How Does an Employee Juggle a Startup While Still Working on a Full-Time Job

A full time job done simultaneously with a startup takes up a LOT of time. This is how I did it (and am doing it). Hope it works for you. This also applies to other endeavors.

The Power of Prioritization

1) Create your Life List

List down all aspects in your life that you want to prioritize on. It could be short term, could be long- term. Works best long-term. (e.g. Work, business, love, friends, travel, fitness, hobby, spirituality, health/diet, etc.)

Another way of doing this is asking yourself in a high-level sense, “what do I want to do/accomplish in my life in <insert duration, e.g. 5 years or 1 year even>?” List them all down.

2) Rank your Life List

Rank them with 1 as top priority. This is very personal and there are no other steps to this but to dig deeper into your self.

If you find it hard to rank the items on your Life List, try to ask yourself, “What makes me happy the most?” This will help you rank them accordingly.

3) Your Top 3

Pick the Top 3 from your ranked Life List. Stick with it with the duration you picked (e.g. 1 year, 5 years, whatever). Having a Top 3 guide gives you a North ⭐️.

4) Focus

Focus on your Top 3. Top 1 is your ultimate North ⭐️. Anything you do and anything you decide, will be based on the impact to your Top 3. It doesn’t mean you cannot do any of the other goals you listed down from ranks 4 and below… but knowing your priorities maximizes your time to achieve those top 3.

5) Reevaluate as Needed

Pick a period of reevaluation, say, every 3 months. Adjust accordingly. Your priorities will change as time goes on and that’s okay. If your priorities changed, go back to Step 1.

Hope this helps! There is no clear path as to how to manage your time when building a startup and staying at your full-time job for practical reasons. It varies per person. But in my experience, what works best is to remember this hashtag: #priorities.

Just to share, here is my current TOP 3 as of the time of writing:

1. Love
2. Startup/Business
3. Self-Improvement

“Work” fell off the list so I resigned last June 2017. 😂

PS: So when my boyfriend (of n years) requests a special time with me, I prioritize and drop everything else. Just have to arrange for those below my priorities when this happens. We have been in love for almost 10 years. Still feels like yesterday. 😍 #priorities