With the increasing popularity of the gig economy, there’s never been a better time to start your side hustle. A side hustle can be almost anything — selling clothes, cutting hair, or delivering food — that earns some extra income in addition to your main job. For most people, though, juggling full-time work with additional hours can become stressful. That’s why it’s important to find a balance between your side hustle and self-care to make sure you're doing right by both yourself and your work.
Define What Self-Care Means to You
The first step towards finding balance is defining what self-care means to you. Remember that personal needs look different for every person. You might feel the best after you’ve enjoyed a power nap, while somebody else may benefit the most from a meditation session. Take time to identify the activities and habits that make you feel rested, energetic, and healthy.
Though these practices vary from person to person, many people find that they benefit from getting sufficient sleep, exercising regularly, and utilizing relaxation or mindfulness strategies. Studies show that nutrition impacts stress levels, too, so try to establish a healthy diet. It’s clear that you must care for your body if you want to care for your whole self, so you can jumpstart your self-care routine with lifestyle improvements.
Create an Environment That Fosters Stability
In addition to fostering wellness within your body, you should foster stability throughout your environment. If you’re coming home to a space that’s cluttered and cramped, your self-care efforts will only be so effective. Balancing your side hustle with a successful self-care routine demands a calm atmosphere that facilitates healing.
To create a positive, healthy home, start with basic cleaning and decluttering. Get rid of anything that you don’t use, clear off cluttered surfaces, and create an organization plan. It’s a good idea to do this before you fully dive into your side hustle. Having a calm and clean home base is key to maintaining the sense of balance you’ll need to multitask effectively.
Choose a Side Hustle That Fits Your Life
A clean home and a clear self-care routine don’t guarantee the success of your side hustle. If you choose an endeavor that doesn’t match your goals or you lack the leadership skills necessary to succeed, you’ll find yourself struggling despite your best efforts. You need to assess what kind of work will best fit into your life.
The goal of a side hustle, after all, is to generate extra income to make your life easier. To achieve this, you must focus on optimizing the efficiency of your operation. Running even a side business requires time, effort, and investment, so you should look for an opportunity that offers rewarding returns in a short time span.
Manage Your Obligations Mindfully
It isn’t easy to cultivate mindfulness when you’re trying to launch a side hustle and take care of yourself at the same time. You might feel tempted to pour all of your efforts into one task or the other, but maintaining professional and personal balance is the only way you’ll succeed. To this end, work to develop a self-care routine that meets your needs and choose a side hustle that suits your skills — and you can balance both by maintaining a calm, uncluttered home base.
