3 Ways to Beat Burnout while Pursuing your Side Hustle.

Open up Instagram, and we’ll fall down a rabbit hole of friends and strangers showcasing their side hustles.

Some people have fitness blogs, others write creatively; some craft jewelry, teach yoga, or play music on the side.

Today, more than one-third of workers have at least one part-time gig on the side—and nearly one in five are currently looking for their first side job. Side hustles are becoming more prevalent than ever before.

For many, having a side hustle is a necessary step between the day job we have and the dream job we want. But in the in-between phase, while we’re still sharpening our side hustle skills while holding down full-time work, it can feel like burnout is always just around the corner.

For the past three years, I’ve held down a full-time job while pursuing freelance writing opportunities. Here’s what I’ve learned about finding balance and avoiding burnout:

Have a Clear Goal

Most people start a side hustle because they have big dreams and goals—and there is no shortage of success stories swirling around on social media. If someone else can attract 180,000 Instagram followers or design the next hit home trend, why not us?

But thinking too big can ultimately undermine our daily life and fuel burnout, especially if we feel a sense of competition with other people who are walking a similar path.

Instead of grappling with a dozen things we want to pursue simultaneously, choose one clear, energizing goal, which some people refer to as “the big why” or a “lifetime goal.” This goal is unique in that we will never quite accomplish it—it’s meant to articulate what’s really driving us.

For example, my goal is to become a better writer, so I try to write every day. If I don’t get 1,000 views on my new Instagram story—well, that’s okay, because I wrote something today.

Crucially, we should measure progress toward our goals by a metric we can control. For example, if someone wants to become a bestselling author, they will have to cast their fate into the hands of a publishing company, critics, and the whims of an unpredictable consumer audience. It’s easy to become discouraged before we even start.

Instead, focus on the parts that we can control. Try reframing goals, such as writing one outstanding page each day—by the end of the year, those pages will turn into a book-length manuscript.

By having one clear goal, we can immediately redefine success as something that is actionable and possible to achieve.

Find Balance by Taking Meaningful Breaks

When someone has a full-time job and a side hustle, it’s much more difficult to carve out time for breaks. Self-care can be an effective short-term solution, but many side hustlers hit a point where a mindful cup of tea or a favorite podcast might not be enough to fully restore their energy.

Worst of all, it can be tough to shut off the impulse to cram every moment outside a day job with side hustle tasks. We might have a week of vacation or a holiday break from a day job, only to undermine relaxation with early morning emails or cranking through items on an endless to do list.

Productivity experts, however, say that true relaxation requires time to let the mind wander without thinking about goals or deliverables. In between the moments when we must be responsible for a day job and side hustle commitments, we need time to feel like we aren’t responsible for anything but daydreaming.

The solution? Get in tune with how breaks can balance our time and fuel energy.

For example, if I know that a big side hustle deadline is going to hit, I try to give myself permission to spend the next several days (or even weeks) recovering. Similarly, consider reducing the number of side hustle commitments during busy times at a day job.

By thinking about energy as a finite resource, we’ll overcome the impulse to stretch ourselves too thin and exit the constant cycles of productivity and burnout.

Celebrate Every Success

When we’re in the mad dash from day job to side hustle, it can be difficult to feel like we’re accomplishing much at all. Our to-do lists never seem to diminish, and we’re haunted by the feeling that we could somehow be accomplishing more.

But if we race past the little successes and accomplishments that add up to real progress, we’ll rob ourselves of opportunities to enjoy the journey.

Research backs this up: experts say that little celebrations are essential to an optimistic, resilient mindset. And when we’re juggling a demanding workload, we need every bit of resilience we can get.

Best of all, celebrations don’t have to involve balloons and cake to be effective. Simply pausing for a moment and feeling pride for a job well done or satisfaction at meeting a deadline can be enough to stay motivated.

Avoid Burnout by Staying Flexible and Grounded

For the thousands of people juggling a day job and a side hustle, some days will inevitably feel exhausting and stressful.

But by celebrating wins, planning breaks to renew our energy, and keeping our eyes on one clear goal, we can achieve more daily satisfaction while keeping burnout at bay.

When we’re flexible, grounded, and energized, we are well-positioned to achieve our dreams.

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About the Author

Michelle Delgado is a senior writer at Clutch, a B2B ratings and reviews firm in Washington D.C. When she’s not hard at work as a writer, she de-stresses by cooking, running, and reading.

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