By: Antoinette Minor
First Published On: antoinetteminor.com
Yes, I have three jobs at the moment. Yes, I’m still alive to tell you about it. When I started The Young Professionalist my goal was to always remain truthful and raw when it comes to my experiences as a young professional. According to a Forbes Survey, over one third of millennials have a side hustle. Some of the second jobs mentioned were babysitting gigs, retail work and freelance web design. I’m one of those millennials with multiple side hustles and this is a super real and personal blog today.
I decided for the last quarter of 2016 that I wanted to go so hard and finish the year with a large lump sum of money. Why? Because paying student loans, keeping up with basic living expenses and starting your own business is expensive as hell. Honestly, just contributing to and maintaining a savings account is tough. My goal is to jump into the New Year with my new money pot to live comfortably and take a much needed and lavish vacation. So instead of picking up one extra job, I got two! Ambitious right? Or more like crazy?
Well, while I’ve thought about this idea for the past few months I figured the holidays were a perfect time to start. Retail is pretty much hiring anyone to pick up the load over the next few weeks and I knew it would be easy to score a side gig at this time of year. After interviewing at a few places I found one that I actually like! It made my heart jump a little to go back into a sales environment since I’ve been out of the game for a while. Plus, employee discounts anyone? I know what everybody is getting for Christmas this year!
So, what is the third job? I’ve picked up work as an independent contractor. I can’t share the details of the deal but I’m blessed to be able to have two side jobs!
Set a Bed Time
I have not had a bed time since elementary school but reintegrating this life tool into my adult life has got my mornings lit! I know just how many hours and what time I need to go to bed in order to make sure I wake up on time and have an energized day. If I stay awake too long the next day is going to be disastrous and I KNOW I won’t be able to get up and hit the gym either. Bed time doesn’t have to mean sleep by a specific hour but it certainly does mean in the bed and relaxing. Maybe even a glass of wine or cup of sleepy tea to go along with your nighty? 10:00pm and no later for me!
Get Your Schedule Together
Know exactly where you need to be and at what time. You’ll save yourself a lot of time by using one calendar to manage your personal and professional life. Although I have three calendars through gmail it all shows up in one place on my iPhone. Also remember to calculate drive or travel time between appointments or shifts. Most phones will send an alert to let you know exactly what time you have to leave to arrive on time. If your phone does not, at least give yourself an hour of travel time even if it is only 15 minutes so you can have a few moments to yourself before you move on to the next task.
There is Power in Preparation
Use the evening before to prep for the upcoming day or week. For example, all of my prep for The Young Professionalist happens on Sundays. Although I can’t plan everything I prep for what I can expect. When it comes to prepping for your side job you should prep your meals so you don’t have to miss any, prep your outfits because you may have to change for your second job and pack any materials you may need for the upcoming day. It makes a difference and saves you loads of time when you pack or prep in advance.
So this is a glimpse on how I’m surviving working three jobs for now. Overall, its about managing your time and maintaining some sort of balance. Remember to take breaks and to set deadlines. This isn’t going to be my life for no longer than the holiday season because burnout can happen real quick. I’m sharing my story because I do want to inspire you and let you know that its possible to set large goals and take on new responsibilities if you do it the right way.
I’m sure there are other things that are helping and I’ll be sure to continue sharing my advice and how I’m doing with my goal throughout the rest of the year. Let me know if you have a side hustle and how you’re handling the extra workload below!
See you at the top,
The Young Professionalist