9 Ways You Can Manage Time & Stop Losing It

It is the beginning of the year and time for New Year resolutions. I am sure you have made some resolutions like I do every year. As a freelancer, each year I try to ensure I manage my time and balance my work-life better.

If you are a freelancer or are just beginning your career as one, your top concern must be - how to balance it all. You work full/part-time and need to have a life, take care of yourself (and a family if you have one) both mentally and physically.

I am no exception, with a small family. It is important to manage a social life, get enough sleep, read a book to my kid every night and lose the extra fat I keep gaining. At first, it felt like everything falling apart, but it was important to maintain my sanity. Balance means to make choices and enjoy it so here’s how I balance my freelance career.

• Maintain a to-do list

I do this early morning before everyone wakes up. It helps me manage my day better. Every day create a to-do list. It helps in prioritizing tasks based on deadlines and urgency. The more you work, the less effective and productive you will become - short and long-term.
I recommend you try these To-do lists, not only do they look cute, but help you set priorities. You can easily keep up-to-date with daily tasks.

Image courtesy Amazon

  

• Write your priorities and goals

I have a list of goals, resolutions, and priorities, whatever you would like to call it. It keeps me on track. You can decide how to best manage your time.
I recommend making use of the Lucky life planner to set goals, get things done, as a productivity planner and balance your life and be accountable. That is our main aim. You can use it to handle common life challenges with innovative tools such as the Habit builder, Decision maker, Mood booster, Creativity booster, Belief Changer and much more.

• Plan and protect your time

I dislike spontaneous plans. Though they are fun; they are productivity killers. It is better not get into the habit of making spontaneous plans. This does not mean you should work overtime, it will also kill productivity. If you work 6 hours daily, shorten your work week to 5 days to increase productivity. It will also give you time to do other things you are passionate about (side hustle) or even spend time with your family.

• Stay accountable

You can do this alone or with like-minded friends. Talk and discuss progress made and set the goals for the next month. This will help you imbibe habits from friends to stay accountable to your goals.

• Know your most productive time of the day

I am most active early morning, so I wake up 3:30 AM and work until 6 AM. It helps me concentrate better sans distractions. Track and pay attention to when you are doing your best work. This is your best weapon in time management arsenal. You just need to work smarter. However, this does not mean I do not get my 8 hours of sleep and a power nap.

• Create a system that works

Make use of apps, productivity-planners, to-do lists, systems, and ideas to get you through. Once you have tested it all, perfect it. Make it work for you. I make use of the 80-20 rule; avoid tasks that bring low or almost no results. Take in less work and produce better results (better pay) rather than taking in more work and getting lower results (and pay).

Automate tasks whenever possible. Nowadays, when I do something more than 5-6 times every day or week, I look for a program to do it for me. Hire experts, use apps and the Pomodoro technique to get you there. Time is money (most valuable commodity); spend money to make money. A bad system will kill you.

I recommend you use an hourglass sand timer. With the timer, it gets easy to track your work, measure your progress, and prevent burnout. The timer times you for half an hour of work and a solid 5-minute break so you can stay focused and productive for longer.

• Scheduling/ mapping work

Map out your week on a Sunday or first thing Monday morning so you will know what the week is like. If you’re a beginner, create a “default template” with everything you do every week. Stop doing everything yourself, seek help when you need it. In my default template, I had:

1. Breakfast/ lunch/ dinner cooking
2. Cleaning (alternate days)
3. Food shopping on Wednesdays
4. Working
5. Commuting
6. Exercising/working out (twice a week)
7. Reading
8. Add appointments, engagements, and meetings once you know what your week looks like.

• Build in time

Create time to work on your side hustle, goals, and priorities. Keep track of time, so you can steal some for yourself and pencil it in. I usually work on my side hustle once a week, usually Saturday/Sunday mornings. Snatch time to read; I do it after lunch when my kid is asleep and use my smartphone to share on social media.

• Have a do-nothing time

I make sure to spend time with my family, call family once a week (it's a ritual we follow). Allocating time to each area of my life and following it helps me balance work and life better. Life does not get done with somehow; you will have to work it out.

Essential time management apps and tools

Time management apps and tools

With the right combination of all apps and tools, you can manage your time better. You must experiment, prioritize, focus and stay accountable to manage time and stop losing it. Time is non-refundable and there is no way out but to manage it intentionally. Change your relationship with work. Unless you manage time, you can manage nothing else. Get to work today and make time work for you. How do you manage your time and live life? Share in the comment section.

Discover Ways to Hustle Successfully

 

Discover ways to hustle successfully

“Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.” - Abraham Lincoln

“Hustle” carries a distinct energy. It means different things to different people. I hustle every day only in pursuit of happiness. If you are hustling you are motivating, inspiring, and captivating. A lot of people hustle and burn out. They eventually stop hustling or making progress.

To get there, where you want, you need to hustle. If you like to be more successful, discover how to hustle with these ten habits.

1. Don’t half-ass two things, whole-ass one thing. Even if they are handling several long-term projects at a time, they devote time passionately to the tasks at hand.
2. Building a sustainable business is by caring for people and helping them by offering valuable and innovative solutions to relevant problems.
3. Eliminate distractions that serve no purpose. Highly effective hustlers know refreshing their Facebook feed will not help build their business. They identify time-wasting and least satisfying activity and eliminate them premeditatedly. This includes unsubscribing from unnecessary emails, disabling text notifications, silencing their phone, and watching television.
4. Don’t stress out about making mistakes. Highly effective hustlers know that failure teaches them to be successful. They can get ahead in spite of the occasional mistakes.
5. Strive to improve continuously every day. Personal growth is important to avoid the state of monotony as it stagnates progress. Monotony kills their passion and inspiration for their hustle.
6. Dream larger than life. Highly effective hustlers often pursue ideas bigger than themselves. They often remind themselves, “If it was meant to be easy, everybody would do it.” when they are stressed-out or doubt their judgment.
7. Build a solid network for success with at least one mentor willing to offer guidance. Mentors give an occasional push in the right direction. Their network comprising of like-minded friends helps share their ideas with other people in order to get feedback on it.
8. Be a strategist and foresee the outcome. Highly effective hustlers are outstanding strategists capable of foreseeing the outcome of their actions. They prepare themselves for everything that life throws at them.
9. Embrace total authenticity. They embrace everything about themselves, including the awkward or weird. Effective hustlers create a genuine, unique and special emotional connection with everyone they work with.
10. Do not quit or surrender. Highly effective hustlers follow the mantra, “You don’t lose until you quit, so don’t quit.” Success is not “quick” or “easy” and so they practice patience and let go of the need for instant gratification.

I hope you discover ways to hustle and achieve your goals successfully with these habits. Tell me which of these ways do you plan to put into practice. If you are thinking of a side hustle then here are a few lesser-known and well-known ideas(100+) Do you do anything differently? Happy hustling!

Recommendation
Read the book 'High Performance Habits' by Brendon Burchard. It is about the art and science of how to cultivate and practice these proven habits.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on one and complete a purchase, I will earn a commission. (Thank you for that!). However, this monetary relationship does not in anyway sway my recommendations, it’s something you should be aware of on this site and others online. As always, you should do your own due diligence before making any purchase decision.

5 Little-known Side-hustle Ideas

5 Little-known side hustle ideas

Are you looking for a way to make some extra cash? A side hustle is an asset that works for you. It allows you the flexibility to pursue what you’re passionate about like a chance to delve into fashion, shoes, or gaming without quitting your day job. In my previous post, I have shared more than 100 side hustle ideas (click to read).

In this post, I will share with you little-known side hustles ideas to help you make extra cash, especially if you have no ideas or sell-able skills. It does not require much of your time as they work for you all the time.

My first little-known side hustle is called service arbitrage. You can find freelance services in-demand that are offered at a low price on freelancing websites to individual freelancers. Market the services to businesses that need it. Once you are successful in getting a sale, hire the freelancers to deliver the work for you.

You will make money by quoting a higher price to your clients than your freelancers and pocket the price difference as your profit. This is a variant of freelancing. You are outsourcing the work to other freelancers instead of working yourself.

All you need is marketing skills or an expertise in an area to turn it into a service that you can offer yourself on the side to earn some extra cash. You can read about Service arbitrage business here. It shows a step-by-step system you can follow to launch your service arbitrage business.

Here is another one - Online Arbitrage via Amazon FBA. It is an online variant of the service arbitrage. You can easily take advantage of it. Simply find the products in demand like accessories on Amazon for a lower price at retailers such as Walmart, Target, etc and purchase them in bulk.

Sell them on Amazon; it will manage everything for you including customer inquiries, refunds, and returns for orders on Amazon marketplaces, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This simple flipping can earn you at least a 6-figure income. It’s simple and easier than a garage sale. Click here for a complete guide to Online Arbitrage by Nate McCallister that will help you make more money on Amazon.

Now, if you are someone who likes doing nothing here is one more. Collect old, unwanted things from people, do the necessary patch-work and sell it at a higher rate. You do not need to shell a single penny for the product. Modify old and torn clothes to sell it online or offline. Most new trends are actually old trends (well, most of the time).

In an office, you must have noticed unused toner cartridges, imaging units, drum kits etc. piling up in the storage. You can choose to return them or sell toner cartridges for fast cash. They have quick service and the payout is up to $300 per toner.

Here is a fun side-hustle. You can be a game tester (click link) and earn $7 - $9 per game for your opinion. It only takes less than 30 minutes. Though it is not a massive amount of cash, it is fun.

If you love designing or drawing, then you will like this one. It is an online print-on-demand (POD) service, as on TeeSpring, Redbubble, and Merch (managed by Amazon). Simply upload your artwork, product type, and color, price it, and add a product description. amazon will create a product page for you and when a customer buys your product on Amazon, they handle the production, shipping, and customer service with no upfront costs.

Aren't these simply amazing and little-known side hustles? Keep visiting for more ideas, you never know what I will come up with. If you have any, share them with me. Until then you can read 100+ side hustle ideas.

65+ Amazing Side Hustle Ideas

Are you looking for ways to earn a few extra bucks with a side hustle? You'd likely encounter many strategies to mint money. Some sound like quick 'rich schemes'. But there is really no easy way out. You must hustle and bustle.

You may want to side hustle for various reasons:

• Get out of debt
• Pay bills
• Save for college
• Save for vacation
• Extra spending money
• Pay off student loans
• Pay off your mortgage faster

Today, you can leverage the internet to making money. It is no longer a constant and never-ending struggle. Most of these ideas here on the list don’t need a huge investment or a highly specialized skill-set. However, in your spare time, they have the potential to earn you some extra income. Anyone can do it.

If you have not come up with any ideas to side hustle. Here is a list of well-known side hustles - online and offline.

1. Affiliate marketing.
2. Baker.
3. Be a blogger.
4. Drive for a transportation network company like Ola or Uber.
5. Rent your space on Airbnb or any other online rental platform.
6. Beauty consultant with Jafra, MayKay, Oriflame.
7. Sell electronic parts and any used gadgets.
8. Be a local craft vendor or online.
9. Sell perishable goods like cookies, jams, and pickles.
10. Sell products on eBay or Etsy.
11. Be a magazine writer.
12. Run errands on TaskRabbit or Fiverr.com.
13. Be a virtual assistant.
14. Pet sitting (check Rover).
15. Babysitting.
16. Be a DJ if you love music.
17. Catering or a personal chef (join HireAChef).
18. Be a mystery shopper for stores.
19. Caregiving.
20. Product review writer.
21. Personal Shopper (like in the movie 'In Her Shoes').
22. Offer organizing/cleaning services.
23. Dog/Pet Trainer.
24. Write a business proposal.
25. Doula service.
26. Massage service.
27. Furniture making service.
28. Ghostwriting service.
29. Accounting/ Bookkeeping service for small businesses.
30. Build niche websites.
31. Junk hauling services (if you own a truck).
32. Medical transcription.
33. Modelling.
34. Online survey.
35. Click photographs and sell online.
36. Photography service.
37. Video making service.
38. Car wash service.
39. Car flipping service.
40. Proofreading.
41. Assemble a computer.
42. Computer tutoring.
43. Investment management services.
44. Create an e-learning course (Udemy or Teachable).
45. Tutor on Skype.
46. Sports umpire.
47. Teach a language.
48. Counsel on Skype.
49. Grooming services (people/pets).
50. Personal trainer (weight loss, fitness, grooming).
51. Resume writer.
52. Tour guide.
53. Start peer-to-peer lending service or join one like Lendingclub.
54. Teach driving/ music lessons/ yoga (anything you are good at).
55. Teach online or with pre-recorded lectures.
56. Web Designing/ Logo designing/ business card designing.
57. Food Taster (read here).
58. Deliver goods/products/drugs (medication).
59. Scriptwriter.
60. Social media manager for small businesses.
61. Part-time retail job.
62. Theme-party planner/manager.
63. Get paid to answer professional questions.
64. Do home renovations or decorating.
65. Real estate agent.
66. Intra-trade (requires you to invest and generate income).
67. Investing
68. Be a brand ambassador.

Get more side hustle ideas here.

Recommendation:
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on one and complete a purchase, I will earn a commission. (Thank you for that!). However, this monetary relationship does not in anyway sway my recommendations, it’s something you should be aware of on this site and others online. As always, you should do your own due diligence before making any purchase decision.

Inspire yourself with these 10 real-world examples (in this book) of how regular people just like you and Nick Loper are earning side hustle income outside of traditional employment. Many have even turned these part-time ventures into full-time businesses.

Here is another book by Chris Gullibeau, with a detailed roadmap that will show you how to select, launch, refine, and make money from your side hustle in under a month. Read, What If It Does Work Out? by life coach and professional side-hustler Susie Moore, who offers expert tips and guidance to help you earn an extra source of income by doing something you love.

Some of the ideas have links you can visit to get more information. I intend to update this list often. Hope this helps.

If your idea is not here on this list, I encourage you to help me add yours. Leave a comment and get your creative juices flowing.

5 Things You Can Do In Your 10 Minute Pomodoro Break

If you have been wondering how to best utilize your break after a 25 minute Pomodoro session, here is a list of things you can do:

1.   Enjoy a cup of tea, coffee, snack, or a glass of water.

2.   You can invest the 10 minutes to a short session of desk exercise.

3.   A small session of meditation or a yoga Asan.

4.   Enjoy a hand or a neck massage.

5.   Clean up or perform a small organizational chore, something you do not dread or find cumbersome.

Leave your desk or work area, get up and walk around. Allow blood circulation. A short break will be refreshing and stimulates problem-solving creativity. Give your mind rest from tasks at hand. This will rejuvenate you for another Time management Pomodoro session. Let's Go!

I recommend you buy a Pomodoro timer with pre-set time (A perfect gifting idea too). It is available in other colors and different time intervals. You will not need to program it either. The timer has a loud alarm and a red light that will blink when the countdown is finished.

You can click the link provided to buy the timer, it will help me generate a small commission to run this blog page.

I hope you do follow the Pomodoro technique to be more efficient, creative, and make more time for yourself to relax. Let me know the way you use the break time and if it helped you.

Is The Time Management Pomodoro Technique for You?

What is Pomodoro Technique?

You must be wondering what is Pomodoro? The Pomodoro Technique is a well-known time management technique. It is easy to implement and can be used by anyone. You need just a timer, motivation and discipline to start using this technique.

The word ‘Pomodoro’ is Italian for ‘tomato’ even though it has nothing to do with tomatoes; the technique helps you focus on work, facilitates efficiency, inspiration, and productivity. In 1980’s, Francesco Cirillo developed this technique using a kitchen timer in the shape of a tomato.

The technique focuses mainly on break times to increase productivity, efficiency, and focus. Consequently, you should include work tasks along with breaks in your daily work plan.

In this technique, every Pomodoro session is a 25-minute work session, followed by a 5-minute break. After you complete 4 Pomodoros or work sessions, you can take a longer break of 20 to 30 minutes. You can use it to break down larger work sessions into smaller chunks.

I recommend you use the Pomodoro timer (click to buy in another window) to time yourself. They are fun and functional kitchen timer with preset-times in the plastic finish. It is available in various designs. You can use them for cooking, baking or homework help. If you buy using the link provided, it will help me generate some income to run my blog.

What happens in the Pomodoro technique?

When the brain sees a timer ticking, it works with a sense of urgency and a challenge to complete the task within the duration is created, and a reward at the end of the session - a 5-minutes break.

The technique allows two 5-minute breaks with a one-hour duration. This way the brain is trained to work for short intervals and does not get distracted.

Once you begin employing the Pomodoro technique, you will see an increase in your productivity, efficiency, focus, and motivation. Mind and body do not get burned out in this technique.

Who will benefit? Who can implement this technique?

The Pomodoro technique is for everyone who wishes to be productive, including those who procrastinate, cannot work long hours, including those who find it difficult to concentrate or focus.

Everyone can train their mind to work only for 25 minutes and then play hard for the next 5 minutes. You can exercise, play ball, a quick shower, a snack, a cup of tea or coffee, you can even give a nice warm hug to your mum, child, partner or pet.

During the five minutes’ break, any kind of physical activity reduces the chances of obesity that occurs because of sitting. It takes you away from your workstation, takes your mind off work for a short duration which helps refresh and your mind begins to work with the same fervor.

If you are a Student, Parent, a Writer, Lawyer, Developer, Teacher, Director or even a Manager, we all need to work with time rather than against it. It helps eliminate burnout, create a better work-life balance, manage or reduce distractions to achieve the maximum.

With the Pomodoro technique, you will learn to achieve everything you need to each day and save time in the future. To learn more click here to get a book on 'The easy way to do more in less time'.

Oh nothing! Just Hustling in Pursuit of Happiness

Why side hustle?

What’s a Side Hustle?

Everyone hustles (well, almost everyone!), but side hustle? This is new, and not so new. A side hustle may be something you are passionate about or a way to start your future business until it grows. It is a secondary revenue generator for your day job. And, everyone must have a side hustle. 

On weekends, Shawn teaches fitness and build websites. Francis sells vintage video games, he also designs t-shirts. I work as a part-time freelance writer for the internet. Even senior executives in a corporate, side hustle. Today, many of them consider one side income stream while staying in their corporate jobs.

How does a side hustle help?

Irrespective of how much you make a side hustle helps:

• Reduce stress
• Gives a sense of freedom
• Make you happier (well in comparison to your job, I mean).
• Generate revenue - Anything can be a side hustle if you plan well; they may be low maintenance but high revenue generators.
• Hedge against uncertainties - Today, few jobs are available for an ever-growing population. Globally, the job competition is getting difficult and positions are harder to find. Side hustle works as a perfect backup plan.
• Learn a new skill - Most entrepreneurial side hustles are an effective way to learn new skills.
• Start and build a new network outside your existing network.
• Brings exposure to a newer range of ideas makes you resilient and valuable to others over a period.

It helps build a strong personal brand. People with a side hustle come are across as innovative and ambitious, a leadership quality.

What can you do for a side hustle?

You can do anything for a side hustle.

• Start and run a website, a blog site, social community, eBook etc.
• If you have a skill, make use of it and build something of your own.
• Consulting
• Coaching
• Creating a product or service
• Speaking

Start slow and small. Work on it little by little and it will grow into something significant. For that, you must actually do it. Many side hustles can never be full-time jobs or entrepreneurial ventures.

Oh yes! Do not quit your day job. You cannot lose the goose laying the golden egg, it is your main source of income. Not every side hustle may work out as a full-time entrepreneurial venture. While some experiments may take off.

For instance, Pat Flynn, a successful blogger, and podcaster wrote about his optimistic future after being laid off. He had something to fall back on; his first e-book was a hit and brought in $7900/- that month. 

Companies often restrict their employees to work outside their full-time job. This was the reason I never thought of a side hustle. Many workplaces have comparable stipulations. You must ensure you are not breaking any contracts or rules with your current employer.

Why you must side hustle?

Here are my reasons. When I lost my job in 2007, I had no options to fall back upon (come to think of it, nor did my dad when he lost too.) At work, the young and smart had diverse skill sets and a likely side hustle. I realize it’s good to have options, though you love your job. One colleague had a Great Dane with plans to set up dog breeding as a side hustle which could earn him at least $1000.

A side hustle inculcates some new skills and enhances your outlook. It will earn you financial independence through small business. If you don’t have a side hustle, take some time to yourself. One weekend, just do something you love. You can maintain it if you feel passionate week after week. Moreover, you don’t have to work on it every day or every week, just spend two hours on a Sunday. But just do it because it may teach you something about yourself and makes your life purposeful.

Recommendations:
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on one and complete a purchase, I will earn a commission. (Thank you for that!). However, this monetary relationship does not in anyway sway my recommendations, it’s something you should be aware of on this site and others online. As always, you should do your own due diligence before making any purchase decision.

If you really want to know more, I recommend you read this book on how a side hustle can change your life. Here is another good read to find the quest that will bring purpose to your life. Get it for yourself or as a gift for someone special and it helps me earn a small commission to run the blog.
So get going and start a side hustle in pursuit of happiness! If I can do it, so can you. Watch out for my next post on side hustle ideas. Good luck till then and tell me if you got a side hustle.