I dont know if I buy it completely. When you have a full time job and 4 kids you dont play video games, watch tv, etc... you just constantly do things that have to be done.
Either his kids are older or he has someone else doing most of the parent work.
Yup: you're right. There's constantly stuff that needs to be done. My kids are between 4-11. So we're out of diapers and potty training (which is huge).
I just keep finding spaces where I can create: early mornings, late at night, or during my lunch hour.
I answered this below, but basically every weekday between 5:30pm-8:30pm is family time (dinner, chores, bedtime routine). After that, I might try to build something if I have energy. Otherwise, I try to go to sleep. Weekends: wake up early and work on projects in the morning. Rest of the day is usually family activities.
None of this is perfect. I definitely don't have a perfect routine, and I definitely have that "hard life stuff" too: http://justinjackson.ca/real-life/
Edit: I should mention that I get a lot of work done in "fits of inspiration." Meaning: if I can't sleep, and it's 1am I'll work until 4am if I'm energized.
5+ is a great time when they can actually survive by and entertain themselves; And, going to school during the day relieves pressure too.
My side project schedule is about the same except starting a little later. I also try to work on things during tiny breaks (5-20 min) e.g. the bus, a waiting room, etc; Most of this time is sketching some diagram/UI/schema. But I find it very frustrating.
Thanks for the article Justin, I found it inspiring! I have a 3 year old who is almost beyond diapers, and who is requiring less time to put to bed, which I already see giving me more time for side projects. I've also found setting artificial constraints to side projects helps (to your point #1)...in my case, I set a goal of finishing 6 side projects in 6 months, each taking less than six hours (6x6x6: https://medium.com/design-startups/b602270880fd ); I got a bit stalled at the 5th project after taking a teaching job in addition to my startup gigs, but am still hoping to finish soon (may become 6x16(mo)x6).
This is essentially the same situation I'm in. I have 3 kids(4, 7, 9). I work a full time day job and then fit in side projects wherever there is time. This is typically after the kids are in bed, if I wake up with a bout of insomnia, early weekend mornings, etc...
My biggest downfall/problem is that I want to develop my own products and make money that way (and I am big into networking and selling), but I never focus on that. I've spent the last 3 years stuck in a never ending rut of contracting work for all of my side projects. The money is good, but it leaves me unsatisfied, and now I've been doing it long enough that I'm extremely burned out.
Either his kids are older or he has someone else doing most of the parent work.
I have a full time job (40 hours per week), 3 kids under 10 and a side consulting job that takes from 15 to 20 hours per week where I make about an extra $80k per year on top of my full time gig.
I also take my 3 kids to their basketball games, karate, cheerleading, baseball, soccer, lego mindstorms club, etc and help them practice each of their sports at home, help them with homework, etc. In fact I recently attended a Parent University for 3 nights of 2 hour sessions to learn modeling with Singapore Math so I could help them with that homework.
What do I avoid? TV, movies, other media consumption. I think of myself as a producer, not a consumer. I also don't have any hobbies beyond the one I've loved since I was 10 years old - computers. It just so happens I can make a lot of money with my hobby.
Contrary to your assertion, it's very possible to have 3 young children and work 55-60 hours per week and do a lot of the parenting work.
Are those 15-20 hours/week of consulting largely client-led? e.g., you're working to their deadlines and their requests? And you're getting paid for each hour you work?
I think that's a little bit different (at least in my experience) to working on a side-project where you have your own deadlines (and can thus break them), having little guarantee of making anything for your time, and can more easily make the decision to rest one night when you're exhausted rather than keep pushing forward with the uncertainty.
This. I have 2 kids, ages 6 and 9, and there's always something to do (help with homework, help with piano, take to soccer, make a cake from scratch together, etc). When everyone's asleep, that's when I work on my side projects. If I'm lucky, I get 2-3 solid hours before my body physically shuts down. I made a decision years ago to do away with tv, video games, etc during "me time," and instead work on projects / catch-up on reading. It's about slow, steady progress. It might take me a month to crank-out what amounts to be 10-hrs worth of work, but, in the end, it gives me more happiness than if I spent that month on tv.
My problem is that by time I get to that point, my brain is done for the day. After 8 hours of work, an hour of commute, dinner, kids, etc I don't have enough energy to do side projects.
You may be getting emotionally & physically drained by your job? Working with wrong type of people and/or long distance travel will do that to one. Also try taking (or increasing dosage) of fish oil tablets for the brain. And if you are not getting enough exercise or good food you will also physically be drained. Contrary to many beliefs Exercise gives energy and allows you to rest well at night.
I like my job and the people I work with. And it's a good job, mentally demanding but reasonably so. If I was sitting around twiddling my thumbs all day, I might have more energy for side projects. Having a 7-hour-a-day job that requires the same skills as my side project tends to dull my motivation.
I'm definitely trying to get more exercise as at this point I feel that might be the best way to approach the problem.
I had the same problem. Few things that I did was once my 18 month old is asleep, during the week, wifey will be studying for her pharmacy stuff while I work on side projects. This gives me couple of hours a day to work out a few things.
The 2nd thing I did to increase my motivation to actually do anything was to buy a big dry erase board and post my goals for this year. It's out in the living room, fully visible to anyone. That way I don't look like a fool for not doing anything :)
Glad to hear there are people who are productive with side projects even with family and kids.
One thing I've almost stopped doing is just watching TV. Actually TV completely. I do watch documentaries from netflix and youtube on tablet while exercise-biking, washing-dishes, folding laundry etc.
Either his kids are older or he has someone else doing most of the parent work.