It’s OK To Step Away From Your Side Hustle

Was 2020 the best time to start a side hustle? I have read the arguments for both sides and internally wrestled with the question for several months.

Here is my conclusion: it depends.

Profound? Hardly. But absolutes are dangerous. There are no one-size-fits-all approaches to side hustles, despite what blogging gurus would have you believe.

Over the past 18 months, I have completed three side hustles. Writing and teaching have put extra money in my pocket while podcasting has siphoned some of it away.

Were they worth it? Should I continue? If I could go back in time would I start them?

It’s not as simple as yes or no for any of these questions. It likely isn’t simple for you either.

I have been inconsistent, costing my email sign-ups, article views, and writing bonuses. Writing gurus would shame my approach noting I lack dedication and have only myself to blame for earning pocket change.

They are right. I do blame myself.

I have gained so much more than money since I started side hustles.

Why are you doing a side hustle?

When the pandemic struck, I was teaching an elective for Emory University. It was a nutrition course for physical therapists. I didn’t start the course to make money, I started it because nutrition education is weak in the profession. The money is an added bonus.

Could I have started my own online course and increased my earning potential? Absolutely. But there is security in latching on to an established entity — in this case, a university. I am still building my teaching skills and expanding my network. Why start from scratch if I don’t have to. Going independent is often the wrong choice. Timing, preparation, and experience matter.

Teaching was my first method of branching out but, like many people, I sought new opportunities in 2020. As the pandemic hit its first peak, work from home time increased and social activities stopped, providing me more time. I had toyed with the idea of writing a book for a while and decided it was a perfect time.

Every morning I woke at 5 AM to write and managed to string together a 120,000-word manuscript by June. The process kindled a love for writing. I was hungry for more.

Enter blogging.

I started writing for a couple of platforms and my website. I started a podcast and lineup weekly interviews. I loved the process, providing professional growth and personal fulfillment.

I have made over $15K from my side hustles in the past 8 months, but the hourly rate has been pitiful. Much of the success came via sign-on bonuses.

I had hopes it would soon spike based on all of the success stories I read (ah survivorship bias). But each time I gained traction, life got in the way.

They were welcome distractions

Prioritizing life over side-hustles

Infants are skilled at disrupting sleep schedules.

Once Caroline was born last October, the 5 AM writing sessions vanished. Weekly podcasting was a thing of the past as well. Upgrading from one to two kids changes the game like nothing I had previously experienced.

Life is full of choices. During a leadership training I completed in 2016, the instructor asked all of the participants to make a substitution for a commonly used phrase. Instead of saying “I don’t have time” for something, say “I do not prioritize” instead.

Try it.

It makes you feel uncomfortable. Sometimes that is good, as it puts into perspective whether you are prioritizing the right things. However, it can be shame-inducing and harmful as well. Time is a finite resource and it is OK to not have time for an activity.

When my daughter was born, I didn’t have time for podcasting or high-volume writing. They would have required me to sacrifice time with my wife or children, my career, or my mental or physical health. It wasn’t a simple matter of cutting out Netlfix.

When you read about side hustle success stories, you only see part of the picture. You see the survivor, not the countless writers struggling to gain traction. You don’t see the circumstances or the sacrifices that writer made, either.

Some circumstances differ greatly from your own. It’s easier to side hustle when you are single and without kids, for example. I wouldn’t trade the time I spend playing with my kids (I would trade stumbling around a crib at 2 AM looking for a pacifier), but that time does take away from side hustle opportunities.

That doesn’t mean single individuals don’t make sacrifices for a successful side hustle. Perhaps a career or dating life is put on hold. Or maybe a house or car purchase is pushed off another year. I am not saying it is easy to side hustle if you are without kids and impossible to do it with kids. I am saying choices have to be made.

Prioritizing my career

Just when I started establishing a stable routine with two kids, my career ramped up. In February, our new residency class began and the practice ramped quickly. With the vaccine rollout and reduction in cases, continuing education and training programs resumed.

I jumped back into traveling across the country to teach courses. Last fall I was appointed a Centennial Scholar. Two months ago I was elected Treasurer of the Georgia Physical Therapy Association. All great things for my career. All barriers to my writing and podcasting. All worth it.

I have not published a podcast episode in five months. My Instagram and Twitter pages look abandoned. If I kept up with them, my career would suffer.

Recently, a CEO tweeted he is fearful of side-hustles impeding on his employees' full-time jobs.

First, full-time jobs are not exclusive. There is plenty of time in the day to manage a full career and side hustle. Bringing people into the office doesn’t stop side hustles, nor should it. Happy and fulfilled people are more productive. If they are seeking out side hustles in place of the main job then there is a problem with the job. But let’s put that aside for now.

The Tweet reflects the current focus many people have on side hustles. The survivorship bias has everyone shooting for the 10K a month hustle that allows you to leave your current career behind. Few side-hustles will lead to major financial success, but many will absorb hours of time a day.

I am not sacrificing my career for a side hustle. I have a stable job with great potential. I have a family to support and student loans to pay off. I am not representative of all situations. Take stock of your own situation and potential. What is the best use of your time?

Taking a step back

My wife is a real estate agent and she convinced me that now was a great time to move. Debatable, given the market for buyers, but we did it the right way. We sold in a seller’s market and found a fixer off-market, allowing us to get a great deal.

Have you ever tried moving with two kids under the age of four, during a pandemic, into a fixer (no kitchen for 5 weeks), while keeping up with a full-time job and side hustle?

Zero fun.

Whether it was the right time to move can be debated. I prefer to focus on the present and future.

My priorities remain my family, health, and career, meaning something else needs to fall off. The side hustle needs to be pushed back further.

I still write but the volume is far less. Social media is non-existent and my bi-weekly newsletter is biweekly-ish. This isn’t permanent but it is the best thing for me now.

I would love to have a consistent income from a side hustle, but I won’t trade my health, family relationships, or career success for them.

It’s time to stop shame people into doing more for their side-hustle. You also need to decide where the priorities lie and what you will commit to. The side-hustle game can be a great source of income and potentially the avenue to a new career. But don’t let the side hustle blind you to the rest of your life.

At the beginning of the article, I stated I have gained so much more than money since I started side hustles. I don’t make thousands of dollars a month blogging. But in the past year, I have built a strong relationship with my three-year-old son and eight-month-old daughter, I have been elected and appointed to new positions in my profession, I have published three research papers as a secondary author, I have built and taught two CEU courses across the country, I have moved into a dream home and helped with renovations, and I have prioritized my mental and physical health.

I think I made the right choice to put the side-hustles on hold.