The quote that stood out to me in the article on MSNBC that I mentioned a few posts ago was from Andrew Leyden from the Podcast Directory who marvels at his new income source by saying:
‘”I get paid while mowing the lawn. I get paid while cleaning the garage. I get paid driving my wife to her office, buying groceries, seeing a movie, playing video games, or just surfing the Internet. That’s really the nice thing about AdSense: No matter what I’m doing, people keep clicking and I keep getting paid.”‘
For about six months a few years back I did shift work in an in-flight catering company. It was the most boring work ever. I’d stand in front of a conveyor belt for hours on end putting orange juice on trays as they went past. The only way I could get through a shift was to play little mind games as I worked – one of which was to work out how much I was being paid per orange juice (I’m not good at maths so it’d take a whole shift to work it out).
Now I sometimes play a different game – this time not because I’m bored but because it’s kind of fun.
I work out how much I get paid to sleep, to play with my son, to walk out to the mail box, to take a weekend off at a Bed and Breakfast etc. It’s an amazing feeling to know that you have a business that earns you an income whether you’re actually physically there working on it or not.
A lot of people see making money online via blogging as being a ‘passive income’.
I don’t agree with using that term to describe ProBlogging simply because there is a lot of work involved and it does take years to build up (read this ProBlogger Public Service Announcement if you’re seeing quick and easy dollar signs floating in front of your eyes thinking about blogging). However – there are moments where the income feels, and really is, quite passive.
Of course if you remain passive for too long your income will suffer – but it’s a nice feeling to be able to take a day off and know that the work you’ve invested in your blogs in the previous months and years is still paying off.
