How to Stop Your Side Hustle From Becoming a Pushed-Aside Hustle

Okay, now I’m ready.

Hey, it’s Marie Forleo and you are watching MarieTV, the place to be to create a business and life you love. Now, if you’re so damn busy with your day job and trying to do your morning routines and your evening routines that you can’t seem to find time for your side hustle, this episode is for you.

Today’s question comes from Vanessa and Vanessa writes: “Hey, Marie. Thanks for what you do with MarieTV, the podcasts, the emails, everything.” You’re welcome.

“My biggest challenge is trying to create structure around the time I have outside my day job to move forward on my personal projects and side hustles. I hear about everything from morning routines to evening routines, but after all that plus my day job it seems like I won’t have any hours left to actually get to work. Then when I think about all these things I get overwhelmed and I don’t work on anything. How can I develop positive habits to move along with my projects within the finite hours of my work day? Thanks so much, Vanessa.”

Oh, Vanessa, Vanessa, Vanessa. I love this question. You are so not alone in feeling overstretched and overcommitted and overwhelmed. And as someone who has been in a similar position working a day job and trying to get my own side hustle off the ground, I can relate.

Now, the good news here is that I’m not going to give you even more habits that you need to adopt because all that would have you do is feel more overburdened and overstretched. What I am going to do instead, however, is give you a simple mantra and full on permission to start doing less so you can achieve more. Here’s what I mean.

For the foreseeable future, the mantra I want you to live by is this: simplify to amplify. That’s right. Say it again with me. Simplify to amplify. Then you need to do whatever you need to do to remember it. Write it on a post-it note, make it a screensaver on your iPhone, get it tattooed on your hoo-di-hoo. I don't care how you do it, but the point is simply you must simplify, Vanessa. Meaning reduce the number of projects and expectations and obligations that you have so you can amplify, meaning get more results in the limited time you have. And here’s how.

Step number one, first you need to forget about the overly complex morning routines and evening routines. Now, look. I know I’m going to get burned at the stake for this one, but look. Sometimes we in the personal development world, we can take things a little bit too far. You know, a few years ago I started to get hives any time I heard about another “hack” and how to use this productivity hack or that health hack or this bio hack or that burrito hack. I’ve got to say, I wanted to stick a hackin’ fork in my eye.

And I will say, I’m starting to feel the same way about this obsession with these elaborate morning routines and evening routines. I mean, yes, of course we all want to take good care of ourselves. And yes, I do believe in meditating daily. I mean, all you need is 10 minutes. And yes, of course, it is smart to maintain healthy habits like working out. And by the way, if you love your morning routine and your evening routine and it’s working for you, please keep going. I mean, rock on with your bad self.

But honestly, if I see another headline with “635 things every successful person does before 5:30 AM,” I am going to stick another hackin’ fork in my eye. I mean, you guys. Am I right?

I’m tellin’ ya. Because, you know, it’s like people want you to spend an hour meditating and then a half hour journaling and then an hour working out and then another hour on your gratitudes and then you need to go forage for acai berries and then you need to put them in a bowl that you threw yourself on the pottery wheel and then you need to do a coconut pull. And then before you know it, hey guys. Just finished my morning routine. Who’s ready to crush the day? Yeah! Hey, what are you guys watching?

“It’s the what the hell are you doing up so late tonight show with special guests: pajamas, the moon, vampires, and a teddy bear. Sponsored by your morning routine that took all damn day. No room for side hustle. Promotional considerations.”

Here is the real deal, my friend. When I first started I was like you. I was working my day job and I was working my side hustle too. And I gotta tell you, I did not have a morning routine. I did not have an evening routine. My only routine was this. It was working my damn ass off in every nook and cranny of time that I could find when I was not at my day job. It was messy, it was chaotic. And guess what? It all turned out just fine. But here is one smart thing I did do and I want you to consider it as well.

Step number two, only work on one concrete project or goal at a time. You know, Vanessa. The thing that caught my attention in your question was that you said personal projects and my side hustles, plural. And so that leads me to think that you might be trying to do way too many things at the same time. Like, I don't know, put three thousand photographs into five handmade scrapbooks and learn how to speak Mandarin and start a gluten free bakery and be a fashion blogger.

Less is more, my friend. You know, most people make the mistake of having too many projects on their plate at one time and the result: nothing ever really gets done. You see, when your time is limited and you scatter it across multiple projects, everything tends to take longer and you rarely get the satisfaction or the momentum that comes when you’re able to say “done.” I got to say, I am with Confucius on this one: “the man who chases two rabbits catches neither.”

So I need you to decide right now, what is the one project that you want to focus on? Is it your side hustle? Is it your personal life? Keep it simple and achievable and then once you have that clear focus, figure out what’s the one task that you need to do today to get that one project moving or to keep it moving in the right direction? And then all you need to do is just set yourself a simple timer, like 30 minutes or 60 minutes or 90 minutes. I mean, whatever you can put aside. And during that time you work on one discrete task and then you’re done. And then any free time you can find, you keep moving that one project ahead until it is complete. And then and only then can you start on the next stage of that project. I want you to remember this: simplify to amplify, baby. Now, let’s land this plane on a tweetable.

Simplicity and focus keep a side hustle from becoming a pushed-aside hustle.

That was my A to your Q, Vanessa. I sure do hope it helps. And now I would love to hear from you. In the spirit of simplify to amplify, what’s one single project that deserves your time and attention and tell me why? Then I want you to tell me the very next task or milestone that will move you closer to done. Leave a comment below and let me know.

Now, as always, the best conversations happen over at MarieForleo.com, so head on over there and leave a comment now. And once you’re there, be sure to subscribe to our email list and become an MF Insider. You’re going to get instant access to a powerful audio training called “How To Get Anything You Want.” And you’ll get some exclusive content, some special giveaways, and some personal updates from me that I just don't share anywhere else.

Stay on your game and keep going for your dreams because the world needs that very special gift that only you have. Thank you so much for watching and I’ll catch you next time on MareTV.

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