Many people today harbor a dream of starting a business. The idea of a “side hustle” has captured the imagination of those working a traditional job. The Flying Elephant team is going even further to show how to make that “side hustle" purposeful!
Yet, for every person who launches a purposeful hustle from their garage or bedroom, there are dozens of others who only dream of doing so. Those who only dream cite the problem of not having enough time to work on yet another project.
Indeed, when you think of the obligations outside of work that you have -- commuting, taking care of children, housework, being involved in church or community activities -- it does seem like there is no time for an extra project. How does someone already going 24/7 make time to hustle?
The fact is that you do have the time to make your dreams happen. You just have to commit to actually launching your dream.
Get Clear on Your Objective
What is your Purpose?
The first thing you need to do when deciding to add another project into your already busy life is to know why you are doing it. If the reason is clear and persuasive enough to you, you will be motivated to continue even when you are tired, want to do something else, or come up with another excuse.
Your “Free” Time
The reason you feel you have no time to do something new is that you already are filling all 24 hours of the day with something -- even if what you are doing is not satisfactory. A new project will require you to replace what you are doing in those hours with a new activity.
So, finding the time to HUSTLE with PURPOSE starts with acknowledging that you are going to substitute what you are doing now with your new project. Where can you find the time? Consider the following:
Do What Only You Can Do
When you’re clear on what you want to do and you’ve carved out the hours to do it, you probably still won’t have time to do everything. That’s great! You should spend the precious hours you work on your business on things that only you can do.
You bring a unique genius to your project, but that does not mean you have to do everything. If you want to start a coaching business, the curriculum and consultations should come from you. The website design doesn’t have to.
In this day and age, there are professionals who are happy to work for you on a contractual basis. You can find people to do your bookkeeping, design, writing, and translations online. Make use of the resources that the internet has made available.
On that same note, are their time-consuming low-value activities in your normal life that someone else could do? If you bring in a housekeeper once a week, you suddenly have two hours to spend on your purposeful hustle. If a neighborhood kid mows your lawn twice a month, you now have free time on a Saturday to work on your project.
Every CEO Has the Same 24 Hours
While the things that fill your day are unique to you, it’s helpful to remember that we are all given the same amount of time each day. That means everyone who has ever succeeded in following their purpose was working with the same constraints. Finding the time to work on a new project is not easy, but others have done it before, and you can too!
Editor's Note: This post was originally published in November 2018 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.