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J0elsuf's Daily Income And Accountability Journal

j0elsuf

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Dec 15, 2020
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So I got the idea of doing this from another community I was part of that was about overcoming distractions and escapism.

Since I had to pay for that community and don't have to pay for this one, I figured that I may as well do this journal here instead.

So the point of this journal is for me to track how much money I am making and what I am doing to improve my income or at least get me to stay focused on my income goals.

My escapist activities that prevent me from doing better in my vocation/finances are the following:

-Commenting on stuff, including getting wrapped up in this very board: Something I want to hold myself to is to not comment on anything except here. So no youtube comments, no dicking around at another board, no screwing around on other threads here, none of that. Just this thread and that's it.
-Watching adult films/scrolling through online dating: I meet a lot of women through online dating and I watch adult videos for entertainment as well as to inspire me to date more attractive women, but this often gets out of hand and I need to back off on it.
-Going down dumb rabbit holes on the internet: Sometimes when I feel overwhelmed about my financial life/vocation, I'll leap down rabbit holes on youtube or something just so I can get the anxiety out of my system. Not only does this not get the anxiety out of my system but it makes me more anxious lol. So I really need to stop doing this.

So these need to be micromanaged a lot. I also do really stupid action faking, such as...

-Watching/listening to educational content and doing nothing with it: I'll be honest, this gets worse than adult videos. Cuz with adult videos I'll watch for like 10 minutes then I'm done. But watching/listening to good stuff and doing nothing with it is something I can do (and have done) for hours. Literally hours.
-Fantasizing: There is so much stuff I want to do and I'll visualize the sales coming in but do nothing to make this kind of thing happen, often because I'm afraid I might mess something up. So instead of taking action I'll just fantasize about the result I want.
-Giving good advice that I don't take myself: This is tied to my escape behavior of commenting on stuff. I'll go on an entrepreneur youtube video or something and comment to someone who is struggling "just make the content/apply to the gigs as best you can without a second thought. You can always improve so don't worry about it." Then I fail to do the exact same thing myself. That is action faking over 9000.

Something I want to do in this journal is to track every time I escaped, every time I action faked, and allow you the Fastlane community to call me out on it and give me ideas on how to improve.

Of course I'll also track my income, which comes from three sources:
-Uber Eats: This is the main one, about 3/4 of my income. A goal this year is to not need to do this so much for money since my car hates it lol.
-Writing jobs: 1/4 of my income. I want this to be 3/4 of my income by my 39th birthday (June 29th).
-Selling my own content: I don't have income from this yet, but I have made so much content. I've written 6 or so books on certain mental health topics with my niche being men who have been sexually assaulted. I also work with men who consider themselves involuntarily celibate. Those are my target markets. I do coaching and have an idea for a membership but I have no idea how to set all this up. I mean I made websites and stuff but that's about it.

I'm also going to track certain things I want to do every day. Here are those metrics:

-Wake up relatively early, a bit before 9: I usually go to bed at about 1 in the morning or so. I've tried going to bed really early and getting up super early, but it never works out well. I usually drown in escapism when I do that. My best days usually see me getting out of bed at 8:30 in the morning or so.
-Do productive things while waiting on Uber Eats requests: One of the worst things I do is waste time while waiting on Uber Eats requests and boy does that take away from my ability to build my business. So instead, I want to do productive stuff, like look for writing gigs or something.
-Apply to at least 5 writing gigs: If my goal is to replace Uber Eats with writing gigs, I'm going to need to get my name out there. I may up this to 10 but we'll see. I get sent a list of organizations who are looking for writers pretty much every day so doing this is not difficult. Its just a matter of applying and plugging in my resume. I may even buy some more connects on Upwork but from what I have seen, writing upworkers are now getting paid less than minimum wage for the stuff they do. Seriously, Upwork should have never charged freelancers to bid on projects. But its whatevs.
-Do some physical activity before bed: This doesn't need to be insane, it's not like I'm forcing myself to lift heavy weights at the gym for an hour every day (as fun as that may be, which it is), but I do need to do something. Like today I did 200 push ups and 200 squats. That will suffice.

This is going to be the year where I finally make way more than slave wages. For practically my whole life I thought that was all I was worth. I'm changing that now.
 
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j0elsuf

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Dec 15, 2020
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Here is my first entry.

Day 1

Income from Uber Eats: 114.38

Metrics I hit

-Do productive things in between Uber Eats requests: I was on the road doing Uber Eats pretty much all day today so there were no wait times.

-Do some physical activity before bed: 200 push ups and 200 squats after Uber Eats

Metrics I missed

-Apply to at least 5 writing gigs: Couldn't do this because I had to move all the stuff from the living room of my apartment to my room. I forgot that someone moved in and I was gonna do that for him. If I didn't do that, I would have applied to the gigs. No worries, I'll apply to 10 tomorrow.

-Get up before 9 in the morning: Didn't do this either, I got up a little after 10.

It kinda sucks not being able to do my writing in my living room anymore. The couch was way more comfortable than the chair I have in my room. Guess I'll need to manage.

There's a one-bedroom place right behind my complex that doesn't cost too much more than where I'm at now. I should be able to take over someone's lease there soon this way I can have a place to myself again.

I'll do more writing than Uber Eats tomorrow since I'll be watching my buddies bowl at a tournament for most of the day. I'll be bowling in it myself Sunday. I'll finish up my writing assignments and apply to gigs while watching them.

Also tomorrow's Saturday and I usually run a 5k every Saturday so there's that.
 

j0elsuf

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Day 2

Income from Uber Eats = Nothing. It rained like crazy all day. No way was I going to drive around all day in that.
Income from writing assignments = A little over $165

Metrics I hit:

-Wake up before 9 in the morning: I got up at about quarter to 9.

-Apply to at least 5 writing gigs: I applied to 10 to make up for yesterday

-Do some physical activity before bed: Couldn't run at the park because it was raining and my gym was closed by the end of the tournament. So I just went to the cardio room of my apartment complex and walked uphill for a bit. Not a 5k but ehh, it'll work.

Metrics I missed:

-Do productive things in between Uber Eats requests: Well, I didn't do Uber Eats today. Also I kinda wasted the day just hanging out with my bowling buddies. Which was fun, but definitely not too productive.

Tomorrow I physically bowl in the tournament I was just talking about. So I'll be spending most of the day doing that. I'll still apply to at least 5 writing gigs as well.

Might also drop some money on Upwork connects to put some more proposals in there. We'll see. Don't know if I should or not.

I might squeeze in a little Uber Eats before and after I bowl but we will see about that.
 

j0elsuf

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Dec 15, 2020
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Day 0 - I dun goofed and commented on a few topics in this board. Whoops. Not gonna do that again.

Anyways...

Income from Uber Eats = Nothing. It's pretty dangerous to drive my car at the moment. It needs some serious repairs before I can do any driving.
Income from writing assignments = About $30 or so. Just a couple really short articles. Fortunately I got assigned a whole lot more so I won't need to do Uber Eats anyways.

Metrics I hit:

-Exercise before the end of the day: I did a lot of physical activity today. First was a bowling tournament then I ran a 5k after that. It was just too nice outside to not go out and run.

-Apply to at least 5 writing gigs: Even though I have lots of assignments to do, I still want to look for some more writing gigs so I don't need to do Uber Eats.

Metrics I missed:

-Wake up before 9 in the morning: I got up a little before 10, about 9:30 or so. I pretty much just wanted to get up and go bowl.

So yeah, I just got assigned about 20 articles. Finished the first two tonight. Gonna try and do 3 a day until they are finished.

I'm looking for a new apartment too. I was living alone in a 4 bed/4 bath apartment until about two weeks ago. Now someone moved in and they watch TV pretty much all day. Really loud, too. Not uncomfortably loud but loud enough to where it is a distraction since I do most of my work in the living room and they of course are in the room right next to it.

I want to work in my room but it's pretty small and my wi-fi connection there is god awful and of course I need a wi-fi connection to work.

Fortunately, I found someone who is willing to rent out a room at their house for a little cheaper than I pay. I don't mind living with exactly one other person but I'm not down for living with three other people which is likely. Ugh.
 

j0elsuf

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Dec 15, 2020
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Day 1

Income from writing assignments = About $40

Metrics I hit:

-Apply to at least 5 writing gigs: I applied to exactly 5, two of them being on Upwork since they hooked me up with some connects. I keep forgetting that I can use Freelancer to bid as well.

-Do productive things in between Uber Eats requests: No Uber Eats until Thursday but I did do a ton of writing in the assignments that I just got.

Metrics I missed:

-Wake up before 9 in the morning: I was so sore from all the activity yesterday that I just could not do this.

-Do some physical activity before bed: I didn't do this either. Was just too sore.

Tomorrow was supposed to be a half day but it isn't gonna be since I took today as a half day. Was gonna just take the rest of the day off after running my 5k tomorrow but nope, not doing that at all.

I got a whole bunch of writing assignments that I need to do and I want to get about half of them done before Wednesday. Fortunately, they are pretty short so it should go down pretty quick.
 
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j0elsuf

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Day 0 - Relapsed by commenting on a couple youtube videos again. Dammit. I did get a lot of work done today however.

Income from writing assignments = About $80

Metrics I hit:

-Apply to at least 5 writing gigs: I got a free Upwork connects refill because one of my proposals got answered! So I applied to two there and three on Freelancer. Freelancer is a little worse than Upwork and finding verified clients there is not easy, but I found three that I was able to somehow trust.

-Do some physical activity before the end of the day: I ran a 5k today but couldn't finish it. It got really cold really quick and it just got really uncomfortable to run.

Metrics I missed:

-Wake up before 9 in the morning: Got up a little before 10. I really don't know why I am oversleeping so much. Tomorrow is my day off but I need to get up early to go to my mechanic to finally get the necessary repair on my car so I can do Uber Eats again.

I landed another gig on Upwork today. Hopefully this converts into continuous work. It's one step further from getting away from Uber Eats which is what I want.

I did a ton of freelance writing assignments today and even though I have tomorrow off I'll still probably do one or two anyway.
 

j0elsuf

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Day 1 - Took yesterday off.

Income from Uber Eats = $68.19
Income from writing assignments = $17.50

Metrics I hit:

-Do productive things in between Uber Eats deliveries: Did Uber Eats until 3 or so, then I went to get some information about a new place I may want to move to. Then worked on some assignments.

-Do something active before bed: Walked a little bit at the park I go for runs at after I got up then I went bowling today.

Metrics I missed:

-Apply to at least 5 writing gigs: Couldn't do this today because of the combination of bowling league and Uber Eats stuff. At least I got some assignments to work on. It isn't really easy to fit all this into one day but I'll do what I can next time.

-Wake up before 9 in the morning: I just couldn't do this. I'll be honest, I might need to move this to before 10 but I know I shouldn't. I need to keep trying to get up early however because it is necessary. I really don't like this oversleeping habit.

Tomorrow's another big day. Gonna start it early so I can turn in the assignment that is due and I will do Uber Eats during the afternoon.
 

j0elsuf

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Day 2

Income from Uber Eats = $54.23
Income from writing assignments = $40 or so

Metrics I hit:

-Some kind of physical activity before bed: Went to the weight room of my apartment complex after doing some Uber Eats for a couple hours.

-Do productive things in between Uber Eats deliveries: Did Uber Eats from 3 in the afternoon to 6 in the evening since I was working on an assignment before then. When I did turn Uber Eats on, I did 5 really lucrative deliveries. Made nearly $11 per delivery. Good stuff.

Metrics I missed:

-Wake up before 9 in the morning: I got up at 9:30. So I'm getting closer. This cold weather isn't helping lol. Makes me want to sleep in like crazy.

-Apply to at least 5 writing gigs: I would have been able to do this if I didn't do Uber Eats. But it's cool. As long as I am doing Uber Eats, writing assignments, or looking for gigs, I'll be alright. So I'll change this metric to "Apply to at least 5 writing gigs or finish at least 2 writing assignments." That makes more sense.
 
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j0elsuf

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Dec 15, 2020
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Day 3

Income, Uber Eats = $92.50
Income, writing assignments = $12.50

Metrics I hit:

-Do productive things in between Uber Eats requests: Uber Eats was all I did until I stopped. Made a lot as well. Nearly $100 in a little over 4 hours.

Metrics I missed:

-Do at least 2 writing assignments/apply to at least 5 writing gigs: I did finish one writing assignment that was due today. After that I went on a date and that got me to take the rest of the day off.

-Do some physical activity before bed: Yeah, didn't do that either cuz of the date.

-Wake up before 9 in the morning: I got a little after 9. Gonna need to get up super early tomorrow in order to make back the money I spent.

I had another date tomorrow but I might pass on it. It really depends on how good Uber Eats is. If it's anything like today was, I'll be alright and I'll go. But if not, then yeah, it ain't happening.
 

j0elsuf

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Dec 15, 2020
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Day 0 - Relapsed by commenting on a couple YouTube videos. I need to quit doing this.

Income from Uber Eats = $77.05
Income from writing assignments = $15

Metrics I hit:

-Be productive in between Uber Eats requests: As soon as I turned it on, I did deliveries until I turned it off. Made almost as much today as yesterday too, good stuff.

-Do physical activity before bed: 100 push ups and 100 squats.

Metrics I missed:

-Wake up before 9 in the morning: I should have done this, but my neighbors were throwing a rager last night. It kept me up until like 4 or so in the morning. I wound up waking up quarter after 9. Went to bed early too but as soon as that rager started at 2, there was no way I could fall back asleep.

-Do at least 2 writing assignments or apply to at least 5 writing gigs: Wrote in my blog instead of doing the writing assignments but I did do 1 writing assignment.

So today I was supposed to have another date but the chick bailed. Used the time to write in my blog but I got carried away. That's how it is whenever I make content.

I DID get an offer from my most recent customer to write more for them. So that's a massive win. They want 10 more articles. I'm charging $700 for them and I'll see what he says in response.

Freelance work on Upwork tends to be on the cheap side so I'm trying not to intimidate this particular client. We'll see.
 

j0elsuf

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Day 1

Income from Uber Eats = $84.27
Income from writing assignments = $30

Metrics I hit:

-Be productive in between Uber Eats requests: Like yesterday, the requests were one after the other. I'm very thankful for it. Was very nice to make what I made in such a short amount of time.

-Wake up before 9 in the morning: Finally did this. Got up about a quarter before 9.

-Do some physical activity before bed: Went to the weight room of my apartment complex.

-Do two writing assignments or apply to 5 writing gigs: I just got done doing two writing assignments. Good stuff, easy peasy.

So something I've been doing when the year began was to go for a walk around a pond that's about 5 minutes from my apartment complex right after getting up.

I'm real glad I did this because it has been improving how I deal with my morning routines. Instead of just mindlessly watching stuff on YouTube while waiting for my first Uber Eats request, I'll turn on Uber Eats then go for a walk around the pond while waiting for my first request. Good stuff.

The customer who I just wrote for wants me to write more for him but he's trying to get me to charge less money. I'm not going to let that happen. No way. So I'm trying to negotiate a higher rate with him.
 
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j0elsuf

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Day 0: Relapsed by commenting on a YouTube video. I really need to transform these comments I make into content that I can make especially when it comes to stuff like wrestling, which I have lots of opinions on.

Anyways...

Income from Uber Eats = $76.09
Income from writing assignments = $20

Metrics I hit:

-Do productive things in between Uber Eats requests: This took me a while but I did it. I wrote in my blog a little bit while waiting. Uber Eats started slow but it got really good towards the end. Really digging these $75+ days especially when I'm only driving for 4 or so hours. I made just under $7 per delivery. Nothing to it!

-Finish at least 2 writing assignments or apply to at least 5 writing gigs: Just got done with this. I'm counting writing in my blog as a writing assignment. Did that as well as an assignment for a customer. I'm nearly done with the bulk order too.

-Physical activity before bed: This one was frustrating. I usually run a 5k on Tuesdays, but it was cold and raining. So I couldn't do that outside. So my next best choice was the cardio room of my apartment complex. But someone was using the only treadmill there. My last option, the gym, was available so I went there but I don't like going there because of how crowded it is. I'm convinced I contracted COVID from there in September. Instead of running a 5k I just walked uphill for a half hour. Running on a treadmill just doesn't feel right for me which is why I opted to walk uphill.

Metrics I missed:

-Wake up before 9 in the morning: I woke up a little after 9, about quarter after. Didn't really make much of a difference since I was productive all the same. I think the reason why I am oversleeping so much is because it has been overcast outside for a little over a week. Overcast weather just makes me feel really sluggish especially when it's cold outside.

Tomorrow is my "freestyle" day. Probably not going to do Uber Eats since I want to update my journal, but I'll try to do a little writing.
 

j0elsuf

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Day 1

Income from Uber Eats = $63.68
Income from bowling competition = $30

Decided to get into some brackets during bowling league. Turned out to be a good decision and I won a little bit of money.

Metrics I hit:

Do physical activity before bed: Bowling was my physical activity today.

Do productive things in between Uber Eats requests: Uber Eats was like usual, the requests only stopped when I stopped.

Metrics I missed:

Get up before 9 in the morning: I decided to sleep in a bit today. Got up a little after 10 but I needed it.

Do at least 2 writing assignments/apply to at least 5 writing gigs: I bowled instead of doing this. Guess it didn't matter since I made money bowling either way.

Tomorrow will be more of the same: Uber Eats during the morning, writing assignments in the evening. It's a good rhythm I'm getting in that is really effective.
 

j0elsuf

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Dec 15, 2020
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Day 2

Income from Uber Eats = 67.71
Income from writing assignments = 15

Metrics I hit:

Physical activity before bed: Weight room at my apartment complex, nothing new there.

Do productive things in between Uber Eats requests: There wasn't any wait time in between requests so I did this too.

Get up before 9 in the morning: Did this, but not the way I wanted to. I woke up at 7 or so with one of my ears being completely blocked. It prevented me from falling back asleep. It's fine now, but we'll see if that's the case after I sleep tonight. Might need to do an earwax irrigation alongside my impending work physical. I was really sluggish today for sure.

Metrics I missed:

Finish at least 2 writing assignments or apply to at least 5 writing gigs: I did a little more than one writing assignment. I was so sluggish from undersleeping today that I didn't do as much as I wanted. Weak.

I did get the prize money from a bowling tournament that I competed in 2 months ago, however. Wasn't expecting that so that's nice.

I'll get on the rest of these assignments tomorrow. Hopefully I won't get woken up by anything crazy.
 
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j0elsuf

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Day 0: Relapsed and commented on a number of different YouTube videos. Not good.

Still did pretty well however.

Income from Uber Eats = $78.08
Income from writing assignments = $25

Metrics I hit:

-Do productive things in between Uber Eats requests: There was a decent amount of time between a couple requests, and I did a little bit of shopping in between.

-Finish at least two writing assignments or apply to at least five writing gigs: Did two assignments. Wanted more, but I lost my focus.

-Wake up before 9 in the morning: I got up at quarter to 9.

-Do physical activity before bed: Ran a 5k. Did well too for not being able to run a 5k in a little over a week, just under 30 minutes.

Today was a good day, but it could have been a lot better. I was really distracted today.

But if today was a "bad" day for me then my good ones are going to be awesome.
 

Lyinx

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You might want to look into apps/extensions that block you from YouTube.. do a YouTube or internet cleanse where you have a limited amount of sites that you can go online with...
Just a thought...
 

j0elsuf

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do a YouTube or internet cleanse where you have a limited amount of sites that you can go online with...
Just a thought...
I actually do this during the last week of every month for three days. I pretty much put all my devices in airplane mode, limiting me to being offline without any calls or texts coming in.

However starting this journal might prevent me from doing that since I check in every day except Wednesday (my day off).

Keep in mind, it isn't like I'm wasting hours scrolling through comments trying to see how I can get the biggest lulz but just comment scrolling for like 10 minutes is something I want to try to stop...on my own too, not with the assistance of some program.
 
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j0elsuf

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Day 1

Income from Uber Eats = $83
Income from writing assignments = $40

Metrics I hit:

-Wake up before 9 in the morning: I got up at quarter to 9 again, good stuff. Now that all the overcast weather is over around here, it is much easier for me to get up and get going.

-Do productive things in between Uber Eats requests: The requests keep coming in one after the other which is nice.

-Finish at least two writing assignments or apply to at least 5 gigs: I wrote enough to where it would be considered that I finished two writing assignments. A little over 3000 words total.

-Do physical activity before bed: 100 push ups and 100 squats.

Today was damn good. I stayed on task and got a lot done. Caught myself commenting on stuff here but I didn't go through with it and went right back to work. It was on the thread about Parler. I unfollowed the thread since I know that it distracts me.

Tomorrow is MLK day so I might not get as many Uber Eats requests. I'll definitely apply to some gigs. Gotta see what kinds of doctors will accept my health insurance too since I might have an ear infection. My right ear gets blocked when I sleep and its very annoying. Gonna post about it in the health category to see if I can get some answers.
 

j0elsuf

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Day 2

Income from Uber Eats = 60.99
Income from writing assignments = 18

Metrics I hit:

-Finish at least 2 assignments or apply to at least 5 gigs: I finished 1 assignment and applied to 3 gigs, so I did a little of both.

-Do productive things in between Uber Eats requests: Despite today being a holiday, it was still pretty busy. So it was back to back which is nice.

-Do some physical activity before bed: Instead of lifting weights, I actually got a substantial amount of bowling practice in. This was a little bit after I started doing Uber Eats for the day.

Metrics I missed:

-Wake up before 9 in the morning: Every now and then, I'll have weird dreams that I want to "finish," sending me back to sleep when I should be up and doing stuff. This morning was one of them. I didn't oversleep a lot, only about a half hour, but still.

All things considered, today was a decent day. The bowling practice went really well and I can't wait to take what I've been working on next time I bowl for real. Was decent exercise too since we bowled like 7 or so games.

I got more assignments added to my queue so I'll do what I can to knock those out tomorrow.
 

BizyDad

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When I was just getting started, making $100 a day was a good goal. $3000/mo is a livable wage (depending on where you live and your roommate situation). Its livable, but it ain't living.

You're basically there. Congrats.

But I'm not seeing anything on here about getting past that level. What's next? You want to land a gig in writing? How many jobs have you applied for?
 
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j0elsuf

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When I was just getting started, making $100 a day was a good goal. $3000/mo is a livable wage (depending on where you live and your roommate situation). Its livable, but it ain't living.
Yeah I'm just starting to realize that. It's sad but only five short years ago $2k a month seemed out of reach. This is what happens when you think you can't do better than an entry-level job.

I mean anybody can turn on Uber Eats and deliver stuff for 12 hours a day and make over $100 a day. Now that I know that, I want to do something a bit more rewarding that is just as fun.
I'm not seeing anything on here about getting past that level.
I'll be honest, I don't have any idea of how to get past that level. Literally nobody in my life taught me any business/vocation skills, it's been nothing but trial and error for me.

That's only cuz maintaining my mental health was more of a career for me than any kind of vocation. Might come across as an excuse and maybe it is but that's just how things shook out for my 20s and most of my 30s.

Literally the only thing I know how to do is write. I know nothing else. And even with writing I don't think I'm that great.

Learning about the craft of freelance writing is fun, however. More fun than the stuff I usually do for fun like gaming and stuff.

What's next? You want to land a gig in writing? How many jobs have you applied for?
I usually apply to about 5 a day. As of this month, I've applied to about 20 or so.

But I don't put in much effort and I do this to avoid being anxious. I usually just put in my info, give them my resume and my website and that's about it. Just like when I looked for entry-level jobs back in the day; just apply to stuff without a second thought. I don't bother with cover letters since I heard most who hire writers don't even read cover letters.

S'Funny, I used to do sales in my 20s the same way. I would immediately try to close within like 30 seconds into the pitch lol. Good god, I must have taken and left 15 or so different telemarketing and sales jobs during that decade of my life.

I want to learn about writing gigs and freelance writing but the more I learn, the more overwhelmed I get, the more I think I don't know enough, and the more action faking I do. So I figure the best thing I do is just apply to stuff, throw heaps of crap at the wall and see what sticks.

I'll be real honest, if I can't hack it in freelance writing by the time I turn 40 (18 or so months from now), I'm pretty much just gonna give up and go back to entry-level stuff since if I can't get it by then, it's clearly not for me.

So yeah, I kinda don't have a choice. But that observation tends to paralyze me under the pressure more than get me to take better action.

Really what I'm trying to do right now is get myself to escape less. Then once I get that down, I'll be able to improve things and land a decent writing gig. But for now I want to focus on being able to be very productive.
 
Last edited:

j0elsuf

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Dec 15, 2020
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Day 3

Income from Uber Eats = 61.22

Metrics I hit:

-Wake up before 9 in the morning: Got up at quarter to 9, this is getting easier now that it isn't overcast outside all the time.

-Do productive things in between Uber Eats deliveries: Uber Eats was pretty slow today. I did my laundry in between requests.

-Apply to 5 writing gigs or finish 2 writing assignments: I applied to 5 writing gigs. Took a break from assignments even though there are 4 that I need to do. I'll knock em out next.

-Do physical activity before bed: Ran a 5k. A really good 5k as well: Weather was fantastic and my time was pretty decent, about 28 and a half minutes.

Tomorrow is my day off/"freestyle" day, but I'm not going to treat it like a lazy day. I'll be productive in some way during it.
 

BizyDad

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Yeah I'm just starting to realize that. It's sad but only five short years ago $2k a month seemed out of reach. This is what happens when you think you can't do better than an entry-level job.

I mean anybody can turn on Uber Eats and deliver stuff for 12 hours a day and make over $100 a day. Now that I know that, I want to do something a bit more rewarding that is just as fun.

I'll be honest, I don't have any idea of how to get past that level. Literally nobody in my life taught me any business/vocation skills, it's been nothing but trial and error for me.

That's only cuz maintaining my mental health was more of a career for me than any kind of vocation. Might come across as an excuse and maybe it is but that's just how things shook out for my 20s and most of my 30s.

Literally the only thing I know how to do is write. I know nothing else. And even with writing I don't think I'm that great.

Learning about the craft of freelance writing is fun, however. More fun than the stuff I usually do for fun like gaming and stuff.


I usually apply to about 5 a day. As of this month, I've applied to about 20 or so.

But I don't put in much effort and I do this to avoid being anxious. I usually just put in my info, give them my resume and my website and that's about it. Just like when I looked for entry-level jobs back in the day; just apply to stuff without a second thought. I don't bother with cover letters since I heard most who hire writers don't even read cover letters.

S'Funny, I used to do sales in my 20s the same way. I would immediately try to close within like 30 seconds into the pitch lol. Good god, I must have taken and left 15 or so different telemarketing and sales jobs during that decade of my life.

I want to learn about writing gigs and freelance writing but the more I learn, the more overwhelmed I get, the more I think I don't know enough, and the more action faking I do. So I figure the best thing I do is just apply to stuff, throw heaps of crap at the wall and see what sticks.

I'll be real honest, if I can't hack it in freelance writing by the time I turn 40 (18 or so months from now), I'm pretty much just gonna give up and go back to entry-level stuff since if I can't get it by then, it's clearly not for me.

So yeah, I kinda don't have a choice. But that observation tends to paralyze me under the pressure more than get me to take better action.

Oh wow. Ok. So that's where we're at. Ok. Got it.

So... Maybe you and me aren't so different. I mean, I relate to a lot of what you said, it took me back a bit.

But there is one way that I know we're different. I have never doubted my ability to learn whatever I need to learn to get to where I need to get to.

And I never set deadlines on myself for the learning. What is this b.s. 40 yr old rule? after that you're just going to work entry level jobs the rest of your life?

No. No. No.

You're better than that. If writing is your thing, dedicate the next 5 years of your life to becoming the greatest writer you possibly can be.

I applaud you for taking action instead of goofing around. The most important thing about being a writer is actually writing.

But there's a lot of free resources out there on how to hone your writing. How much are you educating yourself into improving your writing?

Do you want to be the kind of writer who writes novels? Screenplays? TV episodes? Sales copy? Technical manuals? Resumes for other people? Blogs? Reporting?

You're just getting started, and freelance writing is one step up from Uber eats. But you sound like you're ready to quit your fast lane journey on some BS 18-month deadline.

In an 18 months, you wouldn't have even gotten on the fast lane (hopefully you've read the books).

Fantasizing: There is so much stuff I want to do and I'll visualize the sales coming in but do nothing to make this kind of thing happen, often because I'm afraid I might mess something up. So instead of taking action I'll just fantasize about the result I want.

This is not such a bad thing.

Fantasies are the beginning of goals, goals become the beginning of plans, plans become the beginning of habits, and habits form the foundation for the rest of your life.

The key really is for you to figure out what your ideal fantasy is, what do you want your ideal day in your life to look like 10 years down the road? Then start taking steps to get there.

Your journey is already begun. You've achieved a relatively stable income stream. You're self-sufficient and confident enough to talk to many women, so you've got some things going for you. Build on that. Focus on your positives, you can run 5K. Start envisioning what that life 10 years from now is like, what kind of job are you doing or what kind of business do you have? What does your day-to-day look like? And keep taking steps towards that.

Read some more of the gold threads on this forum. There's plenty of people who have been where you've been and have gotten to financial independence.

Some do it in just a few years. Everyone has a different journey, everyone has a different struggle. But they're no better than you.

Keep your head up. Good luck. Hth.
 
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j0elsuf

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What is this b.s. 40 yr old rule? after that you're just going to work entry level jobs the rest of your life?
I'm just saying that if I'm still struggling to make over $100 a day doing freelance writing, then it isn't meant to be. Don't want to waste time. I'm already been doing freelance writing for a little under 4 years already so if I'm not making significant progress by summer of 2022 then it's clearly not meant to be.

My problem is that I never know if I'm learning enough, I get overwhelmed by all the info that is out there, and I'm resolved to just throwing crap at the wall and seeing if it sticks at this point.
 

j0elsuf

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Dec 15, 2020
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Day 0: Relapsed by commenting on a YouTube video...twice. Still did a decent amount of work given that today was a half day.

Income from Uber Eats: 26.30
Income from assignments: 25
Income from bowling: 36 in, 75 out (profit of 39)

Metrics I hit:

-Do at least 2 assignments or apply to at least 5 writing gigs: 2 assignments today. Well it was one 2000 word assignment and given that the common assignment is about 1000 words, this counts for two of em.

-Physical activity before bed: This was bowling league. Which went very well today by the way.

-Do productive things in between Uber Eats requests: I'm redoing most of my blog. Did this in between Uber Eats requests. I'll keep doing that in between requests.

Metrics I missed:

-Wake up before 9 in the morning: Got up a little before 10.

I did Uber Eats during the afternoon today which wasn't the best idea. Requests were pretty slow but it gave me time to start updating my blog, which I might put in my signature.

Had to do my assignments at a food joint today since my roommates were making noise. One of them had one of his buddies over and they were extremely loud. Could not concentrate at all during this.

I blazed through the article at breakneck speed once I was at the food joint however. For some reason, this happens a lot when I do writing at a public place. My focus just goes up by over 9000.

Tomorrow is gonna be a long day. Tons of driving and writing because I need to cut Saturday in half since I'm spending time with a chick I'm going out with.
 

j0elsuf

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Dec 15, 2020
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Day 1

Income from Uber Eats: 65.30
Income from assignments = 20

Metrics I hit:

-Do productive things in between Uber Eats requests: I worked on my blog a bit. What I'm doing is taking the articles on one blog, fixing most of them, then putting them on a different website. So that's a little assignment that I'm doing in between requests.

-Physical activity before bed: Lifted weights after doing the deliveries.

Metrics I missed:

-Wake up before 9 in the morning: It was ridiculously overcast out this morning, so much so that my room was just as dark when I woke up as it was when I went to sleep. It was a struggle for me to wake up. I've also been dealing with a minor headache that just won't go away. I stay hydrated too so it isn't that. Gotta be something else. Doubt that its COVID related but still. It's really annoying to deal with.

-Finish at least 2 writing assignments or apply to at least 5 writing gigs: I got close. I'd say about 1 and a half assignments.

Tomorrow will be a half-day since the gf (in progress) will be hanging out with me. So I'll check in at 6 instead of 10.
 
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j0elsuf

Bronze Contributor
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
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Dec 15, 2020
142
150
Day 2 - Checking in early since I'm ending my day early since the gf is coming over.

Income from Uber Eats: 41.32

Metrics I hit:

-Do productive things in between Uber Eats requests: The requests were one after the other but there were a lot of complications today. A lot of wait times to get stuff, then when I was delivering stuff, the patron wouldn't show up. I usually cancel one delivery for every 10, today I did 7 and had to cancel 2 because of this. That's why I only made about half of what I usually make.

-Physical activity before bed: Ran a 5k and did a couple more laps as well. Just hit under 30 minutes for the 5k.

Metrics I missed:

-Wake up before 9 in the morning: In my attempt to get rid of this perpetual small headache I've been getting for the last few days, I decided to oversleep. Didn't work as I am still struggling with this slight headache. This better go away soon because it's annoying. And I don't usually get headaches so this is really weird.

-Do 2 assignments or apply for 5 gigs: Well I couldn't do this because today's a half day. Otherwise I'd be doing them now.

My next half day is usually Tuesday but instead today will be the half day and I'll put in a full day on Tuesday.

Got a bowling tournament tomorrow too but I'll be able to still do what I need to do before and after.
 

j0elsuf

Bronze Contributor
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
106%
Dec 15, 2020
142
150
Day 3:

Income from Uber Eats: 47.71
Income from assignments: 22.50

Metrics I hit:

Do productive things in between Uber Eats requests: The requests came one after the other right after I turned it on just like usual.

Wake up before 9 in the morning: I woke up at quarter to 9 so I could do just a couple more deliveries before going to my bowling tournament.

Do physical activity before bed: This was the bowling tournament.

Metrics I missed:

Finish at least 2 writing assignments or apply to at least 5 gigs: I did about 1 and a half assignments, some of which was done while watching the rest of the tournament.

The tournament didn't go too well. I got to the round of 32 which was to be expected, but then got KO'd in the round of 32 by 10 pins. I wasn't impressed at all with how I did to be honest.

Tomorrow Uber Eats is doing a promotion where I get bonuses for completed deliveries. So that will be nice.
 

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