Energy for side business... any tips?

[bernardlau]

Some of us here are probably working a fulltime job and trying to balance it with our side business after work hours and weekends.

Most days when i get home from my day job, I'm pretty buggered and tired. Good thing my partner does the admin stuff during the day. But as we're getting busy, once I get home, I gotta start churning the work load (in my case, editing and designing).

I probably drink 3 coffees through out the day which I think isn't that healthy... and I'm not exactly as fit as I used to be.

What are some of your tips to keeping the energy to keep going through the night?

[Ytelco]

Have to admit I'm a coffee freak so I'm sure the caffeine plays a part but I find exercise helps a lot.

Gym, walk, sports team etc... always get an energy kick after exercising. It's a good social outlet too.

[AgentMail]

Hi Bernard,

This was my situation up until very recently. The first thing that allowed me to stay ahead was that I had negotiated a work from home arrangement with my employer. There are some great tips around this in Tim Ferriss' 4 Hr Work Week - get yourself a copy.

Second, if getting a remote work agreement really isn't possible (and if you read the book, the solution is to quite, or find another job with more flexibility), you need to be super sharp with your organisational skills, setup auto responders on emails etc. so that you do not waste time on non-revenue generating tasks, but get stuck straight in to the heart of what needs to be done.

[vereD888]

In my case I always take a nap at noon break to energized my system for afternoon session. After the whole day work I take a short break to socialized with friends then start working on my side business. I take my daily dose of vitamins and exercise at least 20 minutes. When I feel tired I made it a point to pause and rest for a while to regain my energy.

[HollyRose]

Hi bernardlau,

I have to agree with Ytelco & vereD888. Vitamins and excercise. Im a bit different to vereD888 however - when I feel tired I make a point to drag myself outside. When you are really busy, the last thing you want to think about is adding excercise to your routine - as if you have time! But I find 30 minutes to an hour of excercise boosts my energy 10-fold (although it might take a couple of weeks to start seeing the results).

I go for 'fun stuff', with fresh air. Working out at the gym after working all day is not my idea of fun. I go for walks along the river in Brisbane with awesome music - try the 8tracks.com application on your phone - you'll discover all kinds of new head clearing music. Or my new favourite outdoors excercise is Slacklining (google it). Sometimes I'm out slacklining at midnight!

Good luck & look after yourself,

HollyRose.

[Couple It]

Try replacing the coffee with water instead - you'll be amazed at how much energy it can give you, since dehydration causes tiredness. But first you'll have to spend 2-3 days with headaches as your body detoxes from the lack of caffeine.

Definitely worth the pain though.

Wendy

[ExactEditing]

I've been through similar and still going through it! I don't drink coffee as its a stimulant that doesn't actually solve the problem of not having enough hours in the day. Sometimes unfortunately there's nothing you can do in the short-term, but I found it helped having goals and having them all in front of me. For example, if you're wondering if it's worth it all, write down how long you're prepared to commit to the current situation and when you think it may get better. If its not going to change for 12 months, can you stick it out for that long and is it worth it? If it is, clearing your head, whatever that involves, is a must. I've learnt it's not worth pushing through saying you can't stop, when having a break means you work faster and smarter afterwards. Find your "zen" and keep your goal always in sight. Sometimes the relief is just over the hill! Good luck.

[NickHumphries]

Energy should come from your motivation. Always remember why you're in this and visualize the end result every day!

[JohnTranter]

It's not always possible but I always say don't work when you're tired. You make mistakes and often I've spent more time fixing work I did when I was tired than I would have spent doing it in the first place.

Take a proper break when you feel tired, and I don't consider watching t.v. or browsing websites a proper break if you work on a computer.
Go do something completely different, make a cake, take a walk, drive to the shops for an ice cream or something.
Then get back to it.

As for energy levels, I could blab on about low GI foods, but I also drink a lot of caffeine and eat food I shouldn't so I'm in no position to lecture anyone! I do however take plenty of exercise which helps with energy and stress.

[bernardlau]

Thanks for great tips and letting us know what you do to keep "fresh".

I like the idea of taking a REAL break in between the full time job and the side job. REAL as in go for a walk and not sitting in front of a TV or screen surfing the net.

Excercise would really help. I used to excercise almost daily for at least an hour a few years ago while I was juggling a fulltime job and 2 part time jobs and I still felt that I had energy to spare. I really need to get back into that.

Water > Coffee? Alright, I'll try that too.

I think I need to start planning a specific daily/nightly schedule from now on and try to meet those goals. Hopefully I don't become some drone...