BALANCING A FULL-TIME
JOB AND STARTING
YOUR OWN BUSINESS
A lot of people hold back from starting their business because they feel like there’s just no time for it.
A lot of people hold back from starting their business because they feel like there’s just no time for it.
BALANCING A FULL-TIME
JOB AND STARTING
YOUR OWN BUSINESS
A lot of people hold back from starting their business because they feel like there’s just no time for it.
A lot of people hold back from starting their business because they feel like there’s just no time for it.
It’s a real struggle—I’ve heard it over and over, and trust me, I’ve been there, too. When I was building my online business, I was also working a full-time job. It wasn’t easy, not by a long shot. But I made it happen, and so can you.
You’ll hear plenty of advice like, “You’ll make time if it’s important enough!” Or the classic guilt-trip line: “Say, ‘It’s not a priority,’ and see how that feels.”
Honestly? It feels awful. Because it is important to you. It is a priority. But so is everything else you’ve got going on—bills to pay, responsibilities to juggle, life to manage.
It’s tough to shake that feeling of having to pick between keeping things together now and building something better for the future.
Here’s what helped me:
START BY SHIFTING HOW YOU THINK ABOUT IT
Decide to believe that you can do both—stay stable in the present and make progress toward your goals.
Be open to the idea that even if it feels impossible right now, you can find the time. Just allowing yourself to believe that opens the door for new ideas and opportunities to show up.
STOP STRESSING ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU THINK NEEDS TO GET DONE TO START YOUR BUSINESS
Thinking about it all at once is just going to overwhelm you and make it seem like you need way more time than you actually do.
Instead, break it down into small steps and write them all out. Yeah, the list might look long, but don’t freak out—you’re not doing it all at once.
Now take another look at the list. Find anything that’s not critical for getting started and cross it off. Save it for later. Keep it simple.
FIGURE OUT THE ONE THING THAT WILL MAKE THE BIGGEST IMPACT
What’s the task that, once it’s done, will set everything else in motion? The thing that will make the rest of the process smoother?
Or maybe it’s the thing you’ve been avoiding—either because it feels too hard, or you just don’t want to deal with it.
Here’s the tough love part: you have to face it. Ignoring it won’t get you where you want to go.
HOW MUCH TIME CAN YOU ACTUALLY SET ASIDE TO WORK ON THIS?
And don’t say, “None!” I know that’s what you’re thinking. But seriously, let’s look at this without beating yourself up.
Check your phone—how much time are you spending on social media? And be honest. Or think about Netflix—how many episodes of that show did you get through last week?
Chances are, there’s your time right there.
If not, let’s look a little deeper. How much of your day goes to cooking, cleaning, or shopping? Could you streamline any of that for now, like meal prepping or ordering groceries online for delivery?
What about work? Do you have any time owed that you could use to carve out a few focused hours?
I used to spend 45 minutes of my lunch break working on my business, and I’d listen to podcasts in the car during my commute.
Whenever I had a week off, I’d work on my business all day, from morning to night. I made sure that I had time to be with my husband and family, but as soon as he went to work or my family left, I’d dive right back into it.
And if all else fails, would you be willing to trade 20 minutes of sleep, either at night or in the morning, to chip away at this? Just for a while?
NOW THAT YOU'VE FIGURED OUT WHERE YOUR TIME IS, IT'S TIME TO LOCK IT IN.
It doesn’t have to be at the same time every day, and it doesn’t even need to be every single day. Just decide when you’ll do it, put it on your calendar, and set an alarm.
Treat it like a promise to yourself and the life you want to create.
Even if it’s just 10 minutes, it’s something. Progress is progress, no matter how small.
AND HERE'S ANOTHER THING THAT MIGHT BE HOLDING YOU BACK:
Let go of the pressure to have it all figured out or done right away.
Stop telling yourself it has to work immediately, or it’s all going to fall apart.
Look at where you are right now. You’re here, aren’t you? You’ve made it through everything life has thrown at you so far, and you’re still standing.
You’ve got what you need to keep going—food, shelter, and a spark of belief in something bigger.
Trust that things will unfold as they’re meant to, especially when you’re taking steps toward what matters to you.
FORGET ABOUT RUSHING
f it takes longer than you’d like, who cares? The days will pass anyway. The real question is, where do you want to be when they do? Still stuck, or closer to the life you’ve been dreaming about?
Figure out what matters most right now and focus on just that. Use the time you have, even if it’s just a little. Do one thing, then another. Keep going.
That’s how you create the life you want. That’s how you make it happen.
Take it one moment, one move, one step forward at a time.
You can do this !
HEY I'M EMMA
I help hardworking, passionate women like you start and grow your online business step by step.
A lot of people hold back from starting their business because they feel like there’s just no time for it.
It’s a real struggle—I’ve heard it over and over, and trust me, I’ve been there, too. When I was building my online business, I was also working a full-time job. It wasn’t easy, not by a long shot. But I made it happen, and so can you.
You’ll hear plenty of advice like, “You’ll make time if it’s important enough!” Or the classic guilt-trip line: “Say, ‘It’s not a priority,’ and see how that feels.”
Honestly? It feels awful. Because it is important to you. It is a priority. But so is everything else you’ve got going on—bills to pay, responsibilities to juggle, life to manage.
It’s tough to shake that feeling of having to pick between keeping things together now and building something better for the future.
Here’s what helped me:
START BY SHIFTING HOW YOU THINK ABOUT IT
Decide to believe that you can do both—stay stable in the present and make progress toward your goals.
Be open to the idea that even if it feels impossible right now, you can find the time. Just allowing yourself to believe that opens the door for new ideas and opportunities to show up.
STOP STRESSING ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU THINK NEEDS TO GET DONE TO START YOUR BUSINESS
Thinking about it all at once is just going to overwhelm you and make it seem like you need way more time than you actually do.
Instead, break it down into small steps and write them all out. Yeah, the list might look long, but don’t freak out—you’re not doing it all at once.
Now take another look at the list. Find anything that’s not critical for getting started and cross it off. Save it for later. Keep it simple.
FIGURE OUT THE ONE THING THAT WILL MAKE THE BIGGEST IMPACT
What’s the task that, once it’s done, will set everything else in motion? The thing that will make the rest of the process smoother?
Or maybe it’s the thing you’ve been avoiding—either because it feels too hard, or you just don’t want to deal with it.
Here’s the tough love part: you have to face it. Ignoring it won’t get you where you want to go.
HOW MUCH TIME CAN YOU ACTUALLY SET ASIDE TO WORK ON THIS?
And don’t say, “None!” I know that’s what you’re thinking. But seriously, let’s look at this without beating yourself up.
Check your phone—how much time are you spending on social media? And be honest. Or think about Netflix—how many episodes of that show did you get through last week?
Chances are, there’s your time right there.
If not, let’s look a little deeper. How much of your day goes to cooking, cleaning, or shopping? Could you streamline any of that for now, like meal prepping or ordering groceries online for delivery?
What about work? Do you have any time owed that you could use to carve out a few focused hours?
I used to spend 45 minutes of my lunch break working on my business, and I’d listen to podcasts in the car during my commute.
Whenever I had a week off, I’d work on my business all day, from morning to night. I made sure that I had time to be with my husband and family, but as soon as he went to work or my family left, I’d dive right back into it.
And if all else fails, would you be willing to trade 20 minutes of sleep, either at night or in the morning, to chip away at this? Just for a while?
NOW THAT YOU'VE FIGURED OUT WHERE YOUR TIME IS, IT'S TIME TO LOCK IT IN.
It doesn’t have to be at the same time every day, and it doesn’t even need to be every single day. Just decide when you’ll do it, put it on your calendar, and set an alarm.
Treat it like a promise to yourself and the life you want to create.
Even if it’s just 10 minutes, it’s something. Progress is progress, no matter how small.
AND HERE'S ANOTHER THING THAT MIGHT BE HOLDING YOU BACK:
Let go of the pressure to have it all figured out or done right away.
Stop telling yourself it has to work immediately, or it’s all going to fall apart.
Look at where you are right now. You’re here, aren’t you? You’ve made it through everything life has thrown at you so far, and you’re still standing.
You’ve got what you need to keep going—food, shelter, and a spark of belief in something bigger.
Trust that things will unfold as they’re meant to, especially when you’re taking steps toward what matters to you.
FORGET ABOUT RUSHING
f it takes longer than you’d like, who cares? The days will pass anyway. The real question is, where do you want to be when they do? Still stuck, or closer to the life you’ve been dreaming about?
Figure out what matters most right now and focus on just that. Use the time you have, even if it’s just a little. Do one thing, then another. Keep going.
That’s how you create the life you want. That’s how you make it happen.
Take it one moment, one move, one step forward at a time.
You can do this !
HEY I'M EMMA
I help hardworking, passionate
women like you start and grow
your online business step by step.
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