Income Report: August - and a Time to Pause

As mentioned over the last few months, I've had a bit of an existential crisis with my side hustles. No focus, no motivation and...ultimately no progress.

And when I look back to my entries over the last several months (and we're talking way back into 2019), there really wasn't much of shift in the needle. 

Sure, I've taken on a bit more writing. And, yes, my stock dividend approach has been supportive. But I'm really spinning wheels and not really on any path right now.

So I've decided to pause these entries. I don't know for how long. It could be a month. It could be a year. It could be longer. Maybe I'll come back with quarterly updates.

I can't kid myself any longer that my side ventures and passive income will get me anywhere close to achieving financial freedom. It's not happening. I just need to take a step away and quietly work on myself and the income streams before coming back. 

It's time to declutter things I do for the sake of doing (e.g. these posts) and put my energy into areas that add value. At the moment, this blog isn't adding much value for me - it's simply a reminder of how slow my progress is. I also need to focus on my Financial Jobs Hunt site.

So, for now, it's one last round-up of how things went:

Resume Writing: $0. If I can make the time, this one has legs going into a major global recession. I just haven't made the time.

Additional Writing: $230.  My regular writing gig is ticking over. That's the one constant.

Stock Dividends: $205. This is the other pillar in my numbers. Consistent enough.

Interest: $15. I'm guessing it's something like that but I need to work smarter here as well.

Ebooks: $0. Nope. There's a load of value in these books. 100%. They are based on work I've actually done as a practitioner. But marketing isn't my strong point. And I need to do more. (Beginner's Guide to Online Side Hustles, Cryptocurrency Job Hunting for Non-Techies, The Simple Guide to a Winning LinkedIn Profile, and Craft a Winning Resume).

Coaching: $0. No sessions.

Other: $0. Nothing to add.

Total: $450. It's nice to have this. But if I'm being honest I haven't pushed on. So this is a time for reflection and re-evaluation. Hopefully, I'll be able to come back firing on all cylinders. Hopefully. I have to act intentionally. Building income online is the way forward.

Income report: July

Well, my existential crisis continues with my side hustles.

I'm still struggling to motivate myself. But to be fair I did take a step back this month to try to understand what I'm looking to achieve. I did a Coursera course called 'Mindshift'. Essentially, it was about shifting your perspective on learning in relation to your career and life. In other words, it's time to really get on top of upskilling and refocusing.

So it's still a state of pause. That's life. Hopefully, I'll have more to add next month.

Anyway, time for the roundup:

Resume Writing: $0. So not on my radar right now....

Additional Writing: $230.  My regular writing gig is ticking over.

Stock Dividends: $83. Quite quiet.

Interest: $15. This is piddling away in the background.

Ebooks: $2. Still quiet. Still undermarketed. Still an asset that's paying (Beginner's Guide to Online Side Hustles, Cryptocurrency Job Hunting for Non-Techies, The Simple Guide to a Winning LinkedIn Profile, and Craft a Winning Resume).

Coaching: $0. No sessions.

Other: $0. Nothing to add.

Total: $330. That's life. Onwards and upwards.

Income Report: June

Without a shadow of a doubt, I'm having a bit of an existential crisis with my side hustles. I'm simply struggling to motivate myself to move on to the next level. I can't really deny it as I've been spinning plates for a while. I've got myself an accountability partner to hopefully help me push on. I've also signed up for an online program by motivational dude Mike Gillette to kick my arse and embrace courage.

After all, I have a philosophy for life (push for financial freedom), a view on where the world of work is going (it's collapsing around our ears as we speak) and I've got a range of skills that can (and have in the past) made me income. But....I just struggle to push on.

I know I lack goals, discipline and a review process. Maybe getting to grip with those areas would be big for me. But this moment in time I'm just in a state of pause. And we all have moments like that. That's what it's like to be human. Still, I do need to have a bit more courage.

Anyway, time for the roundup:

Resume Writing: $0. The potential client I had lined up has gone quiet. But I've also turned down work. I'm just not that fussed right now.

Additional Writing: $230.  My regular writing gig is ticking over.

Stock Dividends: $185. Still good - still giving me my passive stream.

Interest: $15. This is piddling away in the background.

Ebooks: $2. Still quiet. Still undermarketed. Still an asset that's paying (Beginner's Guide to Online Side Hustles, Cryptocurrency Job Hunting for Non-Techies, The Simple Guide to a Winning LinkedIn Profile, and Craft a Winning Resume).

Coaching: $0. No sessions.

Other: $0. Nothing to add.

Total: $432. That's ok. Time to refine my approach.

Income report: May

COVID-19 has really changed the way I'm looking at all of this. But at the same time, it's pushed me further into paralysis. I know that the way forward is multiple streams of income. I've always thought that. But now I'm a bit stuck in my head as to what I should be pursuing and what's the best return on my energy.

Maybe it's a luxury that I'm thinking all of this with a job to fall back on, income streams that I can go back to, and a bit of a financial buffer as well. But I'm scared that if the push comes to the shove I'll be overwhelmed by a need to generate a sufficient level of income.

I keep jumping around as to what I should be learning as well. After all, I realize that I can't stay static with my income-generating skills and I haven't done much in recent years. Again, putting cash to work to upskill is a luxury that not everyone can afford. I'm just fully aware that I need to strike now before the world really turns and circumstances force my hand rather than the other way around. But motivation, focus, and confidence aren't the best at the moment.

In other words, I'm not happy with my current portfolio, current positioning, and current direction. I need to not be simply copy-pasting the same income narrative month in, month out because that isn't going to be good enough in a few years' time.

Ok, that's enough of my existential crisis for now. This has been my month:

Resume Writing: $0. Still waiting for my client to get their act together and kick off our agreed contract.

Additional Writing: $230.  This is my regular writing gig which is ticking over well right now.

Stock Dividends: $1,045. As mentioned recently, this passive income approach is not foolproof, as many companies have suspended their dividend payments recently. But it continues to pay me cash periodically. I need to keep reinvesting it in the market, which is quite hard in this volatile period.

Interest: $15. This will tick over at this steady level. I have no intention of pushing harder for this, given the low-interest rate world we live in.

Ebooks: $2. Still quiet. Amazon isn't working much for me, but I've managed to sell on Kobo. (Beginner's Guide to Online Side Hustles, Cryptocurrency Job Hunting for Non-Techies, The Simple Guide to a Winning LinkedIn Profile, and Craft a Winning Resume).

Coaching: $0. No sessions.

Other: $0. No special add-ons this month.

Total: $1,292. Saved by my dividend payments. I'm kind of a bit lost at the moment.  

Income Report: April

It's been another crazy month with all things coronavirus. I've been thinking long and hard about what this will all mean in 6, 12, 24, etc months from now. Things will most certainly change. And I know that I still haven't stepped up to the plate to make sure I will adapt to it properly. This isn't just about me, it's about my family.

So I've taken a bit of time to rethink my goals and approach (again). The more I talk about this, the more I know how pressing it is.

I can look back on these income reports and see similar patterns. Similar excuses. By next month's report, I intend to have in place better systems, accountability, defined goals, energy and so on.

I just know that what's gone before won't work in the future. And I'm kind of scared that I'm sleepwalking right into it - only with my eyes open. And that includes stepping up more for my day job, not just my hustles.

I've run out of excuses. Things need to change.

Anyway, this has been my month.

Resume Writing: $0. I actually have a new client here but I'm not going to book it here until I get confirmation on it and get paid. That will come to about $192.

Additional Writing: $230.  I have my regular writing gig which is ticking over well right now.

Stock Dividends: $176. No passive income approach is foolproof. And thanks to the coronavirus and the fact that some companies have been forced to suspend dividend payments, I've taken a bit of a hit with some payments that would have been due to me in April. Still, I will continue to apply this approach for the long term.

Interest: $15. Lower interest rates have hurt anyone relying on leaving money in the bank. I've taken a bit of a hit here but it's not where my focus is going to be. Still, I can't ignore it as an income element.

Ebooks: $2. Quiet. Amazon isn't working much for me. But I know that going into more trying times these books will help people (Beginner's Guide to Online Side Hustles, Cryptocurrency Job Hunting for Non-Techies, The Simple Guide to a Winning LinkedIn Profile, and Craft a Winning Resume).

Coaching: $0. No sessions.

Other: $75. I redeemed points from a couple of credit cards this month in the form of cashback and a supermarket voucher. Cash is cash. It all counts.

Total: $498. Not bad. I can certainly push on from here. That's my focus going forward. 

Income Report: March

We are living in challenging times. When I wrote last month's report, I had no expectation that we would be in such a state of social and economic lockdown.

I now have no doubt that when we come out of all of this, many things would have changed. Some good - hopefully, we'll be able to make more time for our fellow man and the environment. Some, not so good - the economic ramifications are going to be sizeable and possibly lasting.

As for building side income, I still completely believe that we should all have that in our makeup. Some that are able to navigate all of this the best are those that aren't 100% reliant on their day job for cash flow and meaning.

At the same time, the idea of striving for millions of pounds, dollars or whatever the relevant currency, isn't top of my list. Maybe it never was. But I do feel that sometimes "enough is enough". The time I would be spending to build a bigger and more lucrative enterprise could perhaps be better invested in time spent with friends and family. That's today's viewpoint anyway.

Fundamentally, though, I still have the desire to keep creating so that I have options. A portfolio career provides that. So I'll continue to work on my site Finance Jobs Hunt, attract more writing gigs and make sure I can monetize more online. 

In the meantime, in terms of this month:

Resume Writing: $0. I've decided that I don't want to continue to freelance for the UK company at the moment. At the same time, the onset of the recession will provide so many opportunities for me to build my own thing.

Additional Writing: $176.  My new PeoplePerHour writing gig continues. It's a regular writing option for me, which is good.

Stock Dividends: $0.  No dividend payments for me this month, though dividends remain a cornerstone for me.  It's an investment strategy that works. I bought some more exchange-traded funds this month. It's about the long game.

Interest: $28. It ticks along but is never going to move the dial.

Ebooks: $3. Still need to push this more. I've signed up for Feiyr.com and am waiting to get some momentum with my collection (Beginner's Guide to Online Side Hustles, Cryptocurrency Job Hunting for Non-Techies, The Simple Guide to a Winning LinkedIn Profile and Craft a Winning Resume).

Coaching: $0. No sessions.

Other: $0. 

Total: $207. Nothing major this month. But now's the time to double down before the recession wave kicks in. My job is safe enough for now. But that can change overnight. Now I need to get things moving.

Income Report: February

The coronavirus has been another one of those life wakeup calls. You see, I live in Asia, the ground zero of all of this craziness. Everyone's wearing masks, we've had panic buying in toilet roll, and paranoia is the order of the day

In years to come, we'll look back and think, "Why were we so worried about it all?" At least, that's what I'm hoping. I may not be an expert on viruses but what I do know is that people are looking at the ramifications of the COVID-19 spread.

Just talking to friends, there's a real sense that the fallout from all of this will be big job losses as companies cut back on investment and try to streamline their operations. Maybe the doom and gloom tone is slightly excessive here, but no one should be surprised if there's more pain to come.

So, my focus again is to make sure I don't rely on my day job. That's always been my goal. The portfolio career. And particularly one geared around online income. The coronavirus has just brought it back into focus.

I need to keep working on my site Finance Jobs Hunt, attract more writing gigs and make sure I can monetize more online. I need to get more sophisticated about all of this: my philosophy, my business approach, and my use of technology.

In the meantime, in terms of this month:

Resume Writing: $0. Not on my list to advance just now. But I will return to it.

Additional Writing: $130.  I managed to get a regular writing gig through PeoplePerHour, which started in the middle of the month. It's all about the stock market. This should be a nice earner for me going forward.

Stock Dividends: $250.  Dividends are a cornerstone for me and I've generated a bit of income again during the month.  It's an investment strategy that works. I bought a few more exchange-traded funds this month that should help with dividend numbers over the coming years.

Interest: $28. It ticks along but is never going to move the dial.

Ebooks: $6. Just a little bit of traction in this once again. I've signed up for Feiyr.com so I will see whether I can get some momentum in a few of my books there (Beginner's Guide to Online Side Hustles, Cryptocurrency Job Hunting for Non-Techies, The Simple Guide to a Winning LinkedIn Profile and Craft a Winning Resume).

Coaching: $0. No sessions.

Other: $0. 

Total: $414. February was a step up from January, which had been an all-time low. But ultimately I'm still playing the long game.

At the same time, I also realize that I need to accelerate some of my efforts, what with my thinking about the coronavirus. It's about working smarter. Leverage what I already have. Outsource where I can. Make sure I continue to move forward. Time to walk the walk.

Income Report: January

New year, new re-set.

Essentially, I've now switched to playing a long game to making additional income. It was great being transactional, picking up dollars here and there. But to meet my goal of trading less time for money I've been turning down some gigs in order to focus on longer-term business building.

Because of my longer-term focus, I've invested more time in learning. This month I've started the long road to learn some coding. Python, to be precise. I have no intention or expectation of becoming a coding expert. What I do realize, however, is that I need to add a few extra skills to my core offering in order to remain relevant.

I'm also continuing my learning about SEO, relevant in the development of my website. This is a slower slog than I was framing for a year ago. But hopefully, some of this upfront effort will put me on a firmer footing going forward.

My goal is to have a solid foundation in 2020. In the long term, I hope to be able to completely or substantially replace my current salary. But that's not reasonable thinking at the moment.

Still, I do know that I have to keep creating, keep experimenting and keep learning.

Anyway, so to start the year, it's been monumentally slow:

Resume Writing: $0. I turned down work on this front. At the moment I'm not ready to jump into this. That said, it will still be relevant to future income streams if possible

Additional Writing: $0.  Nope. Didn't look for any and wasn't approached.

Stock Dividends: $0.  It wasn't my month for getting paid any dividends. Still, it's an investment strategy that works. I'll keep investing and I'll keep picking up dividends.

Interest: $28. It ticks along but is never going to move the dial.

Ebooks: $4. Got a few sales late in the month on changing a few keywords on Amazon. I plan to add a few books to a new platform this month so we'll see what happens. (Beginner's Guide to Online Side Hustles, Cryptocurrency Job Hunting for Non-Techies, The Simple Guide to a Winning LinkedIn Profile and Craft a Winning Resume).

Coaching: $0. No sessions. 

Other: $0. 

Total: $32. The only way is up. This is an all-time low. I probably made more on the interest front than I've recorded, to be fair. But it will hardly move the needle.

This is a year of building, however. My website. Using what I already have. Using what's worked well before. Looking for higher-paying writing gigs. Shaping a proper portfolio career. If I'm making  $32 on the side in a year's time I will be a bit bothered. For now, it's fine.

Income Report: December

There's really very little to report for December. My focus has been to work on my website. It's less to do with monetizing it right now and more about building up traffic.

It's a slow hard slog. But if money-making was that easy everyone would be doing it! Or maybe I'm not being smart enough about it...

Looking over the year as a whole, I've dipped my toe into a few new areas and haven't pushed on that much (e.g. Merch). I've cut back on some areas (e.g. resume writing and freelance writing). I've been happy with the advancement of some areas (e.g. dividend investing and the building of my new site).

2020 is most likely going to be about the passive areas in the main, with some active work on top.

I do know what the long-term "feel" for my income is - it's about creating freedom. I just don't know what route I'll take to do so. Plenty of trial and error to be had.

Anyway, I'll observe how this plays out in 2020. In the meantime, this is how the month played out.

Resume Writing: $0. Nothing doing here. I have been approached to write a bio for someone. If I get the gig (I purposely priced it high), it will be something for January

Additional Writing: $0.  Nope. I was approached for what would have been a regular writing gig. But the pricing was awful. But at least people are approaching me still

Stock Dividends: $0.  It wasn't my month for getting paid any dividends. Still, it's an investment strategy that works. I'll keep investing and I'll keep picking up dividends. Simple

Interest: $22. It ticks along but is never going to move the dial.

Ebooks: $2. Next year I'll get into marketing. Next year. (Beginner's Guide to Online Side Hustles, Cryptocurrency Job Hunting for Non-Techies, The Simple Guide to a Winning LinkedIn Profile and Craft a Winning Resume).

Coaching: $0. No sessions. Again, I was approached but chose not to push on.

Other: $295. I got a tax rebate. I might as well put something down otherwise the month would have been really low!

Total: $319. Nothing to see here (and I cheated a little by including the tax element). I'll be challenging myself next year. But in the meantime, it's cash and I'm happy. Until next year.