Side-hustles can be a great way to make extra cash to pay down student loans. However, it can oftentimes be very difficult to find the time to work part-time gigs. Everyone trying to pay down student loans likely has a regular “9 to 5” main job that consumes much time and energy. In addition, all of us have a wide variety of chores, social obligations, and other responsibilities that also take up time that could be devoted to working side-hustles. With all the tasks that we must accomplish in our daily lives, it can be extremely difficult to spend enough time working side-hustles to make a meaningful amount of money.
During my own student debt repayment saga, I struggled to balance the responsibilities of my main job with my part-time pursuits. Some weeks, I worked 90 hours or more between my main job and part-time gigs. It was oftentimes difficult for me to find the time to pursue side-hustles because of all the other tasks I needed to accomplish in my daily life. However, if you keep a few strategies in mind, you will be able to devote the most time possible to working side-hustles.
The key to making the most money from side-hustles without disrupting your daily life is to monetize time that is not typically devoted to meaningful tasks. For instance, I usually commute 45 minutes each day to and from work. In order to get to work and back home, I need to ride two different trains. Before committing myself to working side-hustles, I simply spent my commutes reading books, browsing the internet, or finding some other distraction.
However, I eventually monetized my commutes, and some days, I was able to earn $50 or more during my trips to and from work. While I was working for the academic services company I described in a prior post, I usually connected my laptop to the internet through my cell phone, and worked this gig while on the train. I could only complete this work if I found a seat on the train and I was not distracted, but most days I was able to monetize my commutes by working this side-hustle on the train. In addition, if you download the InboxDollars mobile app, or access this platform on your phone, it is easy to make money by taking surveys and completing offers while commuting.
You can also work side-hustles during any period of your day that is not spent completing other tasks. During my student debt repayment saga, if I waited in a doctor’s office, or if I arrived at any meeting early, I would set up my computer and work side-hustles. In fact, I opened my laptop and worked part-time gigs from restaurants, coffee shops, hospitals, movie theaters, cars, airplanes, trains, buses, and a variety of other locations. Generally, if I could sit down and I had ten minutes to spare in any location, I would work side-hustles. It is amazing how many hours we waste in our daily lives by commuting, waiting for events to occur, and in other ways. By monetizing this time through working side-hustles, you can have an impact on your student loans without interrupting your daily routine.
Of course, in order to make the most money possible from side-hustles, you also need to work before and after your main job during periods that you would typically be relaxing or socializing. During my student debt repayment saga, there were many days when I worked side-hustles for two hours in the morning and for three hours after I came home from work at night. It was difficult for me to set aside this time, and I employed a few different strategies to help me maximize the amount of time I spent on side-hustles.
While I was working at the academic services company, which was my most lucrative part-time gig, I did not cook any meals. I previously advised on this website that oftentimes you should cook your own meals to save money. However, paying for prepared meals allowed me to spend more time working lucrative side-hustles. I calculated that I earned much more than the cost of prepared food during the 30 to 40 minutes I saved by not cooking, and as a result, paying for prepared meals was worth the cost in this situation. You could also apply this reasoning to other parts of your life, and it might make sense to hire a cleaning person, a dog walker, or anyone else who could free up time for you to work lucrative side-hustles.
During my student debt repayment saga, I also experimented with how much I needed to sleep in order to be functional in my daily life. I have always slept around eight hours a night, but I oftentimes only slept six and a half to seven hours a night during my student debt repayment saga so I could devote the most time possible to my side-hustles. I was usually functional despite this lack of sleep, and I am sure plenty of people out there still think this amount of rest is plenty! In any case, I encourage everyone to experiment with how much sleep you need, since resting less can help you devote more time to side-hustles.
In the end, making time to work side-hustles is not easy. Everyone has extremely busy lives, and working part-time gigs might require you to alter your personal routine. However, with a few changes to your daily life, it is easy to devote more time to working part-time gigs.