Author: The Virtual Diver

Tips and Tricks For Working Online - The Virtual Diver
Tips and Tricks for Working Online

Tips and Tricks for Working Online

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Throughout my experience so far of working online, I have found some tips that I think would have been helpful to know back when I was first starting out. Some of these may feel like basic knowledge, but I have found that just knowing versus putting something into practice are two completely different things.

 I have separated the tips into two categories, External tips; external things that affect your work. And Internal Tips: things that can be down from within your device to boost your work productivity.

External

A lot of outside factors can have an affect on both the quality and quantity of your work. For many of these factors, we actually can have a bit of control on whether they affect us in a negative or positive way. Here are a few examples of things that can be monitored and controlled to help boost work productivity.

  • Comfortable Work Environment – This is one that you hear a lot when you first start out, but one that cannot be taken for granted. Having a comfortable and relaxing work environment really makes or breaks how you perceive work and ultimately will affect the overall outcome of your work performance. Making sure that you can feel comfortable in your work environment is key to working online.
  • Set a schedule / daily goals – Making sure that you set a schedule or daily goals can help immensely in boosting your work productivity. I know that I will sometimes forget to do something if I don’t write it down. I have also found that by writing down what I want/need to get done that day, that I become more motivated to finish what is left to do. As well as setting a schedule, if you know you are going to be working from a set time then it can help make it easier to focus during it. Both of these also help prevent you from overworking, which brings me to my next point.
  • Take Breaks – Making sure that you take breaks is extremely important. Not only can you get extreme mental fatigue from staring at a screen all day, but you also can get restless from sitting down all day. Making sure that you take breaks will be overall beneficial to both your mental and physical health. 
  • Active Lifestyle – One thing about working online is that you can be as “lazy” as you want. If you can make money while lying in your bed then there isn’t much reason to get out of it right? Wrong. Since you will most likely be sitting or lying down for a majority of your workday, you need to take extra care in having an active lifestyle. Not getting up and moving around can have extremely negative affects on your physical and mental health which can lead to a poor work performance. Making sure you get enough exercise through-out the day can not only keep you healthy, but improve your work performance.
  • Get Enough Rest – Mentally & Physically – This is tied in with taking breaks. Just with breaks, you need to make sure that your body is getting both enough physical and mental rest. That means having a full 8 hours of sleep or listening to your body when it is fatigued. By doing this you can help ensure you have the energy that is needed to perform your tasks during your work day. Speaking of energy,
  • Proper Nutrition – Proper nutrition is extremely important not only in life, but for your work performance. By ensuring that you are meeting your required daily nutritional intake, you help ensure a positive foundation from which to build your day on. Making sure you are well feed and hydrated can help but you in a positive mood which pretty much always as a positive effect on your work.
  • Proper Posture – This is another “common” knowledge one, but one that is so often overlooked. Making sure you have a proper sitting posture is absolutely key to having a positive work week. Over time a bad posture will not only affect the way you sit but can affect your mood and your health. Making sure that you are sitting/standing in a proper posture during your work day will have an immense affect on the outcome of your work in the long run.
  • Learn new skills – Skill websites – I think that one of the best things that you can do for yourself, is invest in yourself. We are super fortunate to live in a time where knowledge is so readily available and now starting to be cheaper than ever. There are a lot of websites out there that you can take online courses to further your education. From courses to become a yoga teacher to one’s teaching WordPress, there is practically no limit now to what you can learn. Some sites require you to pay a membership, some are by course, and some are free. I think that gaining new knowledge is the greatest tip I can give you for working and building a business online.

Internal

Just as a lot of external factors affect our work, a lot of things that are done from within the device we are working on can be used to help boost our work productivity.

  • Keep Everything Organized – Making sure that you keep everything organized is going to be a big help if you ever need to refer back to something or to get a paperwork or document.
    • Desktop – Having a clean desktop can help in streamlining your thought process and making your work more efficient.
    • Folders – As with folders, try to keep the clutter to a minimum. Make folders for corresponding content and make sure that all files are labeled and in the correct folders. This will help when looking for a file or document.
  • Do Taxes Quarterly – For the most part, when working online, you will be working as a freelancer and filing your taxes under a form 1040 Self- Employed. By doing this quarterly you help minimize the amount of work that has to be done and it just helps to keep things tidier and more efficient.
  • Record All Transactions – This is a very important one, make sure you have all your transactions recorded. This will help in case of any disputes that might occur as well as during filing time.
  • Keep Track of Records – Another necessary on is to keep track of all your records. You are your own business now so that includes having the responsibility of keeping records, this includes payments, taxes, purchases, etc. By keeping records, you help protect yourself in case of a dispute as well as having the peace of mind of being able to find important information if you so needed.
  • Have Back Ups – Keeping track of all of these files and keeping them organized wouldn’t mean anything if the data got lost. To ensure that this doesn’t happen, the recommended move would be to back up all data so in case of an emergency, you still have it. This is extremely important since some of those documents could be related to taxes, etc.

Those are the top tips and tricks for working online and improving your work flow that I have learned so far. I hope that you enjoyed these and that they helped in boosting your work productivity!

Thanks for reading!

How to start making earning money online The Virtual Diver
How to Start Making Money Online

How to Start Making Money Online

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When I first learned that I really could make money online, I was super excited to say the least and extremely motivated to do so. That is also where things got pretty confusing for me. I didn’t really know where to start and how to go about doing everything, or anything really. I knew that it was possible to make money online and people were doing it, but I found it hard to find any information on what steps to take.

These are the basic steps I have found are necessary to start making money online and once you know different ways of how to go about it, then you will be able to find what works best for you.

  • 1. Gather all materials / Build your workspace

  The first step would be to gather all the necessary materials to start working online. Those would be a device to do the work on; such as a laptop, tablet, or smart phone. As well as a reliable internet connection. Both of those are necessary to start working and making money online.

There are other things that you can get to further improve your work environment, but those two are absolutely necessary to begin the process of working online.

If you are interested in further improvement to your home office then you can check out my post “Building Your Remote Office”.

  • 2. Choosing Your Niche – What field? Product or Service?

The next step would be to figure out what niche you want to work in and what service or job you want to provide, or if you are selling a product, then what product are you selling and where will it be sold?

When thinking about choosing a niche, think about what excites you or motivates you, that will help in choosing something that is of value to you, which in the long run will make your product/service better and your job more enjoyable.

  • There are many different types of niches to make money in the online world;
    • Website Testing
    • “Turking” – Tasks
    • Surveys
    • Transcription
    • Writing
    • Blogging/Vlogging
    • Graphic Design

The list goes on and on.

You can learn more about the different ways you can make money online from my posts;

  • 3. Freelancing – Working for yourself or someone else?

For the most part, when working online you will be freelancing. The question to ask is, do you want to freelance for someone else’s business (I would recommend doing so for a month or two as you are learning about working online) or do you want to start your own business up? If you want to do the latter, then you will need to figure out where you want to sell your service/product.

If selling a service, then the most popular freelancing sites will be Fiverr, Upwork, and Guru.

If selling a product, then you can look at services such as Fulfillment by Amazon or selling your products on online marketplaces such as Etsy or eBay.

Once you have started making money online or figured out your product/service and have joined a platform for customers to purchase it, then you can start creating a presence on social media as well as creating bigger things such as a website.

Those are the necessary steps I believe need to be taken to start earning money online.

As a re-cap;

  • Gather Materials – Get a device to work on as well as a stable a reliable internet connection.
    • Device – Such as a laptop, tablet, or smartphone
    • Stable and reliable internet connection
  • Choose Niche – Choose the Niche or field you want to be working in. Then either join company to work with and earn $$ or Create own product/service.
    • Join Company
      • Do work – Earn $$
  • Create Product/Service
    • Join platform to sell Product or service
      • Create Social Media presence and website to get word out about Product/Service.
        • Sell Product/Service – Earn $$

I hope that these steps helped in your own journey to working and making money online.

Thanks for reading!

Top Survey/Task Sites to Earn Extra Money Online
Top Survey/Task Sites to Earn Extra Money Online

Top Survey/Task Sites to Earn Extra Money Online

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Survey sites were my bread and butter when I was first starting to learn how to make money online. They also are the type of websites that we always hear about and hear so many horror stories of scams and stolen information. While there are definitely plenty of websites out there that are just out to scam you, there are also a lot of reputable ones where you can make some decent pocket change.

While I don’t think it is really possible to make a full income through survey or task-based websites alone, I do think that they have their value and are worth taking a look at if you are just starting to learn how to make money online.

Below is a list of the top survey/task-based websites that I have used and received payment from and think are valuable sites to have in your arsenal of websites to earn money from online.

Amazon M-Turks

  • This is one of the first websites I used when I was first making money online and I think it is still one of the best surveys/task-based programs out there. This is a tasked based website where you have to do different tasks for different pay. The more tasks or “M-turks” that you do, then the higher chance you have to get higher paying “M-turks”. This is a good way to earn money with no experience as well as having a chance to advance to higher paying M-turks. I also really enjoy Amazon M-Turks because they provide payment every three days via direct deposit.

Prolific

  • This is one of my favorites when it comes to survey websites. It is based out of the U.K. so you will be paid via PayPal in British Pounds and then will have to exchange it on PayPal to your preferred currency. With that aside, this site pays very well for the amount of work done and has a minimum wage of earning at least 6pounds an hour. You will have to get at least 5 pounds to cash out and tests are first come,first served so some may not always be available, but as survey sites go, this is one of my favorites. Another reason I enjoy this website is that it is used for a lot of colleges to do research so the surveys that you participate in tend to be pretty interesting compared to some other websites.

PineCone Research

  • This is another survey site that I used when I first started out and think is worth mentioning. You get paid $3 per survey when available, the first one arrives in the mail as a check and then every other one is paid with a cash out gift card system. Even though the invites for surveys are spread out, I still think it is worth signing up for if you are just getting into making money online.

ClickWorker

  • This is a tasked based website where you can earn money by recording yourself doing sports to proof reading sentences. You can choose which tasks you want to do from a list of available tasks and can go from there. Each task is paid differently. Ones where you have to take videos are going to be paid more then other ones. I used this site when I was first starting out and think it has the opportunity to be a way to make some decent side money. Payments are made via PayPal. There are some tasks that do not pay out for 30 days so it can end up taking quite a while to get your money, that is why this is not my favorite of the sites listed. That being said I still have gotten paid, so if you’re fine waiting then there’s money to be made.

As I mentioned earlier, I don’t think that survey sites alone will provide a cushy income, but I do think that they will provide a good source of pocket change that also shows the possibilities of making money online.

I hope that this article helped and that you were able to better understand survey/task websites and maybe even found one that you want to join to start earning money online.

Thanks for reading!

top UX testing sites to earn $$$ online user experience
Top UX Testing Sites to Earn $$$ Online

Top UX Testing Sites to Earn $$$ Online

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User Experience (UX) Testing is easily one of my favorite ways to make money online.

Before I found out about UX testing I was making my money online through random survey and task sites. While those are good ways to make money, user testing is by far the superior method in terms of efficiency and time/earnings.

What is User Testing?

You may be wondering what “User Testing” even is. The basic concept to User Testing is that you “test” a client’s website by either performing set tasks or just browsing through the website as a visitor.

While doing this you explain what you are doing and your thought process during it, as you are doing so your screen is being recorded as well as audio. This is then used to help the client figure out what users like about their website and what and where to improve on.

No experience is usually necessary other than the application video. You are usually paid per video (around $10) and each video averages at around 15-20 minutes. Longer videos and face to face ones can offer the chance to earn more.

Through-out my testing career, I have tested for restaurants, banks, future games, and even for a condom website (You can specify if you want to test 18+ material). You never know what kind of site you’ll be testing next, which lends to fun and new work experiences.

Below is a list of my go to User Testing websites to start getting into the UX (User Experience) field and start making money online.

UserTesting

  • This is my top go-to site when it comes to User Testing websites. They pay $10 a test, with longer and face-to-face tests paying more. They also consistently have tests which means consistent opportunities to make money. They pay via PayPal exactly one week to the minute after you submit the test.

UserLytics

  • UserLytics is another website that I really enjoy for making money through user testing. They also pay $10 a test via PayPal with higher tests paying more. Unlike UserTesting, they do not have a consistent rate of tests to do. However, I still believe it is worth signing up with them even if it is only a few tests a month.

TryMyUI

  • Another UX website that I really like, TryMyUI pays $10 per test via PayPal usually within 4 days of completing a test and pay higher for longer tests. Just like UserLytics, their test rate can be somewhat inconsistent.

Validately

  • This is a site that I really enjoy, they have consistent opportunities for tests and pay really well (So far, I’ve seen between $10-70). The only downside is that the tests go very quickly, so you need to respond to the invite as soon as you get the email. But if you are able to do that, then this site can be very lucrative. They pay via PayPal within 1 week of your test being approved.

I think that User Testing is by far one of the best ways to start making an income online, and if you sign up for all of these programs then you will be well on your way to earning consistent money online. I hope that these websites helped lend to your journey of making money online.

Thanks for reading!

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5 Ways to Start Making Money Online With No Previous Experience

5 Ways to Start Making Money Online With No Previous Experience

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Making money online can be daunting at first. How are you supposed to do it? Where do you start? Is the money even worth it?

These questions all have varying answers depending on different factors:; such as skills, experience, and demographics.

As a rule of thumb, you usually will get paid more for the more experience that you have in a certain field. Although some (See Focus Groups below) would prefer that you don’t have any experience and will pay the same as if you did.

Below is a list of 5 different ways you can make money online with no experience.

User Testing

  • User Testing is by far my favorite way to make money online as someone starting out and with no experience. The basic concept is that you “test” a client’s website by either performing set tasks or just browsing through the website. You then explain what you are doing, as you are doing so your screen is being recorded as well as audio. This is then used to help the client figure out what users like about their website are what and where to improve on. No experience is usually necessary other than the application video. You are usually paid per video (around $10) and each video averages at around 15-20 minutes. Longer videos and face to face ones can offer the chance to earn more. I think that user-testing is one of the best paying online jobs as well as a fun one at that. Testing a bunch of different websites can be super fun because you never know what the next one will be.
      • If you are interested in User Testing you can check out my post “Top UX Testing Sites to Earn $$$ Online”, there I go through my favorite sites that I have used to make money online by User Testing.

Surveys/Tasks

  • One of the most popular ways to make money online is by doing surveys or random tasks on survey websites. This is what I did before finding out about User Testing and I do think that there is value in these sites. Although it is true that a lot of them do not pay that well or are scams, there are a few that I have found beneficial in my journey to making money online, as well as a couple that still provide quick ways to earn side cash.

Transcription

  • Transcribing is another way that you can make money online without any experience. Most transcription websites will require you to do an application test before paid work, but no experience is needed. I never got too into transcription, because 1. I am not the fastest typist and 2. I think that there are quicker ways to make money online. However, if you are interested you can find websites to work for by searching Google, many do reward you as you gain experience as well.

Writing

  • Writing is another one that you can get into without any experience. Just like transcription sites, freelance writing sites will have you take an application test and write a sample piece. A tip for this one would be to write a piece on something you enjoy or are very knowledgeable about. You can find websites to write for by searching for freelance writing jobs on Google.

Focus Groups

  • Focus groups are another really fun one to me. This is when a client will get a group of people together and ask them questions on specific topic or to try a product. A lot of focus groups are now done online and this offers an opportunity to make good money for just offering your opinion. If you are interested in focus groups and definitely recommend signing up with sites to find local tests in your area.

Those are just 5 of the many different ways that you can make money online, there are many other ways so feel free to search around and test to see what works for you.

 I hope that this has helped you get some idea of the ways you can make money online and motivates you to try some.

Thanks for reading!

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