[ChuckMcM]

I had a very similar experience when I moved to the bay area. Since money was tight I used "extra" work to earn money for 'fun' stuff. A simple weekend here, a few days there, kind of thing. And of course it got bigger and bigger as people asked for more and more stuff. And one day I realized the stress of not having anywhere in my life that was 'not work' was really getting to me. I wrapped up everything, handed the big project that had pushed me over the edge off to a friend, and switched to only self driven projects (mostly freelance writing) as my 'beer money' supply. I found that for me, it was important that if I chose not to work on my side project the only person it should impact should be me. And that removed the stress for me.

[2bluesc]

> And one day I realized the stress of not having anywhere in my life that was 'not work' was really getting to me.

Same story for me. The extra money was for toys or some start-up down the road. Went home for the Christmas holiday one year, relaxed for the first time in a while and realized I wasn't enjoying the work anymore. After that I had a chat with the start-up I was helping out and eased out of the project. They were very understanding and we're still friends to this day.

Now I spend more time on side projects and lately my own start-up. Learned alot in the process and wouldn't trade it.

[sinnet11]

> Now I spend more time on side projects and lately my own start-up. Learned alot in the process and wouldn't trade it.

This comment really resonates with me as I think this is going to be a crucial learning point for me down the road.