Finding balance is hard. You’ve got your day job, your home, your family, your side hustle(s)… and hopefully, there’s a social life in there somewhere, too. It truly never ends. There’s always something that needs to be done.
Who has time for self-care? It’s hard to think about and seemingly impossible to implement. But making time for self-care is super important amidst your side hustle. Otherwise, you’re going to end up burned out… and that’s not good for you, those around you, or your side-gig.
You’ve got to be careful not to let your goals and ambitions become an excuse for neglecting your health! Here’s why self-care is so important for side-hustlers, plus some simple ideas to help you implement a routine that prevents burnout.
Table of Contents: Self-Care for Side Hustlers: Why It Matters + How to Implement A Routine
Define Your Non-Negotiables
In other words, what do you personally need to feel good- physically and mentally? For most of us, the non-negotiables are regular exercise, a healthy diet, and consistent sleep.
No matter how busy you are, you can’t efficiently operate if you’re not getting enough sleep. Regular exercise is fundamental to your overall health. Making time to get your body moving at least a few times a week is crucial.
And when you’re constantly hustling, one of the first things to go is your diet. It’s much easier to grab fast food on the go than it is to hold out for something healthy. And, when you’re not eating well, it tends to affect other areas… it’s kind of like self-sabotage.
These are just the basics. There may be other things that are non-negotiable for you, too. Maybe it’s your yoga class, daily meditation, or weekly lunch with your bestie.
Defining your non-negotiables will help you recognize when you’re neglecting yourself so that you can take a pause and reassess your priorities.
Pad Your Calendar
If there’s one thing side-hustlers have in common, it’s the desire to maximize every minute of every day. There will always be more things to add to your schedule, and it’s only going to get worse as you grow.
Learning how to pad your calendar is an essential skill for side hustlers who want to avoid stress and burnout. The easiest way to do it is to give yourself some buffer time in between appointments and deadlines.
Block off some extra time to complete projects or get from one appointment to the next so you’re not always rushing. And don’t be afraid to schedule downtime, too. These are such simple things you can start doing right away that can have a huge impact on your stress levels.
Keep Your Nutrition In Check
Let’s face it. No matter how hard you try, there are going to be times where you slip up and don’t eat as well as you should. Taking organic vitamins for stress is one way to help to keep your energy levels up and help your body cope with the extra load of balancing your side hustle and the rest of your busy life.
Here are some key stress and fatigue-fighting ingredients to look for when choosing your daily vitamin formula:
- Magnesium: Magnesium is a mineral that promotes relaxation and soothes muscle tension. It can also help with insomnia, irritability, restlessness, and anxiety.
- Vitamin D: Low vitamin D levels can contribute to stress, anxiety, mood swings, and general fatigue. It’s also essential for a healthy immune system. If you’re spending a lot of time indoors working on your side hustle, you might benefit from adding vitamin D to your daily supplement regimen.
- B Complex: B complex vitamins include thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, biotin, and more. These vitamins are essential for metabolism and keeping your mental and physical energy levels up. They also help the body combat anxiety, irritability, tension, chronic stress, and insomnia.
Build a Supportive Network
Of course, your close friends and family are your primary support network, and they’re invaluable. But it can also be extremely helpful to build a supportive network of entrepreneurs and side hustlers in your industry.
Building friendships with people who are on a similar journey to yours can be beneficial in so many ways. You can bounce ideas off them, and they can help you come up with solutions to problems. You can encourage each other, celebrate successes, and remind each other to take a break when needed.
Establish Boundaries Between Work and Personal Relationships
When you’re obsessed with your side-hustle, it’s easy to turn every conversation into something business-related. But ask yourself if your friends and family really want to have another conversation about your work.
Of course, the people who love you will do their best to be supportive! But be honest with yourself if the topic might be coming up too often and consuming your relationship. It’s about being self-aware.
Having personal relationships and conversations that are about more than just your work is important for your mental health. Be sure to set some boundaries for yourself. That’s where your supportive network of fellow entrepreneurs comes in.
Learn to Appreciate Where You Are Right Now
When you have a full-time job and a side-hustle, it’s easy to obsess about the things you don’t really want to do… like spending eight hours at work every day. But it’s so important to learn to appreciate where you are.
Recognize and appreciate how important the things you’re learning at your job are. If it wasn’t for that experience, you might not be as successful with your side hustle. And if it weren’t for that income, you wouldn’t be able to support yourself or your family.
Learn to change the way you think. It’s so easy to hold resentment or get caught up in the negative things. But if you practice gratitude at work and remember to appreciate the benefits of your day job, you’ll find that you’re much happier throughout the day.
You’ll also find that you aren’t so stressed and anxious about whatever you’re chasing in your side hustle that you haven’t achieved yet.
Plan a Solid Start and Stop Time for Your Side Hustle
Boundaries are important for more than just your relationships. You also need to set boundaries on the time you’re putting into your side business. It’s so easy to spend all of your free time working, but that’s just not healthy.
Of course, building a side hustle takes work, time, and effort. And there will always be days you work later than you planned. But planning a solid start and stop time where you walk away from your laptop and take a mental break will help you refuel so that you can start fresh when it’s time to jump back in.
Final Thoughts
Learning to take time for self-care will help you win at your side hustle in the long run. Being successful with your side biz begins with taking care of your mental and physical health. Don’t try to keep going at 100 mph all the time. Take breaks and step away so you can recharge, refuel and keep moving forward.
