While developing both Twig and Draft Desk, I noticed I oscillate between two states every few weeks. Either I’m

1. unhappy with my project progress, but eating and sleeping well

2. or killing it on side projects, but lacking sleep and healthy activity

However, half of the folks I follow on Twitter seem to have it all: a full-time job, family life, healthy habits and a bustling indie side-business.

So I asked:

Can you

1. work full-time
2. have a side project
3. cook healthy food
4. stay active

All without sacrificing sleep?

— Trent (@tr3ntg ) March 24, 2021

Some replies were encouraging — others dishearting. If you’re interested in the topic of work-sidework-life balance, I’d suggest you go read the thread directly. But I’ll break down my learnings.

In short, the answer is yes*

(but that's a big asterisk)

Turns out I wasn’t crazy to have trouble spending time with my wife, never missing a workout, putting in 50hrs at work, and working on my side project. That’s a lot to juggle and there’s only so much time in the week.

We’re all different, but there are a few categorical reasons for that asterisk.

1: It’s not easy if you have a partner.

If I was off living a single life, it’d be possible to be a lot more extreme with my time. There’s nobody else to look out for. Even spending time weekly with friends doesn’t come close to the time it takes to maintain something deeper. In the single scenario, there are so few variables that a regimented schedule is likely to pan out.

2: But definitely not if you have kids.

If you have kids (which I don’t), it sounds as if you should kiss your life goodbye. And I don’t mean that negatively. Being a parent is such a blessing. I’ve heard many parents describe the shift to having a child as “My life was about me, but now it’s about them.” Not being a parent myself, I can’t quite grasp the gravity of the statement, but I know it to be true. To get time for your side project, it will likely come at the expense of sleep. One reply added, “Even without a side project, parenting deprives you of sleep.”

3: And only if you seriously regiment your time.

A few commenters shared creative ways to make the most of your remaining time, regardless of your situation. The main one was meal prep. Of course, bundling up all of your cooking activities into one evening gives you time back for the rest of the week. The other suggestion was delegation. You could hire help for your project or other housework, saving time for the rest of your list.

The biggest takeaway

Questions like these have assumptions built into them. In my original tweet, the assumption is that each item on the list requires a certain amount of time — so much that it will cut into your sleep.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

In reality, some of these items are non-negotiables and others are nice-to-haves. For me, relationships, healthy living, and sleep come first. I’m doing my best to put side projects last.

Sometimes this means that my personal project moves at a glacial pace, but that’s okay. It’s not like it has to be done tomorrow.

If you're interested in following along as I build Draft Desk at glacial speed, follow me on Twitter! Thanks for the read.