What Productivity Really Looks Like When You’re Building a Business and Keeping Your Day Job
Trying to grow a business while holding down a 9–5? That doesn’t make you less committed. It makes you strategic.
The narrative around “going all in” on your business often overlooks something important: life. The rent, the benefits, the toddler bedtime, the mental health maintenance—it all still needs to happen. So if you're navigating both a job and a business, this is for you.
Here are five high-impact shifts to help you do it with more alignment, less burnout, and zero shame.
1. Productivity Is Personal—Not Performative
Real productivity isn’t about waking up at 5 AM or cramming more into your calendar. It’s about working on the right thing at the right time for you. That could mean sending one aligned pitch after bedtime, not batch-creating 20 Reels before sunrise. Match your work to your energy—not someone else’s highlight reel.
2. Success Isn’t Always the Promotion
Sometimes not getting promoted is a win. If you’ve intentionally deprioritized growth at your day job to protect your energy for your business, that’s not failure—it’s a boundary. Success can look like being present with your kid, sticking to your creative work, or simply not burning out.
3. Your Business is Real—Even If It’s Part-Time
Having a job doesn’t mean you’re not “serious” about your business. You’re allowed to want financial stability and creative freedom. Don’t let Instagram shame you into thinking you have to quit your job to be legitimate. You can scale, shift, and succeed on your own timeline.
4. Procrastination Isn’t Laziness—It’s Information
Avoiding a task? Get curious. Are you unclear on the first step? Afraid it won’t be perfect? Waiting for the right energy window? Identifying the “why” behind the delay often makes it easier to get moving—without self-judgment.
5. You’re Allowed to Change Your Mind
Your business doesn’t have to look like it did last year—or even last month. Evolving your offers, your brand, or your direction is a sign of growth. The people who are meant to work with you will keep showing up. And you’ll feel way more aligned showing up for something you actually care about.
Building a business around a day job isn’t the “plan B” approach. It’s the sustainable one for many creatives—and you don’t owe anyone a justification.
P.S. These insights came out of a recent conversation with Chelsy Newmyer on the Here’s What I Learned podcast. If you want to hear the full breakdown of values-first productivity, redefining success, and balancing work that lights you up, you can listen to the episode here.
