Would you like to learn how to find time to make extra money? Do you work a full-time job and feel like there isn’t enough time in the day to make more money?
For several years, I worked full-time and found different ways to make extra money, such as starting and building my blog Making Sense of Cents. Before that, I was working full-time while also attending college full-time.
Working 100 hour weeks was a regular thing for me for many, many years.
I won’t lie – working that many hours a week at both my regular job and school or side hustles was exhausting at times. I found every extra bit of time I could during the day and used it to make extra money. I took online surveys, did mystery shops, and more.
The reason I was working so much was because I was focused on paying off my student loan debt. I knew that I didn’t want that debt hanging over me, especially if I was able to make extra money to pay it off sooner.
Fortunately, learning how to find time to make extra money paid off, literally – it allowed me to pay off my $40,000 student loan debt in just 7 months.
Another unexpected positive was that it showed me that I really enjoyed one of my side hustles (building this blog!). Because I had already gotten rid of my student loan debt, it made it easier for me to eventually leave my day job to starting blogging full-time
Finding ways to make extra income can be great. You may be able to pay off your debt, save more money, pursue your passion, build a business, and more.
I often receive questions from others about how I was able to fit side hustling, college, and work into my life all at once. It was hard, but it was possible.
Yes, I had to make some sacrifices. But like I said, it is possible to fit side hustles into your life, even if you work a full-time job.
A lot depends on how badly you want it. Often, the more motivated you are to make more money, the easier it gets to prioritize your time. And, there will be times when you really need to think about your motivation to find that extra time.
So, whether you want to transform your side hustle into your full-time career, you want to make extra money so that you can tackle a financial goal, or something else, side hustles can completely change your life.
If you are someone who wants to start side hustling but you can’t figure out how to find time to make extra money, I’m hoping today’s post will help you out with this.
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Here are 16 ideas for how to find time to make extra money.
1. Figure out your motivation for wanting to make extra money.
Like I said, this is a very important part of finding time to side hustle. And, there are many reasons why you may want to make extra money, and sometimes you will need to remind yourself why you are working so hard.
It can be really easy to watch others around you who aren’t doing both and feel jealous, stressed, or angry. But, think about what is driving you to work so hard.
Your motivation can be any number of things, such as paying off debt, saving for your future, going on a dream vacation, and so on.
Your motivation will be what you need to think about when you are struggling to balance both life, your day job, and how you are making extra money.
2. Wake up earlier.
Back when I had my day job, I usually woke up around one to two hours before I had to start getting ready for work.
I would use this time to work on my side hustles, which included replying to emails, brainstorming article ideas, managing my blog, finding mystery shops, looking for surveys to take, listing items on eBay, and more.
Waking up that early was sometimes rough, but it allowed me to get a number of things done before I went to work, and that was a really nice feeling.
If you’re not a morning person, then you can always try to fit in a couple of hours worth of work before you go to bed. I would often work on my side hustles for a few hours before I went to bed as well.
Two hours each day before you go to work is 10 hours each week to put towards your side hustle ideas.
3. Stop hitting the snooze button.
Many people hit the snooze button over and over again in the morning.
Sleeping for those few extra minutes after your alarm goes off isn’t going to change your life. And, there are many scientific studies proving that hitting the snooze button does nothing good for you.
Still, I know many people who set their alarms to go off anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour before they actually want to wake up. While they think they might get up early, they never do. Or, they think that this will make it easier for them to start their day, but that doesn’t work either.
I’m not going to lie. I used to do this and thought it was the only way I could get up. It definitely did not work, as I always felt extremely groggy and sometimes even more tired!
Instead, you should wake up when your alarm first goes off so you can use those valuable minutes to work on your side hustle.
4. Strategically use your lunch time.
Back when I had my day job, I almost always used my lunch hour for my side hustles. I would often bring my lunch to work which allowed me to save money on food and to also use that whole hour for my side hustle ideas.
Bringing my lunch to work also saved me a lot of time, because I wasn’t wasting time leaving my office.
For me, that was five hours each week right there for side hustles just by using my lunch break.
5. Use vacation days at your day job.
Again, referring back to my day job, I often used my vacation days to work on my side hustles.
I would take just one or two days off at a time so that I could relax somewhat and not feel like I was constantly running around with my head chopped off.
This option can be a great idea, especially if you have paid vacation days. It makes it feel like you’re getting paid extra to work on your side hustle!
6. Turn off your TV.
I want you to do something right now. Take a moment and really think about how much time you waste watching TV. I’m going to assume that when you add up all of the hours that you spend each week watching TV, the number will shock you.
In fact, the average American spends 34 hours each week watching TV and around three to six additional hours each week watching movies.
While I love a good TV show, 34 hours is a lot of wasted time. Just think about how much you could do if you spent half as much time watching TV. For some people, that will be around 17 hours a week that they can dedicate towards side hustle jobs.
Now, I’m not perfect, but I know that when I watch less TV, I am much more productive.
7. Use short gaps in your day correctly.
Everyone has gaps of time throughout their day. This could be a gap before you have a meeting, a gap between your day job and night classes, a gap before you have to pick up the kids from school, or something else.
Maybe you have 30 minutes or an hour. Most people will just plunk down on the couch and watch TV or browse on Facebook. However, use gap time efficiently.
That 30 minutes could be spent making extra money.
Even smaller amounts of time, like 10 minutes in the carpool line can be spent answering emails. 15 minutes in a waiting room can be spent taking a survey. Those small amounts of time add up!
8. Evaluate your commute.
This one isn’t something that everyone can do. However, if you commute to work such as by bus or train, then you might want to use that time to work on your side hustle jobs.
If your side hustle is something that you can do from your phone, laptop, or just with a piece of paper, then use your commute time to make money with your side hustle.
9. Be more organized.
If you want to learn how to simplify your life so you can find more time for your side hustle, being organized is a lifesaver. When you’re organized, you will waste less time trying to find what you need, you will be able to work more efficiently, and more.
Always stay organized!
Keeping a running to do list is one of my top time management tips, and it’s how I stay organized. Everyday I’m crossing things off and adding new tasks to my list.
Without my to do list, I would feel lost, unorganized, and probably even confused about what to do! Yes, I rely heavily on my to do list, but putting a to do list together doesn’t have to be hard. I keep my to do list on my phone, and it’s just a simple list of things I need to do. Others find that planners work well for them.
Your to do list will keep you on track so you don’t forget what needs to be done on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, which in turn keeps you motivated towards your goals.
10. Use your days off for side income jobs.
This might seem obvious, but many people don’t like to use their days off in order to make extra money.
If you have days off, why not use them to further your side hustles?
You don’t even have to use your entire weekend or even a whole day. Perhaps just use a couple of hours for your side hustle on one of your off days? If you choose a side hustle that you love, it will be easier for you to work on those days without feeling as drained.
11. Create an efficient schedule.
Building a schedule that makes the best use of your time is going to be key if you want to learn how to find time to make extra money. This is because a lot of time is wasted on schedules that don’t work well.
For example, when I was in college, I always made sure that the timing for all of my classes worked perfectly with my work schedule. This required a lot of research and planning, but it was well worth it in the end.
I also made sure there wasn’t much time in between my classes, and I tried to fit all of my classes in on certain days of the week so I wasn’t wasting time driving back and forth between school every day. When I was working on my master’s degree, I found classes that started right after work. This allowed me to work my 8-5 job and go to school without any wasted time in my schedule.
You would be surprised if you stopped to think about how much time people waste in their schedules. I knew plenty of people who signed up for college classes and just took whatever classes were available without really thinking about their schedule. This might mean having hour or longer breaks each day between their classes. I also know people who took a class, went to work, and then came back for another class (wasting driving time), and more.
This can be applied to managing a full-time job along with your side hustle as well.
Building the perfect schedule to balance both your job and side hustle is one of my best time management tips, as it will allow you to maximize your hours.
One great way to have a more flexible schedule is to find an online job. You can learn more about this at Want To Make Money From Home? Here Are 17 Of The Best Online Jobs.
12. Outsource certain tasks.
You may be hesitant to outsource tasks because it will cost you money, and you’re probably side hustling because you need money – not to spend more of it!
I completely get that.
But sometimes, in order to make more money, you have to outsource.
Even though there are several tasks I could do, I outsource them.
This can apply to household tasks among other things, like cleaning for example. This may sound silly, but I am sometimes guilty of procrastinating by cleaning. I hate cleaning, so it really says something if I start cleaning. If you don’t have the time to do certain household tasks, such as mowing the lawn, raking leaves, cleaning your home, etc., then you may want to see if there is any value in outsourcing some of these tasks.
Another task to outsource is having your groceries delivered by a service like Instacart or Shipt. While you will pay for delivery, you may be able to save an hour or more of your time by having your groceries delivered to your house.
If you’re struggling to outsource, think about how much your time is worth and see if it’s better spent on another task. If you can make $25/hour on your side hustle by outsourcing your grocery shopping, then you will be able to make more than the cost of delivery.
13. Find passive income ideas.
Passive income is when you are able to make money in a way that doesn’t require a ton of your time to maintain.
Of course, you will need to do something in the beginning to start earning that income. That work can be either a time or financial investment. But, after most of the leg work is done, income continually comes in without much effort from you.
There might be a little maintenance here and there after you set up a source of passive income, but overall the passive income stream should continue to operate on its own.
For me, finding passive income ideas is great because I can focus more on my life instead of just my business, and I can do it while continuing to earn a great income.
Unfortunately, many people think that passive income simply isn’t real, that it must be luck and not work, that you’re a trust fund kid, or something else. Some people even think you are talking about a scam or get-rich-quick scheme.
But, that’s not true at all!
And in the article I’m about to share, you will find real ways to make passive income. Here are 12 Passive Income Ideas That Will Let You Enjoy Life More
14. Figure out what time of day is best for you.
Some people do much better working late at night. They can get into a flow and just keep going. While other people are better off working in the morning hours. There might even be some side hustle tasks that you are better off doing at night, and others that are better in the day time hours.
Everyone is a little different, and understanding which hours of the day work best for you will help you find time to fit your side hustle in with the rest of your life.
15. Ask for help when you need it.
This is something I struggle with, and I know many other people do as well. But, there are people in your life who want to help you reach your goals and succeed. It might be your partner, spouse, a parent, sibling, friend, neighbor, etc. You probably already know who these people are, but are too afraid to ask for help, even if you really need it.
Maybe you could fit in a little more time at your side hustle if someone picked your kids up from school, if your partner helped you answer some emails, or maybe you just need someone to vent to when you’re feeling stressed out.
I was lucky to have Wes to help me with things when I was side hustling and working my day job, but I promise that there is someone in your life who can help you when you need them.
16. Take a break when you really need one.
Yes, everyone has the same 24 hours in a day, but others may be more limited than others. I understand that different situations make some people busier than others.
In the end, you always need to be honest with yourself about how much time you have available for your side hustles.
You don’t want to run yourself completely frazzled and stressed out, forget about the things that truly matter in life, or damage your work performance.
So, please remember to take care of yourself.
It can be so easy to overwork yourself and forget why you are working so hard!
Good time management for those who are super busy often means that you are trying to use every moment of your day as efficiently as possible. But, there are times when balancing everything can feel extremely stressful.
In times like those, when you feel like you need a break, take a short one to help you come back refreshed and focused on what you need to do.
You can go for a walk, read a book, get in a workout, take a nap, etc. Taking a break when you need one will prevent you from feeling burnt out, which is a danger when you are trying to balance everything in life.
How do you find time to make extra money? How much time do you spend each week side hustling?
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