What Is the Best Side Hustle If I Only Have 1 Hour a Day?
Let’s be real—most of us don’t have 5 hours after work to grind. Between jobs, family, and just trying to breathe, finding a side hustle that fits into 1 hour a day is the only shot some of us have. That was me too. I wanted extra cash, but I didn’t want to sacrifice my sanity.
The good news? You can actually make solid money with short, focused bursts of effort. The key is choosing things that are simple to start, don’t need tons of setup, and don’t leave you feeling drained.
When I first started, I was convinced I’d need to take on a second job. But once I got into things like flipping, passive apps, and low-effort content creation, I realized I could do more with a single focused hour than I ever did working extra shifts. That shift is why I made the decision to focus on smarter, faster ways to earn—and it’s all in how to make extra money without a second job, where I break down that mindset shift.
You don’t need more time. You just need the right hustle.
Get Paid to Listen While You Drive or Chill
This one’s still my favorite because it literally runs while I’m driving to the store or folding laundry. If you’ve got a car, headphones, or even a Bluetooth speaker at home, you can make money in your downtime just by listening to music.
Here’s how I do it:
- I play tracks through apps like Slice the Pie or Current Rewards
- I give super quick feedback or let it run
- I stack this with other background tasks like cleaning or driving
- Money shows up in PayPal or gift card credits—easy wins
It’s not big money per track, but it adds up. Especially when you’re already doing the activity anyway. I broke down my favorite platforms and how much they actually pay inside this post on getting paid to listen to music. If you’re already jamming out, why not turn that into a payout?
This is one of the fastest, easiest hustles I’ve tried—and yeah, it still kind of feels like cheating.
Take and Upload Phone Photos in Minutes
This one surprised me the most. I’m not a professional photographer, but I’ve made real money just by taking photos with my phone and uploading them to stock photo platforms. No filters, no editing, no fancy gear—just stuff I was already snapping anyway.
If you’ve ever taken a picture of your coffee, your dog, a cool building, or even a cloudy sky, you’ve already got content that could sell. I started uploading to sites like Foap, Shutterstock, and EyeEm during lunch breaks or while waiting in line at the store.
What works well?
- Natural lighting
- Simple, everyday moments
- Shots that look real—not overly staged
Now anytime I take a decent pic, I upload it. It takes less than five minutes, and over time, these uploads start bringing in repeat downloads. I shared exactly how I got started and what kinds of photos have made me money in this breakdown on taking photos with my phone.
If your phone is full of pics anyway, why not turn them into passive income?
Turn Your Scroll Time into Survey or Cashback Cash
Let’s be honest—we all scroll mindlessly. So instead of burning time on random apps, I started using that same window to knock out quick surveys and earn cashback. These are side hustles you can do from your couch during commercials or even in bed before sleep.
Here’s how I make that scroll time profitable:
- InboxDollars – Pays for simple polls, emails, and searches
- Swagbucks – My go-to for surveys, watching ads, and shopping bonuses
- Receipt Hog – I just snap pics of receipts and earn coins
- Upside – I get cashback at gas stations and restaurants I was already going to
These apps won’t make you rich, but they will add $20–50 a month or more without really thinking about it. Stack them together, and it’s one of the laziest ways to make use of your screen time.
If you’re like me and constantly checking your phone anyway, this is one of the easiest ways to get paid without changing your routine.
Weekend Flipping Hustle—List It in Under an Hour
One of the quickest ways I made fast cash? Flipping stuff I already had—or could grab cheap—and listing it online in under an hour. This one’s perfect if you’ve got even one free hour on a Saturday or Sunday.
Here’s how I do it:
- Find something around the house I don’t use (a jacket, old speaker, baby gear)
- Snap 2–3 clear photos with my phone
- List it on Facebook Marketplace or OfferUp with a short, honest description
- Respond to messages during the week and arrange pickup or meetups
I even started browsing local garage sales and thrift shops to flip cheap finds. One weekend, I grabbed a $10 item and turned it into $100 cash by Sunday night. I walked through that exact win right here in this weekend side hustle that made me $100.
If you’re low on time but need money fast, this is one of the most reliable one-hour hustles I’ve ever used.
Use Short Blocks of Time to Build Long-Term Passive Income
Not everything has to pay today. Some of the best hustles I’ve started with just an hour a day are the ones that now make me money over and over again—without any more work.
That’s the beauty of passive income. You put in a little work up front, and then it keeps delivering.
A few of my favorite one-hour-a-day builds:
- Creating digital printables to sell on Etsy or Gumroad
- Writing short eBooks or mini guides
- Setting up affiliate blogs with helpful content
- Uploading YouTube Shorts with evergreen content (don’t need to show your face)
These aren’t instant-money plays, but they’re seriously worth it. One hour a day for a month can build something that pays for years. I laid out dozens of options in this post on earning in your sleep, which is where most of these ideas started for me.
If you can carve out 60 minutes here and there, this is where you start stacking real wins.
I Stack These Quick Hustles to Make $100+ in a Week
When I first started, I wasn’t trying to get rich—I just wanted to make an extra $100 a week without flipping my whole schedule upside down. What worked best? Stacking a few quick hustles that only took an hour a day.
Here’s what my typical weekly routine looked like:
Monday–Friday:
- 10 minutes on music review apps while commuting
- 15 minutes uploading new photos to stock platforms
- 20 minutes on surveys or scanning receipts
- 15 minutes checking and responding to Facebook Marketplace messages
Saturday/Sunday:
- 1 hour flipping thrifted items or decluttering my own stuff
- Bonus: create or list one new digital product or printable
By the weekend, I was already hitting that $100 mark—and sometimes more.
If you’re not sure where to start, just pick two or three of these that feel fun and low-pressure. I cover some of the best ones in my list of easy ways to make money on the weekend, and every single one can be done in an hour or less.
This strategy works because it’s flexible. You can swap things in and out based on your schedule or energy—and still come out with extra cash.
Final Tips for Busy People Who Still Want to Make Money
If you’re reading this, you’re probably busy. Like “barely have time to sit down” busy. That’s why these side hustles under 1 hour matter so much—they’re doable, sustainable, and don’t leave you burned out.
Here’s what I recommend if you’re serious about building extra income without wrecking your schedule:
- Batch your efforts – Set one hour aside each day and plan your hustle in advance
- Track what works – If a hustle isn’t bringing in results after 2–3 weeks, pivot
- Don’t sleep on passive systems – The slow-burn stuff like printables, photos, or affiliate blogs pay off long after you hit “publish”
- Keep it fun – If you dread it, it won’t last. Find the stuff that fits your vibe
And whatever you do, don’t rely on just one paycheck. That lesson alone is what pushed me into this world of smarter, smaller, stacked side hustles—and why I shared everything I learned in why I’ll never rely on one income again.
Whether you’ve got 10 minutes or 60, that’s all it takes to start stacking results. Time isn’t the problem. You just need the right game plan.
