Any time for hobbies?

[superb]

I have a hobby been part of my problem in remaining in the slow lane. I'm a guitarist and music lover. For quite a few years i pursued music related businesses, obviously none of which have been fast lane. Over the last couple of years, I've realized that I need to play less, sell off a lot of gear and focus on income generation so that I can have some capital to work with. I still feel a strong need to be creative musically, but am very driven to create a fastlane business.

I have read "success" stories of entrepenuers claiming they've worked 12-16 hour days six days a week for a few years to become successful. I'm not afraid of hard work and delayed gratification, but I'm wondering if there is a healthy balance to be found, where maybe my hobby can help energize me in my entrepreneurial efforts.

I know this is something that I have to decide for myself, but to those who have made it onto the fastlane, what are your thoughts about time spent on hobbies while building a business?

 

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[Ravens_Shadow]

I don't see why not, take 30-45 minutes at the end of the day to wind down before you go to bed and play your heart out.

 

[Kak]

More time for hobbies by far. Once you are up and running, depending on your chosen business, passive income is exactly what it sounds like.

My biggest hobby is my next venture though .

 

[benhebert]

Take the time and enjoy life. Cut out the EXCESS from your life that is a time waster.

Going to the bar and boozing for 4-5 hours and watching a sports game that has ZERO impact on your life and business is a waste of time.

Playing guitar or spending an afternoon making music, is something that you actually benefit from.

Entrepreneurship is about creating your own path.... you'll find it soon

 

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[mags]

Spend at least a day each week to do personal stuff other than work.

That means doing your hobbies, being with family, etc. That way you could keep a good balance between work and 'life.'

It should help keep you sane in the long run.

 

[NVaz]

I'm a guitar player as well. Playing guitar can work like a therapy, something that cool us down and bring us some kind of peace so you definitely shouldn't stop playing. I have my guitar off the case so whenever i feel like i need to relax or whenever i feel like playing, i can pick up the guitar and play... even if just a riff, strum some chords.

 

[T14]

Since starting a new business, I've been much more aware of what I do with my time, how productive I am with it, and if I could become more efficient with it.

I like to wake up early as to not feel rushed first thing int he morning. I noticed that showering, cooking breakfast, getting dressed, and preparing for the day was taking me far longer than I would like it to. Since then, my morning routine has become a strict plan, timed and everything, and ultimately taking half the time of what it initially cost me.

The entrepreneurs who work 12-16 hours a day would most likely agree that not every single minute of every single hour they spend "working" is actually productive.

Master your time. See where and how you're spending it. I recommend tracking everything.

When I noticed my gym time was dwindling, I reassessed my time management and suddenly discovered a lost hour or two.

 

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[RHL]

If you're clever enough you can turn your hobby into your income generation scheme so you can get paid while you play (*sort of, it's more like you do work that enables your play, it's still work, and it's still hard). That's what I'm doing.

Yeah, you have to cut the fat too. After 15 years of semi-addiction I do not have a single video game on any of my computers. That was a momentous day. I haven't watched TV other than educational clips related to my business on Youtube in almost two months, and this follows on the heels of not having Cable TV for three years and not having any TV at all for two.

Focus focus focus.

 

[superb]

I used to subscribe to the "do what you love and the money will follow" mindset. I've ran a recording studio and had another business building custom guitar amps. There are so many people/companies in the musical equipment market already, more supply than demand and I haven't thought of anything new or innovative enough in this niche to pursue it further. Anyway, trying to do what I love has kept me in the slow lane.

Thanks to everyone for their input! I feel better about spending a little time each week playing, as long as I'm making the most of my time in other areas.

 

[JasonR]

I have read "success" stories of entrepenuers claiming they've worked 12-16 hour days six days a week for a few years to become successful. I'm not afraid of hard work and delayed gratification, but I'm wondering if there is a healthy balance to be found, where maybe my hobby can help energize me in my entrepreneurial efforts.

There can be a balance, for sure. But, it all comes down to this. How BAD do you want it? 16 hour days? Try 20 hour days.

No one can give you this answer, because no one knows how much time you have. If you are running your business 16 hours a day, and want to play the guitar for an hour, by all means, do it! If you are working a day job 8 hours, and then working on your business, you may have to sacrifice to get where you want to be.

Only you can make that call. Many new business owners and entrepreneurs have to sacrifice things they enjoy doing to build and grow their business, and then go on to find more of a balance later on.

It's all about choices.

 

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