Niall Doherty's Blog, page 205

Push + Shove: A Highly Effective 2-Step Strategy For Becoming More Productive

Today I want to share with you the most effective strategy I’ve ever come across for getting things done.

It’s very simple, it takes less than five minutes a day, and you can start doing it yourself right away and see immediate results.

Use this strategy to:

Build an online businessExercise more oftenOvercome procrastination





Form good habitsKill bad habitsGet important things done

In short, this strategy will help you achieve whatever goal(s) you might have.

There are two parts to it:

1


THE PUSH

Find And Utilize An Accountability Partner (AP)​

2


THE SHOVE

Set Painful
Penalties For Failure

Before we dive deeper, let me give you a couple of examples of how it works.

Example 1
Going To The Gym

Say your goal is to go to the gym 3 times per week but you struggle to get your ass down there.

To make it happen, you do these two things:

The Push: Tell your AP that you’re going to go the gym 3 times per week. You agree to message them at the end of every week and let them know how many times you actually went.
The Shove: Any time you miss going to the gym, you agree to pay a $500 penalty.







Example 2
Forming The Writing Habit

Say you want to develop your writing skills but you find it hard to sit down and write every day.

To make it happen, you do these two things:

The Push: Tell your AP that you’ll write for at least 30 minutes each morning and produce at least 500 words. You agree to email them a screenshot of your writing plus a word count before 9am each day.
The Shove: Every time you fall short of the 30-minute/500-word mark, or neglect to email your AP before 9am, you agree to pay a $500 penalty.







Example 3
Weaning Yourself Off Netflix

Say you’re very prone to frequent Netflix binges and you want to drastically reduce the time you spend on there.

To make it happen, you do these two things:

The Push: Tell your AP that you’ll watch no more than 1 hour of Netflix per day during the week. You agree to message them at the end of every day and tell them what show you watched and for how long.
The Shove: Each day you go over the 1 hour mark, you agree to pay a $500 penalty.

Now let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of all this.

First we’re going to talk about how to find and utilize an Accountability Partner, and then we’ll talk about how to use penalties effectively.

The Push
How To Find & Utilize An Accountability Partner








Note: this section is pulled from my course called 3M1K, which teaches you how to build your first online business.

I’m always coming up with ideas for great new projects I could work on.

It’s a gift and a curse, because if I’m not careful, I end up with too many chainsaws in the air and not enough hands to catch them.

And when that happens, inevitably, they all come crashing down.

I fell into this trap while building this very course.

For some reason I thought it would be perfectly fine to work on some client projects and try write a series of books at the same time.

Of course, this was a recipe for disaster.

But I couldn’t see it.

Or maybe I should say: I wouldn’t let myself see it.

Then I had a call with my friend Mark, a very savvy online entrepreneur. We jump on Skype once a month, talk about our wins and sticking points, try offer each other advice and hold each other accountable.

On this particular call I was describing all the projects I had going when Mark stopped me mid-sentence.

— Sorry to interrupt, he said, but is there any good reason why you’re doing all of these things at the same time?

There wasn’t.

There never had been.

But until Mark asked that question, I was unable to see my own madness and self-sabotage.

He shone a light on it and made it impossible to ignore.

On that very call I resolved to drop everything else I had going on and focus one hundred percent on building this course.

And that’s what I did.

The #1 Reason You Need An Accountability Partner

Richard Feynman tells us...

The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.

That’s why you need an Accountability Partner.

It’s too easy to bullshit yourself and make excuses as to why you’re not doing what needs to be done. But a good AP won’t let you get away with that.

They’re going to ask you the tough questions that you’ve been afraid to ask yourself.

And you need that.

It sucks. But you need it.

How To Be A Great Accountability Partner

How does James Bond get all the hot chicks?

By being amazing himself.

Same goes for finding a great AP: you first need to become one yourself.

This requires you to develop and practice three primary habits.

1


Accountability

Duh.

But it’s important not to gloss over this.

Being a great AP means holding the other person accountable. You must ensure that they follow through on their commitments, that they do what they said they were going to do.

For example, a big part of your accountability system will be frequent check-ins with your partner. If she’s supposed to check in with you each morning before 9am but you haven’t heard from her by 9:30, you need to be shooting her a text/email/phone call to see what’s going on.

You NEVER want your AP to feel like they can get away with skipping a check-in, or failing to honor some other commitment they made.

2


Courage

Being a good AP means calling the other person on their bullshit.

If they’re frequently making excuses or shooting themselves in the foot, you need to speak up and deliver a little tough love.

It’s easier not to do this. It’s tempting to just pat them on the back and avoid rocking the boat. But if you want them to do it for you, you have to do it for them.

Whenever you have a question you’re afraid to ask, or an observation you’re afraid to make, that’s when you most need to speak up.

Keep this quote in mind:

Tim Ferriss

A person’s success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.

You also need to be courageous in owning up to your own failures and setbacks. Strive to be brutally honest about your progress or lack thereof. Your partner will help you figure out why you got stuck and how to move forward, but they can only do that if you’re straight with them.

3


Kindness

This is to balance out the courage.

Anyone can be courageous. But to be courageous and kind at the same time is rare and valuable.

In practice, this means recognizing what your partner needs most from you at a given moment. Sometimes they’ll need a push, and sometimes they’ll need a hug.

You should be ready and able to offer either.

How To Find A Great Accountability Partner

Maybe you already have someone in mind for this. But a word of warning from 3M1K member Hazel:

Find someone neutral to become your buddy, rather than an existing friend. You see, we care for our friends, so we don’t want to hurt them. There is a tendency that your friends will tell you it’s okay to miss a goal today because they don’t want to make you feel bad. That’s exactly what you don’t want!

Two places you can try find an AP:

1

Networking Events

Especially events related to personal development. You’ll find lots of growth-oriented people there.

Work the room, find someone who seems to have their shit together, and ask them if they’d be interested in becoming your accountabil-a-buddy.

2

Online Forums

Same as the previous but online. You can afford to go more niche here. For example, if business-building is your focus, then join one of the many free Facebook groups for entrepreneurs. Choose an active one and post in there that you’re looking for someone to be your AP. You can link to this article for context.

For #2, include the following details in your post:

Some quick info about you (age/sex/location/etc).
What you can offer as an AP. What you’d like an AP to help you with. Call to action.

Here's an example:

I’m a 34-year-old guy from Ireland, currently living in Amsterdam and I’m looking for an online Accountability Partner. If you don’t know what I mean by “Accountability Partner,” it’s basically someone who who helps ensure I follow through on my goals, and I help do the same for them.

(See here for a deeper explanation: http://www.ndoherty.com/ps/)

I can be a great accountability partner by helping you stick to a schedule, by holding you accountable to your goals, and by helping you brainstorm ideas and talk through sticking points.

If I see you slacking off I promise to crack the whip

Momentos: April 16th – April 30th, 2016

16.

Last Saturday I was out and about loving life as a bachelor. Today I feel a deep yearning for someone sweet and long-term to curl up on the couch with. I think of several amazing women who’ve offered me that kind of relationship over the years, and how I’ve turned them all down. Some days, like today, the loneliness hits hard. But not the regret. At least not yet.

17.

It is weird, this being human thing. There’s that urge to grow and progress and be better than before. Or maybe it’s not an urge. Maybe it’s just a paradigm we’ve all bought into. No other animal worries about maximizing its potential, about getting the most out of life. A cat can lie about all day and not feel like a loser.

18.

Coming up on a year since I moved to Amsterdam, gave up the vagabond lifestyle and settled in one place. I’ve enjoyed living here, but I thought I’d be further along business-wise by now. I figured the main thing holding me back was lack of routine, lack of focus, but perhaps there’s more to it than that.

19.

You know how we look back at our younger selves and roll eyes at things we did and things we wish we hadn’t done? I wonder what things I’m doing and not doing right now that will have my eyes a-rolling a decade down the line. I’ll probably be thinking a lot different about business and relationships by then. But different how?

20.

Squeezing in client work between Skype calls. I’m trying to do a minimum of two paid hours per day at my €75/hour rate. Manage that consistently and I’m cracking €3k per month just from freelancing, with plenty of time left over to focus on marketing 3M1K and building other products. Simple in theory, but it’s always a bit messy in reality.

Kayaks on a canal in Amsterdam.

21.

Almost three months since I launched 3M1K. Sales haven’t been as steady as I’d like, but the results and feedback from those who signed up have been encouraging. Next month I need to kick the marketing into high gear, do a big push for guest posts. I’ll try get quality articles published on popular sites, sending new leads my way.

22.

Maybe like me you often get caught up thinking you must do big things to make an impact, to move people. But nah, it’s more about doing the small things, consistently. Wrote a quick piece about sobriety for my mailing list today, nothing fancy, just raw and truthful. Sent it out and got some nice responses. Impact made, people moved. Good reminder for myself.

23.

Evening in Dam Square and I stand and watch and listen. Seeing things happening, thinking of things that happened. The birth of this town, a funfair across the way, Napoleon on a white horse, tulips swaying in the breeze, drunk Nazis shooting into a crowd, tourists walking where philosophers and kings and hippies walked before.

24.

I think happiness is overrated. We all have different happiness baselines, and a bit of sadness and grief is good for you every now and then. Today alone all day in my apartment I can’t say that I’m happy, but I am content. I’m healthy, warm, well-fed and rested, with meaningful work and time with friends ahead of me this week.

25.

Teddy Roosevelt once wrote, “I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.” I like to remind myself of those words whenever I’m feeling stuck or frustrated, though of course I recognize the vanity in it; compared to most people on this rock, I’m living a charmed life.

The never-ending Winter :-(

26.

Bike’s got a flat. Seems some fecker stole the insert of my valve stem. I’m late to meet friends and no bike shops open at this hour. So I walk the block, find another fiets with a flat and pay forward the thievery, figuring that bike’s not going anywhere anyways. Mentioning it here so I’m more likely to make amends later.

27.

Don’t know, maybe I’m getting tired of the single life. Out and about for King’s Day and didn’t have the buzz to go chatting up chicks, would have preferred someone familiar by my side. Not sure I’ve felt it this strong since three years back in Bangkok, right as I was souring on the dating scene there, right before I fell in love.

28.

When I was an employee I loved a day off on a Wednesday. Now, being self-employed, it kinda sucks. Trying to get back into the work stuff today was a massive struggle. Farted around and didn’t get a whole lot done. Wondering if there’s something bigger wrong here. Such low energy. Diet maybe? Or just burnt out on the trying…

29.

Sometimes I think of running away from Amsterdam. It’s not the cheapest city, and summer is taking its sweet ass time arriving. I could pack everything and move to Thailand next week, save about €800/month on rent alone. But no, I need to stick it out. Had my fill of moving in recent years. No place is perfect. Neither am I. Gotta accept that.

30.

She’s telling me about a retreat she just got back from. They explored and embraced their sexuality, their wildness. One time she held space in front of the group, letting her body move. Several men tried to meet her there, to match that energy. None could… but one. Only he could claim her. I ask because I want to know: what did he have that the others didn’t?

Rollicking about on King’s Day.

In the comments below, let me know which of the above Momentos is your favorite. Which can you relate to?

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Momentos: April 1st – April 15th, 2016

1.

Sometimes I flash back to my life nomadic. This morning the hum of a passing fly returned me to a sun-drenched road in the north of Spain with my thumb out, a golden field behind me, unknown adventures ahead. Sometimes a scene will come to mind and it’ll take me a minute to place it. Was that in Peru? Guatemala? Laos?

2.

Is this me giving into the fear again, or have I raised the bar? I guess you could argue both sides. Been getting along great all evening with this beautiful woman. She seems to linger before she leaves as if waiting for me to make the move… but I promised myself I’d no longer date girls who do what she does.

3.

Amsterdam is quieter than most cities. Probably because most of the traffic here is powered by pedals rather than pistons. I live just off one of the main thoroughfares in Centrum, but from the bedroom you barely hear a thing. Best you can make out is the occasional tram going past, and footfalls of the latest blow-ins upstairs.

4.

Resistance was strong today. Had to submit a proposal for a big web dev project, almost five figures. Part of me would love to land it, another part of me is terrified at the thought. Sucked it up and got it submitted, now we’ll wait and see. Lots of opportunities flowing lately. Locked in another client this morning and had two more job offers this afternoon.

5.

Gotta hire a VA soon, whether I land that five-figure project or not. Lots of day-to-day things taking up my time that someone else could do just as well. Every hour freed up from that busy work is $80 I can earn freelancing. It will take some time and patience up front though, training someone and putting the right systems in place.

International Pillow Fight Day in Dam Square

6.

Put through my first refund for 3M1K yesterday, within an hour of the request. The guy said he liked the course, but didn’t feel it was right for him. Then today I’m on a Skype call with another member, and he’s thanking me for building this thing, saying how much he loves it, how he’s been telling all his friends. Strikes and gutters, ups and downs.

7.

Booked flights to NOLA last night, a quick trip for a friend’s wedding in June, in and out in six days. I met that friend my first week after moving there back in oh-seven. I was 25 and addicted to basketball, met him waiting for the same streetcar on the way to a game. Man, that’s almost a decade ago now. Lived some since then.

8.

Social first, then seductive, then sexual. I’m great at social. The others, not so much. Tonight I got stuck in social mode, told myself I was too tired to push it further, not feeling the vibe. But maybe I should be thinking of this like I think of the gym. I go even when I don’t feel like going. Especially when I don’t feel like going. That’s why I have a six pack.

9.

Ramble around Rembrandtplein for a warm up. Ask for free coffee at Subway. Chat with a lady taking a photo. Ask the pedicab driver how’s business. Strike up conversation with a mohawk. Get offered drugs. Ask three women if they want to get married. Walk away mid-conversation. Get offered more drugs. Ask a dude if he needs help with directions.

10.

Was out last night being socially assertive – leading men, chatting up women, confronting guys who were making jokes at my expense – and now today, despite the usual Sunday exhaustion, I’m being a lot more proactive and decisive work-wise. Thinking: if you’re sluggish in one area of life, becoming more assertive in another may help.

Helping out at Amsterdam Language Cafe

11.

Trying to get those systems in place now. Have the VA on board and setting everything up on Teamwork so I can stay organized. Will bring on a web developer this week too and practice assigning him some simple tasks, see how that goes. Outsourcing effectively is a skill I really need to master.

12.

Mornings are bright and warm again, so I’m back in the park a couple of times a week, busting out a few sprints, some bar and balance work. Thankful for that gym I joined last September though, made it easier to keep exercising on those dark and cold winter mornings. 118 visits now since September 17th. Sweet deal at €110 for the year.

13.

Was going back and forth the past couple of weeks trying to close that mega project I found and pitched on Upwork. Finally got word today that the client has chosen someone else. But I’m more relieved than disappointed. That project would have kept me busy and locked in for the next three months, whereas now I’m free to pursue other opportunities.

14.

Thinking about taxes. Say I pull in €5k/month from my business, have €1k of expenses and pay myself a €3k salary. That puts me on the hook for €125 in company taxes, and €826 personal. That’s actually not so bad, thought it would be worse. Of course, I’m not at that €5k mark consistently yet. Working on it.

15.

At Bar Bukowski for the first time and it’s packed. Talking to strangers while waiting for friends to arrive. Most bars I end up in are more of a mixed nationality crowd, but here seems exclusively Dutch. Strike it up with two girls at the back of the place. Chatting laughing and dancing for ten minutes, seems to be going well, until one leans in and asks me to leave.

Wiling away the evening alongside Egelantiersgracht.

In the comments below, let me know which of the above Momentos is your favorite. Which can you relate to?

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Life, Death & Basketball (Over Beyond: Episode 004)

Over Beyond is a long-form podcast where I have the occasional meandering chat with my cousin over Skype and record it.

Have a listen, and let us know what you think.

MP3 download available here (70MB, 50:43)

(Check out the podcast archive for previous episodes.)

Links

Atul Gawande books:

Being Mortal
The Checklist Manifesto


Steinbeck:

Brain Pickings article: How Steinbeck Used the Diary as a Tool of Discipline, a Hedge Against Self-Doubt, and a Pacemaker for the Heartbeat of Creative Work
Book: Of Mice And Men
Book: The Grapes Of Wrath


Video: Kobe Bryant Drops 60 in Final Game of Career
Video: Chic with Nile Rodgers – Le Freak

Momentos: March 16th – March 31st, 2016

16.

I tend not to make a big deal about my birthday. In my experience, trying hard to make a day special is a sure-fire way to make it suck. Anti-climactic and all that. But today was nice. Walking around Amsterdam, showing off the city to my parents, seeing things I’d never seen before. It’s good they’re here or I would have treated this like any other work day.

17.

We pass under a canal and find ourselves on a 27-kilometer stretch of dam that seals off the old entrance to the port of Mokum. There’s no toll. There is a bike lane, all the way along. We’re in a rented car, making this the fifth country I’ve driven in. Twas a bit nerve-wracking this morning getting out of the city. Been a year since I got behind the wheel.

18.

Sometimes I wonder if I’m cut out for family life. The wife and kids thing, I mean. Whenever I spend a full day around other people I start craving solitude, eager to sneak back to my little sanctuary and do my own thing, have some downtime, not speak to anyone. I was positively giddy today returning to the apartment.

19.

Practicing tension. Habitual people-pleaser that I am, I tend to break it pretty fast. Been reading how important it is to maintain for flirting and seduction. So… out tonight, practicing, approaching, more eyes, less words. The cute blonde comes to find me later and asks if I’m going to take her number. Huh. Might be something to this.

20.

A friend asked what my goal is when out meeting women. “Are you looking for validation, a girlfriend, or sex?” I’m not looking for a girlfriend, sex is great but I often prefer going home alone… so yeah, that leaves validation. Not saying I’m proud of it, but that’s most often what I’m seeking.

Loadsa windmills at Zaanse Schans

21.

Energy has been low the last couple of weeks. Not sure if you get this too, but when I’m tired, the urge to consume grows stronger. Sleep would help most, but instead I’m compelled to stay up late watching Netflix and eating food I’m not hungry for. Trying hard to keep the binging at bay this eve. Sitting with the weariness, getting to know one another.

22.

I had no freelance leads a month ago, having dropped all my clients late last year so I could focus on building 3M1K. Getting back in the swing of it now. Today I had a fresh inquiry in my inbox, two calls with prospective clients for projects worth $2,300, another message on Upwork regarding a $1k gig, and spent an hour working on an $800 project I landed last week.

23.

Decided to quit salsa and skipped class tonight, doubt I’ll even finish out the month. Dancing two evenings a week isn’t enough to get good, and if I’m not getting good I’m getting frustrated. I could invest more of course, but I’m running low on downtime as is, gotta reserve most of my energy for work stuff. Keeping that sacred.

24.

You’re in Amsterdam and have to get to the far side of the city in a hurry. You look up the route on Google Maps:

19 minutes by tram
15 minutes by car
13 minutes by bike

Gotta love his town.

25.

Thinking back to last Saturday. The cute blonde. It occurs to me now that she wanted me to push it further, was likely disappointed that I didn’t. Asked her out for a drink this week but blown off. Good chance I’ll never seen her again, moment passed. Gotta stop assuming I know where the line is, keep pushing til I hit it.

Coffee at Central Station.

26.

If the same bad thing keeps happening to you over and over again, stop complaining and make a plan of action. Practice the exact words you’ll use next time you’re in a conversation you want out of. Mentally rehearse the exact actions you’ll take next time you sense a situation going awry. If x, then y. You’re the puppet and the puppeteer.

27.

Built a lot of social momentum the past two days. Tempted to head out again tonight and keep it rolling. Tomorrow’s a bank holiday, everyone else is off, I deserve a break too, right? But, no, that’s dangerous thinking right there. Priorities. Focus. I’ve had enough fun for one weekend. Time to get back to work…

…and then the phone rings.

28.

Reflecting on an interaction I had on Saturday with a Norwegian guy. I made a joke that he took offense to. “No fucking way,” he barked. “Take that back!” I kept quiet and gave him a look, half confused, half amused, as if to say, “Seriously?” For a moment it was a stand-off, and then I guess the tension got the best of him and he talked on like nothing had happened.

29.

Came across this graphic on Facebook. That’s exactly how it’s been for me the past couple of months. But today was undoubtedly of the hell-yeah variety. Got back in from a meetup to find a fresh sale of 3M1K, a $72 affiliate commission, plus a message from a prospective client who’d like to chat more about a $6k pitch I submitted earlier.

30.

Wednesdays be Skype days, batching my calls together. Had ten scheduled today, one cancelled, so I did nine. A couple of friends, some members of 3M1K, and some other folks curious about 3M1K. I don’t hard sell to that last group, but perhaps I should. I get the impression that some of them need that, too indecisive on their own.

31.

Sorry to hark on about the 3M1K stuff, but hey, that’s my main thing right now. Put together my first case study today. One member started doing freelance editing and proofreading at the start of March and earned €1,226 for the month. She shared screenshots of her pitches and everything. You can see the case study here.

Grand stretch in the evenings now, hah?

In the comments below, let me know which of the above Momentos is your favorite. Which can you relate to?

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How Susan Earned €1,226 Last Month Working Part-Time Online

Below is an interview with a member of 3M1K, my premium course to help you get started working online. The course aims to have you earning €1,000 per month within three months, but Susan went ahead and earned €1,226 in just her second month in the course.

Read on to find out how she did it.

Meet Susan

Joined 3M1K in February and started pitching for jobs in March as a freelance editor and proofreader.
Found her first client the first day of pitching.
Earned €1,226 in March, her first full month working online, despite spending just 11 hours per week on her business.
No formal qualifications in proofreading or editing, but was pleasantly surprised to find plenty of well-paid work available to her online.
From Waterford, Ireland.

The Interview

1) Did you have any experience working online before joining 3M1K?

I’ve been freelancing since 2013. Most of that work was done remotely and was delivered via email, but “online work” wasn’t something I was focused on.

I had used sites like Elance, oDesk, Freelancer, and PeoplePerHour to pick up work here and there. I never used them with any kind of strategy or consistency, so obviously I didn’t see any consistent results. I’d usually just abandon the account after a few weeks and then occasionally jump back into them.

2) Did you have any major concerns before you took the plunge and started working online? (For example, were you worried that it was all a scam, or that you didn’t have enough skills, or that there was too much competition out there, etc.)

To be honest, because I had tried these freelancing sites before, I thought they weren’t for me. I was going to use the course content to help my pitching skills and keep me on track with my freelance goals.

I wasn’t worried about it being a scam on your side of things. You’ve put your name and face and your reputation out there with this course. It’s fairly clear that this is a long-term business that you’re planning going to grow and build. It didn’t seem like some quick and easy way to make cash before you move onto the next thing.

I knew the competition was fierce, especially because the skill I chose to market has quite a low barrier to entry.

I decided to give it a go as a 30-day experiment for the month of March. I swore full effort for 30-days, and if I couldn’t make it work then, that would be real feedback to move on with.

3) How did you decide what kind of work to freelance?

My background is graphic design and also arts and heritage management which is related to the business management side of historical institutions like museums and galleries. I had worked and had been freelancing across both fields as a designer and also as a researcher/writer. I knew that offering both was really confusing, and I also knew I wanted to drop design entirely.

Proofreading and editing was something that was common to both sides. I considered writing, but I’m not a good copywriter or sales writer. I checked out the jobs that were coming up on Upwork and didn’t think there would be enough interest in academic research and writing.

I saw that proofreading was in demand. Because the writer is the one with the niche knowledge, proofreading would allow me to work across a wide variety of topics. That was my thinking at the time. Editing came into the mix in the second week when I discovered that people say they want a proofreader, but what they actually need is an editor.

4) Did you have to do much groundwork before you started applying for jobs online?


I started working through the course in February, but I wasn’t planning on doing the Upwork part of it. On March 1, I decided to do a 30-day experiment to see if niching down as a proofreader and editor would actually bring me enough work.

As it was just a 30-day experiment, I didn’t put too much time into making it perfect. I went through the lessons and set up my Upwork profile as best I could. I didn’t have a website, portfolio, or any samples. I have no formal qualifications in proofreading or editing, but I knew from experience that it was something I could offer that would be of value.

5) How did you find your first paying client, and how much did they pay you?

Well, not that I would recommend this or that you teach it, but I sent about 20 pitches the first day.

Looking back, most of those job postings were old, abandoned, or they had already hired. I should have just followed your lessons to take it slow and apply to a few select jobs, but I’ve never been able to do what I’m told.

I got my first job on the first day to proofread a brochure for a sustainable packaging company in the forestry industry. They had sent me a message with their competitor’s brochure attached and they were interviewing a handful of people. I sent them a message to say what I liked and didn’t like about their competitors brochure. I also did a sample proofread on their competitor’s brochure, which gave them a tangible idea of what they would get from me. They hired me and asked my advice on their writing.

The brochure was 450 words long, and I was paid $50 for to proofread and edit their writing to align with what they said they wanted to achieve. It took me 15 minutes to complete, and I would say I spent about 20 minutes on pitching and proofreading their competitor’s brochure. So, that was 35 minutes work and $50, which gave me a good sense of what kind of things people value in a proofreader and what they are willing to pay good rates for.

Overall I’m getting a response rate of 1 in 7, and I’m closing 1 in 6. As I’ve refined my pitching and became more selective over the past 30 days, I think this ratio will improve in April.

6) How much have you earned online since you started?

So, my 30-day experiment is almost up. I’ve closed and completed $1,375 of projects, which is €1,226. I’m calling that enough of a result to keep going down this route.

I made so many mistakes this first month. I’m developing a much better eye for which jobs and clients I have the best advantage to win. That’s something you only really get a feel for when you do it, so I’m glad I pitched a lot this month. I think next month will be even better as my selecting and pitching have been refined.

This morning I closed a job worth $450 that I will be working on next week. That’s April, so I’m not including it in my March total, but it gives me a little bit of hope that this hasn’t all been a 30-day streak of beginners luck.

7) About how many hours per week have you been working as a freelancer? (Including time spent pitching for jobs.)

I worked a total of 29 hours this month on projects. I had an average of 60-90 minutes on certain days looking for jobs on Upwork and pitching. If it’s a well-paying job and they’ve attached something, I will do a small sample proof which usually grabs their attention. I just figure this time into the price I bid. I offer to do a sample proof in some of the pitches which some people take me up on.

I would say that all my pitching and samples came to about 15 hours max over the month.

Result: I worked about 44 hours total over the month. It doesn’t divide equally, some weeks were heavier but averaged out it’s 11 hours a week.

8) Why do you think clients hire you instead of hiring cheaper freelancers from places like India or the Philippines?

There is a lot of competition in this particular category because you’ve not only got cheaper freelancers from India and the Philippines (not that I begrudge them at all), but also, you’ve got other categories of freelancer who offer proofreading and editing on the side of their main service.

You would often see writers, journalists, translators and virtual assistants who offer it. It’s a category that has a really low barrier to entry and is considered by some to be low-skill or low-value work. It’s not uncommon to see jobs looking for a proofreader/editor for a 100k word novel for $20.

What’s amazing is these people get plenty of really low bids. What they’re really getting is someone to run spellcheck on their document for them. Which is great if they know that, and they’re happy to pay a small price for someone to sit there and do that.

I’ve got my rate set at $35 per hour, which is definitely in the mid-high range for this category. Most of the jobs in this category are fixed price so I make sure that I’m in the right range when I bid. There are seasoned editors offering developmental editing in the $50+ category, but that’s not a skill or experience level that I have.

I focus on two kinds of work:

Editing academic work at Masters or Ph.D. level, and other projects in the education space. Native English or near-perfect English.
Skilled professionals and entrepreneurs. Native English or near-perfect English.

Both these categories are willing and able to pay a higher rate to get a quality result.

Academic work is usually someone who is overwhelmed with their research and is having trouble structuring a concise argument. This happens when researchers have too much information, and they lose sight of their research question.

For skilled professionals and entrepreneurs, what they really want is someone who is their equivalent. Professional, educated but a native English speaker. They want the peace of mind that they are coming across as professionally as they would if they had written the same document in their native language.

I definitely think there is work available at all price points in proofreading and editing, and that it could be adapted to many people’s existing background and skills.

9) Has working online been much different than you expected? (Easier? Harder? Any unforeseen benefits or drawbacks?)

I didn’t think there would be as much work available as there is, which is great.

The benefit for me is that I get to further develop and use a skill that maybe I wouldn’t have kept up much longer. It’s like exploring another potential career path, or a taster of what might have been if you had gone a different direction.

10) What advice would you give to other people who are eager to replicate your success?

Give it a try for 30-days. The worst case scenario is you try really hard, make no money, and learn a lot.

I would also say, don’t undervalue yourself and the experience you naturally have built up over the years. Maybe you’re really into paranormal romance novels; there’s a niche that’s hiring. Maybe you were a web developer and it didn’t suit you. There are lots of people writing books on technical subjects who need a technical mind with good proofreading and editing skills.

I’m really bad at grammar and punctuation (you’ve probably noticed), and I have bad writing habits, but I’m good at organising information and understanding complex topics. You can buy a book and learn as you go.

11) How has 3M1K helped you get to where you are now?

3M1K is great. I’m very all or nothing. I need to be immersed to get going, which must be annoying for the others in the Facebook group who have to listen to me, but it helps me stay on track. (Sorry guys!)

The benefit of 3M1K is that it makes your existing skills online compatible. There are probably thousands of really skilled people out there who are struggling to get freelance work (online or offline), and this course could make them compatible with the online workplace. It’s like a bootcamp for digital freelancing skills.

I wouldn’t have stuck with this 30-day experiment if I didn’t have the course. There’s always someone to answer your questions, give you feedback, talk you down when you get all nervous about something. I would challenge anyone who thinks they don’t have any marketable skills to go through the course. They might surprise themselves.

12) Would you be willing to share a couple of winning proposals you submitted on Upwork?

SAMPLE 1

This is a job I did last week. I bid $125, and it was accepted immediately. This job took me 90 minutes to complete and 30 minutes to double check. As this was a legal document, I was careful to edit in a way that did not change the meaning of any of the sentences. This Swiss lawyer had English that was near perfect.

I delivered the files within 2 hours and the client added a $40 bonus to my payment and left me 5-star feedback. $165 for 2 hours is a pretty good rate.

Job description:

Click for full-size

Things of note / things I picked out of their proposal:

Native English speaker for a 9-page legal document.
The price was good. $150 for less than 4000 words.
The deadline was strict and fast completion was really important.
Confidentiality of the document was also very important.
Requested that applicants add a code to their pitch to show they had read the description and not just copied and pasted a standard pitch.
They had 5-star reviews and plenty of previous hires.
Based in Europe so we’re on the same timezone.

My proposal:

Click for full-size

And here’s the review they left for me on Upwork after the job was complete:

SAMPLE 2

A bad example that worked out okay.

They hired two people and split the work between us. This was my second job on Upwork. There are parts of this pitch that I no longer disclose while pitching, such as the base rate that I was using for calculating job bids, and also the part where I talk about being new on Upwork.

They paid me $133 total to proofread 4 academic articles in the maritime engineering field. These articles were written by European academics with near-perfect English. We are still in touch as they submitted a tender for work that was conditional upon me being their proofreader/editor. Hopefully, it will mean ongoing work from them.

Job description:

Click for full-size

My proposal:

Click for full-size

 

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Making Money Online: Early Results & Feedback From 3M1K

Below are a bunch of screenshots to highlight the results I’m starting to hear back from members of 3M1K, my premium course for people who want to make money online.

The course aims to help you make your first €1,000 online within three months. It launched less than two months ago, but already people are having great success with it.

Note that some of the feedback below is from people who had skills suitable for working online before they joined 3M1K. But there are also plenty of people (e.g. Susan, Conor, Maria) who didn’t have any well-defined skills when they joined the course, but quickly learned enough to start seeing results.

Also, some members preferred not to have their names/photos display here so I’ve blurred them out.

Lastly, I want to point you towards the blog of another member of the course. Karl Webster has been posting frequent updates of his experience in 3M1K.

Here are a few excerpts…

Firstly, the tone of voice of the training materials is refreshingly frank and free from bullshit.

That’s what I have always lacked. Order. Discipline. Doing this course and sticking to the timetable I’ve imposed upon myself, I can feel myself responding to it. To ordered learning. And the course is very well ordered, which is to say, sequenced. That’s another thing I’ve always lacked. Sequence. Thus far then, I am pleased to report, the course is providing the precise guidance I need to be able to give my best to all the stuff that I’ve always previously recoiled from.

The truth is, I think that doing this course might be a significantly life-changing experience for me. This is primarily because it’s proving clear, wise and well-structured enough to have already justified my commitment to getting organised enough to get the best from it.

So there it is and here I am, thirteen days in.

And although I could probably have tracked down everything I’ve seen and read so far myself – I could even have interviewed Niall’s interviewees, in theory – it would have taken me years to gather all that knowledge and sage advice together. And having it all in one place has been very well worth the £230 the course costs.

If you’d like to learn more about working online and start seeing real results yourself, join the free mini course, or you can sign up for the premium course here.

Momentos: March 1st – March 15th, 2016

1.

Working on my latest finance report. Things are getting more complex lately with VAT and bills and taxes. The price of staying in one place. I’m cutting it quite close money-wise, don’t have much of a buffer, little room for error. But I’ll make it work, figure something out. I’m good at that.

2.

Posted on Facebook that idea about a US road trip in June, asked who wanted to join. Dozens of people expressed interest but only two reached out beyond the comments, sent me private messages to inquire further. That’s usually the way. We say we want something and get all excited, but desires and intentions alone don’t make shit happen.

3.

Gym-bound at the crack, running on four hours sleep cutting through a narrow alley, feeling oddly energetic, blissful even. Feels like I’m on the verge of something, boulder cresting a hill. Later I’ll sit in a crowded room and listen to a lady strum a guitar and sing a song about love and bravery and it will all seem connected somehow.

4.

It dawns on me about halfway through that he’s a level beyond where I’m at and there’s no way I’ll be able to afford his services. At least not yet. So I let him talk and try to follow along, but I’m distracted by his big watch and wondering why he hasn’t qualified me in some way to make sure I’m not wasting his time.

5.

R invited us over for dinner at her new place. Minestrone. Just the three of us, sitting, chatting, eating, laughing. I don’t think they realize how much this fills me up, keeps my heart warm. Didn’t realize it myself until it was time to go and I was left wishing for more.

Glug event at Rockstart.

6.

So far this month four people have canceled their recurring payments to 3M1K. None have asked for a refund. One tells me he’s too busy to devote time to the course right now, awaiting feedback from the others. My bad for not being more aware the last few weeks. I should notice when someone’s inactive and check in with them to see what’s up. Learning.

7.

Hit the wall today. Burnt out. Run down. Feeling sorry for myself. Gave the gym a miss and skipped the 24-hour fast. Needed rest and comfort food. Still got the essentials done but also allowed myself to veg on the couch for a bit, watching Netflix and eating a whole bag of pistachios. Can’t afford days like this too often though. Back at it tomorrow.

8.

Definitely pushing against my limits this week, but trying to stay focused on the upside. Significant growth potential here, no better time to cut the fluff, enforce boundaries, and demand respect. Kinda like like Michael Douglas in Falling Down. Except, you know, I make my own breakfast.

9.

Still skipping the gym, I’ll pass on salsa this eve, and now filtering emails from that tax guy who wants to bill me for the “free” consultation we had last week. Only so much I can handle at one time and stay sane. Ten skype calls scheduled today and a fever coming on to boot. I’m a mighty mighty man, I’m young and I’m in my prime.

10.

Two calls with prospective clients, discussing projects worth $2,600. I found them both on Upwork, managed to get their attention despite 50+ competing proposals for each job. That’s one thing about creating my course: they say the best way to learn is to teach, and I’ve definitely become a better freelancer by teaching others how to become better freelancers.

Game night.

11.

Advising a member of 3M1K not to compare himself to others. There’s always someone out there faring better than you are, so it’s always a losing proposition. Then I hear of a friend who’s killing it with her online biz. She started later than me, and is now much further ahead. I’m happy for her, but it also makes me question what I’ve been doing.

12.

Decided not to do that USA road trip in June. It would be cool and everything, but it would also be another project on my plate, a project requiring time and energy and money, both to plan and execute. I’d be falling back into that old habit of trying to do too much. (Actually, not sure I’ve ever broken that habit.)

13.

Feeling the urge to get back to blogging more frequently. I quit my twice-a-week schedule in 2013, and traffic has plateaued since. I believe writing is my best contribution to the world, where my brightest future lies. But again, there’s that old habit to be wary of. Decided to ditch one project yesterday, and today I’m back on the hunt.

14.

Imagine you really liked puppies but there was one puppy left on earth and you only got to play with him for five minutes every three days. That’s me as a boyfriend. Great when I’m there, but never around as much as you want me to be. Too busy trying to build that empire. Luckily, I’m nobody’s boyfriend. Barely make time for a booty call these days.

15.

Sitting, sipping coffee, eyes towards arrivals. A very old priest walked by a minute ago with a big smile and a glow all around him. Then a lady with an Alsatian twice her size. Now a pretty girl in a hat, a couple embracing. I’m waiting for the folks, in town for my birthday. Looking forward to walks and talks and time away from the machine.

Airport waiting.

In the comments below, let me know which of the above Momentos is your favorite. Which can you relate to?

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Everything I Earned And Spent In 2015

2015 was my fifth full year of self-employment, and it was a big year of transition as I quit traveling the world and settled down in Amsterdam.

I still managed to visit ten countries in 2015, the same number as the year previous, but most of those happened within the first five months. Since June I’ve barely left Amsterdam, save for a couple of quick trips back to Ireland to visit family.

If you’re a regular visitor here you’ll know that I’ve been tracking all my income and expenditure since I quit my day job at the end of 2010, and sharing detailed monthly finance reports with my email subscribers.

Below I’ll share with you a summary of all my income and expenses from 2015.

2015 Expenses



Housing & Utilities
€ 11,587
$ 12,730


Business Expenses
€ 5,442
$ 5,988


Food & Drink
€ 5,257
$ 5,777


Travel
€ 2,349
$ 2,600


Miscellaneous
€ 1,785
$ 1,955


Clothing
€ 1,123
$ 1,239


Gifts & Donations
€ 502
$ 548


Insurance
€ 402
$ 440


Books
€ 369
$ 409


Phone Credit
€ 336
$ 369


Movies/Cinema/Television
€ 157
$ 177


Toiletries
€ 120
$ 131


Gym Membership
€ 110
$ 123


Laundry
€ 62
$ 69




Total Expenses
€ 29,601
$ 32,555


2014 Totals
€ 20,286
$ 26,655

As expected, it’s proving to be more expensive to live in one place than it is to travel the world indefinitely.

My expenses for the first five months of the year (i.e. when I was still traveling) averaged out at €1,842/month. But since moving to Amsterdam that average has jumped €2,913.

Of course, a big chunk of my expenses here in Amsterdam can be attributed to renting a nice apartment all by myself. I could find somewhere cheaper to live, but I like having my own, centrally-located place, and I’m happy to pay a premium for that.

2015 Income



Freelance Web Design
€ 21,142
$ 23,263


Travel The World + Work Online (now 3M1K)
€ 8,921
$ 8,098


Gifts and Donations
€ 1,495
$ 1,634


Affiliate Income
€ 630
$ 685


Miscellaneous
€ 524
$ 586


Book Sales (via Amazon and ndoherty.com)
€ 421
$ 462


Speaking Gigs
€ 389
$ 432


Google Adsense (via my YouTube videos)
€ 321
$ 356


The 1-Hour Website Webinar
€ 306
$ 332


Fake Flight Itinerary
€ 143
$ 160




Total Income
€ 33,469
$ 36,831


2014 Totals
€ 20,057
$ 26,328

Thankfully my income rose in line with my expenses, even a bit more so.

As usual, freelance web design was my bread and butter. I made a good chunk from that despite working at it only part-time.

Other Numbers Of Interest



Total cash and bank balances on January 1, 2015
€ 4,140
$ 5,009


Total cash and bank balances on December 31, 2015
€ 7,836
$ 8,509


Difference between those two numbers
+ € 3,696
+ $ 3,500


Money spent per day in 2015
€ 81.10
$ 89.19


Money earned per day in 2015
€ 91.70
$ 100.91


Lowest income month (November)
€ 311
$ 330


Highest income month (July)
€ 6,931
$ 7,612


Most expensive month (June)
€ 4,115
$ 4,571


Least expensive month (April)
€ 1,125
$ 1,257



Monthly Profit/Loss

Here’s how I did throughout 2015 in terms of profit and loss:

€174/$196 in January
€2,170/$2,355 in February
€608/$655 in March
€1,366/$1,526 in April
€389/$425 in May
€1,422/$1,576 in June
€2,945/$3,236 in July
€689/$777 in August
€1,686/$1,889 in September
€1,031/$1,135 in October
€2,104/$2,235 in November
€276/$329 in December


€3,696/$3,500 overall

Lessons Learned

They say you’ve really only learned something when your behavior changes. Anything before that is knowledge, and knowledge is useless unless acted upon.

Before 2015 I knew all about the importance of routine, but until I settled in one place and started hitting the gym every morning and chipping away at my business every day, I hadn’t really learned.

So that was the biggest thing I learned in 2015: the value of routine.

Life on the road was great for a few years, but it was also very distracting. If you really want to make progress towards your goals, knuckle down in one spot and get after it relentlessly, day after day after day.

And that might sound like a chore, but it’s not. I worked a lot more in 2015 than I did in 2014, but I’d say I was also more content.

Biggest Regret?

A couple of clothing purchases spring to mind.

Back in June I dropped €115 on a pair of jeans that I’ve worn maybe two times since. And the following month I spent €40 on a nice white dress shirt that soon wouldn’t fit me because my boobs got all big from the gym.

Ah well.

A Few Photos From 2015

Motorcycle adventure beneath the shadow of Volcán Maderas on Ometepe Island, Nicaragua.

Giving away $100 on the streets of New Orleans. Lots more photos on Facebook.

Arriving in Barcelona. More pics from my cruise across the Atlantic over on Facebook.

The green green grass of home
Arriving in Rosslare on May 16th to finish my 44-month trip around the world without flying.

Arriving in Amsterdam in June.

Cruising the canals.

Another workday in Amsterdam.

Gay pride :-)

Fluffy Puppy Slippers!

Autumn in Amsterdam.

Would you believe my gym membership in Amsterdam is only €110 for 12 months!?

2016 Forecast

I plan to spend most of 2016 living in Amsterdam, and so I expect both my income and expenses to increase significantly from 2015.

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Momentos: February 16th – February 29th, 2016

16.

Another one of those days dreams are made of. Nothing fancy, just head down and doing the work even though I didn’t feel like doing it. The course hasn’t taken off as fast as I’d hoped, but then few things worthwhile ever do. Overnight success tends to take a while when you’re looking out your own eyes.

17.

Salsa class. We switch partners every few minutes so you get to dance with everyone. I prefer some to others. One girl likes to tell me I’m messing up but I’m pretty sure it’s her who’s getting it wrong since things flow fine with the rest. But I don’t know enough to correct her, so I keep my mouth shut. She obviously doesn’t share that philosophy.

18.

When you realize that something you used to struggle with has become easy and enjoyable. Social settings like this eve used to scare the bejesus out of me. Okay so sometimes the anxiety still surfaces, but less and less as time goes by. All that practice has paid off. Putting myself out there, starting conversations, stumbling through the awkwardness.

19.

I was 17 working late shifts at a hotel in my hometown. They had me lugging suitcases, collecting glasses, mopping puke off the dance floor. That summer was the first time it really dawned on me that everything comes and everything goes. Even the shittiest nights would run their course and I’d go home to fresh toast and a warm bed.

20.

It’s raining, it’s Saturday and I’m running in the park. There’s a guy trying to keep his pearly kicks out of the mud and a dog that thinks this weather is the best thing ever. I don’t usually exercise on weekends but today I had the urge to get out and run. Feels like I’m running away from myself, trying to keep dark thoughts at bay.

Pro tip: don’t put lemon in your coffee.

21.

Kinda caught in limbo with the course. It’s done well enough that it makes sense to keep investing in it, but not well enough to keep me afloat financially. I’ll need to get back to freelancing and postpone some other projects I had in mind. Trying to stay positive and see the challenge as an opportunity. Lots more learning ahead.

22.

Yesterday was a rough one. Some of the sad was simple burnout after a long week, but a good chunk of it was me feeling sorry for myself, disappointed that things haven’t gone better this month. I think I’ll always have the occasional day like that though, no matter how good life gets. Important thing is to not to dwell on them. Everything comes, everything goes.

23.

Found a parkour gym here in Amsterdam, went for a session this eve. Easily my favorite form of exercise. Trying to set myself up business-wise so I can do some immersion adventures in the not-too-distant future. One would definitely be parkour. Train at it consistently for several months, become a certified coach, break some crazy jumps.

24.

Anxious in the hours leading up to salsa class tonight, probably because of that annoyance last week. Figured it would be more of the same. But nope, it wasn’t. Great class, finally felt like we were flowing, not so robotic. Reminded me how we suffer more due to worries and expectations than things that are actually happening.

25.

A friend once told me that he’d never managed to bring his lady of five years to climax, and not for lack of trying. That memory comes to mind as I joke with this girl about how she might have broken the world record for multiple orgasms just now. I’d like to take all the credit, but fact is some women get there easier than others.

Reguliersbreestraat in Amsterdam.

26.

I tell everyone that I’m still in the honeymoon period here in Amsterdam. Nine months in and loving it relentless. But these love-struck days may be numbered. More bills came through the door this afternoon, and taxes must soon be paid. Someone once wrote that most folks visit works of art, while the people of Amsterdam live in one. Good art ain’t cheap.

27.

There’s that gap between what you know you can create, and right now. I can envision the business I want to build, the business I am building, how it will help people and the packaging it’ll be wrapped in. I have no doubt it will be a success. But man, that gap. It looks mighty big and intimidating sometimes, like it does today, a long way from here to there.

28.

Actually, looking at the sales numbers for 3M1K, it’s done alright this first month. 25 sales totaling €2,761.95. I opted to make VAT inclusive though, and 18 of those sales are from VAT countries, so that’s a big slice of the pie I can’t eat. Still, not bad going. 23 of those buyers are on monthly payments, too, so they’ll pay me again in March and April.

29.

Invited to a wedding in New Orleans in June. Now I’m thinking, why not turn it into an epic adventure? Start on the east coast, rent a car or an RV, road trip it down south and back again. Two weeks maybe. Meet some internet friends, visit Rushmore, that kinda thing. But not alone. 4-5 people would be great. Interested? (I’m serious. Get in touch.)

Improv comedy night at Mezrab.

In the comments below, let me know which of the above Momentos is your favorite. Which can you relate to?

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