How to Balance a Side Hustle with a Full-Time Job

These days many people are making ends meet by working side hustles in addition to their full-time jobs. CNBC reports that around 44% of Americans are working a second job to make ends meet. With 28% of them saying they’re doing it due to inflation, this trend could continue.

Ideally, no one should have to work extra hours to make ends meet. But if you find yourself needing or wanting to make some extra money with a second gig, here are four thoughts on how to balance a side hustle with a full-time job.

1. Determine the Time Available

Not everyone has the same amount of time available after fulfilling their existing responsibilities. Before you even begin, determine how much time is open in your schedule, and look to work around that. Even if your side hustle isn’t paid hourly, you’ll need to know how much time you have available in order to make realistic plans.

2. Look for Jobs or Side Hustles with Flexible Hours

Many jobs insist on a certain amount of availability and pay you directly for your time, but there are only so many hours in the day. If you’re working multiple jobs, you may find it’s beneficial to look for work that allows you the flexibility to regularly adjust the number of hours you’ll be working. If your work has busy and slow periods throughout the week or year that impact your pay, this strategy lets you capitalize on the busy periods and focus on the work that’s the most lucrative at any given time. With that in mind, it’s a good idea to have at least one of your two jobs be something with flexible hours to help make room for the other as needed.

You may not want your side hustle to be paid by the hour at all. Jobs that pay by the piece offer a powerful alternative. Employers or clients who pay this way often don’t care when the work itself is done at all, allowing for complete scheduling flexibility. They’re also likely to be flexible in terms of how much work you take on, and you’ll be directly rewarded for your level of productivity. These qualities make piece work an ideal situation for anyone who wants to do some extra work in their spare time even if their schedule isn’t completely predictable.

3. Look for Double-Duty Activities

Given the right circumstances, you may not need to step away from your main job to engage in your side hustle. Some jobs come with significant downtime on the clock, or pay you to be available on-call when work is generally unexpected. If it doesn’t get in the way of doing your job or maintaining a good relationship with your employer, these can be great times to work on any side hustle that doesn’t need to be completed on a regular schedule.

Overlapping between your main career and side hustle can also be a great way to streamline your skills and activities. For example, if your main job pays you for training or travel that can benefit you in a second job, that makes these activities doubly beneficial for you. Or if the jobs have enough in common, you may even be able to use your main job to advertise and/or find clients for your side work.

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