How are you guys maintaining balance between indie hacking and your professional career.

Remember that any project worthwhile is going to take consistent effort. For me, I have to watch out for a few things. These are specific to me and everyone is different.

1. Don't hit the project too hard. For me, this results in burning out within a few weeks, especially when also managing a day job.
2. Start your day with a goal to accomplish anywhere between 1-3 things, depending on their size. If you accomplish it, be happy with that progress. If you're obsessive, like me, you might have to force yourself to take breaks from your project. I tend to work really hard on my projects for 2-3 days and then have a forced 2 days of not touching it to have a mental reset.
3. Your day job is important for supporting you, but remember that you have other goals. Do what you need to do at work, but remember to save some of your energy for your side projects.
4. Focus more on making small improvements every day.

same! i'm also a n00b when it comes to just handling life (payments, budget, relationships)...i think you gotta get good at scheduling and prioritizing...

i also wonder if it is not necessarily about being willing to quit the full time job, but how invested we actually are in our 'idea'/'product'. Or maybe its taking a lesser salary for limited hours at the full time to give more time to the indie hacking??

I run in the same issues!

I work the full time job (9am-6.30pm) then go back to home to keep building my b2b Saas. I've been doing this for about a year and a half. The multitasking or focused task works different on every person you need to do it the way it suits you.

You should try to design a schedule that suits your needs (normal job, indie hacker job, rest/pleasure activies) and stick to it as much as you can. Do some adjustments if needed, but you need to make a plan/schedule for yourself, that also will improve your discipline.

Do the task at hand, reach your daily goals and then go to 'relax' (gym, tv, etc).

There isn't a magic formula for your schedule, you have to do it by yourself and for yourself.

Keep going forward!

Good advice here. Been at it 8 years now.

I'm a solo and that means I control my time. Scheduling helps a lot, but so does being realistic about what is possible. Thankfully, my business was established before kids came. Can't imagine being in start-up mode with kids.