How to Decide If a Side Hustle Is Worth It with a Time-and-Stress Scorecard

Side hustles are everywhere. Recent surveys suggest that over a third of Americans have one, with nearly 60% spending 5–20 hours per week on their gig and 41% relying on the extra income to pay bills, often on top of a full-time job and studies or caregiving responsibilities.¹ Average earnings hover around $688 a month, but about 45% of people earn under $250 from their side hustle and 71% say they need that money just to survive.² That’s a lot of pressure on evenings and weekends.

At the same time, around 42% of side hustlers in one survey said their side gig is more stressful than their main job, with time management as the top stressor.² Other research shows that 45% of people put at least 10 hours a week into their side hustle, and almost 1 in 10 are doing more than 20 hours — basically a “job and a half.”³ So the real question isn’t “How much does my side hustle make?” but “Is this worth it when I add time, stress, and opportunity cost?”

This is where a time-and-stress scorecard comes in. Drawing on research and expert advice, you can build a simple, repeatable way to check side hustle ROI, your effective hourly rate, and your burnout risk — and decide whether to keep going, pivot, or quit.

Why “worth it” is more than money

Several sources argue that focusing only on the extra cash hides the true cost of a side hustle.

A SoFi analysis warns that when a side hustle eats into rest and family time, it can increase stress, contribute to burnout, strain relationships, and even reduce your chances for advancement in your main job.⁴ They recommend weighing the opportunity cost of lost leisure, family time, overtime pay, and skill-building in your primary career.
A Self Financial “Side Hustle Stress” survey found that most people layer their hustle onto evenings and weekends, and a large share find the side job more stressful than their full-time work.²
LendingTree data shows that 77% of side hustlers feel their gig improves quality of life, but 61% say life would be unaffordable without the extra income and fewer than half feel it offers long-term financial security.³

In other words, side hustles can feel both necessary and fragile. Experts consistently say they’re only “worth it” when they clearly support your goals without sacrificing what matters most.⁴⁵

A time-and-stress scorecard helps you make that call with more than vibes.

Step 1: Map your real time load

Before you think about money, you need a realistic picture of your time.

A GOBankingRates guide on telling if a side gig is worth it recommends starting with a time audit: how many hours can you realistically commit without harming your main job or wellbeing?⁶ Multiple surveys show that:

The most common pattern is 5–10 hours per week, followed by 11–20 hours, with a minority working more than 20 hours.⁷
One study reports that the average side hustler spends 11–16 hours weekly on their gig.⁸
Another finds that 45% of side hustlers put in at least 10 hours, and 9% exceed 20 hours.³

That’s a lot, especially if you’re also studying or working full-time.

Mini-experiment: one-week time snapshot

You can turn this into a tiny experiment:

For one week, write down every block of side hustle time (start and end).
At the end of the week, add up total hours.
Next to that number, note what you gave up: sleep, social time, study time, or career-building tasks.

You’re not judging yet — just seeing whether you’re closer to 5 hours or 20.

Step 2: Calculate your effective hourly rate

Money still matters. The key is to calculate your effective hourly rate — what you actually earn per hour after costs.

A Forbes analysis stresses that many people overestimate side hustle ROI because they only track revenue.⁹ To see if you’re really making money, they suggest:

Include all expenses: tools, materials, platform fees, advertising, transportation, taxes, and any startup costs. Lionhood Financial adds that you should factor in hidden costs like software, transaction fees, and taxes.⁵⁶
Assign value to your time: Lionhood recommends giving your time a euro-per-hour value so you can judge whether a $10/hour hustle is truly worthwhile once stress and lost sleep are considered.⁵
Compare to alternatives: Forbes suggests comparing your effective hourly rate to other options — like overtime at your main job or time spent building skills for better long-term income.⁹

A New Stream Income survey estimates that the average side hustler earns an effective $16–$23 per hour, but they also note that only a small minority earn very high income and many people make under $100 per month.⁸¹ Self Financial’s stress survey similarly shows that while average monthly earnings are about $688, a large share earn under $250.²

Practical formula:

Take your total side hustle income from the last month.
Subtract all direct costs (materials, fees, travel, tools, taxes you’ve already paid on that income).
Divide the result by the actual hours you logged (from Step 1).

That gives you your effective hourly rate. A Forbes piece recommends using this number to decide whether to raise prices, change your strategy, or walk away if the rate is too low for the time you put in.⁹

The sources don’t define a specific “good” hourly rate — that part is personal. But if your effective hourly rate is very low and the time demand is high, experts see that as a strong sign to question the hustle’s ROI.⁵⁹

Step 3: Score stress and side hustle burnout risk

Money is only one part of the time-and-stress scorecard.

Self Financial’s stress survey reports that around 42% of side hustlers find their gig more stressful than their full-time job, with time management as the leading stressor.²
A SoFi article notes that side hustles can erode rest, increase stress, and cause burnout and strained relationships when time commitments exceed sustainable limits.⁴
A Nasdaq/GOBankingRates checklist flags major red signs: you hate the work, it harms your health or sleep, it interferes with your full-time job, it leads to burnout, or it doesn’t use your best skills.¹⁰

The sources don’t prescribe an exact scoring system, but you can build a simple one from their concerns:

Quick stress score (1–5 each, where 1 = low, 5 = extreme):

Stress during and after work: How tense or overwhelmed do you feel before, during, and after side hustle hours?
Sleep and health: Has your side hustle clearly cut into sleep or worsened headaches, anxiety, or other health issues?
Time management strain: How often do you feel you’re rushing, multitasking badly, or missing deadlines because of the hustle?
Impact on relationships and main job: Are you skipping important social time or seeing your grades/job performance slip?

If several of these are at 4 or 5, you’re edging into side hustle burnout territory that experts see as a cue to rethink or reduce your gig, even if the money looks okay.⁴¹⁰⁵

Step 4: Check alignment and opportunity cost

Even a profitable, low-stress hustle can be the wrong one if it doesn’t fit your life or goals.

Lionhood suggests checking whether your hustle aligns with your long-term goals and skill-building, not just short-term cash.⁵
Forbes articles recommend evaluating both financial metrics (profit margin, market potential, competitive positioning) and non-financial factors like personal satisfaction and alignment with your long-term vision or brand.¹¹¹²
SoFi emphasizes opportunity cost: time spent on a side gig might be time you could spend resting, deepening your main career, or building a different skill that pays more later.⁴

You can phrase this as a few questions:

Does this hustle build skills you’ll still value in five years?
Does it fit the lifestyle you actually want — or does it only “work” on paper?
Would those hours be better spent on rest or main-career opportunities?

If the answer is mostly “no,” your opportunity cost side hustle is high, even if the monthly income looks decent.

Your Time-and-Stress Scorecard Template

Here’s a lightweight template you can copy into a notebook, notes app, or spreadsheet. Use it once a month for a clear snapshot.

Time-and-Stress Scorecard

Money (Side Hustle ROI)
- Last month’s income: ______
- Total expenses (tools, fees, taxes, travel, etc.): ______
- Net profit: ______
- Total hours worked: ______
- Effective hourly rate (net ÷ hours): ______
- Does this beat your personal minimum or other options you have? (Yes/No)
Time Load
- Average weekly hours: ______
- Typical pattern (evenings/weekends/early mornings): ______
- Is this within a range you can maintain alongside job/studies without harm? (Yes/No)
Stress and Sustainability (rate 1–5)
- Overall stress level: ______
- Sleep and health impact: ______
- Time management strain: ______
- Impact on relationships/main job: ______
- Any major red flags from experts (burnout, health issues, constant dread)? List: __________________
Fit and Alignment
- I enjoy this work and don’t dread it (Yes/No).
- It uses my best skills or builds ones I want (Yes/No).
- It supports my long-term goals more than it gets in the way (Yes/No).
Decision Box
- Today, this hustle is:
  - ☐ Worth it as is
  - ☐ Worth it with clear limits (raise prices, cap hours, change clients)
  - ☐ Only worth it short-term while I hit a goal
  - ☐ Not worth it — time to pivot or quit

You don’t need a perfect score. The expert pattern across sources is that a side hustle is “worth it” only when all four areas — money, time, stress, and alignment — are at least reasonably positive.⁵⁹¹⁰⁴

Mini-experiments you can try anytime

Instead of a huge life overhaul, you can use small experiments to test your side hustle.

Mini-experiment 1: 15-minute money check

Pull your last month of side hustle income and expenses.
Use the scorecard to calculate your effective hourly rate once.
Ask: “If a friend told me this hourly rate and stress level, would I say it’s worth it?”

This follows Forbes’ advice to use real numbers — not just revenue — to decide whether your hustle is working financially.⁹

Mini-experiment 2: One-week stress log

For one week, after each side hustle session, quickly rate your stress from 1–5 and jot one sentence about how you feel.
At the end of the week, see if the numbers match your expectations.
Compare this with your hours to spot where stress spikes — late nights, specific tasks, or certain clients.

This matches survey findings that time management and overload, not just money, drive side hustle stress.²⁴

Mini-experiment 3: Goal alignment sticky note

Write your top two financial or career goals on a sticky note.
After a week of hustle sessions, write down what tasks you actually did.
Check how many clearly moved you toward those goals.

This echoes Lionhood and Forbes guidance to check whether your hustle builds the skills and future you actually want, not just extra income right now.⁵¹¹

If you already track your everyday spending in a simple, privacy-friendly budget app like Monee, you can also compare months with and without side hustle income to see whether the extra work is truly changing your overall budget picture or just adding stress.

When your scorecard says pivot or quit

So what do you do if your time-and-stress scorecard comes back with low pay, high stress, and poor fit?

A Nasdaq/GOBankingRates checklist says that if you hate the work, it harms your health or sleep, or it interferes with your main job, those are strong signs you have the wrong side hustle and could make more money doing something else.¹⁰
Lionhood suggests tracking ROI like a small business and using your numbers to decide within a few months whether to continue, pivot, or stop.⁵
Forbes recommends using your effective hourly rate and profit margin to decide whether to raise prices, tighten your niche, or walk away.⁹¹¹

At the same time, surveys show that many people can’t simply quit. Self Financial reports that 71% of side hustlers say they need their extra income to survive.² LendingTree similarly finds that 61% feel life would be unaffordable without it.³

If that’s you, your scorecard can still help you move toward a better setup by:

Reducing hours to a range you can sustain.
Switching to a lower-stress gig that uses your strengths better, even if the pay is similar.
Setting clear limits and milestones, as Forbes recommends — for example, “I’ll continue this hustle if it reaches a certain hourly rate or stress level within three months; otherwise I’ll pivot.”¹²

The goal isn’t a perfect hustle. It’s a side gig that passes your own time-and-stress scorecard: financially worthwhile, time-aware, and emotionally sustainable.

Sources:

Side Hustle Science, “Side Hustle Statistics: 2024.” ↩ ↩²
Self Financial, “Side Hustle Stress” survey. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷
LendingTree, “2025 Side Hustle Survey.” ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
SoFi, “Why Side Hustles Are a Bad Idea.” ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷
Lionhood Financial Coaching, “The Real Cost of Side Hustles: How to Know If Yours Is Worth It.” ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹
GOBankingRates, “How To Tell If a Side Gig Is Worth It (Before It Costs You Money).” ↩ ↩²
Self Financial, “U.S. Side Hustle Statistics.” ↩
New Stream Income, “2023 Side Hustle Statistics and Survey Results.” ↩ ↩²
Forbes, “Are You Really Making Money In Your Side Hustle?” ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷
Nasdaq / GOBankingRates, “6 Signs You Have the Wrong Side Hustle — and Could Be Making More Money.” ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
Forbes, “How Do You Know This Is The Right Side Hustle For You?” ↩ ↩² ↩³
Forbes, “Is Starting a Side Hustle Right For You?” ↩ ↩²