I built a six-figure remote business and walked away from the 9 to 5 at age 46. Every Tuesday, I email a story, tip, or idea to help you climb down the corporate ladder and live life on your terms.
You say you want out of your 9-5... but your schedule says otherwise
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When I was still at my 9-5, I felt like my time was completely controlled by someone else. Conference calls, emails, constant interruptions… by the time I got home, I felt too drained to do anything else. So I’d check out for the night and promise myself I’d start working on my side hustle tomorrow. Sound familiar? At the time, I believed that I didn’t have a choice… that my mental exhaustion was just the reality of the job. But looking back, that wasn’t entirely true. I didn’t have full control, but I had more than I thought. Because unless you’re REALLY good at planning out your day, a lot of your time is being wasted due to poor decision making. That includes what you do after work, what you watch on TV or online, and who you are spending time with. All of these things are up to you. Once you get serious about building something on the side, you realize how much time you really have. It sounds simple, but it can be very easy to waste time. For example, you might plan to work on your side hustle tonight, only to end up scrolling instead. You think about reaching a potential client, but keep putting it off. Or, you tell yourself that this is the year that things will change, but your days continue to follow the same pattern. I know how it feels because I’ve been there. It could just be driven by habits, a desire for comfort, or whatever feels easiest in the moment. But if your agenda doesn’t line up with the life you say that you want, nothing will change. This was a big shift for me. I stopped asking myself, “Do I feel like working on my business tonight?” and started asking, “What does someone who is building the life I want do tonight?” This question forces you to take ownership of your time. And it's not about achieving perfection overnight. What you want is consistency. It’s about making better decisions about how you use the next hour, and then the next day, and then the next week, and so on... If you’re in that place right now, where you know you want something different, but you’re not sure what your next move should be, here are a couple of options: I put together a simple 2-minute Side Hustle Quiz to help you figure out which type of business actually fits you. It’s not a complete solution, but it can move you closer to a direction that aligns with your skills, your lifestyle goals, and how you actually like to work. Or if you want to skip the guesswork and talk it through with me, you can book a free 30-minute call here. I’ve met with over 50 people in the past few months, and their feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. 💡ResourcesFREE! 2-Minute Side Hustle Quiz FREE! 7-Day 9-5 Escape Roadmap Video Course 30-Day Launch Playbook — Freelancer Edition Free 30-Minute Side Hustle Clarity Call |
9-5 Escape by Colin Graves
I built a six-figure remote business and walked away from the 9 to 5 at age 46. Every Tuesday, I email a story, tip, or idea to help you climb down the corporate ladder and live life on your terms.
Yesterday afternoon, while I was working away, I started getting messages from complete strangers on LinkedIn and other social media platforms. Most of them started with something like: “Hey, I just read an article about how you turned your side hustle into a full-time business and quit your job...” At first, I had no idea why I was suddenly getting all these messages. Then I realized my 9-5 exit story had just been published by the U.S. edition of the Daily Mail and picked up by MSN as well....
Over the past month, I’ve confronted something that I’ve believed about myself for years... that I’m a night owl, and just not a morning person. I’ve said so many times, to myself and to other people, that it started to feel like a fixed trait. Just part of who I am. I stay up later, I get going a bit slower in the morning, and I’ve always structured my days around that. But recently I started questioning it. Not in some big, dramatic way. I just wondered what would happen if I stopped...
Hi Reader When I first released the 30-Day Freelancer Launch Playbook a few months ago, I priced it at $9 to make it accessible and to get feedback from early users. Since then, I’ve decided to increase the price to $29, starting on Monday, March 9th. The good news is that you can still grab it for $9 until then. The playbook is a short, practical guide designed to help you take real steps toward launching a freelance business in the next 30 days. Inside, you'll find: • A simple 4-week...