Finding Your Side Hustle

When I ran CUTC a few years ago, many people asked me how I balanced my time. CUTC was a heavy commitment both in time and emotionally. Balancing that across 2 semesters with an internship and an engineering degree was no easy feat.

How did I do it?

The key here is that it was fun for me. I didn’t feel as if I was spending energy on it, but rather I derived energy from it.

I remember half jokingly saying to friends while I was running CUTC during my academic term that school is my release from CUTC. While running CUTC I ran on a manager’s schedule. I was talking with many people, answering a bunch of messages and emails, and executing action items on the day to day. While at school I operated on a makers schedule where I dedictaed chunks of time to focus on one task. I got best of both worlds and I found each task was a nice break from each other.

Even though CUTC was stressful on the day to day, it was fulfilling work. I was pushing myself every day, I was learning so much, and I got to work with amazing people.

This is the key for any side hustle: A side hustle should be nourishing. It should be something you gain energy from. At the end of the work or school day, we’re tired and if our side hustle feels like a chore, then it will either not get done, the work will suffer, or it will lead to burnout. It should almost be a form of relaxation. where you rather spend time working on it rather than scrolling on social media or watching netfix.