Free Planner PDF
Build a real side business in 5 focused hours a week.
A time audit and calendar template for senior professionals who want to build something on the side, without cutting sleep, missing bedtime, or burning out by March.The weekly time-audit template that finds your 5 hours
A recurring calendar block that protects them from drift
The three rules for what counts as “business time”
A one-page weekly review to keep you honest
Watch this first
Why most side businesses never get their first customer
Get The 5-Hour Work Week Planner →
Built by someone who has done it
I’ve spent 18 years in tech while building businesses on the side. Everything in this guide comes from what actually worked, and from interviewing over 200 founders on my podcast.18 yrs
In the tech industry, UK200+
Founders interviewed on my podcast3
Businesses built from scratchA real look inside
See exactly what you’ll get
Not vibes. Real numbers.
The same data that opens the PDF itself.5 hrs
Protected in your calendar, every week43 min
A day, on average — about one TV episode260 hrs
A year — roughly 6½ full working weeks0
Hours taken from sleep, family time, or your employer“I don’t have time”, in numbers
Five hours a week is small next to where the week already goes.What each bar means
- Online, outside workTime online outside work
- In meetingsTime in meetings (executives)
- Your side businessYour side-business block
Who this is for
Built for professionals building something on the side, not full-time founders with runway to spare.For the overcommitted
If your calendar is already full, this shows you where the real 5 hours are hiding, not where you wish they were.For the inconsistent
Structure beats motivation. The planner makes showing up a default, not a decision you make (and skip) every week.For the burnt out
Built around sustainable effort, not sprints. This is the pace that survives month six, not just week one.Hear It Yourself
Real video feedback from founders I have worked withDon’t build in the dark
Trusted by professionals who stopped overthinking and started testing.
I finally have a plan instead of just an idea I kept putting off.
The weekly check ins are what actually got me to ship something.
Practical advice, no fluff. Wish the sessions were a bit longer.
Went from a notes app idea to my first paying customer in 10 weeks.
First customer paid within two months, while I kept my day job.
Solid framework. Took me a couple of sessions to really click with it.
The GROW model made this feel achievable instead of overwhelming.
Best money I've spent on myself in years.
Great coaching, though I'd love more templates to work from.
I stopped overthinking and started talking to actual customers.
Having someone hold me to a deadline changed everything.
Good structure and honest feedback, exactly what I was missing.
Signed my first client in a weekend instead of months of planning.
The pricing advice alone paid for the whole program.
Really helpful coaching, just wish it started sooner in my week.
First time I've actually finished what I started.
Clear plan, real deadlines, and someone who actually follows up.
Helped me get unstuck fast. A few sessions felt a bit rushed.
I got my first paying customer without touching my job security.
Direct, no nonsense coaching that respects how little free time I have.
Really solid guidance, would like even more one on one time.
Turned my side project from a hobby into an actual business.
The accountability structure is worth it on its own.
Great value for someone building this around a full time job.
Someone finally treated my side project like a real business.
The 90 day structure kept me from drifting like I usually do.
Genuinely useful sessions, though scheduling took a bit of back and forth.
I stopped waiting for the right time and just started.
Clear next steps every single week, no guessing what to do.
Coaching was excellent, I just needed more time to apply it all.
Went from an idea to a paying client and a repeatable offer.
Worth it just for the honest feedback on my pricing.
Helpful and encouraging, would like a bit more written material.
I got unstuck faster than I expected, no wasted sessions.
The accountability alone justified signing up.
Really solid coaching, sessions occasionally ran a bit long.
A side business time management planner built for a full calendar
Most side business time management advice assumes you have hours to spare. You don't — you have a demanding job, meetings that run over, and a life outside work. The 5-Hour Work Week Planner starts from the opposite assumption: your week is already full, and the goal isn't to find more time, it's to audit where 5 hours are already going to waste and reclaim them without touching sleep or family time.Why 5 hours a week is enough to start a side hustle while working full-time
The average UK adult spends 4.5 hours a day online outside of work, and senior professionals spend around 23 hours a week in meetings. Five hours is a rounding error against either number. This planner doesn't ask you to work harder — it asks you to move roughly 16% of the time you already spend on screens after work into one recurring, protected block.How the time-block template works
The planner walks through three steps: audit a full week in 30-minute blocks so you can see where time actually goes (not where you assume it goes), reclaim 5 hours from drift rather than from sleep or family, and then block and protect that time with a recurring weekly slot and simple rules for what does and doesn't count as business time.90 days to your first customer
The same 90 days, with and without someone holding you to it
Going it alone, progress stalls every time work and family take over. With a plan, weekly deadlines and a check in, the momentum carries through to a paying customer.With the programme
- Analyse niches · week 2
- Validate market need · week 4
- Build the product · week 7
- Create content · week 9
- Launch the offer · week 11
- First paying customer · week 12
On your own
- Guessing the niche · week 2
- Features nobody wants · week 4
- Building, not selling · week 6
- Putting it off again · week 8
- Tweaking forever · week 10
- No customer yet · week 12
Illustrative model of a typical pace, not measured data. Individual results vary.
Want me alongside you? Here’s what the coaching includes
The PDF gets you started. If you’d rather have a plan, a weekly deadline and someone in your corner, this is how I work with clients.Weekly 1:1 calls
A standing session each week, built around the GROW model, so momentum doesn't rely on you finding motivation alone.Direct access between sessions
A private channel to check a decision or get unstuck without waiting a week for the next call.A shared accountability tracker
Every week's actions logged against your monthly milestones, so progress is visible, not assumed.Frameworks from three built businesses
Templates and playbooks pulled directly from what's already worked for me, so you're not starting from a blank page.Lonare© 2026 Lonare. All rights reserved.