How to find time to freelance if you already have a full-time job

1. Focus on the main source of income, but do not forget about the side

Analyze which jobs make the most money for you. This will help you prioritize.

It is wise to focus on a full-time job, since it is usually the one that brings the highest income and offers certain privileges. However, remember that freelancing is important too. You expand your network of contacts, and each of your current customers can become your future employer.

2. Find additional work in the same field as the permanent

This will help you develop the skills necessary for a permanent job and hone your skills. For example, if you work as a videographer for an agency, in your spare time you can shoot videos for your own clients. If you are a graphic designer, you can design a website layout for a small company.

On the other hand, if in the future you want to master another profession and change jobs, you can use freelancing as an opportunity to try yourself in a new field and gain the necessary experience.

3. Do freelance orders in the morning

Many work in the evenings or on weekends. And some break the mold: get up early and take orders in the morning before going to work.

This approach has certain advantages. The thought of additional work waiting for you at home will not weigh you down during the day. Plus, freelancing work in the morning warms up your brain, allowing you to be more productive in the future.

If you're not an early riser, try another way to organize your work day. Set aside some time for extra work and don't forget about the weekend. Otherwise, you will simply burn out. For example, do freelance work for two hours after work or before bed. Choose any option that suits you. The main thing is that you can stick to it all the time.

4. Save time by automating repetitive tasks

If your dream is to give up permanent office work forever and devote all your time to freelancing, you need to learn how to get the most out of every minute of your work.

To make it easier and faster to cope with simple, repetitive tasks, there are many different tools. For example, you can use online services like IFTTT. It is an automator that simplifies work with various applications by building a certain relationship between them (the if this then that principle).

It seems that these are all trifles, but the saved minutes add up. If you spend 10 minutes a week adding new contacts to the database, 20 minutes creating invoices and sorting documents, then you can end up carving yourself half an hour for rest or additional work.

5. Don't burn yourself out

In full-time employment, you have weekends and vacations. Freelancing is more complicated. You just have an order and a certain deadline for its implementation, no one will allocate time for you to rest. This is your concern.

If you are planning a big trip, at least a month before departure, warn your clients that you will be unavailable for some time. And complete all the work before the trip so that nothing distracts you.

Get some rest. If you work without interruption, then, without noticing it, you will bring yourself to physical and emotional exhaustion. Get creative or just enjoy your free time. Even if you just read a good book, it will already charge you with positive emotions that will further affect your productivity.

It's quite difficult to keep up with everything at once. But if you follow these tips, it will be easier for you to find a balance between regular work, freelancing and leisure.