7 Challenges of Moonlighting

Over the last couple of years, I’ve found myself in the position of working full time and running my blog/business in my spare time.

I have to say, it certainly comes with its challenges.

Here are the 7 challenges I’ve faced working full time and having a business on the side.

Lack of time

This challenge was always going to be my biggest issue once I went back working full time for an employer.

It’s after all a common dilemma we all face in everyday life. We feel like we never have enough time.

The key is to make the most of the time I DO have available for writing/blogging and my business.

Time wasting is not an option. Working on tasks that are not a top priority – not allowed. Procrastination……who has time for that!

It goes without saying, most of this is a lot easier said then done. Hence the challenge!

Feeling tired

When you do have time, the next problem you often face is that you feel too tired.

This of course can be influenced by the hours you put in with your employer at your full time job.

Luckily in most of my full time administration roles I have had fairly standard office hours – 40 hours a week with rare overtime.  I did have one role that was extremely stressful with long hours, which created an even bigger challenge for being creative in my spare time.

Even with a job with steady hours, certain days can be  emotionally draining.

Some days finding the extra energy to come home and work on my business can be difficult.

Related post – Feeling Tired? Sleep May Not be What You Need

Feeling overwhelmed

When you have so much to do and you are not sure where to start, sometimes it can be tempting not to start at all.

Despite the urge to collapse in front of the television with the cat after a hard day in the office, there is work that needs to be done.

My best approach is to have a top 3 list. I write down my top three tasks and I focus on getting those done. If some of the less important things don’t get done, that’s okay but if I get my top 3 done, I’m happy.

Your top 3 might mean top 3 for the day or top 3 for the week, depending on what the tasks are.

Related post – What to Do When You Feel Overwhelmed

Trouble engaging with potential customers

When I get really busy at work, one of the first things that suffers is my regular email to subscribers.

I realize this is a huge mistake.

More than anything engaging with my readers, subscribers and potential customers is something that should always be on the front burner (and no doubt be on that top 3 list).

Not creating new products

With limited time, it can be easy to fill your time with the basics like updating your website and creating free content. What might fall by the wayside is creating new products for sale.

Even when you are fully focused on creating new products, how long it takes you to create them can still be an issue.

Not allocating time for self-promotion

There is no use writing great content for my blog if no one reads it or connects with it. Self-promotion is incredibly important.

While the ability to schedule social media messages definitely helps in this regard (particularly when you have a global audience on different time zones) there can sometimes still be a disconnect between social media and engaging with my audience.

Giving in to bad habits

With all of the above happening, it can be easy to give in to bad habits.

You might feel a lack of motivation. You might struggle with procrastination or feeling lazy.

Awareness is the key. Okay let me rephrase that – awareness is the key but action is the answer.

Knowing you are doing something and stopping yourself from doing it are quite different things.

This is where truly knowing yourself comes into play. It’s about knowing how to motivate yourself to keep moving and what self-talk or techniques you can use to ramp up your productivity.

Related post – Are You All Talk and No Action and How to Turn that Around?

There are always challenges to face when working full time and starting or running a business on the side.

You will most likely be tested in ways you couldn’t have imagined but you will get a sense of satisfaction that you never imagined either.

For all of the people who work two full-time jobs, I take my hat off to you!

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