How to find that balance between your 9 to 5 and your passion project


Have you ever just wanted to say a hearty ta-ra to your boss and quit your day job to become a writer? Well, we don’t blame you, because writers are pretty darn awesome (*wink*), but it is a risk. If you have the money behind you to support yourself throughout this writing period, we’d say go for it and see where the wind takes you! However, if you’re just about living from paycheck to paycheck, it might be an idea to hold off on the curse words in the resignation letter for a while. Instead, you need to strike a balance between your everyday 9 – 5 job and your passion project. Wanna know how to do it?

Make the most of your evenings and weekends

Ugh, work sucks. Am I right? If you’re not 100% sold on your career, you might just want to go to work, do you thaaang, and then return home to binge-watch Stranger Things on Netflix to unwind. However, if you’re struggling to find time for your passion project, doing this is a complete and utter waste of time. Once you realize how much time you waste watching re-runs on your TV and scrolling through your phone, you’ll realize just how much time you have to get on with your passion. You have hours in the evening, and you have full days at the weekend! You just need to make the most of this time.

How to find that balance between your 9 to 5 and your passion project

Find yourself a buddy

If you’re the kind of person that hates to fly solo, you might find yourself craving social interaction after work. So, how do you fit this in with your 9 -5 job AND your passion project? Well, the simple answer is that you merge everything together! If you can, find a friend or a family member who has the same interests as you. It may be that you want to learn salsa dancing, a new language, or even learn how to play golf. If you stick together, you will not only be able to bounce ideas off each other, but you will also be able to motivate each other and socialize at the same time.

Take a working lunch

It doesn’t matter if you work in the coolest place in the world (you have a giant slide? That’s awesome), or the worst place in the world (you don’t have a giant slide? That’s totally not awesome), you will always have a lunch break of some kind. Whether that is just half an hour or an hour, this is time that you can be making use of. If you take a working lunch, you can have a few hours every single week to fit in your passion project. You could write a few paragraphs of your novel, you could knit your Weasley-style sweater, or you could finish your sketch. You don’t have to do this at your desk, so take yourself outside and get engrossed in nature.

How to find that balance between your 9 to 5 and your passion project

Attach yourself to a notebook

Inspiration can strike at the most unexpected of moments, and if you’re working when inspiration pops into your brain – you’ll probably forget it by the time you get home. This is why you need to attach yourself to a notebook. By carrying one of these bad boys with you at all times, you will be able to strike while the iron is hot and write down a few notes before going back to it in more detail when you’ve finished your work. The last thing you want to do is forget!

Finding a balance between your everyday job and your passion project can be a difficult concept, and you may find yourself getting even more frustrated with yourself when you become consumed with work. However, it doesn’t have to be that way, and you can find a balance!

Recommended For You

How to make a Twix cake

Did you know that it’s possible to turn some of your favorite chocolate bars into cakes for you and your