Most people don’t have the privilege of quitting their full-time job to start a business. So, before taking the leap into entrepreneurship, the best way to eventually become your own boss is to start a side hustle to keep money coming in. But unless your job allows you to work remotely with flexible working hours, one of the biggest obstacles that keep most people from pursuing a side hustle is the fear of being overwhelmed. 

While it’s hard to have a day job and a secondary source of income, it isn’t impossible. Keep reading to find out how you can manage both simultaneously.

What is a side hustle?

A side hustle is a flexible job you do to build your skill set and make money outside the 9-to-5 job. It can range from a part-time job with another company to pursuing entrepreneurship from doing a hobby you’d like to make money from.

How can you balance a full-time job with a side hustle?

Starting a venture outside your 9-to-5 is exciting for sure. But without being strict with yourself, you’ll soon feel overwhelmed by the grind—commuting, staying up late to complete work, balancing life and work, and the never-ending to-do list. But, it's not all bad news! Here’s how you can successfully balance a full-time job with a side hustle sans burning out:

1. Prioritize your full-time job

Since your full-time job is your main source of income, focus on doing your day job and staying on top of it, then find some free time you can devote to your other projects. Always try to finish your full-time job first before digging into your side hustle to free yourself from added stress or pressure, especially if your full-time job requires a 9-to-5 office presence. 

2. Set a new schedule

To find out how much free time you actually have in a day, take a look at your current schedule and track your day in a journal to see where you’re spending time. Knowing how much time you spend on your daily tasks, including doing work, groceries, walking your dog, or enjoying some break time, you will get a clear view of where you can make adjustments.

3. Eliminate distractions

It’s easy to get distracted when you’re feeling overwhelmed. To keep yourself focused throughout the day, you can start forming habits that will eliminate distractions, such as creating a clutter-free working space, creating a daily to-do-list, putting your phone on silent mode, completing the most challenging tasks earlier in the day, and closing unnecessary tabs on your laptop. 

4. Take time to recharge

Managing a full-time job and a side hustle takes a lot of work. But at the same time, working all the time will lead to burnout, and when it happens, it takes time to recover. To prevent burnout from setting in in the first place, make sure to take time to recharge and unplug whenever you are not scheduled to work.

5. Create boundaries

Being an entrepreneur-in-the-making with a full-time job means you only have so much time. And having limited time means you must create boundaries to prioritize the things you have to do during a certain period. So for example, if you decided that you’re going to spend this weekend doing your side hustle, but then you wake up and not following through, you’re not respecting your time. Another example of setting boundaries can also be letting your family members at home know when to not interrupt you or committing to stop working at a certain time of the day.

6. It’s OK to reprioritize

At one point or another, you may feel like your to-do list is daunting. Whether it’s because one task needs more attention than the others, or because your side hustle starts to take off and you feel like you need to allocate more time for its growth, especially if you’re planning to turn it into a full-time business in the future. When this happens, we suggest you not rush and instead, try to slow down and reprioritize your schedule slowly. 

7. Track and celebrate your wins

Acknowledging even the smallest wins can have a huge impact on boosting your sense of confidence, and tracking every single win, be it big or small, will show you visible progress towards your goals.

8. Remember your why

Whether you started your side hustle to earn extra cash, increase your financial security, or work on your passion, always remember why you started and why you have to reach your goals. Because in the end, knowing why you do what you do can give you the reason you need to get through when times get tough.