With many of us getting the chance to work from home, it’s not uncommon to find that we have a lot more time on our hands than we usually have due to cutting out long commute times. First, we highly recommend not wasting that saved time with meaningless activities like sleeping for longer than you need or procrastinating. Of course, getting some extra time in bed is a valuable thing if you’ve not been getting a good 7 hours or so. But with all this spare time on either side of your workday, you could channel your energy into something very productive—something that could earn you some extra income. We’ve put together some suggestions of things you can do to make some extra cash on the side when working from home, putting that spare time to good use.
Virtual Assistant
If you’re the type of person that is exceptionally organised, and you have the time to handle a few extra tasks throughout the day, why not try your hand at being a virtual assistant? You could offer your services to local business owners who may need help organising emails and folders, scheduling meetings, and reminding them of important tasks. Be wary, of course, as this can be time-consuming depending on who you’re working for, and it’s likely only a good choice if you’re working part-time elsewhere unless you’re very good at juggling your workload and can separate both jobs mentally.
Freelancing
There are lots of professions that can work on a freelance basis. The flexibility from these jobs makes them very appealing for those with a fair number of other responsibilities, such as parenting or having another job. Being a freelance writer, video editor, photographer, or even an accountant are all perfect roles for freelancing, as you can set your working times and fit those hours in around your other responsibilities. For example, as a video editor, you might have the talent and skill to edit someone’s footage in a few hours, where it would usually take an amateur editor a few days. Being able to slot this freelance task into your workweek could give you a nice bit of extra income.
Digital Tutoring
Suppose you have a particular set of skills which are often sought after, whether it’s the previously mentioned video editing or perhaps something like a school subject such as maths and science. In that case, digital tutoring could be an excellent opportunity for you. Spending an hour or so in the evening helping others learn and hone their skills is profitable and very rewarding. It can be uplifting to know that you’re helping someone else, whether they’re in school or trying to advance their career. Remember, though, you need to be dedicated to helping your students as it would be incredibly unethical to do this for the money. It helps to be personable and good at communicating too. Otherwise, these tutoring sessions will be unenjoyable for both parties.
Referrals
For a quick and easy trickle of income, there are businesses out there that offer rewards to customers that refer others to use their services and buy their products. While not necessarily a job, this can be a great way to earn some extra cash each month with minimal effort passively. For example, Lebara’s refer a friend system is a great way to earn money from home. You share your link with friends and relatives, and if someone signs up, you can earn up to £50. This is a great way to top up that monthly income and help with unexpected expenses or add more cash to your savings.
Translating
If you’re bilingual, there are many ways you can make use of this. Speaking multiple languages is incredibly useful and is often much sought-after by business owners and organisations, especially those with a global clientele. Offering your translation services on a freelance basis can be very useful for everyone, and you can make a significant amount of money from just a few of these tasks. Most businesses won’t want to hire someone only to do translation tasks unless it’s a pivotal task for their business and they require a considerable amount of content to be translated daily. You could charge for your services per document and limit the amount you take on as you won’t be beholden to anyone.
Blogging
If you enjoy writing, starting a blog could be very beneficial. These aren’t necessarily used for people to get their thoughts out onto the internet anymore and are used as one of the most powerful marketing tools ever. Many businesses pay bloggers to promote their products and services. If you have a significantly large audience reading your content, this will make companies much more likely to want to promote their business through you. Choose a theme for your blogs, such as lifestyle, food, or tech, and then begin populating your blog with content to build up a natural audience. Then, search for products you’d like to promote and find out if those businesses offer affiliate marketing programs.
Social Media Management
This is another valuable role for businesses, but many can’t afford to hire someone full time to handle the task. If you have graphic design and social media management skills, you could offer your services to create content and schedule posts online for these businesses. Digital marketing is critical today, and social media is the prime medium. Social media management involves creating and posting content; however, it also involves communicating with customers, so a good customer service mentality is very beneficial for someone in this role.
Start A Business
Instead of working freelance, you could turn your skills into an official business from the comfort of your own home. Whether your goal is to make this your full-time job eventually or for it to remain something small on the side, you could earn a reasonable sum of money from this. First of all, you’ll need to decide what you’ll offer to customers. Are you particularly crafty? Maybe you could sell your crafts to people online, whether it’s candles or artwork. Whatever it is you choose to offer, remember that starting a business from home requires a significant amount of work, but it can pay off in the long run if you’re dedicated and have a good idea to run with.
Investing
This could be another great choice, but it requires a lot of patience and dedication. Investing your savings in stocks and other tradeable things could be very profitable. Indeed, there have been many people who have gotten very rich from investing, but there have also been a lot of people who have made precarious investments and have lost a lot of money from them. If this is something you’d like to get into, it’s essential to do your research first, so you know exactly what you’re doing. This can be a great way to make some extra income over time, but it can also work as an excellent money-saving method too as smart, low-risk investments have a better chance of growing your wealth than a simple savings account can. But don’t forget, there are always risks when investing, so be smart and don’t invest anything you can’t afford to lose.
