What if a side hustle wasn’t about doing more, but being more?

What if side-hustles aren’t just about doing more - but about being more?

One of my followers reached out the other day to ask if I had any ideas about side hustles as a social worker, and I responded that it sounded like a great idea - something a lot of social workers may be interested in - but didn’t offer any ideas about what these could be, because I didn’t have any.

Largely because I used to have a very Instagram Reel-based understanding of what a side hustle is. The phrase ‘girl boss’ springs to mind rapidly, as does imagery of someone arriving home in a suit, dispensing with the tie only to lodge themselves in front of another screen to begin ‘hustling’.

Also because my own ‘side hustle’, if it can be called that, doesn’t feel like one by those definitions.

I write partly because I love it, partly because I hope someone somewhere may read something and feel seen - partly because I really do value our profession, and it makes me want to speak up about it, and because it just comes naturally to me.

Yet it is the space I’ve consistently returned to - a creative practice that nourishes, connects me to others, has the potential to prompt change and occasionally opens up professional opportunities.

Sitting back though, I realised that my own view was the barrier here, rather than the reality. My view of a side hustle was rooted in the wider view of ‘hustle culture’ - that we need to be on, productive and ambitious. Ultimately, that any side hustle would need to be successful, and with a very clear view of what success is - largely financial, because we can’t pretend that the cost of living isn’t a significant motivator to ‘do more to earn more’.

My aversion to it was rooted far more in the cultural championing of it - that effort has to have measurable results to be meaningful, and that rest is somehow counterproductive to productivity, rather than essential for it.

Maybe a successful side hustle isn’t something that just allows us to earn or achieve more - it’s something that enables us to be more. Both in terms of growth, and presence.

I see a number of talented colleagues putting themselves forward to create content, retreats, and platforms which enable them to both champion the profession and grow themselves personally within it. The output of their efforts often pays forward to others by providing resources, space, and services that help them - and help them to help themselves.

Still, I did wonder if I’m just lacking drive by comparison due to a preference for stillness over strategy. The idea of hustling amidst the bustling of my usual life wasn’t something I was keen to pursue. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fortunate that I’m able to combine passion with profession through writing, but I’ve never really considered it a side hustle.

I’ve felt the pressure to ‘make more’ of myself - phrases like ‘personal brand’ and ‘SEO optimised’ have found me interrogating ChatGPT and mildly panic-spiralling that I’m doing something a little bit wrong by not seeking something more ‘girl boss’ in the pursuit of my passions.

Then I strive to create content, I find myself internally hopping from foot to foot and chewing my lip, battling the discomfort of what I’m doing feeling ‘forced’.

The other week, my friend almost laughed herself into hysterics as I tried to take a photo I could use that preserved my anonymity and revealed a bit more of me personally. The word ‘influencer’ was facetiously used more than once, and for the first time, I really did find that wryly funny, rather than wanting to shrivel up and hide.

Creative engagement can be a significant buffer to the potential for burnout - enabling us to ‘tune in’ even if we don’t necessarily switch off. When I don’t want to think about work, life, or my relationships - I paint.

I can say for certain that will not be an income-generating side hustle for me. It is a mindful activity that gives me the space to be - and often, be messy though.

Writing allows me to tune in and far from filling my bank account, it makes space - for me.

I also know from people who have reached out that it makes space for them too, which is a luxury in a profession predicated upon what we do for others, and how productive we are within metrics.

So maybe the kind of side hustles we should be seeking are the ones that can allow us to ‘be more and earn more’ as we contribute.

Because done well - they do live at the intersection of passion and profit. With a consistent desire for meaning above money, and having previously worked as an agency social worker - I can say with some certainty that only one of those was effective in buffering burnout.

The combination of them, however, can enable us to thrive.