5 Mindset Shifts That Helped Me Move to a 4-Hour Workday
Use it to side-hustle your way into multiple income streams.
I didn’t know the power of your thoughts and your mindset until my entire journey of side hustling, making more money by working less, and being a solopreneur happened.
I ‘knew’ about the power.
But I’d never experienced it.
Honestly, I didn’t entirely believe in it (or myself) to unleash it.
This wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t brainwashed my head into believing things that sound absolutely illogical. And moreover, they sound too good to be true and idealistic.
They’re difficult to believe, leave alone internalising them. Probably that's why very few people can do this.
Let me list the five winning mindset shifts I’m talking about here.
Trading Time for Money Doesn’t Make Sense.
In my 9–5, I had a senior from my team ring me up on the day I took an off because I was sick. The conversation went something like this,
Her: Hey, please connect with me for 10 minutes when you feel better.
Me: Hi there, I’m sick today and have taken leave for the ENTIRE day.
I know what I said was passive-aggressive and in the Indian society where hierarchy holds such a deep meaning, this isn’t appreciated at all. But I think I was right.
That same person called me before working hours when I was holding my yoga pose!
In several instances, my team made me work at 11 pm or midnight and I couldn’t say no.
I wasn’t paid more on these days. And on many days, I could finish work in a few hours of focussed work.
So why the hell should I be paid for 8 hours when work can be done with more or less time?
Why is it normalised to not have time for things you love and enjoy?
My 4-hour workday gave me one thing I didn’t have enough of before (apart from money but also more valuable than it) – family time.
Use Your Strength to Serve People.
I know people think Gen-Z is over-excited and ‘wants to make an impact’. What's wrong with this?
There’s nothing wrong with feeling that data crunching on Excel and creating PowerPoints isn’t impactful. Not everyone will feel this way, but for those who do, it's because they’re squares pegs in circles.
The entire population isn’t meant to do the same stuff.
Why?
Because we’re all different people with unique strengths.
With my spiritual beliefs, I feel the moment I focus on only making more money, I will lose it all. But as long as I direct my services and products to serve people and fix problems, I would be okay.
Nobody I Look Up to Is Living a ‘Normal Life’.
Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, Huda Kattan, Sara Blakely — none of them live a normal life doing normal jobs.
What's common is that they’ve all:
- worked tirelessly hard
- dreamt of living a bigger life
- have had their fair amount of setbacks
- dared to have a vision to change their life
- worked hard even when the odds were against them
I’m sure these acts required hardcore mindset rewiring because to show up consistently and keep believing in your dream even when getting there looks bleak is a mind game.
Similar to when my friend Mandeep Lakra told me he’s able to run marathons not just by strength training but also by working on his mindset.
When I asked him how he runs so many marathons, he said
“After the first 5 km, you don’t feel your legs, but your mind begins to give up. If you can convince your mind till the end, you’ll be fine. And during that time, you won’t feel tired either”
What Is a Normal Life, Anyway?
Wake up, go to work, come back, run errands, and go to sleep.
Who normalised such a mechanical way of living? Again, I’m not saying it's wrong.
I’m saying that this template isn’t for everyone.
Who normalised that all humans are to function the same way?
While I’m a morning person, one of my friends experiences her peak productivity post-midnight. My roommate in university slept in the afternoons and studied between 8 pm to 2 am because that’s when she grasped better. She was a straight-A’s student. Another friend wrote all that she learnt because writing made her remember better.
We all grasp, learn, and execute differently.
But after university, the ‘real world’ tells you to land up at work and do the same administrative tasks.
Some will thrive in it, and some won’t. Some will have the itch to do something different.
Let’s normalise that itch.
Belief + Potential Is a Powerful Recipe
Now, how to get here?
- Find your negative belief systems: these are patterns of thinking that you’ve internalised since childhood. Like many Indians, my family was poor before my grandfathers’ generation who have worked immensely hard. Naturally, I internalised that “money doesn’t grow on trees” and “wanting to earn more is a greedy thing to do”. Oh, and of course — “money is evil.” Imagine wanting money when you give it so much negativity. It doesn’t work that way.
- Work on fixing them: reading Unlimited Power by Tony Robbins helped me recognise these patterns and work on them, and reading You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay helped me with affirmations to become more confident.
- Self-awareness and skills: what do you really want to do, and why? Be aware of your strengths and work on strengthening your skills. I made a game plan of quitting my job to freelance full-time by side-hustling. After that, I just did whatever felt good and was open to opportunities.
- Optimism: several things will not work out. I quit to be a freelancer and realised I don’t enjoy it Today, I’m glad I’m not a freelancer because I work on my own terms. Do your goal setting, frequent reflections, and put in the reps — you’ll be fine.
Last
The internet has never made it easier for you to get closer to living your dream.
If I had to do what I do right now 15 years ago, I’d have to:
- create textbooks as a course
- run door-to-door to find problems
- run paid advertisements to get students on board
- have no streamlined payment methods for customers
I can’t even imagine how difficult it would’ve been. Now, softwares do it for me, and they do it seamlessly.
You’re not too late if a lifestyle change is something that's been on your mind. Do it for your future self, and do it to upgrade your life and that of your loved ones.
All the best!