How to Balance a Full Time Job and a Side Business
As a business owner working a 9 to 5 full-time job, it can be quite the balancing act. Take it from me, I have been there! You have to be able to balance it all without losing yourself or dropping the ball. Believe it or not, it is possible to have a full-time job while creating a killer side hustle.
I’m so excited to share with you my 4 ways of balancing a side hustle and a full-time job. Did I mention I also have a family that I “manage”? Running to after school activities, helping out with school projects, and doing housework, it can get pretty chaotic. I’m going to give you my secrets, so your business can thrive without the growing pains that I had to learn.
4 Ways to Balance a Full-Time Job and Have a Side Business
1| Get organized!
Schedule, schedule, schedule!! You HAVE to define a schedule to succeed as an employee and an entrepreneur. This is the number 1 most important thing to do. Defining where and when your focus will be for your full-time job and your business is paramount. You owe it to yourself and your employer to be present during working hours.Let’s look at 2 scenarios here:
You run a side business and work your full-time job from home.
You run a side business and work your full-time job from an office outside of your home.
Each has its positive and negatives. I’ve worked from home for over ten years and I do feel like you have a little more leeway if you work from home. It does take some serious discipline to set your work schedule, stick to it and make time to work your business. How do you do that you may ask? Lunchtime and late evenings. I take my hour lunch to work on my business tasks, make calls and at times attend masterminds, and evenings to focus on my business.
If you work outside your home, you are more than likely at a desk and unable to step out as needed to take phone calls. So, I’ve created 2 work schedules to help you balance your full-time job and your business!
Schedule with a Work from Home Full-time Job
5:00 am - Workout (important to stay active)
6:00 am – Wake the kids up, get ready for the day, breakfast
7:30 am – Get kids off to school etc.
8:00 am – Check and respond to business emails
8:30 am - Work on your full-time job
12:00 pm – Break for lunch, make business calls if needed
1:00 pm – Work on your full-time job
3:00 pm – Pick the kids from school
4:00 pm – Work on your full-time job
5:00 pm - Family time (homework, dinner, bedtime etc)
9:00 pm – 11:00 pm - Work on your full-time job if required to clock in 8 hours per day otherwise use this time for your business
Schedule with an on Location Full-time Job
5:00 am - Workout (important to stay active)
6:00 am – Wake the kids up, get ready for the day, breakfast
7:30 am – Get kids off to school etc.
8:00 am - 5:00 pm – Work full-time job (use lunchtime to make/return business calls or check emails)
5:00 pm – Family time (homework, dinner, bedtime etc)
9:00 pm – 11:00 pm work on your business
2| Use technology to your advantage
Take advantage of technology to make your life easier. Use tools like the cloud to draft, create and save documents to a google drive. With the cloud, you can access your them from anywhere, especially over your lunch break. Take your tablet or laptop with you to the office.
I love to use automatic mail responders for my business email. My auto responder informs clients that I’ve received their messages and will get back to them. You can return their messages within a 24 to 48 hr window. No one needs to know you also have a full-time job unless you want to share that. You can still provide exceptional customer service and not be on your phone or email during the work day.
3| Build Your Support System
Part of creating a successful business is having a great support system behind you! Having your partner on the same page as you is vital. They can be your cheerleader, your editor, and your biggest fan. When your spouse understands your passion for your business, you will be unstoppable!
You can also find support from a business or life coach, or even an accountability buddy. Hiring a Virtual Assistant (VA) can free up your time. You can pass those tedious tasks to your VA, and allow you to focus your energy on other aspects of your business. Don't forget about Facebook Groups! You’d be surprised how many like-minded entrepreneurs are active in these virtual communities. The women help one another by cheering you on and walking you through your struggles.
4| Set Your Boundaries
Focus on what matters most to you and your business. Learn to say “No” to things that you know will not add any value to you. In your 9-5 work hours, don't let extra work spill into your family time and even weekends. Time is precious. Be as productive during those working hours until your time is up.
When you get home and put on your that second hat, it’s family time up until your planned time for working your business. Pushing your family aside to work on your business can be easy to do, when working from home. But doing this will only make things harder on you. It’s so important to realize that you, as a business owner, have to create boundaries for yourself. This means understanding when it’s time to play and put down the phone, laptop, etc.
Here are some of my own boundaries I’ve set for myself:
Never say “just this once”, when you open that door it’s never just a one-time thing
No emails if my kids are home
Kids come first: If they need me my business or work pauses
Do something for myself once a week; A bubble bath, massage, pedicure, or read a book
Answer 9 – 5 emails before my own business’
Learn to say ‘No’ to the petty things that don’t contribute to my well being
The last thing you want to do is have your business tearing apart your family. You created this business to enjoy life more with your family. If you have to work outside of your designated “work time”, then set aside an hour or two. Set an alarm and try to get as much done as you can. Trust me…the work will be there tomorrow, but the memories will not be.
PRO-TIP
Coming from a business owner who had no one to tell her how to run it all, I am promising you, my 4 secrets will change your life! You will feel more organized, less stressed, and you won’t feel the dreaded “mom guilt”.
Tell me, how do you balance a full-time job and a business? Do you have any tips to share for our readers?
