I’m back with part 2 of the Side Hustle Summer series! Did you miss part 1 on starting a side hustle? Find it here!
Managing Your Side Hustle
It takes sacrifice when you decide to spend time on a side hustle outside of your full-time job. There are limited hours in a day, and it can be difficult to manage your time while supplementing your income with a side gig. I’ve been blessed to have friends and loved ones who have supported me on this journey because, honestly, it’s not always easy. On top of my support system, one thing that has helped me immensely is being super organized with my time. This also helps me build in breaks and not burn out. Here are some of my best tips for staying organized with your time and using tools to manage your side hustle:
Tips to Get Organized
1. Separate your to-do lists.
One of my keys to staying organized has been creating separate to-do lists for my full-time job, business, and home stuff. Having everything in one place is too overwhelming. Keeping separate lists helps me to keep track of my progress and easily know my priorities for the day in my job, business, and at home. Here are some planner and notepad Amazon finds for keeping track of your to-do lists:
2. Create separate email addresses and calendars.
In addition to having separate to-do lists, having different email addresses and calendar accounts can help you make sure you don’t miss anything! I would definitely recommend creating a new email when you start your side hustle to keep track of everything related to your business.
3. Lean into times that you are more productive.
This could mean rethinking your morning and evening routines. Personally, I’m more creative in the morning. So I focus on creative tasks in the morning to have a fresh mind for the things that require more creative thinking. The key to a good morning routine starts with your bedtime. I’m pretty diligent about getting to bed by 9:00 or 9:30, so I can fully utilize the time I work best.
4. Leverage time off, PTO, and weekends.
Make wise use of your time off and weekends to work on your side hustle! Schedule workdays with specific goals during your time off.
5. Strategize and think ahead so you can batch work and content.
Batching work and social media content will help you be able to balance your responsibilities and focus on one thing at a time.
6. Know when to outsource.
Outsourcing is a big part of my business. I realize that some aspects of running a business come more naturally to me than others. I work with contractors who are experts in what they do so I can focus on the parts of my side hustle that I love.
7. Be mindful of burnout and schedule true time off of everything so you can reset, relax, and renew.
Finally, make sure you have time built into your schedule for recreation. It’s easy to burn out if you’re hustling 24/7, so set aside actual time off from all of your tasks.
Use Tools for Your Side Hustle
Using the right tools for your side hustle is also essential. There are plentiful business tools, and knowing which systems to set up when you start a side hustle can be overwhelming. Here are a few of my favorite tools for organization, task management, and more:
Organization & Tasks
Notion is a popular project management tool with a focus on note-taking. You can use templates, link documents, and create lists within workspaces and boards. The free version of Notion gives you access to unlimited pages and blocks that you can share with up to 5 people. Paid subscriptions ($5-10/month) include unlimited shares, a collaborative workspace, and admin tools.
Asana is a task-focused work management platform that is especially useful for teams. You can easily assign tasks to team members with due dates and organize lists of tasks. The basic plan is free, and you can create unlimited tasks, projects, and messages. Paid plans start at $10.99/month and include additional tools like a timeline builder, forms, and more.
- Google Tasks
I personally love Google Tasks because it is integrated with your Gmail account. Having my email, calendar, and list of tasks in one place helps me stay organized.
Trello allows you to create simple boards and lists and utilize “power-ups” that allow you to do things like see a calendar view, automate tasks, and more. Trello offers many integrations like Salesforce, SurveyMonkey, Pipedrive, Crmble, and many more. You can create unlimited cards with the free plan or upgrade to a paid plan for $5-10/month for unlimited boards, storage, and custom fields.
Payment Processing & CRMs
Stripe is a simple payment processing program that allows integrations with most website builders and allows you to create invoices.
Dubsado is a CRM (client relationship management) program that allows you to create projects, forms, invoices, and contracts. You can receive 20% off of your first year of Dubsado by using this link.
Honeybook is another CRM with similar functions to Dubsado, but it is more geared towards the wedding industry and a little less customizable. However, it is very easy to use and create workflows using Honeybook. You can get your first 6 months of Honeybook for $1 each by using the code ONLY1.
Stay tuned for the third blog post in the Side Hustle Summer series coming up next month, where I’ll share tips on scaling your side hustle!
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