[00:00:00] Hey friends. Welcome back to the show. One of the things that I have been trying to do this summer is do a quick tip series where I take a common question. I hear and give an answer to that question. Today’s question is how do I find time to pursue a goal or a side hustle? And our goal today is to help you carve out time for the things that you really want.

[00:00:25] That really matter to you. It’s one thing to start to get clarity about who we are and what we really want, but the more that we gain awareness about where we wanna be and what we really want. The more, we also find awareness that there’s this chasm between where we are today and where we want to be.

[00:00:46] And the more that we’re aware of that chasm, that void, the more frustration we will sometimes feel, especially if we don’t feel empowered to change. So that is our goal. Today. If you’ve taken the time to determine what’s important to you, who you wanna become, then it’s time to take action and move from where you are today to where you want to be.

[00:01:13] It’s time to pursue that goal, that dream, to start building that side hustle. But how do we practically do this? How do we find time to take action? 

[00:02:21] Today’s episode is all about how you pursue that dream, that goal, or start that side hustle that you’ve been wanting to do that will lead you to craft a life. Purpose, but here’s the thing before you ever go start that side hustle, you need to get clear on what it is that you really want. Who are you?

[00:02:44] What’s your sweet spot and how can you use the skills? And talents that you have to make an impact on the lives of others. You need to get clear on what you L want your life to look like before you take action. So if you have not already done that, then go back to episode 64. I will link that in the show notes below, but that is answering the question.

[00:03:10] Should you start a side hustle? Because what I truly want for you is not just a way to make money, but a way to start a side hustle that aligns with your purpose, that aligns with who you are and who you want to be, that leads you to the life. You truly want a life that uses your skills and your story to do something that both lights you up and makes an.

[00:03:41] So, if you’re not clear on what that looks like, if you’re not clear on what you really want, what your unique thing is, what your purpose is, then I highly recommend that you go jump inside milspouse, purpose, playbook. That is going to give you clarity. You’re gonna walk through your identity, your skills, your strengths, your passions.

[00:04:05] You’re going to come away with having. Purpose statement, understanding what your sweet spot is and different ways that you can use your story to create both income and. To get started. Just go to more than a milspouse.com and jump inside the course. I would love to see you in there. I would love to see you getting clarity, taking action and chasing those dreams.

[00:04:31] But let’s say you have that clarity and you are ready to start pursuing that dream. You are ready to start building that side hustle, but you’re not sure what your step next steps need to be or how to actually carve out. To make this happen. And so that’s what we’re gonna be talking about in the next few minutes.

[00:04:51] And I’m gonna give you six things that you can do to get started to actually carve out the time that you need, regardless of your schedule, because I know how crazy this can be. I’ve been there. I have. Three littles, or I guess they’re not so little anymore. They keep growing and it happens fast. I have two that will be in school this year, but when I first started my blog, which has now become this podcast, I had a newborn, a one-year-old and a three year old.

[00:05:25] So I know what it’s like to be in that season of chaos and be struggling to figure out how do. Set aside time to start that side hustle to pursue that dream on your heart. Number one, understand that everything is a choice, even if it doesn’t feel like it, it can feel like every hour of our day is spoken for.

[00:05:52] It can feel like everyone around us is determining how we spend our time. We may have specific commitments and obligations, whether it be a job, whether it be caring for our family, whether it be preparing for a move, we can feel like all of our time is out of our control. But the foundation to really setting aside this time is understanding that how you spend your time is a choice.

[00:06:22] And when we feel like everything is out of our control, it makes us feel like a victim. Like we’re just along for the ride. But when we move from that victim to actually taking ownership of our life, we start to reframe the way that we look at things, including all of our time. And our schedule. So the first thing we do is understand that this is a choice.

[00:06:48] I can’t control what happens. I can control my response. And when it feels like we don’t have any margin in our schedule, when it feels like there’s nothing that we can do, then we’re asking the wrong question. We’re looking at it from the lens of this is not possible for me because I don’t have the time.

[00:07:12] When we reframe that thought we ask, how could this be possible? How could I find the time? So we have taken ourselves. From victim to being a Victor or being taking ownership. We are taking responsibility for our choices for the time that we have saying, how could this be possible rather than this is not possible for me?

[00:07:41] Do you see the shift there? We shift from victim mentality to a hero mentality and say, how could. The second thing is to believe that change is possible. If you do not think it is possible, it won’t be because in so many ways, our perception creates our reality and studies show that the most successful people believe that they can be successful.

[00:08:13] I’ve been spending a lot of time lately exploring the science behind this and understanding how much our mindset makes a difference in determining our reality and study after study show that those that believe that change is possible, that believe they can be successful, that believe that they can grow, that they can change.

1.    Understand Everything is a Choice

[00:08:37] Those are the people who. Perform the best in all of the experiments. So our mindset is key to this whole thing. We have to believe that change is possible that this is possible for us and for our life today. So number one, take ownership of our life and understand that everything is a choicethat we are choosing, how we spend our time.

2. Believe Change is Possible

[00:09:05] Number two, believe that change is possible. Number three is where we get really practical. We start to analyze our habits and routines. We analyze our weekly schedule and the best easiest place to start. Well, I won’t say it’s easy, but it’s not, it doesn’t take a lot of thought. You just need to keep a detailed list of what you are doing throughout the.

3.    Analyze Your Habits, Routines & Schedule

[00:09:32] Pick a week and just keep a log. How am I spending my time? What am I doing with each hour of the day? And I think when we take the time to do this, we begin to see how much time we are actually wasting. And it allows us to see. What we want to be spending our time doing there is 24 hours in a day. And that is true for all of us, whether we are the most successful CEO in the world, or whether we are a stay at home spouse with no job and no kids, all of us have 24 hours in a day.

[00:10:09] And we are all making the choice of how we spend the time that we do. So if you’re not sure where all your time is going, keep a log for a week and you’ll begin to see where your time is being spent. Then I suggest getting just a blank weeklong schedule and start to schedule out what needs to happen in a day.

[00:10:32] What are you doing in a day? What do you need to be doing? And as you begin to plug in the things that are important to you, you will find the time you need, you will make. Time for rep really matters. And the most important question you can ask yourself in this step is, are my current habits and routines helping me move towards who I want to be and what I want to do.

4. Carve Out the Time For What Matters

[00:11:01] What do I need to prioritize in this season? So once we’ve analyzed our habits, our routines and our schedule, we need to carve out time for what matters. Can you find five hours a week to devote to the thing you want to pursue? There’s all sorts of ways to do this. If we can just get creative, we could get up earlier.

[00:11:28] We can choose to get things done during our kids’ nap times we can find time on the weekends. We could trade off time. With a friend or neighbor, we could work on a project after the kids are in bed. We can spend less time on a hobby or spend less time scrolling social media. There are all sorts of ways that we can carve out time.

[00:11:55] If we get really intentional with that time, the only way it’s going to happen is if we block out that time and put it on our schedule. But I truly believe if you want to find the time to make it happen. It is. I know five hours can feel like a lot of time when it feels like every hour of the day is spoken for.

[00:12:19] But I really think if you take a look at your daily and weekly rhythms, you will be able to find that time. What that looks like in my own life has shifted from season to season because every place that we have been stationed, the childcare situation has looked different. There’s different options, and I’ve had to.

[00:12:41] Creative in every place that we’ve been, but every place it’s been possible to find the time to do the thing that matters. Now, I will say certain seasons. It was much more difficult. When I had a newborn at home, it was much more difficult because I was getting woken up every three hours of the night.

[00:12:59] And literally I had a child that could not do anything without me. Now that she is three years old. There’s a lot more margin in my schedule. There’s a lot more about my time that I can control. So there are certain seasons when it’s just more difficult than others. When we are in the middle of a PCS, it is much more difficult.

[00:13:22] Through this last move I’ve had to take off several weeks out of the year to focus on our family and preparing for the move. And I’m gonna be taking some time off probably as you’re listening to this, um, trying to get things situated. And hopefully by the time this airs, I will have gotten all of my household goods and I will be able to start unpacking, but there are seasons where we have less time.

[00:13:50] But it’s possible to continue to carve out time on a regular basis. When we moved the summer, I went from having dependable childcare. To basically having no support network and being in charge of my kids 24 7 while still trying to pursue my job and put out this podcast. And so the way that I have made this work is say, okay, on these mornings, I’m gonna get up extra early and I’m gonna put in an hour of work before my kids are awake.

[00:14:25] I’m gonna spend my child’s rest time. Getting these certain things done and getting clear on how I can find specific pockets of time during the week to make what matters happens to pursue that dream, to pursue your side hustle. So I would love for those of you who have started a side hustle who are pursuing that dream, or are attempting to carve out time to share in the Facebook community.

[00:14:58] What you’ve tried, what has worked, what has not worked because in my own life, I’ve found out that, you know, some things I have tried and they have completely failed. They do not. . And so then I shifted and tried something else. So I want us to jump inside the Facebook group, share what you have done to carve out time.

5. Be Consistent 

[00:15:18] Whether you have alternated care with a friend, whether you have found a preschool program, what you are doing to carve out time for the thing that really matters. Step number five is to be consistent. Once you figure out when you’re going to fit it into your schedule and make that plan, stick to it.

[00:15:40] Remind yourself that you are focusing on this new routine. If that means getting up earlier, that means reminding yourself, Hey, I can’t hit this news button. We want to create. New habits to support what we are doing. We have to keep showing up even when it’s not easy, because after the newness wears off, it might not feel fun anymore, but that’s where we go back to reminding ourself.

[00:16:08] That this is leading us to what we really want to making the change that will help us live the life. We truly want a life that is in alignment with our values that lights us up and impacts the world for good. And it takes time to develop these new habits and actions to become a part of who we are. So.

6. Find an Accountability Partner 

[00:16:31] Even when it gets hard, don’t give up, continue to be consistent. And that consistency is going to pay off in the long run. Now, number six is to find yourself an accountability partner. If you want to make this a habit, if you want to really invest time into starting this side, hustle into chasing the stream into pursuing your purpose in a specific way, but it feels.

[00:17:01] Get yourself an accountability partner, let somebody know this is what I’m doing. Help hold me accountable to this. I’m going to stay up late one night a week, or I’m going to get up early these two mornings a week. And I need you to ask me, how am I doing? How’s that going? What can I do to support you?

[00:17:21] Find yourself an accountability partner, because when you’re trying to make a change, do something different on your own. You’re much less likely to stick with it. If you don’t have somebody that’s talking to you about it, that’s holding you accountable. So the best thing that you can do is find somebody to do this with you or to hold you accountable in how you’re spending your time.

[00:17:45] So let’s quickly recap. Everything is a choice. You are in control of how you choose to spend your time, even when it doesn’t feel like it. Take yourself out of that victim mentality and understand that you are taking ownership of your life. Believe that change is possible, then we’re gonna analyze our habits, our routines, our schedule.

[00:18:13] Carve out time for what truly matters, be consistent and find ourselves accountability. I guarantee that you will be able to find some time in your schedule. You can make a plan. For what needs to change? When I was working full time, I had a toddler, I had a baby on the way. I had a two hour commute in my car every day I had a deployed husband and I really struggled with this.

[00:18:42] I struggled to believe that my life could be better, that it could look different, but it could, and it was a journey for me. But it started with my willingness to rethink the way that my life looked for many of us, all our lives. We’ve been told that our lives should look a certain way, that we can only find what we’re looking for by following a normal pattern.

[00:19:09] And really, it just takes that time to think outside the box to think about how. Could be different and then being willing to take action and make the change. It might not be easy, but it will be possible. And I promise you, it will be worth it in the end. If you are ready for something different, I’m here to tell you it’s possible.

[00:19:32] If you’re struggling to find time in your schedule or to believe. That this can be true in your life. And you’re trying to figure out how do I make this work, please? Don’t keep this to yourself. Talk to someone about it. You can even schedule a get unstuck session with me, and we will talk about how to make this a reality in your life.

[00:19:53] We can UN we can discuss mindset blockers. We can discuss setting goals, how to establish supportive habits, how to structure your weekly schedule, whatever it is. That is holding you back from taking action and being able to do the thing on your heart. I want to help you get unstuck. I want to help you break free to live as the person you were meant to be that is available to you as a military spouse in the midst of the craziness of this military life, you are more than a mill spouse.

[00:20:28] You have something. That the world needs. And I want you to step into your story and live as the world’s changing mill spouse, you are meant to be, I’m cheering you on. I’m here to help you. If you wanna book a session, just send an email to hello@millspousemastermind.com. Put in the subject line, get unsuck I’m here to help and make sure you have the resource.

[00:20:52] You need, you don’t have to wait for tomorrow to chase those dreams friend have an amazing week. And until next time may you live filled, fueled, and full of joy.