Working on your startup while also having a 9 to 5? You don't need more time, you need more focus
Hi! I’ve been working on my startup (https://www.resumemaker.online/) while holding down a full-time job for years now. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s doable.
I wanted to take a moment to reflect on all that I’ve learned during this time. If you're struggling to balance a 9to5 and a personal project, here are a few tips that might help you:
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Block out time
Assign time for work, leisure, taking care of your health, and even doing nothing! The best ideas come to me when I’m bored, so set a calendar and notifications. No more all-nighters or skipping gym. You can't recover sleep, and that neat new feature can wait. -
Make sacrifices
If you feel like you don’t have enough time, it’s probably because you’re not focusing on the right things. There will always be more things to do than you have time for. You won’t be able to do everything. You’ll have to pick and choose what’s most important. -
Plan ahead on Sundays.
Sit down and think about what you want to accomplish during the week. It will help you focus and make the most of your time by preventing decision paralysis. If you have a plan, You can execute without wasting time or mental energy on decisions. -
Stick to your framework.
It wasn’t easy for me to find a system that worked, but once I did, I stuck to it. Your system might be different. The important thing is to find something that works for you and stick with it. -
Take breaks
But if you feel like you're starting to burn out, take it easy and unplug for a little while. It may not seem like it, but sometimes the most productive thing you can do is to take a break. -
Be part of the community
It can be helpful to be an active member of IndieHackers or other similar communities. Many other people in the same journey and it can be great to be motivated by others who understand the challenges. You are not alone.
Remember, managing a full-time job and a personal project is all about focus and prioritization. It’s not easy, but it can be done. And the rewards are worth it!
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Follow my #buildinpublic journey at https://twitter.com/Fer_MOMENTO
My productivity falls and burn out symptoms raises after a few months of having 2 full time jobs. Don’t recommend it long term.
Thanks for sharing! I agree with you, actually. Managing 2 full time jobs is not something that I would ever recommend.
But I insist it is possible to have a full time job and a side business.
There are many nuances here, granted. I previously I have been executing like mad man and working seasonal on fix price projects where I could manage my time 100%. But 40 hours a week on a demanding job and then get home to start on a your own project is recipe for burn out 🔥.
To me, working on my projects is just like playing video games - it's so much fun! Of course, there are times when it's not as fun, but when your hobby is trying to make cool things online, having to miss a social event or not having time to watch a series or play video games doesn't make life much worse.
These are some really great tips, Fernando. Thanks for sharing. Although I am working full-time on my startup, my co-founder is maintaining his full-time job and this would be a really valuable resource for him.
Strong list. 💯
It might sound a bit naff, and you’ve sorta incorporated it in general ‘mindfulness’ but I think an extra point worth having would be.
100%. People are happiest when they are striving towards a goal and without a goal, we often feel lost and unhappy. Even if you can only work 2 or 3 hours a day on your startup, the key is to have something to strive for.
Thanks for your input!
I've been going back and forth on this a lot. I think right now my biggest challenge is that I've got side projects for my side projects!
Feel like I really need to commit to one so that it can have all of my 5-9 time.
Yep. It may help to define what side project is the one that is solving the biggest problem, and sticking with it.
One thing I find very helpful is to break down bigger topics/issues into very small actions that I can do in a limited time and still feel I am making progress on the multiple side projects I want to work on.
I agree. Breaking down a task into smaller parts can help build momentum and a sense of accomplishment as you complete each one.
I am travelling by bus going back home, thinking about finishing this week tomorrow without accomplishing what I thought on Monday morning I would. Little confuse and nervous and I got to read your post.Now rethinking on planning next week.
This small read gives hope. Thanks
You got this!
You are 100% correct. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you!
Pure facts 🚀 Loved it Fernando! Thnx for sharing it us 🙌🏻
I appreciate it!
Yeah, its 10x difficult working on side project when you have a full-time job. I spare about 3-4 hours every day in the mornings and evenings. It's hard, but doable.
The key is to enjoy the process, and don't get too discouraged if things don't happen as quickly as you'd like.
I think you have the right idea here. It's a cruel myth we tell ourselves that if you're not doing something full time you're not doing it right. That's BS. I'm a lifelong musician, and did it full-time for about 10 years. Now I work on a startup and my relationship to music is better and more fulfilling than ever.
Some great advice someone once gave me: Everything you spend time on should be either working towards a goal that comes from your true self, or celebrating the achievement of that goal.
Keep going Fernando! I'm rooting for you!
Thank you, Zack, for your input. I completely agree that we need to dispel the myth that going all-in is the only way to be successful. It's perfectly doable to scale a side business, while having a full-time job, getting enough sleep, and having a social life.
There's a romanticism about going full indie that I think is misplaced and is based on survivorship bias. There's nothing wrong with lowering your risk profile and taking it slowly. Not everybody hates their 9-to-5. Especially here in Sweden, work-life balance is great, and we get 4 weeks vacation and many benefits. We all have the same end goal I guess, but right now I actually LOVE my full-time job! But it seems like it's a bit taboo to say so in the startup scene.
And I really liked your advice. Thanks for sharing.
This is super helpful for me !
🙌🙌🙌
It is difficult to handle both. I also work on side project along with Full-time job, I work on Weekend and also late night. I noticed that there is stress when working on side projects along with job.
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