Finding extra time when you already have your hands full is really tough.

If you are between 25-ish and 45 years old, a dad (or mom) of young children with a 9–5 job, being a husband (or wife) trying to build your dreamed startup, all that I outline in this post might resonate with you a lot.

If you notice, above I described some specific life circumstances you might have.

Why?

Because under those exact circumstances, it makes it super hard to move the wheels of your startup or dreamed project.

Yet, it is still achievable if we follow a few tips and tricks that I have learned to build a fintech startup.

When it comes to building something bigger than us, the first thing we need to think about is the rules or constraints that will govern all the actions to achieve what we want.

They are the constraints you will need to define. That’s a personal choice, though.

Sacrificing one or more key elements in your life like family time, work productivity, being ethical, and mental and physical health boundaries might be the only way to get real progress.

Also, to make progress, you will need to be aware of the fact that not all businesses demand the same level of effort and energy.

Some are low-energy and effortless, while others are the opposite.

So, the art of moving the wheels of your startup or project when having hands full will demand smarter and more effective ways to master time management and emotions.

I call this — The art of conquering yourself.

Lifestyle preferences — Your constraints

I know that one way to reach your goals is to work super hard.

You need to put in the work, gurus guys will advise you.

I could not more agree with it.

Yet this applies to those who have rules that govern their lives against some fundamental elements.

They don’t care if they have to sacrifice crucial elements and components like family quality time, work productivity, ethical work, and mental and physical health issues.

So before anything else, I want to be crystal clear about the constraints that govern me at the moment to make progress.

All the following should be true.

1. I should still dedicate quality time to my kids and wife. This means a few dedicated hours during the day and night.
2. I want to still go out as often as usual. I want to eat Pupusas, Mexican or Asian food on Fridays or a random day, go with my wife and kids to the mall and buy needed or impulse purchases, and for sure give my kids time to play and have fun.
3. I still want to play soccer at least once a week.
4. I want to keep being highly productive at my current job.
5. I should not fall into the burnout hell.
6. I want to keep doing mental or physical activities to keep my sanity safe, so I can get motivated and in a great mood most of the day.

With all this on the table, let me share a few tips and tricks that have helped me move the needle of my startup (Undebtme App ) even though my hands are already full.

Not all businesses demand the same effort and energy

Not all businesses demand the same effort and energy, and understanding these variations is crucial for any aspiring entrepreneurs.

The effort and energy required to run a business can vary significantly depending on various factors such as the industry, business model, scale, and individual goals.

It’s not the same to build a drop-shipping, e-commerce, or freelancing business as a manufacturing, healthcare, or one in the fintech sector.

The first ones are low effort, while the latter are high-effort.

Having said that, I am on a dream project that requires high effort because of its complexity.

I am building a fintech app called `Undebtme` a mobile app that saves, pays off debts, and invests for you automatically.

So you guessed it.

Building a fintech app is a really complex process that requires a comprehensive understanding of both technology and the financial industry.

This fintech startup demands a lot of effort and energy and having a 9–5 job, staying at home with two children, and being a full-time husband is a demanding journey.

Embracing this reality at first and even after a while it was not easy for me.

Yet, later I got it and I matched it with my constraints.

It all made sense once doing it this way.

If you are building something in a complex and high-effort industry, your progress has a direct correlation with your lifestyle goals and constraints we talked about before.

On the contrary, if your business is in a low-effort industry, you still need to match your lifestyle goals and constraints.

Block some consistent time for your startup or project

Use the time blocking theme.

Time blocking is a highly effective productivity technique used by some of the world’s most successful individuals, including Elon Musk and Bill Gates.

This method involves dividing your day into distinct blocks of time, each dedicated to a specific task or activity.

Put it simply, is essentially allocating a specific block of time in your calendar for any task.

Meaning, add an event in your calendar that will be used to work on your startup/project.

Take a look at my calendar.

It clearly has a block of time dedicated to making some progress on my startup

Provided by the author

Remember it does not matter if this block time is in the morning or after your 9–5 shift. Just block that time.

Don’t hurt yourself

In the beginning, I hurt myself with guilt because I was not making substantial progress.

In fact, some days I did not get any progress at all.

Some days in a row, I was not able to work for a variety of reasons — my son got sick. My wife got sick. I had urgent chores at my job, and so on.

I felt guilty for not moving the wheels of my startup.

Later, I made an agreement with myself to be just OK to fail on progress from time to time.

The fact here is that hurting yourself won’t solve anything but affects you in many ways instead.

It will rob you of the limited energy you have and will destroy the little motivation you still have left.

Write down a top result list — not a to-do-list

According to this Harvard Business Review article, to-do lists don’t work.

And it makes sense because a TO-DO list gives you what to do, but it avoids the most important thing — what you are going to get by doing it.

Another problem is that a TO-DO will make you frustrated when you realize you cannot complete it.

Having said that, I learned that the most productive and successful persons don’t use a TO-DO list; they write a results list they want to get for the day.

Let’s look at this with a simple comparison, so you can have a better understanding of what I am talking about.

TO-DO-LIST

• Make 20 cold calls.

TOP-Priority-Result List

• Get my first client

As you can see, the to-do list tells you what to do, but what really matters is the outcome of doing it. You will make 10, 15, 20, or more calls, but the goal is to get your first client no matter how many calls it is going to take you.

Build an effective network and find supportive people for your startup

It is easier to say it than build it.

Building a meaningful and effective network takes time — it is in fact a long-term game.

On the other side, finding supportive people might seem easy if you consider your relatives and loved ones in the first place.

They will support you, not necessarily because your product is sweet and great, but because of the fact it is you.

Yet, this is not always 100% true.

Let me explain why.

I really love my wife. We have been together for about fifteen years.

We know each other more than anyone else out there.

When I share the idea of building something, she gets excited.

Yet somehow she does not accept the idea of working hard and playing the long term.

She knows very well the importance of a business or side hustle for better financial stability and freedom, but she simply does not understand why I should go to bed late or work during the weekend if I have a 9–5 high-paying job.

What is happening is that she is aware of it, but she gets trapped in her own brain game.

I fully understand her. I didn’t in the past, too.

Indeed, the majority does not like to play the long term, everyone wants instant results instead.

I have learned to negotiate with her even when I should not.

So finding a meaningful network including your closest loved ones is key to keep you playing the long-term game so you can make progress on your project.

Final Thoughts

Getting progress on your startup or dreamed project with a super busy schedule is challenging, but not impossible to achieve it.

Managing time and energy on several demanding things during the day is super tough.

Being a stay-home dad, dad of two sweet kids, plus a full-time 9–5 job, husband, and trying to move the wheels of my startup have been the most demanding jobs I have ever had.

Yet this pushed me out of the cozy zone. Thanks to this, I changed my mentality.

I still conserve my sanity, though. Which is great.

Along the way, I learned a few tips and tricks that helped me to make progress after all.

Some of these tips include:

• Ensure that your full-time job is your priority, as it’s likely providing the income that is helping you fund your startup.
• Your lifestyle preferences matter a lot. So think about the rules or constraints that will govern all the actions to achieve the desired progress.
• Not all businesses demand the same effort and energy. The sooner you embrace this, the better.
• Block a dedicated time to work on your project and stick to it.
• Don’t hurt yourself. Be merciful and empathetic with yourself.

Thanks for reading! 🙏

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