Quit Your Day Job | Side Hustle | Creative Entrepreneur

Wanna quit your day job but can’t yet? Been there! Let’s talk about how to make the most of where you are while you prepare for what’s next.

Before I quit my day job, I used to wake up at 5:45 am to work on my business, then I clock in to work for someone else.

There were plenty of times where this made me feel like a fraud or less of an entrepreneur, but that changed when I made peace with my support job and realized that before full-time entrepreneurship is a reality, it’s a mindset!

If you’ve ever felt like a fraud, or less of a “boss” because you have a day job, this post is for you. Let’s talk about how you can make peace with your 9-5 when you want to quit, but can’t (yet).

5 Ways to Make Peace with Your Day Job When You Want to Quit but Can’t (yet)

1. Keep your integrity intact at your day job

If you look at your day job/bridge job/support job as “not worth your energy” because it’s not what you ultimately want to do long term, chances are you’re going to show up with less integrity in that space.

There’s a saying that goes: how you do anything is how you do everything. So treating your support job like an unwanted stepchild isn’t doing you any good.

Instead, show up with integrity and do your best work while you’re clocked in.

Not only does this help you build more character and overall confidence in your abilities, but it will also help you to see the opportunities for personal growth.

By showing up with integrity, you’re more likely to absorb the skills that your support job may be helping to sharpen, such as clear communication, the ability to delegate effectively, time management, and how to format a Google doc, like a boss.

2. Create a workday manifesto

This has been a GAME CHANGER for me. I created a workday manifesto that I read out loud each day before clocking into work. Use my template below to create your own, print it out, and place it near your workspace. Worried your boss will see it? Fill it out and make it a screensaver on your phone!

>> DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE WORKDAY MANIFESTO HERE <<

 3. Stop calling your day job your “full-time job”

I’ve found the term “full-time job” to be disempowering because it suggests that my time is “full” of my day job tasks. Not helpful.

Words are powerful. Intentionally moving away from using the term “full-time job” and instead saying “support job” or “day job” or “bridge job” can be helpful in empowering you to take more ownership over the time that is available outside of work.

4. Create a schedule for working on your side hustle

If working at night is your jam, then by all means- clock out, eat dinner, and dedicate time to your personal biz while enjoying a glass of wine. However, if you find your mental energy is ZAPPED after plugging away at work for 8 hours, consider waking up early to complete a few tasks for your biz BEFORE clocking in. Have the most energy available in the afternoon? Time to get strategic about choosing one task a day to complete for your biz during your lunch break! 

My point: Find a schedule that works for your energy.

To learn more about your Focus style, take my free quiz! It will share the kind of focus that comes most naturally to you, which could support you in creating your idea side hustle schedule.

5. Embrace entrepreneurship as a mindset

Don’t wait until you’re “full-time” in your own business in order to start feeling like an entrepreneur. The main thing I learned from balancing my 9-5 while building my business on the side is that Entrepreneurship is a mindset, and you can choose to embody it TODAY. 

Take ownership of your choice to allow your job to support you while you boss up and build the biz that will one day be your bread and butter. 

I’ll leave you this quote from the lovely Elizabeth Gilbert from one of my fave books of all time, Big Magic:

“There’s no dishonor in having a job. What is dishonorable is scaring away your creativity by demanding that it pay for your entire existence.” – Elizabeth Gilbert

I hope these 5 times for making peace with you 9-5 when you want to quit but can’t (yet) have been helpful! If you liked this post, share it with your work bestie and pin it for later! Don’t forget to download the free Workday Manifesto to read each day before you clock in. You got this.

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