Interested in starting a blog and making money from home? I earned my first $200 within 3 months of starting Frugal on the Prairie then went on to earn a full-time income from home about 6 months later! If you're ready to get started, I have a step-by-step tutorial for setting up your domain and hosting here, which can be a headache to figure out by yourself if you've never done it before! I also highly recommend and use Bluehost for my hosting! (<---That's an affiliate link but girl, I never recommend something I don't love or use ;)
Ever wonder what a typical day for a freelance proofreader looks like? Vanessa Macaspac owns her own freelancing business called Paragon Proofing in Los Angeles. I asked her what a daily schedule might look like and she's got some goodies to share! This post contains affiliate links. Please read my Disclaimer for more information.
If you're inspired by Vanessa's schedule and want to start proofreading yourself, I recommend taking one of the Proofread Anywhere courses. They offer multiple course options at different price ranges, and even a payment plan if you're on a budget. They also help you find work after you've mastered the skill through their course.
Related Posts:
- How to Start a Blog So You Can Work From Home
- How to Make Money as a Freelance Proofreader
- The Stay at Home Mom's Guide to Working That Side Hustle
5:30 AM - This is about the time I wake up. I'm an early riser by nature, and I use this quiet time to do some yoga and reflect on what needs to be accomplished that day.
6:15 AM - I like to go for a run at around this time. Keeping fit, especially since I'm a freelancer who works from home, is essential. It's early enough that not too many people are up and about, but late enough that the sun is up.
7:00 AM - Have breakfast with my love. We like to start our day off with healthy food, but it's not always the case. This morning it was leftover chilli and rice, with a runny egg on top. Yum!
8:00 AM - Right about now is when most people who work conventional jobs are on their way to work, so I avoid going out just yet. I live in Los Angeles, and I can tell you that the traffic can be just as horrendous as everyone says. I like to start my workday right about now, so if I have any transcripts to complete, I'll start on the one that needs to be finished the soonest.
9:00 AM - The beauty of being a freelance proofreader is that I can take my work anywhere! As long as I've downloaded the job to PDF Expert on my iPad, I can work wherever I am. Today, that means getting some serious work done while waiting at the doctor's office. It definitely beats flipping through magazines that are a few months old. ;-)
10:30 AM - Around this time, I like to check my planner and e-mail to make sure I'm still on track for the day. I use an old-fashioned paper planner that's geared toward students, so there's plenty of space to pencil in my pending jobs and appointments.
11:00 AM - This has proven to be a good time for me to reach out to potential clients. I send out personalized e-mails, maybe call an agency or two, and keep my social media presence alive and updated. It's vital to let your audience and potential clients know that you put in the effort to keep your business "brand" online.
1:00 PM - When proofreading legal transcripts, I can't change what's said, but I can punctuate it better so it's infinitely more readable. Whenever I come across a particularly complex (read: rambling!) sentence, I consult any one of my reference books. Today my weapon of choice was Morson's English Guide for Court Reporters.
2:30 PM - I check again with my planner and e-mail to make sure I'm still making good progress. I send in all jobs that have been completed and start working on the next batch of transcripts. I usually do this on a first-come-first-served basis, but if I get an expedite that needs to be finished ASAP, I'll prioritize that job.
3:00 PM - Working from home means I can eat as early or as late as I want! Lunch at 3PM isn't all that unusual for me. Haha!
3:45 PM - I usually like to start tapering off my work at this point. Around this time, I feel the urge to work from any place other than my desk, so I like to bring my iPad along wherever I need to go. Today, I worked while waiting in line at the grocery store!
5:00 PM - I usually start making dinner for me and my love around this time. While most people use their iPad to pull up recipes, I use mine to -- you guessed it -- work on transcripts! The sheer flexibility of my job makes me so happy.
7:00 PM - After dinner I like to just relax, maybe catch up on a few episodes of a TV show (currently loving Scandal!) or read a few chapters (currently reading The Art of Work by Jeff Goins).
Of course, I keep my phone close at all times, so I can respond quickly to any e-mails, texts, or phone calls from clients or potential clients. I can even submit jobs when I'm not home by attaching them via Dropbox or Google Docs!
If I need to, I can work during any time of day (or night). I once had to finish proofreading 230 pages of a doctor's deposition before 6 AM, and the job was sent to me at around 9PM! It doesn't happen very often, but it can. The fact that I work from home makes it infinitely easier to be able to get stuff done whenever, wherever, and still have time to get errands done. I love it! :)
Do you make money from home and want to share your Day in the Life? Just leave a comment below or send an email to frugalontheprairie {at} gmail {dot} com and you could be featured on Frugal on the Prairie.
