This piece is part of my 2016–2026 archive migration. Some original formatting, content, and external links may be missing, changed, or not be optimized.
When you don’t have enough time for your side hustle, temporarily retire from your full-time gig
The Fix If You’re Out Of Time For Your Side Hustle
The fix is to take a short sabbatical from working full-time, so you can focus all of your energy on your side hustles for a short period.
Let’s say you want to build five courses. That might require considerable time writing content, making videos, creating outlines, etc. With a short sabbatical, you will have the necessary time to do this.
Maybe you want to write a book and get it out to market quickly. Instead of waiting 6–12 months to publish the book while working a full-time job, you can take three months to focus on writing the book and getting it out to market. Then, you can go back to work once the writing project is complete.
Your sabbatical could last from one month to twelve months, whatever you feel is best.
Set Your Goals Before Your Sabbatical Commences
Before you commence your sabbatical, have your goals for what you intend to accomplish on the sabbatical written down with their target dates. Also, write out the daily plan you intend to execute to accomplish these goals. That way, you have a 100% clear direction for what needs to take place.
3 Things To Put In Place Financially Before The Break
Zero to little debt.
Multiple income sources.
One-year emergency fund
If you don’t have these three things in place, taking a sabbatical from your full-time job will be difficult because you’re financially struggling or ill-prepared.
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If you are financially struggling and cannot leave the traditional employment sector, there is still hope for you if you want to take a sabbatical.
Instead of building a one-year emergency fund, settle for a six-month one; this still provides you plenty of time.
Get A Job Before Finishing Your Emergency Fund
If you’re approaching the final months of your emergency fund, ask yourself the following two questions:
Am I earning enough income not to return to a full-time job? If so, do I still want to return to the workforce?
Do I need to return to a full-time job to rebuild my emergency fund and generate a more consistent income?
Don’t wait until you reach the last month of your emergency fund to start applying for jobs. Get yourself back into the interview process 2–4 months before your emergency fund runs out so you don’t find yourself in a financial pickle and desperate to take the first job offer that comes your way.
Side Hustle Income Generation
Once you have completed your side hustle goals, you will hopefully earn more income than before you took the sabbatical.
You might find that you don’t need to go back to work after all, or you might want to go back to work to generate multiple income streams.
This content is for informational purposes only — not professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making any major decisions.