“Success is reaching one person on a deep level on a given day. Anything more is a bonus.” 🌟~Arlan Hamilton
I enjoyed the side hustle workshop I did a few weeks ago and am curious to see if I can pull out some content from it to use in other ways. I am also playing with the idea of possibly getting a V.A. to help with some things. TBD on that one. The reply to this tweet was eye-opening, so I’m thinking about it.
Anyhoo...during the workshop, we spent time covering how to balance your side hustle with your day job. I shared a few of these tips on the call and thinking about turning these (and possibly more) into a blog post:
Try a 90-minute workday for side hustle tasks. Do four 15-minute sessions, focus on your time-sensitive projects for that first hour, and dedicate the remaining 30 minutes to noncritical tasks.
Schedule your most creative tasks at the time of day you are most productive. You an early bird? Night owl? Afternoon enthusiast?
“The power of three will set you free.” (do you get that reference?). Each day, choose the three most important things you need to get done.
Batch similar tasks whenever you can (think meetings, blogging, social media). This cuts down on context switching, which can be exhausting.
Put everything in your calendar. If it’s not in my calendar, it’s not real. (and also, I can’t rely on my brain to remember things.)
Set a theme for your days. Monday could be your admin day, Tuesday could be for learning, Wednesday for outreach, Thursday for meetings, and so on.
Are there things you can outsource? Maybe a V.A. can help with managing email or creating graphics? Can you use services like Instacart to save time?
Use music to get you in work mode. If you like lyrics, try the Side Hustla! playlist. If not, maybe try some piano covers (this is a fave of mine).
Tune out the noise. Put your phone and laptop on Do Not Disturb. Close all social media (it’s a black hole, trust me) and only have the tabs and applications open that you need.
If you can, handle emails only once. Then reply, archive, or turn it into a task for yourself.
Have grace with yourself. Some days the job will be a priority; some days, the business, and other days YOU will need to be the focus. Side hustling is a difficult journey, and it’s not so much about balancing but integrating all of the pieces and understanding that some days your best will look different.
Which one of these tips can you try today? What other tips have helped you balance your business/passion project with your job or other commitments?
On to the picks!
P.S. If I created a course or ebook around starting a curated newsletter, would that be of interest to you? Hit reply and let me know.
Note: This email may contain affiliate links. If you click through my link and make a purchase, that means I may receive “thank you money” at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products that I use and love.
#sponsor
Make stunning online courses, using only your phone. Classcamp is the easiest way to shoot them, using our unique templates. Sell what you know – it’s as simple as shooting an Instagram story.
Sign up today and see for yourself.
#loves 😍
📚. Reading: The Money Tree. This book popped back up on my radar. And I thought it was worth re-including (is that a word?) It tells the story of Jake, who is in danger of losing everything: his job, his apartment, his girlfriend. And how that sets him on the path to start learning about creating a side hustle for himself. So many great actionable lessons for creating financial freedom.
📺. Watching: Choices. Such an incredible video about the power of choices and habits. Saw this in the For the Interested newsletter.
📝. Tool: MOFT Laptop Stand. I was having issues with my wrists while working from home during this pandemic and wondered if raising my laptop would help. This stand has been excellent, and I love how portable it is. It sticks to the bottom of my Macbook. Thanks for the reco Lynn!
#reads
The mindful productivity audit: 10 questions to improve your well-being at work — nesslabs.com
“How do you get started if you want to achieve more, but don’t want to burn out in the process?”
As part of the Ness Labs community, we are doing a mindful productivity challenge for September. The first task was an audit that I found eye-opening. It gave me some areas to pay attention to over the next month. If you want to do your own audit, this post will walk you through it.
10 Ways To Boost Sales In One Minute — medium.com
These ideas from Josh Spector are quick and straightforward ways to get more sales:
Ask a subscriber or follower if there’s anything you can help them with.
Re-share your best converting piece of content on social media.
Send an email to your email list asking how you can help them.
Send a 9-word email.
Message someone you admire and thank them for the value they’ve given you.
Subscribe to For The Interested.
Ask a previous buyer for a testimonial.
Raise your price by 10%.
Email previous buyers with an upsell.
Offer a one day discount or incentive.
#icymi
😍. Last issue’s top pick was: Ness Labs’ September Mindful Productivity Challenge
📺 [WATCH] I did a talk about the Side Hustle Generation as part of the National Urban League’s Digital Career Success Series.
#classifieds 🗞
Want to see Classcamp’s mobile course creator in action? Come join our free webinar on 23rd September! But register now – spots are limited.
Looking for a writing side hustle? Get the list of 250 Places That Pay for Your Writing. It shows who’s looking for stories (even if you’re a beginner!) Free!
Morning Brew covers the latest news in a fun and entertaining way. Get up to speed in business, finance, and tech in just 5 minutes. Check it out!
👀. Have something you’d like to promote to #jesspicks 1,000+ readers? You can buy an ad or sponsorship here.
#lifevibes
#supporters ☕️
Thank you Nicole, Humza, Greg, Kristin, Kirstyn, Jess, Cheryl, Krysta, Adrena, Vidya, Kristyn, Danielle, Keryn, Terry, Vanessa, Meredith, Lauren, Meg, Maria J., Chivon, Kim, Luciano, Colie, Chasity, Laurie, Latienda, Collette, Anne, Kristen, Liz, Katherine, Monale, Betsy, Melissa, Lindsay, Jennifer, Kayla, Madison, Rae, Stephanie, Christine R., Christine M., Frances, Hannah, Chris, Brandy, Mea, Kristian, Maria K. Avery, Adam, Barbara, Shenee, Desiree, Lisa, Kandice, L'Oreal, and LaVerne for being #jesspicks supporters!! ❤️
Want to help support this newsletter? Buy me a coffee.
