17 Time Management Hacks For Side Hustlers [LNIM177]

You have a day job, a family, and a side hustle you are trying to grow. There are only 24 hours in a day. How do you make it all work? In this episode, Mark delivers 17 proven time management hacks specifically for side hustlers, drawn from his main stage presentation at FlynnCon in July. He also gives a shout-out to Pat Flynn's book Superfans.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

• 17 specific time management strategies designed for part-time entrepreneurs
• How to protect your limited time through scheduling, batching, and delegation
• Why doing the hardest task first transforms your productivity
• How to match your energy levels to your task difficulty for maximum efficiency

Episode Summary

Mark delivered these 17 time management hacks from the main stage at FlynnCon 1 in San Diego. Here is every one of them:

1. Know exactly what you want to do. Before bed, determine the three most important things you need to accomplish tomorrow. Keep them short and achievable, and commit to finishing them the next day.

2. Make appointments with yourself. Use a calendar to block time for your tasks. If something comes up, reschedule the appointment, but never blow it off entirely. Have integrity with the time you reserve for yourself.

3. Do the hardest task first. Tackle the thing you tend to procrastinate on before anything else. The feeling of checking it off will fuel the rest of your day.

4. Have a system. Whether it is a Full Focus Planner, Asana, or another tool, have a system for tracking your work. But do not become a slave to the system. It should serve you, not consume your time.

5. Choose to say no. Your time is finite. Every time you say no to something, you free up time to say yes to something in your business.

6. Do a weekly review. Ask yourself three questions: What was great about this week? What did not go well, and what will I change? What are the three big things I want to accomplish next week?

7. Cut something that is not adding value. Find one thing in your life that is consuming time without contributing real value and stop doing it. Use that recovered time for your business.

8. Do not multitask. Focus on one task at a time. Set a timer and do not allow any distractions until it runs out.

9. Stay organized. Have everything you need for a task ready before you start. This eliminates wasted time searching for materials and prevents frustration.

10. Get your family's buy-in. Share your hopes, dreams, and goals with your loved ones. That communication creates inclusion and often generates surprising levels of support.

11. Stay motivated. Set rewards for yourself, create a vision board, meditate, or keep an inspiring quote visible. Motivation is fuel for the long game.

12. Work in unusual places. Keep your business top of mind even during commutes, waiting rooms, or downtime. When you present your conscious mind with problems, your subconscious mind works on solutions.

13. Delegate. Find tasks you can hand off to your kids, a virtual assistant, or anyone else. Use the freed time for your most important work.

14. Avoid perfection. Perfectionism paralyzes progress. Get quality work out in a timely manner. It does not need to be perfect.

15. Batch your work. For content creation, record a week's worth of videos in one session. For writing, draft multiple posts at once. Batching eliminates setup time and keeps you in a productive flow.

16. Match your schedule to your energy. High-creativity tasks belong in your peak energy hours. Routine tasks can fill the lower-energy times. Schedule accordingly.

17. Never stop learning. Invest in yourself continuously. Learning is not a one-time event. It is an ongoing process that makes you more efficient and effective over time.

Key Takeaways

• Determine your three most important tasks the night before to start each day with clarity
• Schedule appointments with yourself and treat them with the same integrity as meetings with others
• Do the hardest task first to build momentum and eliminate procrastination
• A weekly review of wins, losses, and next week's priorities keeps you on track
• Saying no to low-value activities frees time for high-impact business work
• Batch similar tasks together and match task difficulty to your energy levels
• Get your family's buy-in by sharing your goals, which creates support and accountability

What's Changed Since This Episode

Mark recorded this episode in August 2019, and time management tools and thinking have continued to evolve. The remote work revolution that began in 2020 gave many side hustlers a significant advantage by eliminating commute time, but it also blurred the boundaries between work, family, and side hustle time. The scheduling and boundary-setting hacks Mark describes have become even more important in this always-on environment.

AI productivity tools have created new possibilities for time management. Tools like ChatGPT, Notion AI, and various automation platforms can handle tasks that previously required hours of manual work: drafting content outlines, summarizing research, scheduling social media posts, and more. For side hustlers with limited time, strategically using AI as a force multiplier can dramatically increase output without adding hours.

Pat Flynn's Superfans book that Mark mentions has become a foundational text in the creator economy. Its core concept, that building a small group of deeply engaged fans is more valuable than a large casual audience, has influenced how content creators approach community building and monetization.

The Full Focus Planner that Mark recommends is still available and has expanded into a digital version. Alternative planning systems like the Pomodoro Technique apps, Todoist, and time-blocking methods popularized by Cal Newport have also gained significant followings among side hustlers.

Resources Mentioned

• Full Focus Planner by Michael Hyatt
• Apple Podcasts — subscribe to LNIM
• Spotify — subscribe to LNIM
• LNIM Podcast

Related Episodes

If you found this episode helpful, you might also enjoy:

• LNIM176 — Side Hustle Tips: Success Secrets for Part-Time Entrepreneurs
• LNIM187 — When Life Gets In The Way
• LNIM185 — Internet Business Accountability Tips

Listen and Subscribe

Listen to Late Night Internet Marketing on Apple Podcasts or subscribe at latenightim.com/internet-marketing-podcast/. Have a question for Mark? Call the digital recorder at 214-444-8655 or drop a comment below.