side Hustle mindset
Being a side hustler, you are given unique challenges right out of the gate. One is having to figure out how to run a business around a full-time career or lifestyle. Also, if you are passionate about turning your side hustle into your full-time career, then another unique skill you will develop is a side hustle mindset.
A side hustle mindset is being passionate, strategic, scrappy with time, and staying positive when all you may want to do is quit your job. Having a healthy side hustle mindset means you’re able to compartmentalize your needs from your wants, keep your head down and stay focused on the prize.
The best thing you can do for your side hustle mindset is to identify what your “prize” is. Is it matching your paycheck? Going full-time? Making you debt-free? Whatever your prize is, bring your attention to that, reminding yourself what working on the side is all about.
Taking a reality check
One way to create a positive mental health mindset for yourself while working your 9-5 is to take a reality check. And this doesn’t need to be as harsh as it sounds. Simply, ask yourself what your current situation really is. Seeing the reality of your 9-5 job can help highlight the good things we tend to look over. It can also help paint a clear picture of what your goals are. For example, if you are wanting to grow your side hustle into a full time career, taking a reality check of your current situation can help you see how far you currently are.
HOW TO TAKE A 9-5 REALITY CHECK:
- Does this job provide my family with health care?
- How much does this job pay me?
- What is my goal? Am I looking for another job? Switching positions? Growing my side hustle full time?
- How many hours a week am I giving this job?
- What’s my hourly rate with this job compared to my side hustle?
- Do I have the power to choose my happiness level at this job? (spoiler alert: YES!)
Keeping your eyes on THE prize
Another tip for protecting your mental health as a side hustler while working your 9-5 is to keep your eyes on the prize. What is the goal of your side hustle? Is it to one day become your full-time income? Help transition your 9-5 career? Pay off debt? Pay for amazing family vacations?
Whatever your goal is, be sure to focus on that. Give yourself a gentle reminder of that goal when your 9-5 is not so glamorous. Right your goal down, make a mood board and truly visualize attaining your goal. You may surprise yourself by how this transitions your mindset toward your 9-5.
setting goals
Sometimes as side hustlers, we just need a goal in mind to make our 9-5’s more barable. Again, this can be to transition your 9-5 life or completely replace it. However, hustling with no end in sight or no benchmarks is a fast way to approach burnout. Instead, give yourself goals or milestones to reach.
Doing this will help those longer 9-5 days become less painful. Plus, you’ll be able to work toward something to eventually improve your circumstances. Just by setting a goal for your side hustle and working towards it, your mental health at your 9-5 can drastically change. It may not take away all of the things you don’t enjoy about working your 9-5, but it can help you see the progress you’re making towards easing out of it or transitioning within it.
compartmentalize and gain perspective
Another way to protect your 9-5 mental health while side hustling is to compartmentalize the situation. This may be tricky but if you can master this, it can truly transform your work and your business. Try to separate as much as you can from your side hustle while at work. I know. This may be torturous! But it’s important to show up and put your best foot forward no matter what you do or where you work.
Compartmentalizing your 9-5 life from your side hustling life can help create healthy boundaries which can lead to a healthier mindset. Instead of going to work each day wishing you can work on your side hustle, go to work thinking “okay it’s now time for this version of myself to come out!”. You may experience a May Kate and Ashely phenomenon, however, separating your two lives can help you perform better in both.
small things that go a long way
There are also smaller things we can do to help protect our mental health while working a 9-5 around our side hustle. These things may seem unimportance or insignificant, however, you may be surprised to see how well they work. Try them out and see what others you can add to the list!
- Put your business’s logo in a private spot in your office. Look at it when you need a smile.
- Create a playlist to listen to on the way to work that lifts your mood
- Diffuse essential oils in your office at work. Lemon and Peppermint help with mood!
- Tell yourself that your 9-5 is a consulting gig. How amazing is that? You’re a consultant! Time to shine!!
- Add a plant to your office at work.
- Be sure to carve out specific working hours for your side hustle!
- If possible and not too torturous, make your lunch break a side hustle working hour!
create a more positive 9-5 mental health as a side hustler
As a side hustler, positive mental health is beyond important while working a 9-5. No matter what the goal is for your side hustle, to provide multiple income streams, or to become a full-time entrepreneur, protecting your mindset at your full-time job should be a priority. For side hustlers, this can be hard since we are so focused and driven by our own businesses. Sometimes working for someone else, or doing something we are less passionate about, can become challenging.
One of the best things you can do to ensure you’re protecting positive mental health is to create a side hustle routine. A side hustle routine allows you to find balance and productivity. Plus, having a good routine that doesn’t leave you feeling drained and ensures you’re putting in hours for yourself each week can naturally boost your mental health at your 9-5. Download my free Side Hustler Routine Planner to start mapping out your side hustle routine right away. Creating a routine that breeds a successful side hustle and in turn, helps crush those 9-5 blues.
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