When my side hustle income exceeded 800,000 yen a month, I was genuinely happy.
I had earned that much through my own efforts, separate from my main job's salary.
I learned about X, studied marketing, and started getting work from companies.
It felt like everything I had been building up finally took shape.
Moreover, the requests for work were increasing.
Consultations from companies. Personal consulting. Inquiries about new projects.
Thankfully, if I wanted to, I could still take on more work.
But one day, I realized something.
Even though I was earning more, my free time wasn't increasing.
Even after finishing work, I was thinking about the next task.
Even when I was with my family, I was distracted by my smartphone.
Although I had managed to increase my income, the time I wanted to cherish was decreasing because of the effort required to generate that income.
At the time, I thought this:
"I'll relax once things calm down at work."
But work never really calmed down.
One project would end, and another request would come in.
If I delivered results, even more work followed.
In the end, unless I stopped it myself, it would continue forever.
So, I decided to rethink how I worked.
Now, while keeping my main job, I work entirely from home, basically only in the mornings. In the afternoons, I go out with my wife, play Hyakunin Isshu with my daughter, or help her study for middle school entrance exams. I cook dinner and go to bed around the same time as my daughter.
Of course, I didn't achieve this lifestyle right away.
There was anxiety about reducing my workload.
But changing my mindset back then led to the way I work now.
Today, I want to write about what I considered to reduce my workload and what I actually changed.
Chapter 1: "Resting Once Work Calms Down" Will Probably Never Happen
When work is busy, we tend to think:
"I'll rest once this project ends."
"I'll go out with my family once I get through this month."
"I'll reduce my workload once my income stabilizes a bit more."
But what actually happens?
The more capable you are at work, the more new tasks you're asked to handle.
If you deliver results on one project, it leads to the next.
It's the same with side hustles.
At first, it's hard to get any work.
So when requests come in, you're truly happy.
You feel it would be wasteful to refuse.
I was the same.
After seriously starting to use X, I built some track record and began receiving work from companies.
At that time, I didn't want to miss opportunities.
Since people reached out to me, I wanted to accept as much as possible.
As a result, my workload increased.
The tricky part here is that having more work itself looks like success.
Requests increase. Income increases. You get evaluated positively.
So, even though you're getting busier, it's hard to reduce your workload.
But one day, I thought:
Does having more work mean my life is becoming richer?
Of course, there are people who love their work and find fulfillment in working hard.
That's wonderful.
However, the reason I started my side hustle wasn't to keep increasing my workload.
I wanted to increase my income to broaden my life choices.
I wanted to cherish time with my family.
Yet somehow, increasing work had become the goal itself.
So, the first thing I changed wasn't how I used my time, but my mindset.
Instead of resting after work is done, consider work only after securing time for rest.
I believe that unless you change this order, work will continue to grow indefinitely.
Chapter 2: First, I Organized the Relationship Between Income and Time
Even if you want to reduce your workload, you can't just cut it immediately.
Naturally, income decreases.
If you reduce work that earns 800,000 yen a month, you might lose that income.
Moreover, corporate work isn't guaranteed to return if you refuse it once.
So, deciding to reduce work wasn't easy.
What I found important was not just looking at the amount of income, but organizing what resources you use to earn that income.
For example, suppose you have two jobs each earning 100,000 yen a month.
One takes 40 hours a month.
The other takes 10 hours a month.
Both earn the same 100,000 yen.
But the time investment is completely different.
The former works out to an hourly rate of 2,500 yen.
The latter is 10,000 yen per hour.
Of course, you don't judge work solely by hourly rate.
Some jobs help you acquire new skills.
Others build connections useful for future business.
Some are work you deeply want to do.
But I decided to stop judging based only on income.
When considering work, I now focus mainly on three things:
① How much income does it generate?
② How much time and burden does it require?
③ Does this work connect to my future self?
I think the third point is especially important.
For instance, even if current income isn't huge, work that helps you learn new skills has value.
Conversely, even if income is high, if it consumes too much of your time and doesn't align with your future work style, you should reconsider accepting it.
To reduce workload, you first need to know where your time goes.
Is this work for increasing income? For gaining experience? Or are you just continuing it because you couldn't say no?
Just organizing this changes how you see your work.
This applies to managing X as well.
Short-term, there might be ways to earn more.
But long-term, mastering marketing via X is powerful.
If you want to start your own business, these branding skills are a huge weapon. That's why I believe it's worth continuing to learn.
Chapter 3: Categorizing Work into Keep, Reduce, and Let Go
When organizing work, I think it's better not to treat everything equally.
Broadly, divide them into three categories:
Work to keep. Work to reduce. Work to let go.
First, work to keep.
Jobs that form the foundation of your livelihood or those you value highly.
In my case, this includes my stable main job and roles essential for my career path.
Next, work to reduce.
Valuable work, but too burdensome for my current capacity.
For example, instead of accepting all corporate requests, limit the number you handle.
If daily attention is required, review the scope of duties.
Consider systematizing tasks you don't personally need to do.
Then, work to let go.
Income-generating work that no longer fits the life you want.
Of course, this isn't easy to decide.
Long-standing projects carry responsibility.
There are relationships with people who helped you.
So, you don't need to quit everything abruptly.
You can review contracts at renewal times, adjust scopes, or plan handovers.
I myself shifted toward reducing corporate work.
What I realized here was that refusing work isn't rejecting the client.
For example, when receiving a new request:
"I'm currently focusing on improving the quality of existing work rather than adding new projects."
You can communicate this.
Or,
"Due to my current availability, I can't provide sufficient support, so I must decline this time."
Accepting reluctantly and failing to meet expectations causes more trouble for the client.
Protecting your time also protects the quality of your work.
Another key point: Don't view reducing work as failure.
If income drops, numbers might look like regression.
But if that brings more freedom or enables new challenges, it's not necessarily backward movement.
Growth isn't just about doing more work. Being able to choose your work is also growth.
That's how I think.
Chapter 4: Avoid Filling Freed-Up Time with More Work
Even after reducing work, beware of one trap:
Filling the freed-up time with yet another job.
For example, if you drop one corporate project and gain 5 hours weekly.
But if you use those 5 hours to take on a new project, nothing changes.
If your goal is maximizing income, that's fine.
But if you want more free time, you've lost sight of your purpose.
Economics has the concept of "opportunity cost."
Choosing one thing means giving up others.
Working 5 hours on a weekend might bring extra income.
But you lose the chance to spend those 5 hours with family.
Conversely, choosing family means giving up potential earnings.
Neither is inherently right.
What you choose depends on what you value.
Previously, when work requests came in, I looked for gaps in my schedule.
Now, I reverse the logic.
Time with family.
Time for learning.
Time for new challenges.
Secure these first.
Then figure out where to fit work.
Crucially, don't treat family time as "leftover time when work is done."
Treat it as an important appointment, just like work.
Sure, emergencies happen, and plans change.
But changing the fundamental approach alters how you slot work.
Before accepting new work, ask:
"Can I handle this within my currently secured time blocks?"
If not, adjust volume or conditions.
If still difficult, decline.
Once you can make this judgment, you gradually protect your time.
Free time isn't leftover from work. It's something you secure proactively.
Chapter 5: Working Only Mornings Was Achieved After Reducing Workload
Currently, I combine multiple roles alongside my main job.
Fully remote, working primarily in the mornings.
Sometimes I handle afternoon tasks if needed, and schedules aren't always perfect.
But my basic work style has changed significantly.
Key wasn't just reducing quantity, but combining types of work.
For example:
Stable income source (main job).
Skill/time-based service (corporate consulting).
Product-based delivery (note/memberships).
Each has different nature.
Main job provides financial foundation.
Corporate work offers real-world problem-solving experience.
note products allow scaling knowledge to many people.
Stock-type products don't sell automatically either.
They require ongoing promotion and improvement.
Still, avoiding total dependence on labor-hours for income is vital.
Time freed by reducing work isn't just for resting.
Spending time with family.
Learning new things.
Thinking about future businesses.
Using time for what you truly want.
These activities feed back into future work and content creation.
Thus, reducing work doesn't necessarily mean reducing challenges.
Rather, sometimes you must reduce current work to enable new challenges.
I still want to increase income.
I enjoy work and want to try new things.
But I don't want income maximization to be the sole goal.
Instead of using life for work, I want to combine work for the life I desire.
This answer varies for everyone.
Some prioritize income now.
Some focus on career growth.
Some want more family time.
Some seek learning or new ventures.
Important is knowing your priorities.
Then decide whether to increase, decrease, or mix work.
I leave you with one question:
Before adding more work, have you decided what time you want to secure?
I previously added work without thinking this.
Result: Income rose, but freedom didn't.
Changing to "secure time first" transformed my work style.
Free time isn't created after work ends. It's secured beforehand.
I intend to keep honoring this principle.
