Side hustle killing me - need to pump the brakes

Dec 271 min read

Been running a freelance design thing on the side for about 8 months, making decent money ($1200-1800/month), but I'm working from 9pm-midnight most nights after the kids are asleep. Last night my son caught me and asked why I was always on the computer. That hit different.

I think I need to either commit to it properly or kill it. Can't keep living like I'm running on fumes. Anyone else had to walk away from extra income to preserve their sanity?

10 comments8 views

Comments(10)

CCole B.RegularDec 28

lol the post cuts off - "Last night my son" what? Now I'm worried and invested. But seriously, if you're too exhausted to finish sentences about it, that's the sign right there

WWill R.RegularDec 28

Maybe talk to the clients about daytime hours instead? Like "I'm available 6-7am before work" or lunch breaks? The midnight grind only works if you don't have a family and honestly sounds like you do

CChris T.RegularDec 28

What if you capped it at like 2-3 nights a week instead of every night? Still makes decent money but you're not running yourself into the ground. Quality over quantity type thing.

DDerek P.RegularDec 28

The 9pm-midnight grind is unsustainable man. I did the same thing for a year and didn't realize how short I was with my kids until my daughter asked why I was always tired. $1500/month isn't worth missing their childhoods. Can you scale back to like 2-3 nights a week instead?

CCliff B.RegularDec 28

Did the same thing. Started at 10pm, then it was 9pm, then I was working til 1am on weekends. The money felt good but I was a ghost in my own house. Finally killed the side gig and honestly? Miss the money like 10% but miss being present 90%.

CChris F.RegularDec 28

Real talk - 8 months in is right when the money starts feeling real and you think you can keep it up forever. You can't. Your body will force the brakes before your brain does.

PPatrick W.RegularDec 28

Your post cuts off at "Last night my son" - did he catch you working? Or something happened? Feel like that's the important part lol

CCliff B.RegularDec 28

Been there. Eventually I realized I was doing the side hustle partly bc I felt like I SHOULD be providing extra, like my regular job wasn't enough. But my kids didn't care about the extra money - they cared that dad was tired and cranky. Took hitting a wall before I scaled back to just weekends.

BBen L.RegularDec 29

The 9pm-midnight grind is brutal man. I did something similar for about 6 months and started making stupid mistakes on client work bc I was exhausted. Lost a big client bc of sloppy revisions. Is the $1200-1800 worth missing time with your kids? Sounds like it might not be hitting the math when you factor in what you're actually losing.

RRick J.RegularDec 29

this hit hard