Back in January 1998, I quit my day job, moved closer to my family, and started an online business.

I had some contract programming work lined up to help pay the bills, but it petered out faster than expected. So a year later, when my old employer called to ask if I'd come back as a contractor for a few months, I decided to take the offer.

I committed to staying for 3 to 5 months. I figured I'd work for them during the day, and continue developing my online business in the evenings.

The problem was that by the time I got home in the evenings, I was so sick of computers that I hardly got a thing done.

Had I been doing the same job as when I'd quit the year before, things might have been different. But after the first month or so, the work they had me doing was so mind-numbingly boring that it took all my willpower just to stay productive and give them an honest days work.

Early in the 4th month, I decided I couldn't keep delivering what they were paying for much longer, so I told them I'd stay another two weeks. I took the money I'd earned and bought a mobile home (something I'd sworn I'd never do, but it ended up saving me a lot of money over the next few years).

The experience taught me a few lessons about juggling a "9 to 5" job and an online business:

  • If your day job burns you out, your online business is going to struggle, no matter how much you love it. If possible, work a day job that leaves you some emotional energy to pour into your online business.
  • Work a day job that has a little as possible to do with your online business. Maintaining variety in your life will help you attack both jobs with maximum vigor.

Yesterday, Yaro Starak published a guest post on his blog by Leslie Samuel with several more excellent tips for balancing your 9-to-5 with an online business.

Recently, I've started working with the guy I did the contract programming for back in 1998 again, so it's a good time for me to review ideas for balancing multiple jobs.

Reader Comment:
Chaplain Paul Slater said:
Just a comment about the mobile home purchase. Best choice my wife and I ever made. Of course this is in San Diego. Not sure I would do this in hurricane or tornado states. By the way, found your site in an email address search after one those "...
(join the conversation below)

This time around, one of my responsibilities will be building and managing the online presence of a company we're starting to market his software more effectively. So I'm already violating my own advice! But at least the work doesn't burn me out.

Do you have experience juggling a day job and an online business? What lessons have you learned? Please share them in the comments.