Scrolling on social media changed my life.
A year ago, I was just a regular graduate. I’d finished my engineering degree and landed a decent job that paid well. My routine was simple: go to work, come home, eat dinner, watch some Netflix, and then go to bed.
I thought that was all there was to life. I’d worked hard in school, so I figured I deserved to relax. But deep down, I was just settling for an ordinary life.
Then one day, while I was on Instagram, I saw a quote. It was like a wake-up call for me, and it changed everything.
While scrolling Instagram one day I read a quote:
You can either sacrifice your comfort or sacrifice your dream.
That quote struck me like lightning, especially at 1:42 AM when the whole street was silent. It made me question: Who was I before this job took over?
- I was a college-level badminton player who loved to exercise.
- I was an entrepreneur who had just bootstrapped a startup at the age of 20
- I was a published author by 21
And, I forgot it all in the name of comfort when I started my 9–5. It was time to get back up and do the thing I was best at — creating.
Fast forward to today, in 8 months I have
- Accumulated an online presence of more than 20,000 people
- Made more than $4,000 in passive income while working my 9–5.
“I create and sell Notion templates and also ghostwrite for business founders. It’s the hardest I’ve ever worked, but I’ve grown more than ever before.”
“Thinking of starting your own venture but worried your 9-5 will hold you back? Don’t limit yourself! Let’s dive deeper into this.”
Make your mind
Starting your own thing isn’t a breeze. Imagine skipping movie nights, saying “no” to hangouts, and grinding even after a tough day at your job.
But hey, every superhero needs a motivation, right? Here’s a cool trick:
Dream up where you want to be in 5 years. Got a goal? Maybe it’s that shiny new car or giving your parents the chill life.
Now, make that dream visible! Set it as your laptop wallpaper or slap it on a post-it. Every time you see it, you’ll remember why you’re hustling.
Find your rhythm
Starting a business is all about the choices you make. Things like
- what you choose to eat
- what you choose to watch before dinner
- at what time you want to sleep
- when you choose to work and when you choose to nap
All these choices don’t just build your business but also build your personality. By actively making decisions that will help you in the longer run will lead to a maker mentality.
Create a system
Think of a system as your personal groove. Some folks are early birds, while others are night owls. You’ve gotta find what makes you tick.
Here’s a pro tip: Jot down your big dreams, then slice ’em up into bite-sized tasks.
Got a 9-5? Chances are, you won’t have a 6-hour stretch to dive deep. So, chop up those tasks. It keeps things fresh and ensures your work shines bright! 🌟
For example, my task of ‘Write a blog for medium’ will be broken down to
Day 1: Research the topics to write on and create a rough draft
Day 2: Refine the draft and proofread
Don’t start too strong
I get it, while starting out we have a lot of adrenaline rush and expectations to meet. One might decide to go all out and start creating content on multiple social media platforms but that is not a very good practice.
Speaking from experience, I thought the more places I created content at, the more visibility I’m going to have which will result in a better business.
But, the opposite started to happen. Because I was writing pieces for Medium, my newsletter, Twitter, and Instagram, I ended up being so worn out.
I was unable to fully grasp the algorithm of either account and did not grow in any. My content was poor and it showed.
I then pushed pause on Instagram and the newsletter. I completely focused on writing blogs on Medium and sharing tweets on Instagram. Soon I understood that each platform requires a good amount of attention.
Later I got a hold of creating content and was able to grow on other social media too.
Take your time to understand your business and choose the social media to grow.
Create content by batching
This is going to be a lifesaver. Batching is a way to create all your week’s (even month’s content) within 1 day.
With your day job, you’d want to focus on more things and take time to actually execute your business. Batching is a highly efficient strategy that involves producing multiple pieces of content in one dedicated session. This approach saves time, helps maintain consistency, and allows you to focus on content creation without constant interruptions.
For batching, you need to pick the platform for which you’re creating content.
Lay out a list of all topics and ideas, brainstorm on your relevant niche, do your research, and jot down as many points as you can. This is the most important part as these are the ideas you’ll be later emphasizing on.
Collect all the resources you’ll need for content creation. This includes research materials, images, videos, graphics, and any other assets required for your chosen content format.
For each piece of content, start by creating a detailed outline. This serves as a roadmap for the content and ensures that you cover all essential points.
In case you run out of ideas, another good practice is to repurpose your content in different variations.
Talk and Network
Going solo? Think again! What might take you 5 days alone could take just 3 with some solid networking and collaboration.
Chatting with folks can lead to mentors, pals who get your vision, and so much more. I’ve chatted up startup founders, creators, and designers from all over the world on Twitter. Distance? Not an issue.
Once you break out of your shell, a universe of opportunities awaits.
And hey, drop those sky-high expectations. They’re sneaky joy-stealers. I once saw folks raking in $1,000 in a day and thought, “That’ll be me!” But after giving it my all, I made just $12 in my first month.
Remember: Comparing and expecting too much can sink your ship faster than any market trend. Celebrate your journey, not just the destination. 🚀
