I'm not saying that the occasional Netflix binge is keeping you from achieving your goals.I keep watching TV. I still use social media. I still read for pleasure. But I don't spend as much time doing those things as I did before deciding to build my own business.It doesn't take a major overhaul or a major life change to start a side hustle or achieve whatever goal you have for yourself. All you have to do is make time for it consistently.
Decide what is important to you
The first step in getting anything done is deciding what is important to you and that you want to happen no matter what.For me, the pandemic forced me to realize it. Back to normal life, I would go non-stop all day, rushing to work, and then coming home to do laundry, make dinner, eat and shower, and then try to go to bed before morning. midnight. It was exhausting.I had aspirations to one day be an author and establish my presence as an online writer. But that's all they were: stagnant aspirations. A fleeting dream. With a hectic schedule like that, I literally had no spare moment to do anything but run to keep up with the demands of my own making. But then the pandemic brought everything to a standstill and my daily life changed dramatically. I made the decision to get serious about my writing and finish my book. I decided that it was important to me to become a published author and that I was going to achieve it no matter what.
But I wasn't completely Stephen King and I threw away my TV. I made a commitment to write at least an hour every day and a few extra hours on the weekends. With this commitment, I have been posting articles twice a week. I also took a shitty 60,000 word manuscript and turned it into a pretty good 127,000 word manuscript. I am now on my fifth review after collecting feedback from my beta readers.
A year ago, you could never have imagined all that you could achieve with just this one hour a day commitment. So yes, I can give up an hour of watching "The Handmaid's Tale" in exchange for a full manuscript a year from now. What could you achieve with an hour a day?
Evaluate your routine
Evaluate your own routine. Where do you have room to make time for your side hustle or work towards your goals? Could you get up an hour earlier? Could you reduce the television time from two hours to one? Could you spare thirty minutes after dinner? Could you spare a little time on the weekends?
Even for a short period of time, every detail counts.
When I decided that I wanted to be a freelance copywriter and build that business, I started waking up an hour early to write before work. I also took ten minute breaks throughout the day to type a few words on the keyboard or listen to some modules in my writing class. Instead of lazing around after dinner and looking at my phone or a book, I'd use that time to write, learn, or work on my business. These small changes added to hours of writing time per day that I had been wasting before.
Keep cutting on it
Building a side hustle or working on other goals while also maintaining a day job is an extremely challenging endeavor. A support for you for going so far. It is no small feat. Inevitably, you will experience imposter syndrome. You will convince yourself that you are not good enough to do what you are doing. That you will never succeed. That you are not worthy.
This is when you look in the mirror and politely tell your inner critic to calm down. This is your ego speaking. He is afraid of failing and he wants to keep you in your comfort zone. Don't let it. You will probably also get tired of routine and routine, this is fine. You are allowed to take a break from working on your side hustle. You are allowed to review your routine for a change of pace or to better suit your needs.
Even if you only work on your side during your lunch break or by a small window every day, keep doing it. A little progress is better than no progress. It's like compound interest - that little progress will translate into big gains in the end.
