November 10, 2025
How to Find Time for Your Side Hustle (without Losing Your Mind)
By Diana Kelly Levey
Finding time for a side hustle might seem easy when you have your first entrepreneurial idea. Sure, you can snag 30 minutes here and there during the week, an hour on the weekend, but then, once you really get going with your business, successful side hustlers know it takes commitment. It requires scheduling. It requires personal, social and sometimes physical sacrifices (like sleep and exercise). But the people I interviewed here say it’s been worth it and I have to agree with them. I did freelance writing as a side hustle for seven years (making a few thousand a year most years) while working in the publishing industry. In 2013, I took the leap to doing it full time and now running a six-figure freelance writing, editing and coaching business. (I don’t say that to brag, but to encourage you that it can be done.)
Dedicating at least 10 hours a week to your side hustle will yield the best results, suggests Chris Guillebeau, author and creator of The Side Hustle School, in a
More than 44 million American adults are said to have a side hustle—according to 2017 survey from Bankrate. We’d venture to guess the number is much higher now that it’s 2019.
With so many of us working side gigs to make money and pursue dreams, how are we making time for it, without losing our minds and ignoring loved ones?
Here are six people who made time for their side hustle while working day days, keeping relationships intact, avoiding burnout and making time for fun.
“I started selling on eBay to help pay bills and made over $3,000 last year.”
-Carrie R., a jewelry store manager by profession, runs an eBay store as a side hustle
“I began selling on eBay casually in 2008 because I wanted to get rid of things I had lying around the house. I had a friend who sold on eBay who showed me how to post items, price them and I learned a lot through trial and error. Now, I sell consignment so I get 50 percent of what other people’s items go for that are sold on my eBay store
“My side hustle allowed me to take a long maternity leave from my full-time job.”
-Brielle Cosentino Ricciardi, full-time elementary school teacher, trains softball pitchers and runs camps and clinics for athletes
“As a former division one softball pitcher right out of college, I had multiple requests to give pitching lessons. I saw this as an opportunity and ran with it to form a small business, Cosentino Academy LLC. It started as a side gig to compliment my teaching career and for over six years it was just that. Coaching jobs came organically, but after having a child, the time commitment to a team wasn’t always family-friendly. I took a three-year maternity leave from my full-time teaching job and doing private pitching instruction became something I could expand on and make my own hours. I was able to take on more clients whenever I wanted to and this gave me flexibility with my schedule, so I didn’t need to use a daycare for the first three years of our daughter’s life. I could be home with our baby during the day, then my husband would take care of her in the evenings and I could meet with my appointments. I like that private instruction and training allows me to make my own schedule and pricing. It’s also been the most rewarding because pitchers need to train all year to see the results in season. I have a special bond with the kids I train, and once they start having success in their games, we both know it’s a result of all their hard work in the off season. Now that I’m back at work full time, I teach during the day while my daughter is in school. Then, I schedule my softball lessons while she is at dance classes located a few minutes away from where I train. I also do a few training sessions on Saturday mornings. It’s hectic, but it works for us. I think I can make it work because it’s something I really enjoy. It’s so rewarding. Since I run my own schedule, it provides for a lot of flexibility, which makes it manageable. I also have an amazing partnership with my husband who helps with the household chores, like dishes, laundry, and more.”
“My side hustle changed my career and got me a position at Facebook.”
-Mary Michael used her side hustle to change industries and get a new job
“When I was working at Time Inc., the training company, Own the Room, visited the company to conduct a public speaking training course. At first, I thought I was too busy to fit in into my schedule, and then I realized, if I always said no, I’m always going to stay small in this little safe world. I took the course, fell in love what they were teaching, and then side hustled like crazy working for them while still full-time. I would take days off from my role as a Production Manager at Time Inc. to do paid gigs with Own The Room running day-long public speaking trainings at clients’ offices. I earned $1,400 a day to do them! It was exactly what I needed to get out of the publishing industry and into a new amazing career. I uncovered a natural talent of mine that I was passionate about (public speaking) that I could turn into a full-time job. How often in life do you get to pivot 180 degrees in your career and get a pay raise? Within a year, Own the Room offered me a full-time job as a public speaking coach and Learning & Development Specialist on their team. It was risky working for a startup, and it certainly had its downfalls, but it led me to an amazing opportunity working for Facebook. By February 2018, I got my current job at Facebook. They are one of Own The Room’s biggest clients and I’d done a lot of work with them, so Facebook asked me to join their team as a Sales Learning Partner. My side hustle of public speaking coaching took me from a quickly becoming obsolete job in publishing to a completely new, great career path. This career pivot was scary but my boss told me, ‘You’re a professional, you’re good at this.’ I realized I needed to believe them. I even gave a talk at SXSW last year on this topic to help others.”
“My side hustle designing wedding invitations allowed me to use my creative side.”
-Breanne Crotty, full-time graphic designer at Boll & Branch and freelance designer at One Two Bre
“I hated my last job at an ad agency working on pharmaceutical ads. The creativity was limited and I was bored. I had to do something that fulfilled my creative itch. A lot of friends were getting engaged so I offered to do their wedding invitations. My wedding invitation design business took off from there. I joined The Knot in 2017 to see what would happen and received inquiries every month. I won ‘Best of the Knot’ that year and again last year. Initially I thought to myself, If I can get enough business, I’ll quit my stale job and work for myself. However, I found a job at Boll & Branch, where I work now, and it’s a dream. The culture is everything I wanted in a job, the salary was right and they offered benefits—something I’d have to pursue on my own if I decided to quit my job. I took the position and figured I’d see if I could juggle the two businesses. So far, it’s working. Initially, the wedding invitations income was my ‘play money’ for shopping, but more importantly, it helped me pay off student loans. My income varies based on the seasons. Even though I’m very busy with both businesses—occasionally meeting up with brides after work—I stay sane by making plans with friends, my family and my boyfriend. I enjoy hosting so it’s fun for me to have people over a lot. I love to bake and crochet as relaxing, fun hobbies.”
“I’m hustling daily to turn my side gig into a full-time job.”
-Courtney Anaya, full time employee at a food import and export company, runs a freelance nutrition practice and does freelance writing
“At my full-time job, I supervise the nutrition label development process and packaging for several retail food products. My hours are 9 to 5. The job is interesting, but I see it as a stepping-stone to help turn my side hustle, The Food Court Fix, into a full-time role. After finishing up my M.S. in human nutrition and functional medicine last summer, I created my nutrition practice, built a website and created a Facebook page. I’m a Functional Medicine Nutritionist who tailors nutrition plans to an individual’s goals and needs. I am also in the process of studying for my licensure exam to become a Certified Clinical Nutritionist (CCN). Since creating my business, I’ve been able maintain three to four regular clients (bringing in about $300/month) and have given nutrition presentations for a local running club. I meet with clients for 30 to 60 minutes in person or via FaceTime. I conduct these sessions before work, during lunch, after work, and on weekends. I also let clients text me or email with any questions during the week and try to respond quickly. My supervisor knows about my side hustle, and I even share nutrition tips and recipes with her. But, when I’m at work, my focus is on my full-time role. When it comes to juggling it all, I try to set client hours each week and plan out freelance article deadlines I’m working on so I have time for everything. I make it a priority to see family and friends on the weekends. In the mornings before work and on weekends, I do my marathon training, which also helps me handle stress. My family, boyfriend, and friends have been very supportive of my business. I would like to be full-time with this business in about five years but my goal is to be financially secure before making the move. During those times when I do feel slightly burnt out, I’ll readjust my schedule and create ‘me time’ at home to recharge my batteries.”
“My side hustle has gotten me in the door for job interviews.”
-Bill Bodkin, project manager at a telecommunications company, side hustle is running a digital pop culture magazine, ThePopBreak.com.
“For the past 10 years, my side hustle has been running a digital pop culture magazine website that covers film, television, music, comic books, and pro wrestling and it publishes daily. I work full-time as a project manager for a telecommunications company. I’m married, have a four-year-old daughter, and I’m the only living relative within 200 miles of my mom, who is a widow.
Pop Break has been the shining star on my resume and has gotten me in the door for interviews and eventual jobs more than anything else I’ve done. People see this as a piece of my resume that shows I know how to manage, I work hard, web development skills, and that I’m a good multi-tasker. I’m also very proud that it’s been a major part of helping people who’ve written for the site land jobs at companies like ABC and Vice.
My schedule is a bit chaotic. Luckily, I’ve put a lot of talented editors in place to handle daily publishing, and have trained writers on how to post their articles. I usually work on the site on my free time to edit and post.
As a dad and husband, the site does not interfere with my family. They’re my priorities. Does dad need a few minutes to look at something for “work” on the weekend? Of course. But if my daughter needs me, I’m there. My wife has always been extremely understanding about my side hustle and my going out and covering [music] shows, although those days are fewer and far between. My goal would be to make running this website my full-time job, but I haven’t been able to figure out how to truly capitalize on making this thing successful financially. We get most of our revenue through Google Ads and I probably earn about $300/month on average. When I’ve been laid off from full-time jobs or haven’t enjoyed my full-time jobs, Pop Break has been a consistent side hustle that I enjoy working on and makes me feel good.”
This article originally appeared on Happy Money’s blog, Finding Joy.
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