Want A Remote Job? Keep Your 9–5 and Go Remote on the Side…I’ll Teach You How
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I’ve been working remotely now since 2012 and one of my biggest pieces of advice that I can give is….try out remote work or working from home while you still have your traditional or 9–5 job. I’m telling you, this will save you sooo much stress and anxiety. Why? Well first, you might find that you actually don’t like it, and if that’s the case then you still have your regular job.
Second, if you start working remotely while you still have your 9–5 job, this will teach you so much about managing your time and learning the ins and outs of remote work. This is also a great chance to learn and make mistakes while maintaining financial security with the job that you already have.
Now, you’re probably thinking….Yes, I want to do this…but how do I even get started? Great question, to start…
What Type of Remote Work Do You Want?
- Get a Part-Time Remote Job
- Freelance
- Start a blog
- See if your current employer will let you work from home or remotely 1 day a week
Start thinking about which of these you might be most interested in or best suited to right now. You’re not set in stone so you can always pivot or try more than one. But, let’s talk a little about each one.
Get a Part-Time Remote Job
If you think that eventually you want to work in a remote role, similar to what you’re currently doing, just remotely, this could be a good option for you.
This would be great experience for you in terms of learning to communicate as part of a remote team, learning tools and software that are commonly found in remote teams, and learning to work remotely and stay focused while distractions beckon.
Your side job doesn’t necessarily have to be exactly what you do now, it’s really up to you. If you’re looking to make a transition, this could be a good opportunity to try out a new role or field.
Here are Websites For Finding Remote Jobs
Try an Unrelated Part-Time Job
Now, maybe you don’t like your job, and in that case, try getting a part-time job that is completely unrelated to what you do in your 9–5 role.
For example, if you want to transition to a teaching or training role in the future, try Teaching Online for a few months to make sure that you even like it.
Or, if you have some admin skills from a current or previous role, consider becoming a VA (virtual assistant). This could be an even bigger win if you could score a VA role with a big blogger, entrepreneur, executive, or someone who you’d really like to learn from or emulate down the road.
Freelance with Your Current Skills
Another option is to start freelancing. If you have some work experience in a specific area like, marketing, design, coding, social media, etc. then you could always apply the skill set that you already have to freelance projects.
I don’t have as much experience with this myself, but I know that if you’re just getting started, people often begin with sites like Upwork or Fiverr.
While Upwork or Fiverr might not be long-term solutions for you, they could at least give you a chance to gain some freelance experience and build your portfolio of work.
Another option for freelancing, is to start with your network. Tell friends, family, and acquaintances what sort of freelance work you’re interested in and see if they are interested in your services or see if they know of anyone that you might be able to work with.
Start a Blog
Now, if you’re looking to start generating income immediately, then blogging probably isn’t the best option. However, if you’re willing to put in the work, it can definitely pay off over time.
Another advantage is that blogging is a good way to test if you have the focus, commitment, and time management skills that are critical in remote work.
If you’re just starting out, I think that choosing a Wordpress self-hosted site, with a host like Bluehost is great. These are both the ones that I use myself.
Also, I’d recommend starting an email list right away so that you have a way to directly communicate with your readers. I currently use ConvertKit and find that it’s affordable and is extremely user friendly for someone like me who is not the most tech savvy.
Work Remotely In Your Current Role
Another option is to see if your current employer will let you start working from home 1 day per week. This is a great way to try it out and see if you even like working remotely.
If it goes well, you never know, maybe you can up it to 2 or more days per week. Eventually, you might even be able to go 100% remote if you can show your company that you’re even more effective outside the office and are doing really good work.
Transitioning to a new role and a new company is typically stressful and even more so if you’re working remotely for the first time. This is why I love this option so much.
It might not work for every person or company, but I think it’s worth exploring if you already like your role or company.
Create a Remote Work Structure
Once you know the sort of remote work that you want to do, it’s important to establish a clear structure.
Now, if you’re working a part-time remote job, the company might already have specific hours built in for you, but if not, then you’ll need to figure this out on your own.
To be honest, I think it’s actually easier if your company has specific hours for you to be available because most of us are REALLY reliable when it comes to showing up on time for our boss or employer.
When it comes to having complete freedom and autonomy, this is where things start to get foggy. This is why having a schedule is key.
How to Create a Schedule for Remote Work
First, start by looking at your calendar for the week. Whether you do this in Google Calendar, ICal, or a Spreadsheet, have a way that you can look at your whole week at a glance.
Start by blocking off the time that you spend at your 9–5 job, your commute time, meal times, exercise, or any other regular commitments that you have.
Then, see what you’re working with. Count up the free hours during each weeknight and on the weekend.
How Much Time Do You Want to Work?
Think about how many hours a week you want to put into your side hustle or remote job? What is a reasonable number that you could see yourself committing to week after week, 5 hours, 10, 15, 20, 25?
You can always start with 5–10 and if you’re willing and able, you can always up the amount as you go. But, you don’t want to set your goal too high and burn out or quit a month into it.
Block Off Your Remote Work Time
Now that you know how much time you want to commit, block it out in your calendar just like you did with your 9–5 job.
For example, if you’re a morning person, maybe you want to commit to working on your side job for 1–2 hours from 6–8 AM Monday through Friday. Or, if you’re a night owl, maybe you could work from 8–10 in the evening.
Or, you can always use either one or both weekend days for your side work, such as, Saturday morning and Sunday evening, or all day Sunday with a break in the afternoon.
It’s completely up to you and sometimes this requires trial and error to find what fits your current schedule.
Creating a Master Schedule
To keep track of everything I like to have a Master Schedule, which you can see below. If you want to create one yourself, I have a template that you can download by clicking here.
By writing down your remote job or side hustle time in your calendar and master schedule, you’re making a commitment to yourself.
Keep a Journal
My final suggestion is to keep a journal. This should be a place where you are writing either daily or every few days about what is working or not working with your remote work or side hustle.
Believe me, you will learn sooo much more than you could imagine and it’s good to have a place to hold everything that you’re learning. This way you can constantly reflect, pivot, and continue to improve over time.
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P.S. have any questions? Feel free to leave me a comment below or send me an email at betsy@betsyramserjaime.com 😊 I’d be happy to help.
