If you have a neighbour that is always home, one who works online doing freelance jobs, you might have wondered why they chose that path.
You might have also wondered how they make it work – how they are able to bring a good income home every month.
And maybe you have also wondered if you can make extra income online doing some freelance work yourself.
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First things first: Know these things if you have a neighbour working online
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Respect their time. Just because they work online, and are always home, doesn’t mean you should treat them as if they have nothing to do with their time. They are not out of a job. They are simply self-employed. So, if they want to keep conversations light before they pop back into their house, don’t think they are a snob – or think that they don’t want to spend time with you.
Don’t think that they are looking down on you. They just might be busy on a project. So, any time they want to keep their interaction with you light (especially on weekdays between 10 am and 5 pm), just treat them like you would those who go to work in the morning and come back at home in the evening. Let them focus on their work. Don’t prioritize your needs over theirs.
Respect them. There are people who still have this notion that it is only women that should stay home. That all able-bodied men should go to work. If your neighbor is make and freelances online, it is probably because they love doing what they do. So, you don’t want stereotypes like these tainting your perception of the person (and what they do). You don’t want silly things like these making you look down upon them.
And it doesn’t matter whether they are struggling financially or making good money – because seasons change a lot especially online. If they are not harming you or getting in the way of the things you want to do (opportunities you want to seize), just let them be. Usianze kusema wengine kazi hawana, kukaa ndio wanajua. (That some sit idle, doing no productive work).
Don’t play loud music all day. Since they have no office elsewhere, they will depend on you to create an environment conducive to work. So, if you or someone in your household is in the habit of playing loud music, keep the volume down from now on. Not all the time, just some of the time.
If they have told two or three times to reduce your volume, don’t let hate build between the two of you because you can’t just deny yourself something you love for just a few hours every week. Some, with noise cancelling headphones, won’t be bothered by this though. This is only an issue when they bring it up more than twice.
If you ask them for money (for a loan), pay them promptly. Or you will just hate each other after all the awkwardness of seeing each other constantly (everyday), knowing you made a promise to them but are yet to fulfill it.
They can babysit for you but make sure you have alternatives for when they are really busy with tasks outsourced to them by clients.
Their internet / WiFi is mostly for work. If you want them to give you access to their connection via Mobile Hotspot, avoid going to sites that consume a lot of data. If you have to stream music and videos (TV shows and movies), set the videos to a low resolution. If you can’t take your consumption rates, buy your own data bundles.
What can you get from your neighbour working online
Access to the free ebooks and online courses they have gone through. If you have similar passions or hobbies, you can ask them for the material they have on whatever hobby you two have in common. You can do the same with online courses.
Help getting started online. If you would like to start working online doing freelance jobs as well, you can ask your neighbor to teach you the basics – and point you to other resources you can go through o your own. I do think that most people who work online are more generous with the knowledge they have.
If you ask them to guide you, they will – if you are serious. So, don’t go asking if you won’t even spend 30 minutes per day (for at least three days a week) implementing what you are taught.
Access to great deals online. Since they spend a lot of time on the internet, they will probably come across many deals compared to you. The deals could be on software, apps, services, laptops, smartphones, books, courses, plugins, themes, online classes and more. So, ask them if they know of any good deals you can take advantage of.
Launch your own blog or website. If you own a business, just have a regular job or do freelance work offline, most online freelancers can help you launch your own site. They will probably point you to great deals on domain registration and web hosting. And even help you build the website in their spare time.
Troubleshoot most PC problems. If they are on their computer most of the time, they have probably had to deal with their own share own personal computer problems and errors. So, if you have your own smartphone / tablet / laptop / desktop computer, you can go to them for some help. If they are unable to help, then you can seek other alternatives.
If you want to get started, doing freelance work online like your neighbor, here are a few things you should know
You can learn a lot by doing simple searches on Google. If you want to become a freelancer for example, simply type how to become a freelance writer and start reading.
If you want to learn more about online jobs, just go to Google and type that in. Then read.
Also, check the Niabusiness.com blog. Read the articles published on the site to learn more about online work.
Once you are ready to provide your own services to freelance clients:
- Use cold pitching to get jobs (send emails to potential clients).
- Create accounts on bidding sites to start bidding for online jobs.
- Place an ad listing for your service on Niabusiness Classifieds. Creating a listing is free.