7 Habits For Highly Successful Side Hustling

I love side hustling. Love it!

I get such a crazy buzz from thinking about how I can refine my process, get more efficient, scale and deliver an outcome better.

For a long time, I was totally idea barren. I couldn't put my finger on what exactly I wanted to focus on.

However, what I knew deep down was that soon as I nailed that thing down, I would attack it and go for excellence.

I now know that all those years of inaction was partly due to fear. Fear of failing and fear of what other people would think.

This same fear cripples most people and leaves their lives in a dormant state.

It is the recurring theme from those that I offer startup coaching to. The fear of jumping.

I feel I am now at the most fearless stage of my life and getting to that stage required a switch to be turned on.

I needed to get to the point of no return and the more I remind myself of those key no return events, the more my fire burns passionately.

Thinking deeper about why I love side hustling so much, it's clear to me that the hope factor is possibly the strongest attraction.

I have seen in my journey so far, some not so particular bright people do amazing things.

Hanging around with some of these entrepreneurs, I always admired their “crap, let's just do it!” attitude.

And these guys after years of graft, now walk away with 7 figures a year in dividends and not to mention the potential of selling their business.

I still see them today, and I smile because I know what they have done can be replicated but only by the truly determined.

It's interesting how much influence having the right people around you can have.

Sometimes, that influence isn't immediate. It may be years down the line.

The hope factor referred to earlier could result in giving you –

• Real Options – nothing beats one of these. Being able to say “oh well, at least I have options!”. Options have value.
• Freedom – this is the Big Domino. To achieve it, you first have to Choose it in your mind. Ask yourself, have you chosen Freedom? Side hustling is a major lever for Financial Independence.
• Purpose – A big revelation for me was that if you do not put one foot in front of the other literally, nothing happens. Your purpose already exists. You either take Faith Walks and discover it, or you die not having tried.

For those who have and do something with the little they have, more will be given. For those who do not, the little they have will be taken away.

This might seem totally unfair but it’s the way life really works.

If you let this sink in, it will transform your life like it has done mine. You'll either turn that switch on or get closer to it.

Those who have turned the switch on are The Fearless Generation. The ones who know that they play a significant role in life’s great adventure.

And because they know this, they kick doors down and make things happen. This generation will be talked about for years to come.

To prepare for this post, I sought the contributions of my brother and sister. Both with unique superpowers and killing it in their spheres.

Below are 7 habits of highly successful side hustling –

1. Create Spaces

The word “hustling” implies that you don’t stop. This is a terrible misunderstanding and will only lead to frequent burnout.

I came across the idea of “spaces” when I had the priviledge of having a life coach in 2015.

“Spaces” refers to deliberate time out for you. The key here is to change two things at the same time:

• Your environment
• And your routine

When you do this, magic happens. Practically, I do this by either going for a walk or somewhere local like a cafe or a hotel, or even travel abroad.

This change of environment leads to:

• Reflection – I ask the hard questions and make things real. Why am I doing this? Why does it matter? Who is it helping? How is it helping me?
• Essentialism – I deliberately ask myself – What is essential? What is the next best thing I need to do?

Must-read book: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

I recommend creating spaces for at least 90 minutes per week. Start slow.

To make sure it happens, schedule them into your diary as a recurring appointment.

2. Hang Out With Dream Makers

I have previously written about the importance of strong and positive friendships.

Side hustling is all about calling dreams into reality. This can be very tough and often doesn’t happen immediately.

It can take weeks and months to begin to gain traction in whatever it is you’re creating, and as such you need dream makers around you.

These are people who might be friends or a family member or mentor, who you check in with to be fed.

They don’t throw negativity and worry near you but instead, listen to your challenges and offer answers.

I remember Russell Brunson once saying that he pays a guy to call him at 5 am every morning to shout down the phone:

“You can do this man, come on!! Let’s go, let’s go…….!”

Although his approach is very different, what he is essentially doing is keeping his momentum and dreams alive.

Dream makers remind you of why you set out to achieve your goals and hold you to account. They might also be on an entrepreneurial journey and as such, feed you with ideas.

My dream makers are my wife, and my deeply entrepreneurial brother and sisters.

They are in it for me to be successful and slap me in the face when I start feeling sorry for myself.

3. Keep Learning

You should constantly feed your dreams and desires by learning what people have done ahead of you.

An internal culture of life long learning is absolutely necessary for you to continue to evolve with skills and stay relevant.

These new skills will help you stay on top of solving peoples problems better, helping you thrive year after year.

Over the last 12 months, for example, I have immersed deeply in the arena of blogging as well as internet marketing.

I also read alot! Reading feeds my writing, which in turn feed my reading in a feedback loop.

If you focus on disciplines that enhance your personal strengths as well as your business, then what you have is a win-win play.

Related:

Life Transforming Books I Love

5 Reasons Why Reading Books Is The Greatest Life Hack Ever

4. Do Things NOW!

How many times have you wanted to do something but instead deferred it until you finish eating, or napping or whatever?

This happens to the best of us, but is also a big reason why most don’t achieve anything in a day and days pass by.

What you should do instead is force yourself to do this right NOW. By doing that, everything else has to wait.

You will find over time that you’ll become more productive and efficient in your business activities.

Deferring gratification will also serve you well if you start slotting small goals before non-negotiable events in the day such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

INTERLUDE: In my effort to show my work, I am taking a lead from Austin Kleon’s must-read book Show Your Work by telling you abit about my blogging process:

Track whilst writing – Stephen Price’s “The Hunt” (album) – “The Blue Whale” (track). Great for clarity!

Blog idea – Inspired by the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Transformation sought – To keep the fire burning in people’s hearts about creating opportunity

Post Structure – Storytelling + looking inside myself

Post Strategy – Mind mapping

Current state of mind – Curious

5. Plan Ahead

Start each week with definite goals to achieve. Make your list small and achievable such that you can see yourself tick things off.

I usually start by planning the week on a Sunday with a deliberate strategy of winning tomorrow today.

Related: The Importance of a Deliberate Morning Routine

You should aim to absolutely stick to your plans. If you must change something, change it slowly.

Fast changes usually mean that you’re listening to external voices and ignoring the original voice from within.

6. Zen Focus

Achieving zen focus is more challenging today than ever before. How often do you check in on your WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter?

Here’s a test – if you cannot avoid any of the above for 2 hours, then you possibly have a serious addiction problem 🙂

Side hustling is the art of making things happen with minimal resources such as time. As such, it requires a high level of focus and creativity.

A big part of why I write these blog posts is to in part prove that alot can be achieved with very little time.

Giving yourself the possibility of success is also very important in your bid to have a successful side hustle.

Focusing on one thing gives you a much higher probability of making success happen.

Must-read book: The One-Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results

7. Shift Your Focus

Now here’s a revelation in the way to guarantee success in your side hustle – Don’t focus on what you want (usually money or more clients).

Focus instead on what people want and solve their problems.

Amazon is a great example. They have a customer obsession that leads deliberate innovation for their customers.

Amazon sells solutions not books and toasters etc. As such, they’re rewarded handsomely as one of the most successful companies in the world.

To conclude, I believe everyone should be involved in a side hustle. Whether for-profit or non-profit.

Success in those endeavours, however, comes through makings careful and deliberate decisions every day that are designed to shift you closer to a desired outcome.

Related to side hustling:

5 Ways To Start A Business For Free At Zero Risk

If you want the “RoadMap To Financial Independence”, then subscribe below. I have put together a thoroughly practical course on Teachable that anyone anywhere in the world can use to achieve Financial Independence:

Are you experiencing success in your side hustle or business? What habits do you attribute that success to?

Do please share this post if you found it useful, and remember, in all things be thankful and Seek Joy.