How to make money because you’re bored
Most of the time when we talk about ways to make money, we’re talking about discipline, focus, priorities, connecting to the right network, investment strategies and the likes. And then there’s slightly more inspired material discussing how to tie your passions into prospering, bravery, self-confidence, and playfulness.
But have you ever wondered how to make money because you’re bored? If you are so inclined, you might just make most your money from an obscure private pet project. Here’s fourteen reasons why:
1. There’s no pressure
Since you’re in this project out of curiosity, you don’t need to tackle performance anxiety, criticism or deadlines. While those can make us strive, they cannot compete with the creative excellence of internal motivation. Some create their masterpieces only after giving up on themselves. Assuming nothing is left to lose can make you try something you never dared.
2. You’re the only one working on it, no competition
Since this project stems from some idiosyncratic interest, there will be little competition. For example, there was this one R&D professional who invested two years of their leisure time to compose a deodorant that won’t leave stains. It ended up being their professional legacy. Why? Because: Who does that? Well, only one.
3. You have unique expertise
Once you get into your pet project you will begin to amass unmatched expertise uniquely qualifying you to develop something that perfectly solves a problem. Our deodorant person knew everything about deodorant and stains known to humankind. And they put those insights to good use.
4. There’s no ego involved, you’ll take advice
Since this is not something that you do to impress, it will be easy for you to work with existing solutions and accept advice. Where our pride, politics, career building and competition can get in the way of professional excellence, none of these problems exist with your pet project.
5. You’ll stick to it
You’re likely to stick to this project because it is fun, and it also fits your schedule now. Even if you drop the ball for a while, you will probably come back to it in one way or the other. Creating something unique makes us feel alive.
6. High risk can yield high return
No one would advise making your pet projects your occupation. This would kill all of the above points but be a bad investment of time because these projects are high-risk investments. Don’t assume that your pet project will be profitable. But if it does turn out to be a success it may just yield the highest return you’ve ever had and change your life forever.
7. You may not even notice when it picks off
Sometimes a side gig turns into a financial success before you even notice it. Have you heard these stories about people being put on a career path by their financial advisors? This is the potential, the possibility that someone calls you at the end of the year to say: Hey, are you aware that half your income is now coming from selling guitar picks (true story)?
But have you ever considered you may just make money because you’re bored? If you are so inclined, you may just end up making most your money from some obscure pet project you’ve been keeping to yourself. Here’s why:
8. There’s no pressure, because you’re bored
Since this project will likely be something you do out of curiosity, you won’t need to fight performance anxiety, harsh criticism, or deadlines. While all of those can make us strive, they can’t compete with the creative excellence of internal motivation. I know several examples of people creating their masterpieces after giving up on themselves. Assuming nothing was left to loose made them try something they never dared before.
9. You’re the only one working on it, no competition
Since this is likely something stemming from some idiosyncratic point of interest, there will not be a lot of competition. I know a case study where someone invested two years of their free time into composing a deodorant that won’t leave stains. It ended up being their professional legacy in part also because: Who does that? Well. Only one.
10. You have unique expertise
Once you get into your pet project you will soon amass unmatched expertise which uniquely qualifies you to develop something that perfectly solves a problem. Listen here to Bernhard’s experience writing erotic science fiction.
11. There’s no ego involved, you’ll take advice
Since this is not something that you do for your career or to impress in any way, it will be easy for you to work with existing solutions and accept advice. Where our pride, politics, career building and competition can get in the way of our professional excellence, none of these problems exist with your pet project.
12. You’ll stick to it
You’re especially likely to stick to this project because it is fun, and it also fits into your schedule at the moment. Even if you drop the ball for a while, you will probably come back to it in one way or the other. This was my experience with counseling. It was my thing, even as a child but I tried many other things before committing to it as a career.
13. High risk can yield high return
No one would advise to make your pet projects your occupation prematurely, partly because it would kill all of the above but also because these projects would be considered high-risk investments. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to assume that your pet project will be profitable. But if it does turn out to be a success it may just yield the highest return you’ve ever had and change your life forever. And you’ll never stop to make money because you’re bored again.
