{"id":2540,"date":"2010-05-26T22:34:54","date_gmt":"2010-05-27T06:34:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=2540"},"modified":"2013-08-22T13:10:17","modified_gmt":"2013-08-22T21:10:17","slug":"how-to-find-the-energy-for-more-than-just-your-day-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/how-to-find-the-energy-for-more-than-just-your-day-job\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Find the Energy for More Than Just Your Day Job"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Image courtesy of Amelia PS\/Flickr<\/a>
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So you’ve got something you’re really passionate about. Perhaps it’s a hobby which you think you could turn into a business. Or a community project, or a novel you’re writing, or a diet or exercise routine which you’re really taking seriously this time.<\/p>\n

The problem is, you’ve got a day job. It takes up most of your time and energy each day.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So how can you find the energy to get anything else done?<\/p>\n

I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not easy. I wrote fiction, then a blog, alongside a day job, and I started out freelancing while still working full-time. It was tough, and it wasn’t a situation I’d have wanted to sustain in the long term \u2013 but it was necessary while it lasted.<\/p>\n

Although I ditched the day job a couple of years ago, I still need to balance my time and energy; I’m studying a part time masters alongside freelancing.<\/p>\n

Here’s what works for me:<\/p>\n

Try Different Times of Day<\/h2>\n

I used to do all my writing in the evenings, after a full day at work. Unsurprisingly, I found it hard to concentrate \u2013 some days I didn’t get any writing done at all, then felt very frustrated that I’d “wasted” the precious few hours which I did have.<\/p>\n

Eventually, I tried writing before<\/em> work.<\/strong> It meant getting up at the unholy hour of 5.45am, but it did mean that I wrote much more easily and felt like I’d accomplished something meaningful before even going out to work.<\/p>\n

I still do my best work in the mornings (though not usually that<\/em> early), so I try to keep those hours for my writing.<\/p>\n

Obviously, you’re going to be restricted by your day job hours \u2013 but can you try working on your small business first thing in the morning? Or exercising at lunch time? Or writing your novel before dinner instead of after dinner when you’re tired and lethargic?<\/p>\n

Get Enough Rest<\/h2>\n

When you’ve got more to do than hours in the day, it’s very tempting to start taking time away from sleep. I think this is almost always counter-productive. By all means, make sure that you’re actually spending your time in bed sleeping<\/em> rather than just lying there (the nine tips from Kyeli here are great<\/a>) \u2013 but don’t skimp on sleep. <\/strong>It’ll make it harder for you to focus the next day.<\/p>\n

Getting enough rest isn’t just about sleep. If you’re working five days a week at your day job and trying to cram in more at the weekend, you’re eventually going to crash and burn. Try to take a full<\/em> day off each weekend<\/strong> \u2013 even if that means making slower progress on your personal projects than you’d like. Or try making one weekend in four a “free” weekend when you can just rest and enjoy yourself.<\/p>\n

Minimize Chores<\/h2>\n

If you’re spending eight hours a day in work \u2013 and extra time commuting back and forth \u2013 then you really want the rest of your time to count. If it’s getting eaten up by chores, can you find ways to reduce those? That could mean:<\/p>\n