How to Balance Self-Care and Your Side Hustle

So you’re a side hustler. If you’ve got your day job, side job, home life, social life (the list goes on) and are keeping it (kind of) together, you’re probably a motivated, driven go-getter. But being tuned in all the time does come with its consequences. One in three Americans is burned out, and with a side hustle, you’re doubling your chances of burn out too.

Don’t let your goals and ambitions become an excuse to neglect yourself.

Keep Up With Nutrition

Let’s face it, with a bazillion tasks to complete each day, optimal nutrition is probably the last thing on your mind. But grabbing an apple rushing out the door isn’t going to cut it. You need to be fuelling yourself up to keep your energy levels high and help your body cope with reduced sleep and a high-stress lifestyle. Ensure you’re getting the magic combo of carbs, fats, and protein in each meal. Remember to supplement with vitamins like magnesium, vitamin D, and B complex. These essentials will help combat anxiety, stress, insomnia, and irritation – problems every girl boss deals with!

Build a Supportive Network

You can climb mountains if you have the right people around you. Having a primary support network of friends and family will be invaluable during this time. Not only will they step in to help you with chores, tasks, and other life stuff, but the mental support they provide you is unparalleled.

Make an effort to network with other hustlers and entrepreneurs in your area too. Many women business owners go through the same struggle, so getting feedback, celebrating successes, and solving problems together can be reassuring. Go for entrepreneurship meets in your city or look up online events to find your business tribe.

Set Clear Boundaries

We get it, you have a lot on your plate. And while you probably spend most of the day working, try not to bring business home. It can get really old for the people you love, not to mention, work shouldn’t consume your life and your mind. Check out this guide by PsychCentral on building strict boundaries for improving your output and productivity. When you differentiate between personal stuff and work stuff, you’ll find your time freeing up and mind relaxing so you can focus on your needs first.

Simplify Business Processes

The entrepreneurial mindset involves constant questioning – of why, how, and where we could be doing better. Apply a design thinking framework and see how you can reduce the many demands on your plate. Outsourcing and delegating are essential for every side hustler to get comfortable with to grow to new heights. Also, look to tools to automate processes like accounting, data analysis, and hiring. 

Another way to simplify running your business is by creating a DBA, or ‘doing business as’ name for your new company. A DBA will make it easier to sell different products under a new name later down the line if you wish. Register a business name just in case the domain you wanted isn’t available or you wish to market your services under a different name.

Practice Gratitude

This applies to both your personal life and increased income/passion opportunities. It’s easy to focus on the difficulty of it all, but recognizing how successful you are getting, day by day, is critical. Mindfulness comes in handy here, as meditation not only helps you get rid of negativity but also acts as a natural remedy to induce relaxation and reduce stress.

We commend you for taking on so many responsibilities with enthusiasm. But as the commitments pile up, life can become a balancing act that feels frustrating and challenging. To best power through it all, remember to recharge and refresh. Self-care has the ability to transform your business (and life)!

Are you a millennial girl boss looking to level up your life? At Literally, Darling, we share our truths, wisdom, and support for our growing community of women through our wide range of content. Check out our career section today!

Article by Sophie Letts