I know a lot of you out there got started in pet sitting or dog walking by signing up with Rover or Wag or one of the other sites that do this kind of thing. It’s a great way to get started toward opening up your own pet sitting business or if you don’t want to open up your own business it’s a great side hustle to earn extra income while still doing your full-time day job.
Today I wanted to talk about how to juggle your side hustle and your full-time day job. Your side hustle may be rover or wag or it may be your own pet sitting company that, at this point, you are still growing.
As many of you know I started my own pet sitting business as a side hustle while I was still working a full-time corporate job. I did both for a year before I went full time into the pet business and it was hard. I would have welcomed any help or advice on how to juggle the two successfully.
The first bit of good news is You’re Not Alone! 44 million Americans have some sort of side hustle on top of their full-time job. It can be done! I know because I’ve done it and so have many others.
Here’s 3 pieces of advice that will help you make the juggle just a bit easier.
#1 Working with your employer
Many people wonder whether to tell their employer that they have a side hustle. There is no wrong answer to this. I chose not to tell mine because I had a lot of flexibility in my day job and I didn’t want my employer to think I wasn’t committed to my job.
If you do or don’t tell them at least keep in mind these general rules. If you are emailing for your side hustle during your day job, be sure to use a personal email. This can be a Gmail or an email specific to your pet business. Do not use your work email. Along the same lines do not make or take phone calls about your pet business on your work phone. Step away from your desk and use your personal cell. And finally, do not use company property for personal reasons. Office supplies, copiers, printers are not there for your business. It’s better to be safe than sorry and to maintain a good relationship with your employer.
#2 Throw away your To-Do List and Practice calendar blocking
Calendar blocking is when you divide your day up into “blocks” of 30 or 60 minutes and insert a task in each block. I do this every evening for the next day and every Friday evening for the next week. It will help you feel less overwhelmed and actually get more done.
#3 Prioritize what goes in your calendar block with the Eisenhower Principle
The Eisenhower Principle groups all tasks into 4 groups:
- Important and Urgent – put these on your calendar blocks for the next day
- Important but Not Urgent – put these on your calendar for the near to midterm future
- Not Important but Urgent – delegate these to someone else
- Not Important and Not Urgent – ignore these
This will help you focus on what matters and what drives your business forward.
I know it’s a lot! Running your side hustle while you do a full-time day job is challenging for anyone. I also know that it’s possible and that you can do it! Have faith that you’re moving forward every day and that you will make it!
Another article you might like;
A.I. verses Human. Can you tell the difference?
https://www.thepetbusinesscoach.dog/artificial-intelligence/
About Eliza
Eliza is an experienced pet business owner with a specialty in pet sitting and dog walking businesses. As The Pet Business Coach, she offers coaching and resources to aspiring or current petpreneurs. She maintains an awesome blog for pet business owners https://thepetbusinesscoach.dog/blog-page/ and a practical podcast to help pet business owners excel and drive their business forward. Eliza and her husband live in the Appalachian Mountains with their furry and feathery family including cats, goats and chickens. Visit her website at www.thepetbusinesscoach.dog.
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