How to Get Off the Side Hustle Hamster Wheel
Do all of your days blur into one? Do you feel you are on a hamster wheel, just going around and around? On Friday you look forward to the weekend, but it passes in a flash just catching up with chores and before you know it, it’s Monday morning again.
When you’re working full-time and trying to build a side hustle time can pass in a blur if you’re not careful. It can feel as though it is one long slog and you start to question whether it’s all worth it. The danger is that you might just give up, because it feels as though you never have time for any fun.
The truth is that you probably do have time for fun. Watch a lot of TV? That can be fun for a while, but it also can fade into the busyness of the week and doesn’t stand out in your head as time spent enjoying yourself. And that’s the important thing. It needs to stand out for you to remember it. For you to feel like you had enough time for fun. Watching TV happens daily. There’s nothing novel about it, so your brain doesn’t remember it.
I’ll let you into a secret. It is possible to expand time. The thing is that how you spend time affects your perception of how time passes. When you do something new your brain creates new memories, unique memories, and those memories give the impression that time has expanded.
Think of a typical beach holiday. You spend fourteen days sunning yourself and before you know it you’re back at your desk. Where did the time go? Now imagine the same fourteen days touring Greece, visiting various islands and historic ruins. A different place every couple of days. During that time you are going to make lots of novel memories and because your brain will have been filled with so many new memories it will feel as though you have been away for a month.
Obviously you can’t go on holiday every week, but you can create some novel memories which will help expand time; help you to feel as though you haven’t just worked your 9-5, done the chores and worked on your side hustle. You need to look at those times when you just plonk yourself on the sofa in front of the TV and fill one or two of them with something different; with little adventures.
Here are some ideas for you:
Visit a new coffee shop
Go to a gallery or exhibition
Find a historical walking tour of a local town
Go to a new exercise class
Visit a park or nature reserve you’ve not been to before
Volunteer at a local event such as a litter pick
The first step to putting this into practice is to incorporate it into your planning session when you plan your week. It may be worth brainstorming some ideas for adventures. You could do it as a family. Have a look online at local Facebook groups and see what’s happening locally. Then have that list to hand when you’re planning your week.
If you do this regularly, when you come to work on your side hustle you’ll feel like you’ve had the opportunity for some downtime and will have more energy and enthusiasm to crush your side hustle goals.
So, I challenge you to spend 30 minutes this week brainstorming little adventures you could have. When not do it now and put some suggestions in the comments below.