Trust me, I get it.
Making time for your side project can be extremely difficult. We all have so many important activities competing for our limited amount of time outside of work each week.
Full-time job, family, socializing, commute, exercise, meal prep, hobbies, relaxation, having fun, the list goes on.
Here’s where I need your help…
I’m one of those crazy ass morning people.
Not afraid to wake up at 4:30am to get started on my side projects (like this blog).
However, in the years I’ve been running this blog, speaking with readers like you and working with students in my courses, I’ve learned that 4:30am isn’t for everyone. Not like that took a rocket scientist to figure out.
Some of us are just wired differently. So the time of day that’s best for me to work on my side hustle, may not be as great for you.
On the other hand, many people simply lack proper motivation—and therefore come up with excuses for why they don’t have time instead of being a force of change that has the power to create the time.
…
That’s why I’m doing a little experiment…
I want to know, what time of day do you work on your side project?
Over on Twitter, the consensus looks like evenings and nights after work…
Is that true?
Last week, I heard from several of you.
Like Michael, one of my course students who prefers working on his blog after work during the evenings—why? He’s not a morning person. Outside of the hours he spends at his full-time gig, the evenings are when he works best, so he embraces that.
Paula gets her side hustle time in during the mornings before work.
And Ian manages to (somehow) squeeze in time for his side hustle in the mornings, during lunch AND evenings after work. What!
I’ve heard back from dozens of readers, but I need more data for this experiment.
I want to hear from you.
…
Share with me in the comments below answering these two questions.
1. What time of day do you work on your side project?
- Mornings before work?
- Evenings after work?
- Late nights?
- During lunchtime?
- Weekends only?
(Bonus points for listing specific hour ranges, like 8pm—10pm or 6am—9am).
And
2. Why?
Is it out of necessity from your work schedule?
Because of family commitments?
Is that the time of day you’re mentally at your best?
…
Comment below telling me what time of day you work on your side projects and why.
I’ll include you in my upcoming study and you’ll be the first to get updates on our findings!
89 replies to “What time do you work on your side project?”
I work on side projects mostly during evening or late night
I’m currently not on full time employment so I have plenty of flexibility regarding private projects..
However, I like getting up early, around 4 am and I normally go to bed at about 22hrs. My choice for when to carry out a given project depends on its importance, urgency, etc. If it’s very demanding, I prefer starting at about 5am to around 8am
Lunch break and evenings.
I am wotking in one private company as a receptionist since 5 year in bangalore india. where my salary is just u $.400 . I have very much pressure too due to my poor financial stage of my home as well as mine i am continued the same job.by the way i am seeking for best job or low invest small business if anybody have a good opportunity for for me kindly do contact me on ss follows,
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With Best Wishes
Vinayak Naik
India
I begin each morning whenever I wake up, looking at the topic I want to share in my evening video. At 5, I take a break from my job and spend an hour preparing for and posting the video. I might devote some additional time during the week, but I’m more productive on Saturday morning 9-1 and Sunday night 5-9.
I try to work on side projects in the morning before client work! I tend to be more focused in the morning, and know that I’m more likely to finish client work as opposed to mine in the time I work after dinner/leading up to bedtime.
I work on my side project after work hours and before dinner/gym time, which is evening 4pm-7pm..and for about 6-8hrs on saturdays.
No work on sundays – only family/leisure time.
Forgot to add my Why: I work a demanding, creative job. By the time I finish work, take a walk and cook dinner, I don’t have much time or desire to stare at a screen again. I do try to listen to podcasts or use talk-to-text in Evernote while I cook, in order to build material for my books and blog.
The hours of my job is never the same on a daily basis. It can start at 5:00 am or start at 3:00 pm. It is a challenge to get a system down between that and being a single mom. But I make a list of doable actions that I can fit into whatever time I have during the day and work on that. I am overly optimistic so I usually end up carrying over the list to the next day, which creates an entirely new set of issues… But learning to focus on one project a day.
Evenings, beyond TV time, when it’s still and all are asleep. Around 22h00 – 02h00…
I work on my side hustle in the evenings after my day job, since I’m a night owl and getting up at 7am for work is already far earlier than I’d like. I’m still very much in learning mode, and I generally read a couple industry articles over lunch most days. Friday and Saturday nights are my best times to work since I can stay up much later than usual – though if I’ve pulled some late nights over the week it all catches up with me on Friday!
Although I am not yet paid for it, I am a writer. I often think of ideas on my way to work, so usually I’m frantically typing in small breaks during the work day. Is it a great system? Probably not. But it is how I wrote my first book. It usually ends up being in the morning; that’s usually when I’m most inspired and fresh. After about 8pm I find it hard to function, and often my husband and I have plans in the evening or want to spend time together. So if I’m doing something creative in the evening it’s usually my calligraphy projects. I’m lucky to have a job where short breaks and a lunch hour are possible and acceptable.
As i work at home, i work during the day as well as at night when everyone in the house is asleep. During the day i usually allocate 1-2 hours when i am not doing other erands. However, during the weekend, i do most of the work that needs covering. The challenge though is that side projects tend to be at the back of the mind all the time. As a result, sometimes i find myself doing them any time of the day. However, it is more convinient to do them at night.
I’ve come seeking inspiration, Ryan.
How you come up with topics and projects that interest and engage your audience is inspiring.
My side gig helping entrepreneurs is becoming more of a priority than my other two business ventures. Thus, I’d say all of the above.
Great idea to ‘pick apart the exact strategies that help successful side hustlers get more done than the rest.’
Hope you follow your own advice… reach out and have conversations to find out more, i.e.
How draining is your ‘day job’ for taking up cognitive and emotional energy away from working on your business idea?
What level of marketing and business understanding and experience do you already have?
How are you marketing your side gig?
How much time do you spend learning… your side biz, marketing, business, tech?
Have you begun networking or enhancing your relationships?
~Keri
I try and keep a pretty flexible schedule, so I do it when the mood is right, but typically 10pm-2am
I actually haven’t started yet. I’m doing some research on how to get started as a remote freelance designer, as to what the procedure should look like, where to get support if I have any questions about the project(flying solo, you don’t have that support), find a hub with lots of resources where designers connect.
I get up for the day job at 5.45 so my best time for my project is evenings between 7.30 and 10.00. I also try to do stuff at weekends but balancing such work with spending quality time with my partner can be difficult..Would love more time and energy!
There isn’t a specific time for me to get my “side hustle” on, because each second, minute, and hour in a 24 hour day can spark a thought which can transpire into an action causing a reaction in which I can be motivated to create or recreate an idea in which I can react to!
From Monday to Friday, I try to squeeze in two daily blocks of 1 hour each. 10-11 a.m. and 4-5 p.m. On weekends, the amount of time spent depends on my obligations to my family and on what I need to catch up on from the week before or prepare for the following week.
Yahho!Hi Ryan.I work on mine either around 9am-12midnight (to get exhausted with great ideas and have a great sleep) or at 2am-4am
(to have a fresh mind, fresh ideas for a fresh start,like I’m doing now). Sometimes, I do work on it wholeday and overnight.Especially when I’m totally bored or stress out,to released enough tensions and pressures through doing something that in lined with my hobbies ,future plans, or anything that goes with creativity and Arts.My own way of self-meditation.That would be all ,Thanks Ry!