Jul 28, 20218 min read

Productivity Tips For A Successful Side Hustle

If you have one foot in a full-time job and another foot in your side hustle and the needle just doesn't seem to be moving, then you've come to the right place. Today, I will share with you 7 work tips that I've always had in place and have really just skyrocketed my productivity.

These are practices that I've used when I was full-time in finance and working on my side hustle, when I first became an entrepreneur, and even some that I still do to this day.

I will share from experience the blocks that were keeping me from seeing success. But also how I shifted my narrative and how I was able to quit my corporate job one year after committing to being productive.

We've all been there

Whatever we're doing, at some stage, we all struggle with honing down and focusing on how we can be the most productive. Notice I'm saying productive and not busy because keeping busy doesn't always necessarily equate to being productive. It doesn't necessarily move the needle in the direction you want it to go.

So I first noticed a difference between wanting to achieve my goals of quitting corporate and starting a side hustle versus actually doing it. This happened my first year when I first entered corporate America.

I knew within weeks that it wasn't for me. I couldn't see myself staying in this environment for the rest of my life. I knew I wanted to start my own thing, be financially independent and not be limited by my vacation days.

Find your Why

Instead, throughout that year, I saw myself explaining to people why I hadn't made any changes. Telling them that I didn't have the time or the mental capacity to really focus on my side hustle. It wasn't until maybe close to almost a year when I noticed all these excuses.

At that point, I said to myself, Holy shit, it's been a year, and the needle really hasn't moved at all. And so, at that moment, I realized what I had been saying over and over. I really wasn't being productive, I wasn't making any moves, I wasn't doing anything differently. And all I had to fall back on was that I had no time, and I couldn't do it.

That's how I realized that I had to make a choice. I always have the power to change my future, and it was for me to do it. That realization was comforting and instant powering.

This was the moment when I said to myself: Ok, Danielle. I am sick and tired of being that girl who's always making up excuses and being upset at her current reality. When there are people in front of you proving that it's possible and you know, it's possible.

That day I decided to choose a different path. I am going to choose new habits. I'm going to create new ways to be productive because I can not go another year of this habit, making up excuses for having no time. And to me, that was my "Why".

Watch that energy

From here, the first thing that I did to increase my productivity was actually to focus on my energy. Energy levels are so important, especially if you are working a full-time job. I realized you have to frame your entire day around productivity.

I went into the office before the sun rose, and I left after the sun had set. I was at a middle desk with no direct access to any window, so I got no sunlight during the day. My energy levels during the day were basically at zero.

And so what I started doing was actually waking up early to go to the gym every single day before work. And yeah, if you guys know me in real life, you will know that I am not a morning person at all. I would rather stay up until 5:00 AM than wake up at 5:00 AM. But because I wanted to change my life to do things differently, that was the way to go.

You are what you eat

In this phase, I really got into what I was feeding myself with. I was into counting macros and started meal prepping. It got a little intense. I would actually weigh out my meals, which I don't do anymore, but it was a good learning experience.

The truth is, I was really excited to learn more about this new world that was making me healthier and made me feel better. And this was the first step in realizing that it's not about having the time, It's about making the time.

And once I had this down, the habits that I previously had in my previous life started, you know, slowly disappearing. So instead of going to happy hours after work once a week, I chose to basically stop drinking altogether. I would set boundaries, prioritizing my health and my business over my social life.

And I'm not saying you have to make drastic changes like these. But if you are so fed up with how your business progress is going, and you want to really commit to seeing success in it, then you need to make sacrifices in the beginning.

At the end of the day, if you go with your current routine and you keep doing the same things, then you're going to be seeing the same results.

Start picturing your goal

All of this had me feeling amazing. That ended up trickling over to spending my lunch breaks and my extra time after work being super focused on what I was going to work on.

And that's why we need to know what's our "what". You want to have clarity around what it is you want to accomplish in the big picture and day to day. Knowing what you want will definitely help you stay motivated, which is a massive productivity hack.

So for me, I wanted a remote business that let me work online. I wanted to be able to express my creativity.

What also helps is if you don't have one already, is to create a vision board for yourself. Put exactly what you want to accomplish within the next three years and where you want to be in three years.

Take it from the experts

What also changed dramatically during this time was I decided that I was going to take action and follow instructions. So I invested in books, courses and coaching, for all of the new entrepreneurship avenues that I wanted to take.

Before, when people would give me advice and give me new ideas of what to pursue. I would just, kind of like, look at them, kind of doubt myself and be like, I don't know if I can do that or find a flaw with their business model.

They were amazing ideas, but it was just fear. It was pure doubt and being non-committal. I just really didn't commit to anything. But in year two, I was like, I know I want an online business. There are so many different avenues. Let me just try anything and everything. And I dove headfirst.

And over time, this taking action based on the specific steps that have already been outlined for me made my life so much easier. And because I was showing up to every work session, really motivated, I actually got things done. I was implementing everything I learned, and that's how I saw progress.

Instead of questioning everything that I had to do and trying to figure it out myself, after a few months of just following step by step instructions, I started seeing change. I started seeing again the needle move in the direction that I finally wanted it to.

Hands in!

This led to the try everything and make mistakes phase. This is where I started contacting suppliers in China and started a successful e-commerce business. I tried FBA and was importing Bitcoin wallets back in 2017. I also created a travel Instagram, and I started blogging.

And all of this I did with the same number of hours I had in my day. But instead of coming home and feeling like I couldn't do anything, I was so excited to get things done because I knew that this was moving the needle.

Just being one step closer to where I want it to stem this newfound energy. Like I just placed so much intention and happiness around this little morning ritual and habits that it really helped me set my day up for success.

I also started bringing my Mac to work every day. Because I knew that at lunch, I would want to talk with my suppliers, research new products and work on new business ideas. And I was just so motivated. I was like on a roll.

Baby steps

The last but not least of my productivity tips for when you're just struggling to sit down in front of your computer and get things done is to break it down into bite-sized pieces.

You don't want to commit an hour to, you know, figuring out an entire website when you have no idea how to even design a website. That is way too large of a task and way too big of a goal.

But instead, if you create a checklist for exactly what you need to work on on the website. Such as buying a domain, creating a homepage, creating an opt-in form, creating an about me page, then you can dedicate one hour to writing your About me, another hour to creating another page, etc.

And it's much more manageable so that when you're in front of your computer, you know exactly what it is you need to learn or work on.

Another tip is to download an app that I still use to this day called Flora or use your own timer. How it works is that you essentially set a timer for, let's say, 20 to 45 minutes, whatever works for you. I wouldn't actually recommend any longer. I like working in smaller bursts of energy.

In that timeframe, you just work on one task. Do not over-complicate it, trying to fit in five things in 45 minutes, just focus on one thing. So if I don't need my phone and I just need to work on something on my laptop, I'll set the timer to make sure I don't get distracted.

With Flora, you turn your tasks into seeds that then grow into trees. It's a very fun way to be productive.

It's not a phase; it's a lifestyle

What I learned through the process of basically comparing my corporate year one versus corporate year two is that productivity is a lifestyle. We all have it within us to be productive, right? It's not like I'm here to make you productive with this magic pill. That's not how it works.

It's like, how do we hone our discipline and energy levels so that when we tell ourselves we're going to get something done, we will get it done.

And so, over the past six years of working on my side hustles to being a full-time entrepreneur, I am always filling up my cup first, filling up my energy. And even now, I still make the time to do things. I still make time to go for a surf every day, drink my big cup of coffee every morning.

Now I know that these are the habits in my day that will let me serve my clients the best and consistently creative content. All while running a fun and sustainable business in a way where it doesn't cause burnout, it doesn't cause dread.

I promise, guys, it gets easier the more you practice these rituals and these habits in your day to day life.

It can seem very daunting at first because it's so unclear what you should be working on, what you should be doing and prioritizing. But, looking back, if you're just making one little step in the direction you want to go, that is progress already.

In the Wanderlover community, we love baby steps. So even if you have any reframes in your mindset about how you could be acting differently to get a different result, that thought is already a huge win.

Check out The Wanderlover Podcast to follow this story in more detail and listen to more inspiring content.

About Danielle

Danielle Hu is an online business coach helping creatives build influential + profitable businesses on social media. Her mission is to enable travel and freedom through entrepreneurship.

Since quitting her corporate finance job, she has been living in the tropics full-time from Bali to Hawai’i, helping others achieve time freedom, location freedom, and financial freedom through resources and coaching. Find out more on The Wanderlover website.