It’s Sunday night, the time when many of us dread the alarm clock of Monday morning.
Last week I posted about how Sunday evenings are the most depressing time of the week. It’s easy to get the Sunday Night Blues when you realize it’s only a matter of hours until the workweek starts.
Let’s face it: you’re not happy. You’re not fulfilled. Your job is a joke. Your career path, well, what’s that? It’s more like a career pinball, kicking around the dark and dusty corners of your 9-to-5, hoping to score as many points as possible before you drop down the chute again for Tuesday. Lather, rinse, repeat until Friday, and then, do your Friday happy dance.
You need a new direction, a fresh canvas to scratch out your dreams and put plans into place for a better future. Meet the side hustle. No, it has nothing to do with hustling pool. The side hustle is all of the work you can put in outside your 9-to-5 to create a better future. This is your side “job”- even if you’re not getting paid for it right now. You’re hustling your butt off to make something extraordinary, even if it may not be much talking about right now.
A side hustle has four characteristics:
- It’s important to you;
- You feel fulfilled working on it;
- You can develop it into an excellent product or service; and,
- Potentially profitable enough to replace your 9-to-5.
Examples of a “side hustle”
You might be thinking, “I like this idea of a side hustle… but I have no clue what that might be.” Here are some examples of side hustles,
- Starting your own business
- Going back to school
- Creating a patented design
- Writing your first book
- Developing or refining a skill
- Monetizing a hobby, like blogging, collectibles, Etsy crafts, etc.
- Building a nonprofit or identifying a cause worth supporting
These are just a few ideas of what a side hustle can be, but there are so many more possibilities.
Schedule time for your side hustle
If you want to create something significant with your side hustle, you need to schedule it as a priority. Friday night is for hanging out with friends or partying. Saturday is for sleeping in, chores, more hangout time, and maybe a fun event on the town. Sunday night can be your night to work on your side hustle. Block out time on your calendar and say, “This is when I’m building a better future.” And then, keep your appointments. And share your progress with me.
New Week, New You
Each week I’m posting a “New Week, New You” blog post on Sunday afternoons/evenings to give you inspiration, challenges, questions, and ideas to help kickstart your side hustle. It’s a new week and you’re building a new you.
- Share your ideas, frustrations, wins, and unexpected discoveries with me via social media. Tag @writetojoncook on Twitter or Instagram and add the hashtag #NewWeekNewYou.
- Invite other people to join you with their own side hustle. There’s something powerful about creating extraordinary futures together.