Tag Archives: working from home

Setting a Schedule and Sticking to It: Part One

In yesterday’s blog, I talked about staying aware of your time sinks, using a kitchen timer, and why chocolate is important. Today, I wanted to tackle the problem of trying to set up a schedule for working from home. One of the biggest pulls towards working from home is the fact that you can work anytime–it’s flexible! But the biggest strength is also its biggest weakness. Many people who work from home end up working throughout the day from morning until evening, seven days a week. Although that sounds admirable (what a work ethic!) what actually ends up happening is … Continue reading →

Ever Wanted to Get Paid for Picking up Your Mail?

Now you can. There are two mail tracking companies, US Monitor and Hausernet who pay agents (you and me) to receive mail through the US Postal Service. They put tags on their mail that they are sending out, and mail them out to their agents. When their agents receive the mail, they enter information online: What was the condition of the mail? What day did they receive it? It is extremely easy to do, which is good, because you’re never going to get rich doing it. The pay depends on the company, and on your location, but it is basically … Continue reading →

A Downside to Working from Home

I was recently talking to my friend, Laura, about the differences between working from home and working at a normal office desk job. She had quit her office job over a year ago so she could work from home as a transcriptionist and she has noticed a big difference in a lot of different aspects; some good, some bad. One downfall is that as a transcriptionist, Laura is paid on production (per line) which means if she isn’t working, she isn’t getting paid! She told me, “I did work hard at my old office, but the difference there is that … Continue reading →

eJuror—A New Way to Bring in Cash!

I remember when the movie Jury Duty came out. I was just a kid, and I told my mom (after watching the previews) that I thought being a juror was an easy way to make money. She laughed and told me that doing jury duty is your civic duty but that you were never going to get rich doing it. Well, you won’t get rich being an eJuror either, but it is an easy way to bring in some extra cash. eJurorying (look, I just made up a new word!) is when you help lawyers figure out the best way … Continue reading →

Ever Dreamt of Being a Banker?

Now is your time to make your dream come true. No, you don’t have to have an Ivy League degree, or a degree of any sort at all actually. You don’t have to have a snazzy business suit or impress your colleagues with a gold-plated money clip. Instead, people across America are sitting down at their computer at home and lending out money to their fellow Americans every day. It’s a website called Prosper.com. It is based on the theory that if you are saving money in a bank account at a 4% interest rate, and your neighbor is borrowing … Continue reading →

Ground Rules for Working from Home: Part Three

This is part three of my week long series about the ground rules of working from home. If you missed the previous blogs, check out part one and part two. Otherwise, read on! You have to chant “If it’s too good to be true, than it is” 7 times a day. Okay, so you don’t actually have to chant that 7 times a day, but writing this phrase on your forehead might be helpful. I’m sure that if someone had the time and inclination to do the math, the ratio of true work-at-home jobs to scams would be astronomically out … Continue reading →

Ground Rules for Working from Home: Part Two

Here is part two of my series on ground rules for working from home. If you missed part one, please check it out here! High Speed Internet and/or a Land Line is Very Desirable. Many work-from-home jobs require that you have high-speed Internet and/or a home phone line. It is definitely possible to work from home if you only have dial-up, but it’s a lot more difficult to land the jobs. Or, if you have (like me) decided to get a high-speed Internet connection through cable or satellite, and then use a cell phone for your phone service, thus skipping … Continue reading →

Ground Rules for Working from Home: Part One

Hello, and welcome to the first blog in a week-long series on the ground rules for working from home. These are the rules that are often overlooked by the flashy “Work at Home and Make Millions Each Day!” ads you see on TV, the ones who seem to care a lot about huge houses and red sports cars, and not so much about working until 3 am to get a project done on time, or having to stare at a computer screen so long you’re sure you’ve gone permanently blind. Work-from-home jobs can be wonderful, but they’re usually not mansion/red … Continue reading →

The Holy Grail of Jobs: Working from Home

Working from home seems to be the Holy Grail of jobs. Who doesn’t want to work from home? The jobs are advertised everywhere: On TV, in magazines, and all over the Internet. In almost all of the ads, very little work is ever shown as being done (I still haven’t found a job that I can do while having a two year old sit on my lap, despite the photo shots in these ads to the contrary) and flashy red sports cars seem to be much more important to the people running these ads than the time spent in front … Continue reading →