Escape 9 to 5 While Working – Introduction
How to escape 9 to 5 while working, so you can quit permanently by building your side gig up over time, and alongside your job.
- Escaping the 9 to 5 isn’t so simple. The more you’re surrounded with other 9 to 5’ers, the more deeply entrenched you become. You do what others do – after all, we’re social creatures. So we become entrenched in the lifestyle afforded to us by our 9 to 5 job. To get out permanently, you need to shift your thinking and your actions. Put money aside so you can build a side hustle, and so you have more in the bank to escape when you can. If you consistently live to your means, or beyond it, you’re digging a bigger trench to escape from. Reverse this pattern, and you’re already moving towards more freedom.
- Quitting cold turkey from your job leaves you vulnerable and without cash flow. This can create greater problems even though you’re out of a difficult job situation, you can be “out of the frying pan into the fire” of a financial problem instead! It’s far better to create a long-term plan to escape the 9 to 5 job by building a secondary income and using your employment funds to finance your side gig. Build it up over time so that it eventually can replace your employment income. When you switch, your side gig income should have overtaken your employment income, or at least be the same as it consistently.
- In this guide we will discuss not only the overview of escaping a 9 to 5 job but actionable steps you can take right now, today.
Escape 9 to 5 While Working #1. Mindset Shift: Start Thinking Like an Entrepreneur
- Mindset is the foundation of escaping the 9 to 5 permanently. Your habits draw you back towards getting stuck in your 9 to 5. So if you’re out on the weekend spending your earnings, living to your means, or beyond them, it might be time to reconsider what you’re spending your available cash on. Are you digging a debt trench or building a new path out of 9 to 5 servitude? Escaping 9 to 5 is a massive undertaking and there are small things you can do initially to get the wheels turning in your preferred direction. Part of that is observing your habits and considering building a financial escape plan. Your habits either lead you towards freedom, or servitude – choose wisely!
- Shift from “employee thinking” to “business owner” thinking. As an employee you get paid for trading your time. But if you only trade time for money (as with a job), you’ll always be stuck in this dynamic and there’s only so much time in any given day. A business lets you create some leverage in your earning power. With an online business in particular, you can use products to generate cash flow – which can be sold automatically online through websites.
- Start reframing how you view time, skills, and income. There’s plenty of people earning an income online today already. This just shows it can be done. The only difference is that those people went and did something different and learned some new skills. You can do this too. If you spend your spare time to up-skill to learn some online strategies for earning an income, those skills can be useful to you beyond trading time for money. Most people spend their time off work enjoying themselves. Entrepreneurs know their time away from a job is valuable to them and spend some of it up-skilling so they can eventually escape the 9 to 5!
Escape 9 to 5 While Working #2. Build an Income Stream While Working Full-Time
Here’s some simple ideas to generate an income online. You don’t need to learn everything, just choose one strategy and get to work. You can access a free video series on this website to learn about affiliate marketing, for example. Your secondary income should be scalable and you should be able to spend some time each day building a strategy which can give you some leverage.
- Freelancing: Platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, and LinkedIn opportunities.
- Affiliate Marketing: How to start a niche blog and make passive income.
- E-commerce & Print-on-Demand: Selling digital products, dropshipping, or Etsy.
- Investing: Low-maintenance income sources like dividends and rental properties.
3. Master Time Management & Productivity Hacks
Create a time slot which suits your work schedule. If you try and overwork, the result is burnout. Plan 6 months ahead and make some good habits. Remember Rome wasn’t built in a day!
- Use “The 5-9 Before the 9-5” strategy to work on your side hustle. Build up your side income using your out of work hours either side of the day whichever works best for you.
- Leverage automation and outsourcing to save time. Use resources such as YouTube, Chat GPT, and our Free video series.
- Avoid burnout while balancing a job – plan a schedule you can stick to over several months. Don’t overdo it, just take some basic steps each day and keep taking them. With a digital online resource, such as a website, you can automate the sales of products and services online. This can give you an income which takes very little of your time once it’s set up and running.
If you’re used to trading time for money in a job, it’s easy to fall into the routine of doing things to “feel” busy. But as an entrepreneur, you must switch this mindset to one of focusing on the big picture. Ask yourself which actions are going to take you to financial, geographical and personal freedom. Don’t be a “busy fool” building your online enterprise. Focus on the overview and don’t get stuck on things which can be outsourced or automated.
4. Cutting Expenses to Buy Freedom Faster
- Reducing expenses makes quitting easier. Take an inventory of your spending. What are you spending money on which you can stop? Do you have any debt? Tackling debt can save you a huge amount every month so it’s a good place to start.
- Practical budgeting tips and minimalism for financial independence. Do a spend inventory – write down for a full week everything you spend money on. Go through standing orders and direct debits. DO IT! You’ll find something you can cut out and remove. How bad do you want to escape the 9 to 5? Do you smoke or drink? There’s money to be saved and time to be made by cutting out some expensive habits which might be costing you your freedom.
- “The 6-Month Freedom Fund” strategy – saving up for a smooth transition. Set aside a bit of money each month and set up an automated payment into a savings account. Treat it like a bill and you’ll be surprised how much you can put aside. This habit helps you live below your means and build up some escape money and/or business building funds.
5. Network with People Who Have Already Done It
You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with – Jim Rohn. Have you heard the saying “birds of a feather flock together”? Have a look at who you are spending time with. Ask yourself if they are heading in the same direction as you as regards to escaping the 9 to 5! If not, the chances are good that they are leading in another direction – most likely the direction of 9 to 5 forever’dom! Most people live beyond their means and entrench themselves in the 9 to 5 life. Hang around with them long enough, and you’ll pick up their same habits, leading you from the life you really want.
- Discover the power of mentors, masterminds, and online communities. We have an online community you can join right here at escape 9 to 5! Access the free video series to learn more.
- Find people who have successfully escaped the 9 to 5 by joining self-help groups on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Reddit and so on.
- Connect with people who can help you grow, hold you accountable and give you tools to escape the 9 to 5. – Join our community.
6. Know the Right Time to Quit
When your side hustle is bringing in at least the same as your regular job, that’s when you know you are comfortable to quit. Remember though that with a side income which is self employed and entrepreneurial, some months are better than others. So it’s well worth waiting until you have gathered a few high income months consistently before jacking in the job! With any entrepreneurial endeavour it will take longer than you expect!
- Signs you’re financially ready to leave – your side gig income surpasses your regular job income. Your savings and “escape” money is enough to last for a few months without a regular wage.
- Test the stability of your new income stream before quitting – don’t rush. Have at least a handful of well paid months before considering quitting your main job. Remember a side gig income can be sporadic and undulating – some months will be better than others.
- The smoothest way to transition without burning bridges – set up a savings account to help you through the transistion or in a bad paying month from your side gig. Think about any potential hiccups with a side gig income stream.
Conclusion & Next Steps
You can escape 9 to 5 while working by building your side hustle alongside your main income. Entrepreneurs think differently than 9 to 5’ers. If you hang out with 9 to 5’ers you’ll become one! Here’s a quick recap of some of the major points covered in this article:
- Use your free time to build a side gig, cut your expenditures.
- Find a community of like-minded entrepreneurs and spend time with people who are already where you want to be. Access free videos here.
- Set aside some money each month on autopilot which goes into an “escape 9 to 5” savings fund, or a business building fund, preferably both. This is for your side gig or the ultimate job transition fund.
- Start with one small step today – Access our free video series.
✅ How to escape the 9 to 5 while working
✅ Side hustles to quit your job
