How and Why You Should Make Time for Friends Whilst Building Your Side Hustle

Finding the time for a side hustle can mean that some of the things that you liked to do before have to go on hold for a while, but in my opinion that shouldn’t be spending time with those people who are important to you.

The Easy Answer, but not the Best Answer

If you’re just starting out on this side hustle journey you may be at the point where you’re looking at what you’ve got on for the week and are trying to decide what not to do. It can seem like the simple answer is to cut out the fun. Particularly when it’s not only having the fun itself that takes time, but also arranging it. Endless Whatsapp messages with everyone trying to determine the best day when you’re all free. All the different views about where you should go and what you should do.

We all have tasks that ‘have’ to get done. There’s work, cooking, looking after the kids, caring for elderly parents; the list seems endless and you can feel as though there’s no choice but to cut back on the social activities and the time-consuming organisation of them. Going out isn’t essential, so it can go.

Whilst this may seem like the easy answer to making time in your week for a side hustle I think it can also be the road to disaster and here’s why…

Why You Shouldn’t Stop Seeing Your Friends

Firstly, have you heard the phrase ‘all work and no play makes Jack (or Jill) a dull boy (or girl). In other words, if all you’re doing is working, chores and side hustling life is going to get quite boring very quickly. You are going to start feeling like it is just one big slog. This side hustle idea sounded great, but the reality just isn’t for you.

Secondly, I want to remind you that we are social beings. Even the most introverted person needs connection with others to thrive. Spending time with friends can improve your mood and reduce stress. Feeling like you can connect with others and that you’re supported by them helps to you stay positive. This is so important when you’re trying to juggle a lot in your life, such as a busy job, family responsibilities, and a side hustle. Friends can be sounding boards for your side hustle ideas and true friends can offer constructive feedback. Therefore, time out from your side hustle may be more productive than you realise.

Planned Fun

So what’s the answer to making fun less time-consuming? It’s to cut out the organising part and just have the actual enjoying the fun bit. How you do this is to build a routine. I’ve talked about having a cleaning routine recently and everyone has heard of the benefits of a morning routine, but a social routine is less common.

So what do I mean by a social routine? It’s building in regular meet ups with friends. What I find is that many people rely on spontaneity. Planned fun is seen as boring, but planned fun takes a lot less effort. And when I say ‘planned fun’ what I mean is booking social activities on repeat i.e. the second Sunday of every month you go out as a family for a long walk and lunch. There’s no shall we, shan’t we about it. There’s just, it’s the second Sunday of the month so we’re going. It doesn’t take a lot of discussion or back and forth messages, which tends to happen a lot when you’re meeting up with a group of friends.

To make it even easier you could go to the same place every time or circle through a list. I do that with two of my friends who I meet up with six times a year. We have brunch in a garden centre which is easy to get to, as we all live far apart and there’s a massive car park so no stress about where to leave the car.

If the thought of the same time every month doesn’t sound appealling try booking your next meet up before you part. So you never leave without knowing when you’re all going to meet again. Particularly if there is a few of you this is much easier face to face than over Whatsapp. You could also decide what you’re going to do if you like to vary things a bit.

One of the benefits of planned fun is having something to look forward to. That’s one advantage it has over spontaneous fun. When you’re working hard on your side hustle it feels much easier knowing that you’re going to get a break on Saturday as you’re meeting up with your girfriend for lunch.

The Challenges of Planning Your Fun

Let’s look at the challenges of planned fun. In my experience I have friends who are happy to book our fun and others who aren’t. Some agree to book in advance and then nearer the time are always cancelling on me. Something comes up and they can’t make it. Not everyone works well with organisation and for a lot of people they can lurch from one week to the next with no structure to their time. It’s basically just try it and see if it works. It won’t be for everyone you know.

You may worry about being seen as too rigid or as trying to control things if you suggest a set time to meet up. I would suggest explaining to your friends why you want to try this. If it doesn’t work you can always go back to how you did things before.

Conclusion

So how about giving it a go? Bite the bullet and the next time you meet up with friends suggest either booking a regular time or at least book the next get together. See what response you get. You might just be surprised. Everyone has busy lives nowadays, whether they’re building a side hustle or not, so others might think this a great idea if it saves them time, but also makes sure that you get to spend that valuable time together. And for you it will mean time for friends and time for your side hustle.

If you’re looking for more help finding time for your side hustle then grab my free guide ‘Five Simple Steps to Making Time for a Side Hustle’.