You get home from work and you’re already exhausted. How do you stay motivated? And even if you ARE MOTIVATED, how to actually stay productive when you’re drained?

Here are 8 simple strategies to keep your motivation high, and stay productive in your side hustle:

1. Know WHY you’re doing it

Print it out as a beautiful poster. Keep it on the wall above your computer. Or as a sticky note, attach it to your computer, your bathroom mirror, your TV. KNOW YOUR WHY!

2. Remember: DISCIPLINE and PASSION are synonyms

If you are passionate about something, you’ll do it every day, come rain or shine. Are you passionate enough about your side hustle?

Or at least, about the lifestyle that it will create?

3. Know when the project you’re working on will be finished

Having a specific deadline and knowing when you’ll complete the cuurent side hustle project is much better than just saying, ‘I’ll hustle on forever’.

If it’s a huge project that will take a lot of time, split it into chunks. Focus on the current one, and think about it as the ‘current project’.

Putting things in perspective helps because we humans thrive on small victories. When we complete a task, our brain thinks: ‘Yay, another dopamine hit’.

Give yourself a chance, learn to be a finisher.

4. Train your brain to know that when you put those headphones on - it’s work time

When you play that particular song (or playlist), it’s time to get to work. Most hyper-productive people have their own playlists that they use to help them get into the zone.

They play the same music over and over again. Cuz it’s work time. No excuses.

Train your brain and you’ll be good.

5. Plan out your day the night before

Schedule out your 9-to-5. Add your side hustle goals for that day too.

6. Use your lunch break for side hustle work

Same with the morning and evening commute.

Find spots inside your regular day schedule to sneak in your side hustle.

The sooner you are done with your side hustle goals for today, the better.

Even if you have not completed all your tasks, the more you can do before your 5-to-9 starts, the easier it will be to finish what you’ve planned.

7. Manage your energy levels

You can work long hours in your 5-to-9, but don’t do it every day. Give yourself enough time to rest.

Spread out your activities.

Balance the dayjob and the side hustle.

Plan out your week so that on slow days at your job, you intensify your side hustle activities, and vice versa.

Strive for constant energy levels, not for energy depletion.

8. Eat as healthy a diet as you can

It’s not always possible to eat healthy.

We might have low income, or not enough time, or be surrounded with people who don’t eat healthy.

However, as a side hustler, you know that there’s always something that can be done. Same goes for what you take in.

Like they say, ‘garbage in - garbage out’.

Try to limit the amount of junk, and replace it with healthier alternatives.

9. Keep your emotions in check

Similar to previous points, your energy levels can be greatly affected by your emotions.

Thus, if you know that you’ll have to work hard on your side hustle, avoid conflicts and interactions that will increase the likelihood of getting you down. Just don’t go there.

Although it’s sometimes not that easy, knowing your WHY will for sure make it easier.

10. Find a hustle partner

Similar to a gym partner, your hustle partner is there to spot you and hold you accountable.

This approach is perfect if you two are working together on a side hustle or on complementary services.