How to Manage a Side Hustle When You're a Busy AF Working Mom
Oct 04, 2021
Are you a working mom who is currently managing a side hustle? Or are you thinking of starting one? I did this for three years and I was able to build my following to thousands, gain awesome credibility within my audience by providing tons of free content and also writing and publishing two books, create multiple courses, including one that has helped working parents in over 60 countries and maintains a 4.3/5 rating, and strategize the business’ growth and direction, all while adding a 4th baby to our family and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Was it easy all the time? No. It wasn’t.
Was it possible? 1000% Yes. It was.
And, after 3 years of doing both, I ultimately made the decision to leave my full time corporate career and turn my side hustle into my main hustle. If this is something you are looking to do, read on. In this post, I'm sharing time management tips to make it happen, mindset shifts that kept me sane and the hardship that comes along with trying to balance all the things. I’m pulling back the curtain here because I want you to know that I’ve been there and I want you see all the possibility that there is for you if your goal is ultimately to become a full time mompreneur. And by the way, if that’s not your goal, and you want to maintain both, that’s totally cool too. Some people, especially multi-passionate people, enjoy the juggle of both. These tips will help you feel more sane when things can get a little hectic and ensure your head and your heart are in it to win it, so you don’t decide to walk away when times get tough, which can be very tempting, I know.
I want to put a disclaimer out there that when I decided to leave my full time career, I wasn’t doing it from a place of unhappiness or despair. I also wasn’t doing it because I could no longer handle juggling both worlds. And while for some people, that may very well be the catalyst or the reason they decide to take that leap, it wasn’t for me. For me, it was something even bigger. It was a deep rooted feeling that was nudging me that it was indeed time. I couldn’t identify anymore with being a corporate mom with a side hustle. It wasn’t feeding my soul anymore. I needed to be able to fully step into my business and own that new title, that new self, as my whole self from a professional standpoint. I couldn’t continue to give my best energy to my corporate role because my passion no longer lived there. It was ultimately just inevitable I quit. Was I making my corporate salary yet in my side hustle? No, I wasn’t. In fact, for a while, that was the excuse I told myself why I couldn’t leave my full time career because I needed to see the proof in the pudding. But, after so much reflection and prayer, the choice was really no longer mine. I had to just go with it and trust the universe and God were guiding me toward the right path for me. And I tell you this because, I think a decision as big as leaving your full time career shouldn’t be made quickly or irrationally or emotionally or even totally practically (although those are usually pretty easy to go with-especially if you’re analytical like me), but it should involve your intuition. Your intuition always knows what’s up and what’s right.
Ok, but let’s get back into the actual side hustle part of this, like when you’re a working mom trying to do your full paying job and then start your second full time job when you get home or stop working of being a mom, and now, dedicate some time and energy toward building your side hustle, it can feel overwhelming! Those first two things can be so demanding alone that how do you even find the time or energy to focus on something else? The questions are probably rolling through your head right now and I bet I can guess them:
-
When will I fit this in?
-
How will I make it work?
-
Why would I want to do this? I’m already so busy. OR Why couldn’t I make this work? Other people do.
-
What am I even thinking?
So if you haven’t started your side hustle yet, you might be questioning if this is something you even want to do because heading into this new space can feel daunting and your brain, as it always does, will convince you it’s not a good idea and try to keep you safe—safe and cozy in your predictable 9-5 with your predictable salary and predictable commute and predictable paid time off. And if you’re already knee deep in your side hustle, you may be questioning more about how this is sustainable, if this is even worth it, when you can leave your full time job and why you even chose to do this.
These are all totally normal thoughts! And most entrepreneurs will tell you…the daily emotional rollercoaster is real. Passionate entrepreneurs question their sanity, their expertise and their qualifications daily. Many even question their purpose daily. Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart and it is not for people who don’t like being uncomfortable on a regular basis. So, if you have a laundry list of questions or doubts circling in your mind, know you are in good company and those aren't always red flags to give up or not move forward with your million dollar idea.
The next thing I’ll share about managing your side hustle while you’re momming and working full time is this. Despite the busyness in your life right now, you need to find a way to stay consistent in your business if you’re serious about seeing it grow and ultimately become the breadwinner in your side hustle-main hustle relationship. And the absolute best way for that to happen is to stay consistent. When I first started my business, I was focused on creating free content that would grow my audience and build trust with them. I did so via this blog. I created a schedule for 6 months and settled on posting new content every two weeks, which would also include a newsletter to my email list and social posts to help boost subscribers and visibility. Frontloading ideas for posts and mapping this out helped me not feel overwhelmed when I had busy work weeks and focusing on the business seemed really hard. I already had a good part of the work done. Consistency on social media was also something I committed to. I mapped out a strategy (that by the way changed a number of times as everything is trial and error when you’re learning the ropes) and committed to posting a certain number of times a week. I started my Instagram with something called Mom Jam Monday where every Monday I’d post about a fun song that I used to love listening to in my pre-mom days. On other days, I’d post quotes. Other days, photos. Honestly, if that feels too rigid for you, don’t do it. For me, it felt more organized and sane and allowed me to frontload content when I knew I had really busy weeks ahead. It alleviated some of the stress of being able to show up, but also keep showing up, you know? Whatever system works for you, whether that be dedicating x number of minutes per day to show up for your people online or via free content or planning ahead and doing it in advance so it drips out when you need it to, just ensure you’re staying consistent in showing up as a mompreneur. Inconsistency is a sure fire way to lose trust in your customers because they never know if you’re going to show up or not. Inconsistency for yourself is also a way to let everything else get in the way of something important to you. As a working mom, it can feel really hard to fit in working on your business because often times, the business is extra. The business isn’t currently paying the bills. The business feels too fun to be work. Or the business is never a top priority. But, training yourself to show up consistently for your business is crucial. When you treat the business seriously and with respect, it gives it right back to you. If you treat it like a flaky friend, guess what? She’s gonna flake out on you too when you need her. Be nice to her and make her a priority if you’re serious about watching her grow. Nurture her, feed her, keep her clean and organized, invest in her. The return will come, but you need to put in the work first.
Now, what about the time? Like how do you actually make time for your side hustle when you’re already busy AF. Well, if you know me, you know, this is where my heart starts to race and I get a little bit overly excited because this is exactly what I specialize in. I help busy moms find the time they need to do the things they want, and if growing your side hustle is what you want, girlllll, I am so glad the universe has brought us together. Yes, I totally believe in that divine intervention. If you are reading right now, it is because you were meant to hear this. And I am 1000% here for it. So, when it comes to time and ensuring you have it so you can do all the things, you're probably wondering...
"How do you make the time for it all?"
"How do you do this without the stress?"
"The guilt?"
"The overwhelm?"
Well, one way is, you stop saying, “I don’t have time” and you start replacing it with “It’s not a priority to me”.
Let’s try it: "I don’t have time for my business" vs. "My business is not a priority to me".
Ohhh—yikes, that is not what I think you feel when you think about your business, right? I mean, I imagine, your business is a priority to you. So, when you start reframing this, you bet your ass you’re going to start finding ways to make it a priority in your life. You’re going to watch a little less Netflix. You’re going to multitask your train rides to work doing business stuff. You’re going to network during your lunch breaks. And maybe you’re going to wake up early Saturday mornings to have some quiet, uninterrupted time to strategize or build your next product or service. This reframe is essential so you can ensure you are making your side hustle a priority in your daily life.
Now, does this mean that there are going to be days where shit hits the fan and you get slammed at work or your kids get sick and throw the whole schedule off or your childcare fails you. Yessss—of course these things will happen and of course you will give yourself grace on those days. I’m just saying, for the most part, your daily habits, your normal routine doesn’t include a laundry list of excuses why you’re not prioritizing your side hustle.
Next, you need to know what to multitask and what not to multitask. There are many experts out there who say you shouldn’t multitask ANYTHING. And, I totally understand where these people are coming from. Multitasking is not the best way to manage getting more done. In fact, it often makes you feel more frazzled, drop the ball in places you could have easily held it up, and creates overwhelm in places where overwhelm doesn’t need to be. But, the bottom line is, a lot of these experts aren’t busy AF moms managing full time jobs, a house, a family, and a business. So, multitasking in your life, and mine, is going to happen. The important thing to remember when it comes to multitasking is this: you shouldn’t try to multitask EVERYTHING.
My mantra when it comes to multitasking is this: Multitask the mindless. Solotask the mindful.
Multitask things you can basically do on autopilot, things that don’t require a ton of brain power, things that if you didn’t do meticulously, you might not care that much. Solotask the things that are important to you. The things that you care deeply about. The things that would require a whole lot of fixing if you messed them up. For example, multitask folding laundry or washing dishes or commuting (if you’re not driving of course) with something you enjoy or something you can listen to or networking with potential partnerships or clients. Solotask having dinner with your family, creating content that requires thoughtfulness and concentration, basically ANYTHING that is important to you, that you want to be fully present for, and that you care deeply about. Start with these two ways to really prioritize and maximize how you’re spending your time while you’re building your side hustle and working and momming and watch how you get it done with less overwhelm and mom guilt along for the ride.
If this post was helpful for you, consider joining the Time MOMagement 4 week program. This course provides so many more tips and tricks and mindset shifts when it comes to the working mom juggle. This is an incredible opportunity to get a great handle on how you’re using your time with intention and gain lots of clarity on your side hustle goals and visions so you can get closer to living your absolute best life as a working mom/mompreneur. If you are serious about wanting to level up how you’re managing your time and living your life, I will see you there, mama.
Stay connected!
Join the email list to receive the latest news and updates.
Don't worry, your information will not be shared.
We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.
