The hidden costs of Nigeria’s side hustle craze

The side hustle culture is exactly as it sounds—a business on the side to supplement their income, often pursued in a bid to attain financial independence. While this relentless drive has birthed creativity and innovation, it raises a valid concern—burnout, mental health issues, and lack of work-life balance.

A growing phenomenon

29-year-old Keji Ogunlusi, like many Nigerians, works three jobs: product manager, consultant, and implementation specialist. He doesn’t see his side hustles as a direct ticket to financial freedom but rather as a means to clear off debt and fund his Master’s degree programme. “One stream of income in today’s economy will not cut it, hence I looked at my options and gunned for them,” he tells Guardian Life.

Although Keji takes pride in his time management skills, he feels the inevitability of burnout creeping in. “I will rest when my mission is accomplished,” he says.
With the cost of living on the rise, the side hustle has become an integral part of the Nigerian lifestyle. Soaring at over 33% by October 2024, inflation continues to outpace salaries, meaning a single income stream often isn’t enough. As a result, many people inevitably juggle multiple responsibilities, sometimes including multiple full-time jobs.

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Steven Peters, a 28-year-old photographer and graphics designer, also recognises the importance of delegating: “Having multiple sources of income is sweet, but you have to understand management: how to manage people and get people to work for you. Pick the right people with the right skills to delegate tasks,” he says.
But what happens if that rest comes too late?

The drive behind the 5-9 culture

Side hustles can take on many forms—freelancing, content creation, cab-hailing services, virtual assistant, or even public speaking. When executed diligently, a side hustle can morph into a lucrative full-time venture, granting economic empowerment. Young people, especially Gen Z, appear to embrace side hustles as a way to gain flexibility, experiment, and diversify risk. Having seen the instability of traditional career paths, many are quick to innovate and pivot. Millennials’ once stable “9-5 careers” are no longer seen as gold standards, fuelling younger people to carve out new ways to earn.

At its best, side hustles provide fertile ground for personal and financial growth. They also offer a sense of financial freedom and autonomy: you decide when and where work happens and the manner in which it’s done—when and where work takes place, how the work is done, and what work one does. This independent execution of tasks showcases low interdependence—a sense of autonomy.

The lifestyle glorifies the grind and makes endless productivity a badge of honour, fueling a mindset that conflates constant busyness with success. While pursuing extra income or passion projects can be rewarding, the pitfalls—stress, burnout, and strained mental health—are not to be ignored.

Hustle to burnout

Focusing on more than one professional pursuit at a time can make it harder to sustain attention, says Kirk Synder at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. “I think being focused on more than one professional pursuit at the same time makes it easier to give up on those pursuits that take more effort or have a longer payoff curve because there are always other options to focus on,” he tells New York Times.
A survey by the WellNewMe health technology company found that 64% of Nigerian employees are at risk of burnout—a condition characterised by excessive and prolonged stress. It’s described as a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion, occurring when an individual feels overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands.

There’s an unspoken belief that constant hustle and stress naturally lead to success, turning being busy into a source of pride. This mindset traps people in the delusion that relentless productivity comes with rewards but little cost. Yet once burnout sets in, the cycle becomes even more ingrained.

For some, financial stability is the driving force. 24-year-old Chinaza Johnson—after dabbling in several side hustles—from forex to copywriting—ventured into dropshipping, hoping for quick profits. Armed with YouTube tutorials, he invested all his savings, only to suffer more losses than gains.

“I had the wrong mindset; I just wanted to start making money steadily, without having to work hard, while maintaining my remote job,” he told Guardian Life. “I wanted freedom. That’s what everybody wants.”

One prevailing myth about side hustles is that they are quick fixes for financial woes—a shortcut to financial freedom. While success stories exist about individuals who struck gold overnight with their side ventures, they represent the exception rather than the norm.
In the real sense, building a sustainable and profitable side hustle requires patience, resilience, and strategic planning.

When side hustles become the norm, the first casualty is often health—physical and mental alike. Even those with solid time-management skills, like Keji, risk stretching themselves too thin.

According to emotional wellness coach Tola Oladiji, the most common mental and physical health challenges among individuals juggling multiple jobs include “insomnia, difficulty concentrating, stress, fatigue, mental exhaustion, anxiety, and sexual dysfunction”.

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Meanwhile, counsellor and psychologist Ellar Gabriel observes that many people face “fatigue and exhaustion, low retentive memory, reduced cognitive performance, headaches, insomnia, and frequent mood swings.” She notes that “most of them go through chronic exhaustion but feel they have to cope because of the constant increment in living costs.”

Prolonged stress can trigger serious health complications such as heart disease, hypertension, anxiety, insomnia, and depression. Expecting to excel at your 9-5, conquer your 5-9, and still maintain optimal health isn’t realistic. Human beings are simply not wired for perpetual hustle.

“Sometimes the craze to be busy is also a function of financial pressure,” Oladiji explains. “In times of economic hardship, people may feel like they have to burn the candle at both ends. Eventually, what happens is that such people fall into severe exhaustion, especially if they ignore the warning signs that precede this.”

Warning Signs

“To identify warning signs, it’s important to have a sense of what you look like when you’re okay,” Oladiji advises. “So if your normal is like 70%, you know that when you drop to 50%, it’s time to hit the brakes.”

“Look out for exhaustion—both physical and mental—insomnia, difficulty thinking, and even falling sick rapidly because of a weakened immune system. The moment you feel off, get some rest as soon as possible.”

Gabriel reinforces this, pointing out that “constant fatigue goes beyond just being able to rest. There’s also memory loss, procrastination, missing deadlines, and even increased irritability.” She highlights that many individuals develop immune system issues, frequent headaches, and changes in appetite—either not eating well or overeating—due to chronic stress.

The rest shouldn’t only be physical; unplug mentally from stressors to truly recharge. “The body is like a machine,” Oladiji adds. “And every machine needs some downtime.”

The impact on career growth

Reputation hinges on the ability to deliver consistent, high-quality work which will inevitably become a challenge at some point. When a person’s attention is divided among multiple roles, productivity and performance often decline.

​​Long work hours and less sleep do not make us more productive. The reverse is often the case. Overextending oneself—late nights, early mornings, and insufficient rest—can lead to toxic productivity, where more hours do not necessarily translate into better results. The pressure to outperform across several roles can lead to mental strain. Simultaneously attending to multiple jobs increases cognitive load, which ultimately slows down performance.

Eventually, juggling too many jobs can stunt growth in both your main career and side pursuits. Divided focus means neither gets your best efforts, potentially eroding your professional standing over time.

Striking the right balance

The hustle culture promotes the idea that you must toil endlessly, often at the expense of health and relationships. Eventually, something gives—health and well-being, personal life, relationships, or productivity. “People who fall into this trap often see their intrinsic value only in terms of what they do,” Oladiji explains. “Their self-esteem is a function of the ‘results’ they produce, which is a dangerous cycle.”

Gabriel further notes that “the inability to unplug can lead to strained personal relationships and a loss of identity—people don’t know who they are outside work.”
Meanwhile, Oladiji insists that “stress can’t be avoided, only managed.” This, he says, involves eating healthy to boost immunity, incorporating some form of exercise like walking or using standing desks, and creating opportunities to do things that refresh you—like socialising with friends or spending time in nature.

But while juggling too many things at a time might feel overwhelming, even small breaks can make a difference. “If you work multiple jobs in different time zones, power naps can help,” Oladiji advises. “Also, once it’s time for bed, avoid doom-scrolling and invest in a good mattress for quality sleep.”

Preventing burnout while handling several side gigs can be managed through proactive stress management and work-life balance adjustments. Relaxation techniques like mindfulness or structured leisure time can help maintain work-life balance and proactively manage the stress that comes with side hustles.

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Financial pressures, Oladiji notes, may also lead to anxiety and depression, especially if working multiple jobs still doesn’t yield financial stability. That deep sense of frustration and powerlessness can also fuel burnout.

Remember: rest is not a reward; it’s a necessity.

By overworking and adhering to the “rise and grind” mantra, you risk contradicting your ultimate goals—losing sight of your “why” and sacrificing what truly matters in life. True success lies in cultivating a healthy balance between ambition and well-being.