Have you got multiple side hustles, but are struggling to keep them from blending? They say that gig work and side hustles are a recession indicator, it’s hard to say if that’s true or not, but if you’re wanting to start a side hustle, it seems like it’s no better time than now because barriers to entry are low (be is dropshipping, ecommerce, handmade crafts, online or in-person services, and the list goes on). But at some point, people stop having just a side hustle, and basically it’s this… collection of little businesses that kind of grew legs when nobody was watching, well, that’s how it feels.
Like you start with one thing, it’s cute, it’s manageable, no big deal. Then, out of nowhere, you’ve accidentally added a second thing because “why not, it’s small.” Then a third thing creeps in because it’s “easy money.” Not everyone is like that, obviously, but something like this is super normal, though. Now, sure, it feels harmless at first. Honestly, it even feels kinda fun.
But when it comes to any side hustle, well, anything that’s making you money, you can’t let this be a big blob; you need to put up some boundaries and organize a bit.
How to Keep Multiple Side Hustles from Blending
Separate the Money ASAP
So this is going to be the biggest thing, because even when it comes to side hustles, well, everything needs to be done legally and correctly here. But yeah, money’s always the first thing that goes sideways. Like you’ll buy something “for the business,” but which business? You’ll get paid by a client, but which side of your brain handled that project?
So yeah, it makes sense that it gets to the point where you’re mixing expenses, mixing income, mixing everything, and tax season becomes this emotional event (well, it is for everyone, honestly). The thing that fixes this faster than anything is giving each hustle its own money space.
And yeah, that usually means something like opening a sole trader business bank account just so one of your side things has its own spot to live in. But you’ll need to do this with each side hustle or business; there needs to be multiple accounts (each bank does it all differently, like multiple accounts under one name, as an example).
Once the money stops touching each other, everything else magically behaves. It’s actually wild how fast the mental stress disappears when you’re not trying to decode a whole load of mystery transactions.
Each Side Hustle Needs its Own Identity
This one probably sounds super obvious at the moment, doesn’t it? Well, not all side hustles need branding or an official name or anything like that, but they should ideally still have their own name to separate each one. Honestly, it can be as simple as an email address (or even an email folder) for each hustle. Simple, right?
Have You Organized Your Workflow?
While sure, it can be nice to have multiple side hustles because it keeps you busy and you’re getting some income, if theres no good workflow, well, how are you going to manage to juggle all of these (sometimes a full-time job and a side hustle is hard enough). It helps to separate everything like:
- Different days of the week
- Different folders
- Different apps
- Different headspaces
Again, it’s about the boundaries, but a certain workflow that keeps it all separate is needed to.
Final Thoughts
We hope you enjoyed our post about how to keep multiple side hustles from blending, and that you will keep these guidelines in mind to improve your workflow, and manage your different side hustles more effectively.