How to run a side hustle without burning out

I recently wrote an article listing the amazing benefits that can come from starting a side hustle, which led to many people asking but how do I manage it around a full-time job? So I thought I'd write a follow-up sharing my own personal experience, and 4 top tips on how to make sure you don't burn out. And if still need some moral support to pursue your side hustle after reading this, I'm running my next F*ck Being Humble Side Hustle School course on the 19th of October and there are still spaces available to join. But for now, here are my best recommendations for staying on top of your full-time grind and fulfilling your side hustle dreams:

1. Set realistic ambitions - Side hustles are on the side for a reason, it's a hobby that you can do around your current commitments. It does not (and should not) be a life-changing idea that consumes every minute of your downtime and leaves you with zero headspace for anything else. When I first started F*ck Being Humble, I told myself I'd post on social media 5 times a week and write 4 blogs a month - safe to say that never happened! One of the quickest and most important things I realised is when it's your own project YOU control how much pressure you put on yourself. So if some days, weeks or months you don't have the time, energy or capacity, that's okay, the world will go on, and no one will boycott you! You just have to be realistic with your own expectations and remember you control the pace.
2. Figure out when you are most productive - When I ran my side hustle around my full-time job (which was often very demanding and long hours) I knew I had to allocate my time efficiently if I was ever going to get anything done. I worked a minimum 8 hour day Mon-Friday so I prioritised my weekday evenings for low energy easier tasks like replying to emails, following and connecting with people on social media, and searching for visual inspiration. But when I had bigger, more time-consuming tasks, I'd either wait for a day where work hadn't sucked all the energy out of me and work that evening, or block out some time on the weekend after I'd given myself space to rest. I'm also a morning person so sometimes I'd get up an hour earlier if I knew I had things to get done that day. There's no magic formula and everyone's productivity levels are different, but what I will say is, you will be so surprised by how much newfound energy you have when it's your own idea - I don't know where it comes from but it's the momentum you need to get through.
3. Use tools to help you save time - This is where the project manager in me comes out! Utilising the free and paid tools available online to help you is so important to protect your time and your stress levels. For daily task management, Asana has been really useful for me to use as you can add deadlines, responsibilities and label each activity by priority so you don't feel like you've got an avalanche of things to do. I also recently started using Later.com, a social media scheduling tool to post content on Instagram and Twitter, which has massively helped me with 1) pre-planning content so I'm not frantically searching 10 mins before 2) reduce how much time I spend lingering and getting distracted in the apps. There are lots of other great tools and software out there that can free up your time whilst making you look like your seamlessly on top of everything.
4. Call out for help - Whether you're working solo or co-founding an idea with your peers, don't feel like you have to do everything by yourself. This is a common mistake that side hustlers (myself included) make and can easily spiral into burn out. Now more than ever people are open to collaborating and supporting one another, so take advantage of that! You might be the face of the brand or movement, but it doesn't mean you have to be the only person peddling it into a reality. Ask for introductions, work with experts on co-creating content, skill swap, or see what exchanges you can make with businesses. You don't need to have a marketing budget to build a team of advocates that will support you.

The biggest thing I want you to take away from this article is that YOU control your side hustle. You control how much you produce, who you say yes and no to, how many hours you work and where you choose to do it. A big part to side hustling successfully is setting boundaries so you don't feel trapped or overwhelmed, but you also know when to stop. During my two years of side hustling, I ran community events, managed social media platforms, sat on panels, mentored and even managed to write book alongside a full-time job. Some months and weeks were harder than others, but the incredible opportunities that came as a result of me investing in a passion project has made every late night and early morning worth it.

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I will be running our next F*ck Being Humble Side Hustle School between the 19th October - 13th November, tickets include 4 workshops from F*ck Being Humble founder and author Stef, 4 talks from platform specialists Pinterest, Eventbrite, Linkedin and The Dots and weekly activities to complete in your own time. All content is recorded and shared on a private FB community to view in your own time. Tickets are ￡50.