Day Job vs Side Hustle: Forced to Make a Choice

Sometimes you have to pay the bills

Photo by Avel Chuklanov on Unsplash

I have been pretty quiet online in June. Not by choice either. My day job is busy. Like super busy. And I had fallen severely behind. Partly on my own and partly due to the business.

By day, I work as a commercial claims adjuster. That means handling claims for semi-trucks, tow trucks, and other heavy equipment. I work for a company that is seeing tremendous growth (which is good, I guess).

Handling these claims is very complex. There are many things to address to ensure we can get actual coverage and accident when they occur. On top of that, every state has there own laws and rules for big rigs and claims handling.

With my job, I'm supposed to be handling three states. Instead, I have roughly 15 states worth of claims in my workload. That is 15 states where I need at least a general idea of case law and state procedures.

We have some great resources for this, but it is overwhelming to change from state to state on my handling. On top of that, I have a ton of claims, and a lot of them are in an ongoing investigation.

So, I have more work than I can handle.

I was forced to make a choice.

I'm getting ready to go out of the office for a week. With so much work and being behind, I am forced to work extra. But, I am a salaried worker, so I will not get paid for this time.

This week alone, I will work over 60 hours to try and catch up. And I might do it. However, because of the stress and extra work hours, I haven't had much time to write (which I get paid some extra to help cut into the inflation we are seeing).

So, I am forced to choose between my side hustle and my day job. If I don't get caught up before I leave, I fear that I will have some professional implications to deal with.

However, not writing as much leads me to lose valuable income to help with bills, inflated grocery and gas prices, and take our trips. And unfortunately, I have had to choose work.

Here is what I am learning from this experience.

Here's the thing, my day job pays for almost everything we live on right now. If I screw that up, I would have to work hard to make a difference on the side. So, I have worked extra this month.

It's probably not fair or proper, but it's what I have to do. Now that I have been at this for a few weeks, I have come to terms with it. But it made the first few weeks pretty hard.

I found myself angry, frustrated and exhausted a lot. I had those visions of quitting and tossing all my work stuff in a box to send to my boss. But the truth is, I can't do that right now. And that's okay.

What I have learned is that I can't be like the writers who quit their jobs and force themselves to make the money they need to live on writing. I have a house, a family, and things to stay up on, and I can't just quit.

"Hang in there; you are not alone."

I'm thankful for my friend Jim Woods. He is probably one of the best people in my corner when I hit these seasons. He is a full-time writer on a mission to help other writers. And he always reminds me I am not alone.

You might be like me. You are writing on the side with family to support. Remember, your family isn't an obligation. They are the beauty of your life. If anything, you want to make your work revolve around your family, not family revolve around work.

So, do what you need to do. If that means to write less for a time, write less for a time. If it means you have more time to write, then, by all means, write more. Either way, sometimes you have to pay the bills and make the choice that will help you do your best.

What has your experience been with choosing between your side hustle and your day job? Share in the comments below.

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J.R. Heimbigner is a #1 Bestselling Author on Amazon who loves helping people grow in their faith and help writers become authors. You can connect with him on Medium, his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Substack!

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