As a communications expert, I work with people to help them communicate their ideas in a way that motivates their audiences to take action. But in many of my conversations with clients, I hear about the challenges people have to motivate themselves to take action on the ideas that capture their own hearts the most.
Many workers are satisfied enough with their current employment, but wish to pursue their passion outside of their 9-to-5. And as we continue to create a new world of work, a lot of people are wondering what will give them greater fulfillment without giving up their day job.
I call those unformed dreams that swirl in your brain, “wish ideas.” They are those ideas that won’t go away and won’t leave you alone. You don’t have to push your wish idea into a retirement project, or make it into a full-time job. With a little exploration, your wish idea can easily become a side hustle that fulfills and satisfies you.
Maybe you are yearning to finally start a podcast, write a book, or design knitting patterns. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, who wrote The Little Prince, famously said “a goal without a plan is just a wish.” If you want to communicate your idea out to the world, you need to create a structure around that idea to give yourself a foundation to build on.
If you have a wish idea that won’t leave you alone, here are some steps you can take to structure it into an actual side hustle and productive part of your life:
Set time constraints
First, I would recommend that you set time constraints around your wish idea. Commit to a defined length of time that you’re going to work on your idea. I recommend about eight weeks because a two-month window will give you enough time to decide if this idea is something you really want to pursue.
Decide when and where
Be specific about how you’ll fit your project into your calendar. One person I encountered decided that she would use her commute to the office once a week, plus her lunch break that day. With a half hour each way on the train, plus an hour for lunch, she’ll have two hours each week for her wish project. You might decide to work on your wish idea on Saturday morning or three days a week from 6 a.m. until 7 a.m. Since you only have eight weeks, you’ll have a sense of urgency to protect that time.
Start a notebook
Use an ordinary notebook that you can use for mind-mapping, morning pages, and for sticking those Post-it notes that are scattered around your workspace. Make sure it’s a non-precious spiral notebook, not one of those special bound books with good paper that you won’t want to mess up. Having one container for your project will illustrate your progress and make it easier to track.
Eliminate distractions
In order to turn your wish idea into a side hustle, you should find a way to eliminate distractions. If you’re inspired suddenly to paint the living room or investigate working remotely from the south of France, capture those ideas somewhere else and acknowledge them as the distractions that they are. Speaking of distractions, eliminate your favorites from your phone. TikTok will be there when you get back.
Put structure around your project
You can create structure around your project by establishing clear steps. As an example, let’s say you want to create a podcast. Divide your time between creating the ideas for the content of each episode from the technical mechanism of what you’ll need to produce it. Think about which of these is more challenging for you. This is where you might want to enlist help in order to accomplish all necessary steps.
List your steps and categorize each task. Start by completing 10 steps. The next day, write 10 more. By the third day you’ll get an impression of whether this idea has enough substance to keep you engaged if you decide to execute your project.
Write a final report
And finally, I would recommend that you write a final report at the end of eight weeks. Ask yourself: What did I learn? If this was a work project, would you recommend that you continue? Did it deliver a level of engagement that you were looking for? Was it fun in the midst of all the challenges?
Remember the goal is to create more satisfaction in life. Your wish idea doesn’t have to turn into a unicorn startup. Decide if this is something you actually want to pursue, or if you’d prefer to go after a different dream.
If you didn’t get far on your wish idea, take a look at why. Are you in a season of life where you just don’t have time, given family obligations? Are you in a toxic work situation that demands too much of your energy? Maybe it’s time to refocus on finding a position that better uses your skills and interests.
And maybe your wish idea can be integrated into your current work. Might you use it to contribute to your organization’s success and increase your visibility with leadership? Does your company have a blog, or can HR use your skills for training other colleagues?
No matter the outcome, a thoughtful look at how you experienced your wish-idea project will give you the data points you’ll need to decide to take it further or try something else to give yourself more satisfaction in life.
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