Earning a Passive Income While at Work – Part 1

You don't have to quit your job to start earning money online. In fact, I wouldn't recommend it. You can start out slow, and keep the securities and comfort of your job at the same time. If making money online isn't for you (and it's not for everyone!) then you can easily stop and go back to your normal routine with little or no loss and regret. Sweet.

J.D and his blog Get Rich Slowly, which I read religiously, share many of the same philosophies as I do. If you do your research, make smart decisions, and be patient—you will ultimately be much wealthier in life. This is how I started making money online, all while I was still working 9 to 5.

Where to Find the Extra Time

You wake up early, go to work on time, and come home late. How the heck are you supposed to find time to earn an extra income using the internet? If you're single, maybe you can spare a couple hours each night to work on a project. If you're married and/or have children, finding even a glimpse of free time can be near impossible.

Here are 5 helpful tips I learned that will help you find some extra time:

1. Notice Your Free Time. Even though you have long days, you do have some free time that you can use to your advantage. If you add up your morning drive, your morning break, your lunch break, your afternoon break, your drive home, time at the gym, and some of the free time you have at home (after the kids are asleep?), you might find an extra 2 to 4 hours in there.
2. Compound your Activities. We often don't realize how we can prudently use our time. On your drives to and from work, do you listen to the radio? Probably. How about mp3s while on the treadmill? Maybe. So why not listen to a podcast and learn something instead? No—not the ESPN Fantasy Football Update (okay, maybe just once a week), but helpful and inspiring podcasts that teach you about online business stuff. There are a lot out there! My favorite is Jay and Sterling's Internet Business Mastery. You can find more by searching “business podcast” in itunes.
3. Stop Watching So Much Television. A great article on J.D.'s “Get Rich Slowly” blog explains how if you stopped watching television, you'd free an extra 750 hours a year! Imagine what you could do in 750 hours. Now, I'm not saying you should quit watching T.V. for good, but you have to admit, you probably watch a lot of television. I did. I tried really hard to cut down and I stuck with just my few favorite shows (Jon and Kate plus 8, I have to admit). I used my extra time to read, learn, and do.
4. DON'T Combine Your Day Job With Your Aspiring Passive Income Business. If the rules at your 9 to 5 job include: don't use the internet for anything non-business related, know that your business does not count as a business related item. If you can use your breaks to surf the net at your leisure, go ahead and use that time to do some research or read some articles—but don't use any supplies or print anything related to your “other” job. “Big Brother” is watching and you will get caught. It could cost you your job, or a least a lot of explanation and time. Just be smart and use your common sense.
5. DO Combine Your Day Job With Your Aspiring Passive Income Business. Wait—what? Let me explain. What I mean here is to think about how your business can relate to your 9 to 5 job. Think about the things you do at work. Is there something that could be improved? Is there something you wish you had that would make things easier for you and your co-workers? What kinds of things will you have to do at your job in the future?

Are you not sure about what I mean in Tip # 5? Part Two of this post, which explains exactly how I used what I was doing at work to start my online passive income machine, will come next.