Side Hustles and the Art of Being Tired on Purpose 😵‍💫

Let’s talk about side hustles.

Not the glamorous “I work four hours a week from my laptop on a beach” version. I’m talking about real-life side hustles, run by people who already have a full plate, a backup plate, and something burning in the oven they forgot about.

Because the people with side hustles are not just hustling.

They are meployeed.

They have jobs. They have families. They have kids. They have pets that need things at the exact wrong moment. They have calendars that look like a game of Tetris played by someone under stress.

And then—on top of all that—they decide to add a side hustle.

Side hustlers are the people who work all day, come home, make dinner, help with homework, attend practices, answer emails, fold laundry, mentally plan three future meals, and then say,
“Okay cool, now I’ll just work on my other thing.”

The other thing being a blog, a shop, freelancing, reselling, content creation, crafting, consulting, or something that started as “just for fun” and somehow turned into spreadsheets.

Side hustles live in the cracks of life.
Early mornings. Late nights. Lunch breaks. The 20 minutes before bed when you should be sleeping but instead you’re posting, packaging, replying, creating, tweaking.

And let’s not pretend it’s calm.

It’s chaotic. It’s messy. It’s often fueled by caffeine and vibes. Some days you feel like a boss. Other days you’re like, “Why did I do this to myself?”

Side hustlers are juggling:
– full-time jobs
– family responsibilities
– kids and their activities (plural, always plural)
– appointments
– mental load
– and then… a passion project that refuses to stay quiet

All while trying to remember passwords and not burn dinner.

And yet—here’s the wild part—we keep doing it.

Because side hustles aren’t just about money. They’re about control. Creativity. Hope. Building something that feels like yours when so much of life is scheduled, demanded, or expected.

Side hustlers are tired, but they’re also dreaming.

They’re not lazy. They’re not bored. They’re not “doing too much.” They’re doing what they can, with what they have, in the margins of real life.

So if you’re running a side hustle while balancing work, family, kids, obligations, and a brain that never shuts off—this is your reminder:

You’re not behind.
You’re not scattered.
You’re just doing a lot… because you are a lot.

Now excuse me while I answer one more email, check one more thing, and tell myself I’ll rest after this