This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Hey, what's up, side hustlers? Thanks for tuning in today. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Black Friday. You might not be celebrating Thanksgiving if you're outside the US. In Canada, they get it a few weeks early.
The rest of the world doesn't have an official Thanksgiving. But one thing everybody knows about around the world is Black Friday because that is a US export. Retailers all over the world are looking for some edge and how can we have discounts and bring in customers, get people in a buying mood. So happy Thanksgiving week, happy Black Friday week. And today we're gonna hear from a listener who has a challenge that I think many of us can relate to starting side hustles with lots of initial enthusiasm, only to see their momentum and interest fizzle out over time.
So our listener today, they have dabbled in various projects like woodworking, affiliate marketing, drop shipping, maybe some other things. But they're looking for insights into this pattern and what they can do to change it. So what should you do when your early ideas keep fizzling out? Like I said, I know it's not just this listener who has this challenge. So let's see what we can do to help a lot of people out there.
When you are losing interest, what's the best next step? Or perhaps a couple of steps. All coming up in this quick action-packed episode. Shout out to our sponsor and then the listener, Question. [Music]
Hey, Chris, this is Sam from Boise, Idaho.
I have a problem I can't seem to shake. Every time I start a new side hustle, I begin with a lot of enthusiasm, but then gradually lose interest. I've attempted several projects like woodworking, affiliate marketing and drop shipping. And the story is always the same. Initial excitement, right?
Followed by a complete loss of momentum. Is there a psychological or, I don't know, strategic reason behind this pattern, you think? What steps can I take to maintain long-term engagement in my projects? Thank you. [Music]
Well, first of all, you are not alone.
Many people face the same issue and for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it is shiny object syndrome where new projects seem more attractive than existing projects. Your existing things start to fill dull. Maybe you actually didn't get a great response to the project, the service or product that you launched. And so you're like, well, that's kind of a buzzkill.
And then there's also just the factor of initial excitement giving way to the reality of hard work, you know? So let's be real. So a couple of strategies can help you here. Maybe first start with project minimalism, like focus on just one or two projects that genuinely interest you and have a clear achievable goal. That way you're not spreading yourself too thin.
You've got something that you know you're focusing on for a time, not forever, but give yourself, you know, three months, six months, something like that. If it's still not working at that point, then maybe it is best to move on. Like, let's just be clear about that. Sometimes it's okay to move on. Sometimes it's the best thing to move on.
It's always okay to move on. Sometimes it is the optimal strategy. But assuming it's not or assuming you're not sure at this point, accountability can be really big. So perhaps, you know, have a friend who's also side hustling, check in with them, perhaps share some updates. You know, if you're sharing your project publicly, that works well for some people and not for others.
But in some cases it can help you kind of maintain the momentum and perhaps also set up a reward system for many milestones. That would be many like small, M-I-N-I. I guess it could be many like plentiful as well. But I was thinking small milestones within your project. And that way you get this little dopamine rush from small wins that can help maintain your enthusiasm.
So a couple of points there. I might also recommend to you "The Dip," a great classic book from Seth Godin. It's all about knowing when to quit and when to stick. It'll give you a framework to decide, you know, should I continue with this project or is it better for me to move on to something else? So check that out.
Thank you for the message. Listeners, thank you as well. Be well out there. Enjoy this holiday weekend or the shopping weekend, whatever the case may be, or maybe neither. If you're practicing project minimalism, you might not be shopping at all.
But of course, lots of other people are. So best wishes to everyone. And if you have a question, www.sidehustleschool.com/questions. New episodes coming out every single day. This has been episode 2,520.
My name is Chris Guillebeau. You're listening to "Side Hustle School." [Music]
- From the Onward Project.
