4 Tips for Side Gigs and Holiday Survival
Even though it might feel like time has lost all meaning in 2020, the calendar says that the holidays are quickly approaching. Gatherings with family and friends might look a little different this year due to a need to quarantine, but that does not mean you have to dedicate every waking minute to work. Check out these survival tips for managing your side gig during the holiday season:
1. Set a work schedule and stick to it. If you decide to only work on your side hustle for one hour each day during the holidays, stick to that schedule! By setting aside time to focus on work, you allow yourself to stay focused and then leave work at work—even if you are working at home. Otherwise, you could end up feeling burnt out by working around the clock, even on your vacation.
2. Just because you are home does not mean you are available. We have talked in other blog posts about the need to set boundaries with your side gig clients, such as not being available 24/7 (as long as there is not an emergency). The same applies to holidays! If you were planning to take days off for the holidays to travel but then your plans changed, you should still allow yourself to have a vacation! Besides, who cares if a big family holiday at Grandma’s has been replaced by a Zoom chat with your extended family? You still deserve time to relax and enjoy your space.
3. Embrace the email auto-response. Say you plan to be out of the (home) office on Christmas; set up an auto-response for that day to let incoming emails know that although you are currently unavailable, you will be back to work on whatever date you decide. People generally want to feel heard and acknowledged, even by an auto-response, and your vacation message helps them feel like they are in the loop and that their email has not been eaten by 404 gremlins.
4. Even with the holidays, do not forget about your goals. Most of the tips in this list have been about creating space for yourself to relax, and you should absolutely do that. However, you do not want to go so far in that direction that you end up losing the momentum you have gained thus far through all of your hard work with your side hustle. Clients will expect this to be a busy time, but it will not hurt to set up short term goals for yourself, even if those goals are mostly maintenance for your side gig. As long as you have a plan and execute it, you should be able to schedule side gig growth as well as time for yourself.
What are your favorite tips to balance your side gig with the holiday season? Tag us on social media and show us how you work!