5 Signs Your Hobby Shouldn’t Be a Side Hustle

Author

Skylar Hunyadi
July 14, 2025

July 14, 2025

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By Skylar Hunyadi

It’s a familiar warning: don’t monetize your hobbies. And yet, in our productivity-driven world, it’s become normalized, even encouraged, to turn a hobby into a source of income. Side hustles are often glamorized as something that seamlessly fits before or after your 9-to-5, without showing the often unpaid, extra work that goes into them. There’s also the huge online economy that persuades people to turn passion into a paycheck so as not to “leave money on the table.” 

But what happens when something you once did for fun starts to feel like work? When metrics and clients begin to dictate your creative choices, the joy that once fueled your hobby can quickly erode, leading to burnout and an unhealthy relationship with hobby-optimization.  

I recently learned this lesson firsthand. A few months ago, one of my regular ecotourism freelance clients unexpectedly shuttered their publications. This news was both a surprise and a relief — I’d been feeling stuck in the structure of this gig for some time. Unlike my other freelance writing, these pieces required travel, conducting interviews, and overall more complex work. 

Suddenly, I found myself with a lot of free time. What surprised me the most wasn’t the loss of income or tourism experiences; it was the emotional clarity that followed. Without a deadline always looming, I sat down to just write for myself and realized how mechanical the act had become. What was once a joy had quietly turned into a job. And I hadn’t noticed until the pressure lifted. I started writing poetry for the first time since college and dedicated more time to my personal Substack newsletter.

It’s a slippery slope, turning a hobby into a hustle. This isn’t to say you can’t find a reasonable balance, but if, like me, you’ve experienced this same tension, here are some signs to look out for:

☐You dread the act of the hobby, even when there’s no explicit external pressure. What used to feel like an escape now feels more like an underpaid shift. Even in between projects, you can’t bring yourself to do it — not because you don’t love it, but because your brain associates the hobby with expectation and outcome. Even without a deadline, there is dread. 

☐You feel guilty when you’re not monetizing your hobby. At some point, “just because it's fun” became an opportunity to call yourself lazy. The element of leisure became something to justify in the face of toxic productivity. Remember, a hobby is not synonymous with a business opportunity. 

☐You stop exploring within your hobby because the stakes feel too high. Whatever the hobby may be, you’ve stopped experimenting altogether, instead staying in the safe lane of what product or services sell best, be that what’s on trend or most liked. Any deviation feels like it could risk your reputation or income, even if it feels understimulating for you. 

☐You’re burnt out, but keep going because it’s income. The body and mind are pretty clear about telling us when we’ve reached a limit. We slow down, we get sick, we suffer mentally. But we’re also pretty good at ignoring these signs. Somewhere along the way, the hobby evolved into a financial lifeline of sorts, whether to pay down debt or serve as a form of social validation. In the pursuit of tapping into your talent, you created an unsustainable system that feels impossible to escape. 

☐You can’t remember the last time the hobby felt fun. The hobby has become overshadowed by the logistics of running a small business — scheduling, strategy, networking, and branding. What would happen if you came across old photos or memories of when you started? Would you yearn for the version of you that wasn’t motivated by the money, but by the joy of doing the thing?  

☐You’re not actually making enough money to justify the stress. When you tally up the hours and emotional bandwidth burned, the math just isn’t mathing. You’re technically making money, but is it enough to justify the workload? It’s easy to fall into the trap of staying in a side hustle because you’re making something, without actually asking if it’s a good return on your time, energy, and resources. In my case, the profit margin was thin. As of right now, I’m letting go of ecotourism writing. And that’s not failure; that’s liberation. 

If you checked a few of these boxes, you’re likely experiencing some discomfort at the realization that your hustle may be more dysfunctional than you thought. Unfortunately, there’s no canned advice that will entirely rebalance this dynamic, but there are some actions you can take:

  • Set boundaries and parameters around the hobby itself. When I realized I was more stressed than excited about pending projects, I made some changes. I wrote only a few days a week in the evenings for about 45 minutes. This structure kept me accountable for the time and energy I invested in these projects. I also declined extra opportunities, even if they would have bolstered my portfolio. Make the side hustle fit around your life, not the other way around.  

  • If you have to monetize your hobby, keep it in check. Sometimes, it isn’t optional — a hobby can be a source of rent money, student loans, or childcare.  But even if you need the income, you don’t have to give the hustle unrestricted access to your time or identity.  Consider setting “work hours” or dedicating one day a week to purely non-monetized endeavors. It’s okay to draw lines between “this is for income” and “this is for me.”   

  • Do something for free and without a deadline. This is when my Substack was born. I wanted to reclaim the more creative side of writing, so I created a cozy newsletter featuring reflections, poetry, and other small pleasures. I also allowed myself to write poems without the intention of editing and sharing them. What would a more low-stakes version of your hobby look like? 

  • Quit if you need to. Seriously. Although my friends urged me to drop this gig before they ended up closing their publications, I was hesitant. I enjoyed writing about the hidden gems of the Adirondacks, despite the lackluster compensation and substantial time commitment. Looking back, if the decision hadn’t been made for me, I likely would have resigned within the year. Seriously weigh the pros and cons of your side hustle: is it sustainable and worth it to you?

*****

I remember the moment I got paid for my first article; it was a milestone little English-major me would be so proud of, and I couldn’t wait to write another. Fortunately, I still feel this way about other freelance projects, but that particular ecotourism side hustle has lost its sparkle — something I now know to pay more attention to. If any of this story resonates with you, it may be time to seriously reflect on the pros and cons of monetizing that which you love. Having a hobby is a precious thing: don’t let the hamster wheel of capitalism take that from you. 

For more from Sky, join her on Substack! Subscribe here to receive her personal essays right to your inbox. This newsletter is a cozy corner of self care, reflections, and other small pleasures. All are welcome <3

Skylar is a licensed clinical mental health counselor who talks about self-care as the foundation of a prosperous life. She has a deep love for yoga, vegetarian cooking, and religiously organizing her Google calendar. Follow her on Instagram for more self-care and mental health content or on LinkedIn for the more ~professional~ stuff.

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