4 easy ways to find the extra time you need to start a new side hustle.

Did you know I started both my businesses as side hustles?

With the outpour of emails and conversations I had last week, many of you are interested in building a side hustle with your artistic talent. 

If you still need to read the last blog, where I discussed how we could beat the economic downturn by leveraging our artistic talent to bring in extra money, click here.

Here is a reminder; the wonderful thing about having a side business is that you can keep your full-time job. This way, you can steadily improve your income with your side hustle without financial constraints. It is the best of both worlds. 
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Here are the questions I got last week:

• How much time do I need to devote to my side gig?
• ​Is my art good enough?
• When will I start seeing a profit?
• Can I sell my art online?
• I don't know how to start
• Do I need to have an extensive collection of work before I begin?
• I have never sold my work, so I don't know who wants to buy my work.
• What if my art doesn't sell?

Well, I'm going to touch on the first question today, which is how much time do you need to start a side hustle? Because most of you have the misconception that you don't have time to start a new business.

I understand some of you have family, and some of you have other commitments. But hear me out here, let’s start by breaking down the concept of time.

Every one of us has 24 hours a day.  What you do with your time can either bring you wealth and happiness, or it could keep you stuck and uninspired. 

I am not promoting that you work all day, go home and work on your side hustle for another 4 hours because that would be unreasonable not to say ensuring burnout. 

I have created a list to show you four easy ways to find and manage your time for your side hustle. 

1) Find the time
I want you to start jotting down the activities that you do when you get home from work or on the weekend. 

Putting the chores and priorities aside, think about how many hours you spend mindlessly watching Netflix or scrolling social media or other non-serving habits. 

Now, see if you can carve out 1-5 hours weekly to build an extra revenue source with your art.

I bet right now, most of you are nodding your head and saying yes. Okay, let's continue.

2. Make a Schedule
Now that you have found some free time for your side hustle, schedule it in your calendar.

I want you to imagine what creating a side gig with your extra time looks like.

• Does it look like waking up 1 hour earlier every day or three times a week? 
• Or does it look like spending that extra time in your studio on the weekend?

Just think, if you can spare 1-5 hours a week, that is 7-20 hours a month! 

Can you see how you can easily start a side hustle with that amount of time?

Find the most convenient time to work on your side business. Treat your sacred time with intention, schedule it and commit. 

3. Here is another perspective about time scheduling; short or long sprints?
When you are your own boss, you can decide what works best for you. Do you prefer a short or long sprint?

When I started my coaching business, having short sprints was very helpful because it allowed me to focus in a brief but concentrated time and get work done without overwhelming myself. 

But if you have more time to devote to your side hustle, then a longer sprint is ideal. You can spend one day a week fully immersed in your studio to create momentum and develop your business at lightning speed.

4. Create boundaries
Creating boundaries is an important lesson; set limits and learn to say "no" to things that don't serve you.

If you are stretching yourself too thin means you are giving too much of your time away to other peoples' benefits, neglecting your own needs. 

When you schedule your side-hustle time, schedule your self-care, fun time, chores, and errand time. Set boundaries for yourself, so if it's not on the agenda, learn to say "No" to things that don't serve you.

Keep your priorities straight and do not overpromise.  

The right attitude. 
Now you have learned how to find and manage your time, I want you to be excited that having a creative side hustle is possible. 

Starting a side gig is invigorating because it's exciting and creative. Having a business adds so much value and benefits to your life.

Since you are gifted with a talent to share with the world. Why not make money from it? 

Here are my examples of how my side hustles helped me overcome 2 unprecedented times. 
Over 2 decades ago, when I was working in the hospitality industry on Cayman Island, my art was my side hustle.

With the money I made I funded my husband's side gig. And when the disaster of 9/11 happened, the island was devastated and tourism stopped abruptly.

My husband and I returned to Canada and took the opportunity and turned our side hustles into full-fledged businesses. Little did I know our extra revenue streams were the beginning of a 20-year enterprise. 

And here is another Side Hustle saving grace. Just recently, before Covid, I started my coaching biz by waking up 2 hours earlier every day to work on my new venture. I did this at 7 a.m. every morning before I stepped foot into my gallery.

And oh boy, am I ever glad I did that because when the pandemic took us by surprise, I can still make a living without my gallery because I now have two dependable revenue sources.  

Building a side hustle is not a one size fits all
This week, please think about how many hours you spend each day on mindless activities and how many hours you are willing to devote to creating a side business of your dream. 

There is no one answer to building a side business because we all have different priorities. 

Design and build your business how you want it; that's what being an artist-entrepreneur is about. It's about calling your shots, doing something nurturing for yourself, and making money doing it. 

There is no downside to having a side hustle only benefits. 

With Creative Joy,
Ting