Addicted to the Side Hustle: How to STOP in 2021

It began in the 2010s.

I was a senior in college. Most people that I knew were going to college, too. After all, it had become a reality for those who couldn't afford it, with the federal government's generous loans.

Even my 50-year-old mom and my cousin's friend who hated school were going back to it to learn something new. Everyone wanted new skills that could get them a pay raise. And everyone had heard how you need a college degree to get a good job.

Everyone wanted some of that sweet, sweet cash.

As many of you know, most of those student loans led to waving the white flag, resuming a minimum wage job, and, today, remain on permanent forbearance because of a low income.

It's sad.

But some of you have risen to the challenge. You've completed your degree.

You got yourself a well-paying job.

But then, you wanted more.

Why spend your salary when you could invest it? Why not earn some extra cash to use as spending money instead?

This is when the hustle culture was born. Being busy was the medieval times' new pale—it was a sign of high status. You were making money. You were making money on top of money. You had multiple skills that made you a master multitasker.

You were worthy.

What Side Hustling Leads To

You know this one. Hustling, over a long period of time, leads to burnout. But what they don't tell you is that hustling over a long period of time can also lead to psychosis.

Kidding.

But it can lead to an addiction. The same way your brain craves "one more pull" on the slot machine, your brain wants to search Upwork in the wee hours of the night, looking for an easy-in to the next gig.

How do I know this? I've done it. I've spent days scrolling on Indeed, looking for a job when I already had one, in hopes I'd find a supplemental, less-than-20-hours-a-week job, so I could get rid of my feelings of boredom in my free time. I had the time. Why not monetize it?

When you've gone too far

At one point, I had a full-time job, a part-time job, two clients for my freelance website business, and three graphic design volunteer roles so that I could build my portfolio enough to be monetizable. On top of that, I had an Etsy shop, a Mercari shop, Fiverr and Upwork profiles, two of my own websites, and I was attempting to make passive income on Shutterstock, a photo marketplace. In my free time, I was advertising my services on Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and trying to grow an audience on Pinterest and TikTok.

*gasps for air*

You tell me I wasn't addicted to the hustle. Or my computer. Or my phone.

So, how did I quit?

Find a fast-paced job if you're a multitasker

This is crucial. If you find a full-time job with a lot of down time, chances are you will be reeling from boredom and your side hustle addiction will ramp back up.

If I'm making $20 per hour, why not make $20 per hour on top of that and make $40 per hour doing both jobs? -You

Yeah, not a good idea.

To break the hustle, you need to do due diligence in your interviews. You need to find out what kind of work environment you're getting into, and preferably, one that will be very fast paced. After all, you are the equivalent to a pro-player of Root Beer Tapper. (A game where your life is dependent on multitasking.)

Commit to the hobby that gets you to your biggest goal in life

Do some soul-searching and find what it is that you want to achieve before you die. For me, I'd love to write novels for the rest of my life. However, I can't really do that if I haven't finished one. So, I made a plan to finish my book.

How did I get motivated? Well, I joined Vocal.media (the platform you're reading this on right now) and I tried my rusty hand at some writing challenges that, of course, offered big money. I was enticed by the hustle and the money, and in turn, it helped me snap out of my money-hungry hypnosis.

Pick a form of exercise that you love

It can be crazy how many hours we spend sedentary, especially when we are trying to hustle. Do you think I ever got off my ass while I was trying to do all of those things online?

No!

I decided to invest in myself. I got an Xbox One on the cheap from my cousin, an Xbox One Kinect used from Mercari, and I bought used Just Dance games from Gamestop. This is my workout routine, and it's fun. I often think about how I'd love to be dancing instead of working. And it works!

Get one income stream that hits your goals

If you're selling yourself short with your full-time job, chances are, you're:

• Not doing what you love
• Not making the money you want to
• Both of the above

You need to either negotiate for the rate you're worth, or find a new job that can support your financial dreams and goals.

"You need multiple income streams." -Rich Influencers

Sure, job security may be an illusion, but it's just as secure as freelancing.

"You need to be active on all social media to get noticed." -Everyone

Or, you know, you could just work on your craft and get noticed that way.

What would you rather do? Five jobs to get to $50k, or one job to get to $50k? It's your choice. Just remember, you'll actually have free time if you take one income stream.

Get comfortable with your free time

Having free time has been shunned by society. It's cool to be unavailable. But the reality is, part of self-care is taking time to do what you love to do when you're not glued to your phone. You want to watch a couple of shows without feeling guilty? Do it! Do you want to learn how to paint? Try it!

All of these normalcies will begin to slowly trickle into your free time. At first, you might have no idea what to do with it. Don't let that convince you to continue side hustling.

Tell your low-paying or no-paying clients no

People glorify all the money you'll make after working with a client once. You'll be on retainer, they say. You'll make so much extra income, they say.

What actually happened? I was contacted for updates around the clock, that needed to be done immediately, even while I was on a road trip, for a small negotiated price. For example? I had a $100 gig on Upwork contact me for a $10 update that ended up needing a revision that took longer than it did to write it in the first place.

In the same day, I decided to take back control of my time. I was done with doing work for free just to add it to my portfolio. I was done rushing out copy for low pay, just because I could do it quickly. I just wanted to stick to my new full-time job, which I loved, and write a book in my free time.

So, I decided to take down my profiles and gig advertisements. I stopped posting about it on social media. I changed my website to say "I'm booked" in the contact section, and I told the people that saved hundreds of dollars on graphic design with me that they'll have to find someone on Fiverr.

Try it!

Taking back my time has been the best thing that's ever happened to me. It's your turn to take back your time.

Trust me. You won't regret it.

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