The month of April was a douzy. Between 10-12 hour workdays for my 9to5 and managing the vending business I started last year, almost every minute of every day has been occupied. With my business taking off at the exact time I’m placed on a difficult, time-consuming work project, this month kicked my ass but I made it through. Here are my tips on managing a business while working a 9 to 5.
- Establish a morning routine. Waking up early is essential to running a business while still working a 9 to 5. Before the day starts and the world awakes is the best time to have uninterrupted hours of productivity to handle business affairs. My morning routine consists of prayer/meditation, review of my values/goals, reading, and working at my business to-do list. Recommended reads: The 5AM Club, The Miracle Morning
- Set targets for each day/week. Being goal oriented and organized are personally the only way I’m able to get anything done. I’ve found that having a daily running list of goals to accomplish for both my profession and business creates great structure for achievement. Manifestation is simply knowing and understanding how to meet goals, consistently. Locking-in mentally and working the process until you see your results. I start by setting targets for the week, then assign a due date for each task I need completed. I don’t always get to every item on my list. I do my best and let the cards fall where they may.
- Practice Visualization. One thing that’s helped me in combating feeling overwhelmed is taking 5 minutes before bed to visualize my next day. Playing out your ideal day mentally, helps mitigate anxiety and stress about all the things that need to get done. This is also a good practice in general. By mentally planning out my ideal next day, I am more prepared to execute that plan once the day arrives. I’ve found it to be a great way to take control of my day before it begins.
- Keep the right perspective. The only way to be effective in both your business and career is by maintaining a healthy perspective of why they both serve you at the current moment. Even if full-blown entrepreneurship is the ultimate goal, you still have your current job for a reason and you must honor that.There must be a balance and only you can determine what that is. This will help in setting boundaries to ensure neither is neglected. I do not let my business endeavors impact my career and I do not let my career impact my business affairs. Having these values help me maintain boundaries and prioritize what’s necessary at the current moment.
- Honor the self. Just as setting boundaries for your job and business are necessary, boundaries for the self are equally important. Continually executing on many things at once can be mentally draining and can negatively impact wellbeing. I try to combat this by “honoring the self”. For me, that means taking the time I need to stay mentally grounded, even if its not readily available. One way I’ve done this lately is by taking baths at lunch time. Its a 30 minute break to myself to mentally regroup for the second half of my day. This is also one of the perks of working from home.
I hope these tips help you all as much as they’ve helped me!
