Side hustle as a dad - realistic talk

Jan 31 min read

Everyone talks about side hustles as if you have free time. I tried freelance writing for a few months thinking I'd make extra money. Reality: I'd work 8-6 at my main job, come home, be present (or try to be) until kids bedtime at 8, then work until 10-11pm.

Made maybe $4,000 over three months. Burned out by month 4. Wife was annoyed I was always on my laptop. Kid asked why I was ignoring him during weekend mornings when I should've been present.

Decided the tradeoff wasn't worth it. Going back to just my regular job and accepting our budget as-is. Anyone else tried this and failed?

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Comments(5)

CChristopher J.New DadJan 3

Freelance writing is rough because you're squeezing it into like 30 minute blocks between kid stuff and it kills your productivity. Props for trying though, most dads I know just give up on the side hustle idea entirely.

TTyler H.New DadJan 5

Honest question though, how much were you making per hour once you factored in the actual work time? I feel like a lot of side hustles aren't worth it once you do the math.

BBrad T.New DadJan 5

The only side hustle that worked for me was stuff I could do in small chunks. Freelance writing requires too much brain power when you're already fried from work and parenting.

MMike R.New DadJan 6

Yeah the whole side hustle culture totally ignores that dads have maybe 5 hours a week max if they're lucky. That's not enough to build anything meaningful.

VVincentNew DadJan 6

I did DoorDash for a bit and that actually worked because I could control the hours completely. Freelance writing seems like it would be way more demanding though.

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