Let me tell you something no one warns you about when you start an online business:
It’s not just hard — it’s relentless.
You’re juggling fire while walking a tightrope… wearing weights on your ankles… during a storm.
Every day starts with the same script:
Alarm goes off.
Eyes open.
Heart’s racing before your feet hit the floor.
Because you already know what’s coming.
Part 1: The Corporate Machine That Eats Your Time
From 9 AM to 5 PM (let’s be honest — it’s more like 8 to 6), I’m logged on, suit up in Zoom armor, and dive headfirst into the corporate battlefield.
This job — it’s the one that pays the bills for now. But let’s not romanticise it. Here’s the truth:
• Meetings that should be emails
• Emails that shouldn’t exist
• Constant firefighting where every issue is “urgent”
• Changing priorities every other week
• Fixing broken processes for teams who don’t even know how things are supposed to work
• Traveling to different sites, sitting in traffic for hours, only to spend 45 minutes “aligning on next steps”
You know how much actual productive time I get in an 8-hour day?
If I’m lucky — two or three solid hours. The rest is meetings, waiting, rework, status updates, and spinning plates that shouldn’t even be there.
And the most draining part?
The lack of direction.
How do you pour your soul into work that keeps shifting like sand under your feet?
But that’s just act one.
Part 2: After 5 PM — The Real Work Begins
Once I close the laptop on my 9-to-5, I step into my real mission:
Building my affiliate marketing business.
This isn’t some get-rich-quick scheme. I’ve been working at this for years:
• Posting content consistently on TikTok and Instagram
• Answering questions on Quora
• Writing emails to my list with valuable insights and strategies
• Attending coaching sessions twice a week
• Asking questions, testing funnels, checking click rates
• Running a Facebook lead ad that’s growing my list
• Helping and being helped by a small army of other affiliate marketers
This work is beautiful. It’s mine. It’s empowering.
But it’s also a monster that’s always hungry.
I committed to posting three TikTok videos a day as a TikTok Shop affiliate.
Lately? I’m lucky if I can post one. Some days, none.
And every time I don’t — I feel like I’ve broken a promise to myself.
Because I’ve got this massive goal — to earn $10,000 a month just from TikTok.
I’ve seen others do it. I know it’s real.
But right now, it feels just out of reach.
Part 3: My Second Mission — Health, Healing, and Hope
Because on top of everything else, I’m also on a health transformation journey.
I started a second TikTok channel — Atif Gets Active — to document my mission to lose weight, exercise, track my food, and feel human again.
Today is Day 40.
I’ve lost 6.2 kg.
My clothes are looser.
The pain in my joints is gone.
I don’t get acid reflux anymore.
I feel alive again.
I post daily updates — even when I’m tired, demotivated, or running behind.
Because this is my life. Not a side quest.
I want to show people it’s possible. That they can do it too.
Part 4: Grief and Responsibilities No One Sees
And then, there’s the weight of grief.
Since my mother and father passed away, there’s been a mountain of paperwork — properties to manage, legal issues to resolve, endless phone calls, documents, accounts, signatures.
No one tells you how much time it takes to tie up the loose ends of a loved one’s life.
But you do it. Because that’s what love does.
Part 5: The Eternal Student and the Entrepreneur’s Curse
Then there’s the hunger for more — a hunger I just can’t quiet.
I keep finding new business opportunities, courses, eBooks, digital products, webinars, ideas on Instagram, Pinterest, AI tools — a sea of possibilities that promise freedom.
And these aren’t just for me.
When I find something good — I promote it. Because:
• It helps me
• It helps the product creator
• And most importantly — it helps you
You, who’s reading this, trying to build your own path to freedom.
But here’s the price of that hunger:
Overwhelm. Decision fatigue. Time debt.
Part 6: The Most Important Role — Being Present at Home
And after all this — there’s my family.
My amazing wife.
My kids.
My sisters.
My nieces and nephews.
My in-laws.
The house. The cars. The things that break down. The errands. The school forms. The oil changes.
Everything that needs fixing, supporting, maintaining, loving.
The Crushing Truth (And the Spark of Hope)
With everything I’ve just laid out…
Time is short.
Energy is short.
The pressure is real.
And yes, I get frustrated. A lot.
But it’s not impossible.
Let me say that again —
It’s NOT impossible.
How I Keep Going (And How You Can Too)
Here are a few practical strategies that keep me sane and moving forward:
1. The “One Focus Rule”
Every day, I pick one main outcome I must achieve — even if everything else goes sideways.
That could be:
• Sending one email
• Recording one TikTok
• Completing one coaching call
Progress, even in inches, beats paralysis.
2. The “Do Not Do” List
Every week, I write down the things that are draining me but not moving me forward.
Then I cut them. Ruthlessly.
3. The Priority Matrix Spreadsheet
I use a simple spreadsheet with four boxes:
• Urgent & Important
• Important but Not Urgent
• Urgent but Not Important
• Neither (this is the Netflix zone)
Everything I think I need to do goes here.
It helps me decide, not drown.
4. Forgiveness + Focus
I don’t beat myself up anymore for missing a day, or not being perfect.
I reset. Refocus. Reignite.
Because building a life of freedom is a marathon. Not a TikTok trend.
Why I’m Telling You All This
Because I know you’re out there — just like me.
• Working a job you may not love
• Dreaming of more freedom, more time, more meaning
• Trying to balance business, family, health, life — without falling apart
And I want you to know:
You’re not alone.
And if you want help, guidance, or just someone who gets it…
I’m here.
Your Next Step
If you found this post valuable, I invite you to join my free email newsletter.
You’ll get:
• At least one email a week packed with real-life insights, lessons, tools, and support
• Two free mini-trainings from my mentor, Dean Holland, who’s helped hundreds of people start and scale successful affiliate businesses
Click here to sign up now — and take your next step toward freedom.
Whatever you’re building, I believe in you.
Have a fantastic week — and don’t forget:
Progress over perfection. Always.
Hey Atif,
Thanks for the reminder mate. I have heard of the priority matrix before. But, I have not utilised it in my current business activities. I can see how it would definitely help me to prioritise the list of things I feel like I need to get done. I will set up the 4 quadrants on my whiteboard and use post it notes with things to do on them and stick them in the appropriate quandrant.
I can see how that would help me, so thank you for that reminder.
Hey, glad to hear that, mate! It’s amazing how something as simple as a 4-quadrant matrix can bring clarity when things feel overwhelming. Love the idea of using your whiteboard and Post-it notes—that visual approach really helps things click into place. Keep me posted on how it works out for you, and if you ever want to bounce around ideas on how to use it more effectively, just shout. You’ve got this!
It’s like you crawled inside my brain and wrote down everything I’ve been living — juggling work, business, family, and trying to stay healthy without losing the plot. I felt every word, especially the part about breaking a promise to yourself when you can’t post. Your “One Focus Rule” is exactly what I needed to hear today. Thank you for showing the hard, gritty side of this journey and the hope.
Atif, this post was raw, real, and deeply relatable. You put words to what so many of us feel but rarely say out loud—especially those of us building something meaningful while managing full plates. That image of “juggling fire during a storm” couldn’t be more accurate.
I especially appreciated your “One Focus Rule”—I guide midlife readers toward reclaiming their health and purpose, and that kind of clarity is what keeps the wheels turning when motivation fades. And your health journey? So inspiring. It’s a reminder that healing and progress don’t have to be flashy to be powerful—they just have to be consistent.
Thank you for sharing all of this—it was a beautiful mix of honesty and hope.
Alison, thank you so much for such a thoughtful and encouraging comment, it truly lifted me. Writing that post felt like opening the door to everything I’ve been carrying, so knowing it connected with someone guiding others through similar challenges means the world. I love what you said about healing not needing to be flashy, just consistent. That’s exactly what I remind myself when the progress feels too slow to notice. Keep doing the powerful work you’re doing, we need more voices like yours reminding us that purpose and health are always worth reclaiming.
Hi Atif!
Thank you, thank you and thank you! All great reminders that we need to keep in mind when working this online thingy!!
I’ve been using my whiteboard to put on the 3 things I want to do/accomplish today. If I can get 2 done, it’s a win & perfect day, LOL!
All kidding aside, being able to navigate through all of these tasks does take courage and strength; happy to see that you have those traits!
BTW, my army side says congrats on losing the weight & taking better care of your body! We only have 1!
Marc, thank you for such a kind and energising comment, it really made me smile. I love your whiteboard strategy (2 out of 3 is absolutely a win in my book too!). You’re right, this online journey takes grit, patience, and a bit of humour to keep going. And huge respect for your army background, your words about taking care of the one body we have hit home. Let’s keep showing up, even when it’s messy.
Hi Atif – Put an amazing post! You summed it up perfectly… life is hard, business is hard and getting what you want and feel you deserve is hard. Like the old saying goes, if it were easy everyone would do it. You are doing it, and you are making a difference, and you are not giving up and that is not only motivating but admirable. Thank you for taking the time and having the courage to call it like it is for those of us scratching right now so that we can thrive later!
Ernie, thank you so much your words really hit me. It’s true, none of this is easy, and some days feel like an uphill crawl… but hearing from people like you reminds me why it’s worth showing up anyway. We’re all scratching, stumbling, and figuring it out together and that shared struggle is what makes the wins (no matter how small) so meaningful. I appreciate you taking the time to leave such a powerful comment. Let’s keep pushing forward scratching today, thriving tomorrow!
Atif, this post is so real! Juggling a 9-to-5, your affiliate business, health journey, family, and grief sounds exhausting, but you’re still pushing forward, I have great respect for you! Your strategies, like the “One Focus Rule” and “Do Not Do” list, are great. I know what it’s like to take on a lot too, and some days it feels impossible. Your honesty makes me feel less alone. How do you stay motivated when you’re stretched so thin? Thanks for sharing and hang in there!
Meredith
Thank you so much, Meredith. Some days do feel impossible, and I’ve definitely had moments where I just wanted to switch everything off. What keeps me going is reminding myself why I started, freedom, health, showing up for my family and then taking just one small action, even if it’s tiny. The “One Focus Rule” helps me stop the overwhelm from winning. I’m really glad the post helped you feel less alone, we’re in this together, and I’m cheering you on too!
Atif, thanks for showing us we’re not alone in this thing called life. I appreciate your candis about your situation as many of us are in the same boat. Keep up the great work and all the best to your fitness journey.
Thank you so much Ken, I really appreciate your kind words. It’s easy to feel like we’re the only ones struggling sometimes, so I try to be as open as possible in case it helps someone else feel seen. We’re all figuring this out one step at a time, and knowing others are in the boat with me makes the journey feel lighter. Thanks again for the encouragement and I’m staying committed to the fitness journey, one day at a time!