Many people are finding work online these days because it is faster and easier than what you would normally go through to get a job. But of course, there are some tips and tricks you should know in order to have the most success of finding jobs online. I have been doing all sorts of jobs online during the last few years and I want to share from my experience what are some of the advantages and some of the put falls of these jobs. First of all they’re easy to come by. You can find hundreds of thousands of online jobs covering a huge array of domains. Secondly there is usually not very much bureaucracy, you just set the terms with the employer and start work, and get paid at certain milestones. Some of the biggest disadvantages are that the pay usually is lower than normal jobs, and you don’t get any kind of benefits like health insurance for most of them. Some may also consider the fact that you don’t have to go to an office with other co-workers a disadvantage while others might consider it an advantage. For me the advantages outweigh the disadvantages so let’s move on and see what the best ways to find jobs online are:

1.    Freelancer sites. For me this is without a doubt the best way to find jobs online. There are a huge number of sites like this on the web, but I recommend the ones that have stood the test of time, and which have lots of users. These sites usually just connect the potential employer to the potential employees, drawing a fee along the way. These sites have some particularities, but most give the potential employer the ability to choose employees based on the price the latter ones ask for the job at hand, but also based on the ratings each user has. This rating is based on the reviews of the previous employers, and whether they finished projects on time or not. Having this much information, the employer is free to choose from the list of candidates that have applied for the job.

2.    If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. The internet is filled with offers that seem incredible, like “make 100$ an hour just by sitting at home”. You must be aware that the only way to make money on the internet is to work for it. There is no such thing as gimmick which will help you win tremendous amounts of money by doing nothing. So don’t ever fall for the many scams out there, because most of the time they will ask for a small donation which will ensure you wealth beyond your wildest dreams, but which you will never see again.

3.    Most online jobs pay much less than normal jobs. Make sure that you get your facts straight before starting to find jobs online. Many of these jobs don’t pay very much so don’t expect to get rich overnight. You must consider these kinds of jobs as second jobs, to help you make a few extra bucks, but don’t consider that once you get a job online you should quit or stop trying to find a real job.

4.    If you have enough skill try entering competitions. If you are very confident in what you can do, than probably the best way to make money online is by entering competitions. Many sites offer this facility, where a potential employer describes what he wants, and users make a demo for them. After that, the employer chooses the best project and pays the one who made it. On the other hand if you don’t trust your skills completely, than maybe this is not for you, because you might end up wasting a lot of time without getting any payment.

5.    Always look for reviews of the sites offering employment. The golden rule of trying to find jobs online is to search for user reviews. That’s the best way to see of the site you are interested in is a scam or not.

6.    If you have some money to invest, start your own business. The most important advice I can dispense is that it’s much better to be an employer than an employee. So, why not try to start your own business online, rather than look for a job. It’s a little riskier, but the investment isn’t usually very big to get started.

7.    Look for professionalism in any prospective employer. The most important quality you should look for in an online employer is professionalism, and it’s very easy to deduce from the first interview, when negotiating the terms of the contract.    

These are some of things I have learned whilst trying to find a job online. Many of them I have learned because of mistakes I’ve made, so I hope this article will help you avoid making the same ones I did. If you have any comments feel free to leave them in the section below.

Being productive o your full capacity is never an easy thing to do. Of course there are many tips and tricks you can try in order to increase your productivity but when you draw the line it all comes down to how much will power you can muster. The main problem with being productive which I can see is sticking to the schedule you impose on yourself. Of course many don’t get past the first point of making a schedule. But most often where it all falls down is with the execution. After about an hour of work many of us feel that everything is going great so a short break can’t hurt anyone. That short break turns into a longer break and then you find yourself behind schedule. And then you try to hurry up, and that’s when you start committing mistakes. And these mistakes usually cost you a lot of time. So now your way behind schedule and you start to panic and become stressed. After that there is very short time before everything start’s falling apart, you give up, and then you start feeling very bad about yourself because you didn’t do what you set out to do. So let’s see what steps you can take in order to avoid this sort of development:

1.    Make a schedule. This is very important stage because it will give you a specific timeline for each activity. The most important thing which I can’t stress enough when making a schedule is to be realistic. Set yourself reachable goals. It is much better to set yourself not very high goals, which you can reach than very high goals that are almost impossible to reach. Factor in a time needed for mundane activities such as eating and sleeping, because you will not be able to keep up a schedule where you have to work eight hours non-stop.

2.    Focus on your work. The most important aspect of being productive is concentration. Do not let yourself get distracted by all sorts of other activities. You need to dedicate yourself a hundred per cent if you want to have good results. You don’t need to check your email more than twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. There are people who spend most of the time they set aside for work constantly hitting the refresh button on their emails in order to see if anyone tried to reach them. So remember, no distractions.

3.    Prioritize. Not everything is important to do. Always keep your eye on the ball. Knowing what is the most important activity you can make in a certain context is the key to being productive. If you are able to keep an eye on the big picture as well you can focus on the thing that will be most useful for the processes that are going to follow, and get that done first.

4.    Take short breaks. Don’t get to close to your work. You need to have the ability to look at it objectively. Trust me if you work eight hours non-stop you will not be able to take a step back and see things in a different light. Try to give yourself some time to disconnect, about five minutes every hour in order to keep being productive for a longer time.

5.    Don’t neglect to eat and drink. Many people become zombies when its crunch time and they need to get something done. This is never productive. If you don’t eat and especially hydrate on time you will become tired much quicker, and therefore you won’t be able to work as much. Also sleep is very important. A night lost will cost you about two or three days of being extra tired and not at all productive.

6.    Plan half your time at most. Being productive has a lot to do with being realistic. You must try to foresee the unexpected in order to never be caught off guard. That’s why you should never plan more than half your time in a day. Leave the other half for things that might throw you off track. That’s the only way you can avoid not reaching the goals you set yourself.

7.    Set doable objectives. I’m not talking about a lack of ambition here. But you need to set yourself objectives that are very high yet doable. It won’t be fun if you raise the bar to high and find out you are not able to reach it.

Being productive as I said is a byproduct of ambition determination and a whole lot of will power. And most of all it’s about perseverance. You need to be consistent day by day, and prove your worth every time in order to keep having a high self-esteem.