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Abstract

and $412.46 on Medium. That’s over$ 500 for doing <i>nothing</i> in a week.</p><p id="c0b2">This doesn’t make me the Monopoly man (<i>who looks a lot like the Pringles guy</i>) with a funny mustache and wads of cash. However, I’m genuinely surprised that for doing very little effort, I made my goal in a few days.</p><p id="e39b">What are my takeaways?</p><h2 id="9538">The upfront work pays off later</h2><p id="1456">While I enjoy writing and dumping my thoughts into words is easy, editing and dealing with publishing is still a hassle. I didn’t enjoy creating the digital files but it was simple enough that I didn’t have an excuse not to make them while watching TV. It was worth it to spend a few hours to kick back and do nothing later.</p><h2 id="669f">I know my working style</h2><p id="81bc">How you approach your day job is different from your side hustles. The motivation is different. I put in the elbow grease for my day job because the stakes are too high if I don’t. With a side gig, it’s a tradeoff of my laziness against my desire for extra cash. Since that money isn’t guaranteed, it’s a toss-up on how much effort to exert on these projects.</p><p id="d67b">For me, I know I’m lazy. I don’t <i>need</i> the extra income. I <i>want</i> the extra income so I don’t feel guilty splurging on luxury items by dipping into my “real money” budget. I can throw in a few nights here or there for actual effort but in the grand scheme, I’ll shrug my shoulders and say, “Meh. Not worth it.”</p><p id="38e8">It makes more sense for me to go balls-in at the beginning of a side hustle initiative than to expect myself to work consistently.</p><h2 id="c267">Keep the bar low</h2><p id="202d">It’s tempting to focus on <a href="https://readmedium.com/when-your-post-goes-viral-817780666a96">creating another viral article</a>. If I do that, it’ll set me up for failure. There are too many writers on Medium over-analyzing each article and their payouts when there are so many unknown variables to make an educated guess unless you’re already at celebrity-level writing status.</p><p id="25ba">With my November goal of “pay for my Sephora holiday discount haul”, it’s enough to pay for the things I want while still making it worth my while to even bother.</p><h2 id="9e2a">Pause but don’t stop</h2><p id="a44c">While I don’t typically create digital download files, it’s common for me to turn to writing as a near-daily routine. This is the longest stretch I’ve gone not writing. It was an experiment to gauge the difference between churning out regular content vs. kicking back and taking a break.</p><p id="61ec">Without creating new

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content, eventually Medium and Etsy won’t drive users to my pages. I still need to put in the effort, if just occasionally, to maintain that small, steady income stream.</p><p id="b9b1">I’m glad I took a breather from these side gigs. Aside from being distracted by the emotional telenovela of the US elections, taking a pause allowed me to appreciate the effort, I put in the past. While it’s not a perfect science, I can plan my Fun Money budget accordingly.</p><p id="3e8f">With the madness of 2020, my mental health needs that Fun Money more than ever.</p><div id="ffa0" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/how-do-you-end-a-marriage-amicably-34259a3081af"> <div> <div> <h2>How Do You End a Marriage Amicably?</h2> <div><h3>Clearly, I’m failing.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*n_-2CsZX6PF08EZQ)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="2249" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/weird-but-effective-life-hacks-i-learned-from-my-mom-b1483020aa16"> <div> <div> <h2>Weird but Effective Life Hacks I Learned From My Mom</h2> <div><h3>She’s strange but she gets the job done.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*Fk_65KJ7VR0CXuDz8pb3fw.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="c40c" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/how-a-sweet-relationship-turns-emotionally-abusive-e873857df5b4"> <div> <div> <h2>How a Sweet Relationship Turns Emotionally Abusive</h2> <div><h3>Add a pinch of gaslighting and a touch of jealousy</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*8febceRL45ZhlgLA)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="90ce"><i>This article is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered Financial or Legal Advice. Not all information will be accurate. Consult a financial professional before making any significant financial decisions.</i></p></article></body>

Passive Income Really Works

Go figure.

I did a little experiment.

I stopped working.

Well…let me clarify: I stopped working on anything that made secondary income. I have a regular day job and I very much enjoy the perks of things like “healthcare” and “steady paycheck”.

The past 3 months I dabbled with some side hustles. Unlike the other side gigs I’ve had in the past, such as selling stuff on eBay or making things for sale on Etsy, these hustles had the potential to bring in cash even when I did nothing.

The first was (shocker!) Medium. I didn’t set out to make money; I wanted a place to dump my endless stream of thoughts. In the first two months, I made a few hundred bucks, in month three I made $3,547.26. No, I won’t bore you with the “How I Made Thousands On Medium” story. I got lucky and had one story go viral, that’s all. It was a one-time anomaly. With a viral story comes the additional perks of newcomers clicking on other stories as well.

My other side hustle was to re-open my Etsy shop but only sell digital downloads. I already have Adobe Illustrator and after a few YouTube videos, I figured out enough to make a couple of .svg files usable for crafters who use vinyl-cutting products like Cricut or Silhouette. After one night of cranking out some files, I was too lazy to make more. They are priced dirt cheap but they’ve sold consistently each day.

With the start of the new month, I tried an experiment: now that I have a few digital downloads on Etsy and a backlog of stories on Medium, how much money could I make by doing nothing? I stopped making more digital downloads for my Etsy shop and I didn’t create any more posts on Medium.

My bar is quite low. Each month, I tell myself I want to make enough side cash to pay for Botox and the other voodoo cosmetic treatments I receive. If I make $400 a month, I’m happy.

In seven days, I’ve made $105 off Etsy and $412.46 on Medium. That’s over $500 for doing nothing in a week.

This doesn’t make me the Monopoly man (who looks a lot like the Pringles guy) with a funny mustache and wads of cash. However, I’m genuinely surprised that for doing very little effort, I made my goal in a few days.

What are my takeaways?

The upfront work pays off later

While I enjoy writing and dumping my thoughts into words is easy, editing and dealing with publishing is still a hassle. I didn’t enjoy creating the digital files but it was simple enough that I didn’t have an excuse not to make them while watching TV. It was worth it to spend a few hours to kick back and do nothing later.

I know my working style

How you approach your day job is different from your side hustles. The motivation is different. I put in the elbow grease for my day job because the stakes are too high if I don’t. With a side gig, it’s a tradeoff of my laziness against my desire for extra cash. Since that money isn’t guaranteed, it’s a toss-up on how much effort to exert on these projects.

For me, I know I’m lazy. I don’t need the extra income. I want the extra income so I don’t feel guilty splurging on luxury items by dipping into my “real money” budget. I can throw in a few nights here or there for actual effort but in the grand scheme, I’ll shrug my shoulders and say, “Meh. Not worth it.”

It makes more sense for me to go balls-in at the beginning of a side hustle initiative than to expect myself to work consistently.

Keep the bar low

It’s tempting to focus on creating another viral article. If I do that, it’ll set me up for failure. There are too many writers on Medium over-analyzing each article and their payouts when there are so many unknown variables to make an educated guess unless you’re already at celebrity-level writing status.

With my November goal of “pay for my Sephora holiday discount haul”, it’s enough to pay for the things I want while still making it worth my while to even bother.

Pause but don’t stop

While I don’t typically create digital download files, it’s common for me to turn to writing as a near-daily routine. This is the longest stretch I’ve gone not writing. It was an experiment to gauge the difference between churning out regular content vs. kicking back and taking a break.

Without creating new content, eventually Medium and Etsy won’t drive users to my pages. I still need to put in the effort, if just occasionally, to maintain that small, steady income stream.

I’m glad I took a breather from these side gigs. Aside from being distracted by the emotional telenovela of the US elections, taking a pause allowed me to appreciate the effort, I put in the past. While it’s not a perfect science, I can plan my Fun Money budget accordingly.

With the madness of 2020, my mental health needs that Fun Money more than ever.

How Do You End a Marriage Amicably?

Clearly, I’m failing.

medium.com

Weird but Effective Life Hacks I Learned From My Mom

She’s strange but she gets the job done.

medium.com

How a Sweet Relationship Turns Emotionally Abusive

Add a pinch of gaslighting and a touch of jealousy

medium.com

This article is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered Financial or Legal Advice. Not all information will be accurate. Consult a financial professional before making any significant financial decisions.