So, how do you find time for a side project?
Side hustles or projects can be a rewarding thing, and in some cases very financially rewarding. But if you’re already working a full 50 hour week how do you find time for them?
Last year I was able to run 3 side projects simultaneously whilst still working my regular day job, so how was I able to get it done? Through a balance of interest, chunking, consistency and realism.
Pick a side project that is very different to your everyday job
The first thing you want to get right when starting a side project is your interest in it. I know this sounds obvious but this is the main driver for seeing you through to it’s completion. From my experience it’s best if you pick a side project that is very different (or at least a bit different) to your everyday job. The reason for this is you’re going to have some days when you come from work and the last thing you want to do is start working again on something that looks a lot like what you just left behind at the office. If you’re a software developer specialising in databases then working on something, at least, non-database related will give you something to look forward to when you go home.
The trick to tackling large projects is being able to break them up into smaller ones.
Next up, chunking. The trick to tackling large projects is being able to break them up into smaller ones. Let’s say you want to make a mobile game. That can be quite a task, but if you can divide the whole thing into its component steps you’ll find a lot of the mini tasks can be done in 20 minutes or so. This may be as simple as creating a character or background sprite, researching how to setup in game advertising or adding a sound effect. By breaking up the projects into these smaller steps, you won’t need to allocate huge blocks of time for it, you’ll be able to make slow but steady progress and the whole project becomes less daunting.
I schedule three hour blocks for side projects three nights a week
Finally we have consistency and realism, grouped together as one feeds into the other. I schedule three hour blocks for side projects three nights a week and one block on weekend mornings that I use for anything that didn’t get completed during the week. Currently this is 7pm-10pm, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday morning (9ish-12ish depending how awake I feel). This allows me to get home from the office and straight into whatever project I have planned for the evening. Its also a lot easier to get started on the side project when you haven’t sat down for a proper break and you’re still running on the momentum of the day.
The rationale why there’s only four sessions a week is simple, life. Being realistic in what time you have available and what you can do in that time is the key to making consistent, sustainable, progress. Sometimes I play basketball on Thursday nights, sometimes I go to the movies on Tuesdays, but I’m able to consistently hit that three night a week target. This is also the reason why most of the weekend is free, you need time to have a break, recharge and enjoy life. Otherwise your work, and your life, will suffer unnecessarily.
For this reason the amount and length of your time blocks may be different to mine. If you can only commit to one or two nights per week, or one or two hours per night, you can still make significant progress on your project because you’ve broken it up into smaller chunks. You wont feel like giving up because you’ve gotten behind because your personal, family or social life has got in the way.
This strategy has help me work through several major projects but most importantly it has been easy to stick to. Once you’ve formed this habit and completed your first project, you’ll want to keep creating new ones. If you’ve got any of your own tips don’t forget to add them in the comments bellow.
