Jonathan

How To Use Evernote: 21 Creative Uses

January 20, 2020 By Jonathan

Are you looking for new ways to get better organized?

One of the biggest challenges I have when it comes to organizing is what to do with the stuff I want to keep but do not need right now.

In the past, I always ended up having a huge pile somewhere on my home office desk.

Even if I filed something away, I had to remember how I filed it. All that changed for me about two years ago when I started using Evernote.

What is Evernote?

Evernote is free desktop download that works like a large reference file. I like to call it my “external brain.” What is great about this application is that you can store documents, photos, and webpages all in the same place. Everything is keyword searchable. What is really cool is that any text that appears in your photos is also keyword searchable inside Evernote.

If you are new to Evernote, here is a list of 21 ways you can use Evernote to get better organized this year:

1. Place to store favorite quotes – I have a file for my favorite quotes so that I do not forget about them. Every once in a while I will read through the file for inspiration.
2. Store ebooks and online reports – The internet is full of free and useful information but I do not always have the time to read special reports or free ebooks that I want to read. So I have a file in the system for online reading.
3. Keep favorite articles or blog posts – Why not capture a helpful article from SeedTime.com or other blogs so that you do not forget about the principles or action steps you have learned?
4. Catalog illustrations and stories – This is very helpful if you are a writer, blogger, speaker or pastor. Just simply capture stories, illustrations, or statistics that you may end up using later down the road.
5. Vacation organization – If you are going on vacation soon, create a file and collect webpages about hotels, dining and entertainment.
6. Place to capture random ideas – My mind is always coming up with ideas. Sure I may never take action on half of them but it is fun to review from time to time.
7. Create a Reading List folder – I love to read and usually average reading a whole book every week or two. I have a list that I keep of books that I want to eventually read.
8. Reading a good book? – Snap a picture of a page you enjoy and search for the quote, illustration, or points later.
9. Record passwords or any important information – you can use a folder to store passwords that you might want to remember later.
10. Snap pictures of receipts you want to keep for tax purposes and place in a notebook file.
11. Write down a list of movies that you want to watch.
12. Take pictures of important newspaper articles and store them for your kids down the road.
13. Take photos of valuable items in your home as a way to keep track of your home inventory.
14. Make a restaurant listing of places to eat near and around your home.
15. Copy and paste important emails that you want to remember so that you do not have to print it off and file it away.
16. Create a working errand list for the supermarket or hardware store so you can get everything in one trip. Also, record prices on grocery items so that you can know when things are on sale.
17. Snap a photo of every business card you get – All photos are keyword searchable once in the Evernote system.
18. Take photos of prices when you are out shopping in order to compare prices with other stores.
19. Take photos of your car VIN number and license plate for later use.
20. Use Evernote as a time management system – Create folders for to do lists such as calls to make, errands to run, projects, and bills to pay.
21. Write a 101 goals for your life to keep handy – Use a folder like a bucket list to record down things you would like to accomplish while you are alive.

The options are endless.

The point is that if you have a trusted system to place things, you will have less mental anxiety with having to try to remember everything. I have had people contact me asking for certain items and have been able to identify it in 10 seconds (and they agonized over trying to find the same thing for an hour). Think about how much time alone you will save by having a place to put everything. Remember, you do not have to be super-organized. Just get it in Evernote and you can search for it by keywords later.

(Note from Bob: I am an Evernote user as well and love it. The web features are great, but when you couple that with an Evernote application on your phone, it really makes for an incredible system to help keep you organized.)

4 Ways to Handle Money God’s Way

January 20, 2020 By Jonathan

Ever feel like your life is stuck in fast-forward?

From the moment our feet hit the floor in the morning, it seems like we never let up on life’s gas pedal.

When we finally sit down to look at bills, we are exhausted and just want to pay them as quickly as possible and move on.

Even some of us avoid logging in to our bank accounts all together because it is just too painful to really see what our current balance is.

Is this how God intended for us to live?

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing that you have always done and expecting a different result.

God has made us stewards of the money He has given us (as seen in the Parable of the Talents).

If you feel discouraged, burned out, or frustrated with the way you are currently handling your money, here are some perspective changes you can make in your life.

1Choose to Be Faithful in the Little Things

You don’t need to wait until Aunt Matilda dies and leaves you her fortune before you start handling your money seriously. Decide to be faithful in the little things that you have.

It is easy to live above your means. Most Americans live that way.

Why not instead choose to be different? Decide today that you are going to be more intentional with your money and empower yourself to say no.

One of the great lessons in life is learning to be content with whatever condition you are currently in.

Small things are small things, but faithfulness with a small thing is a big thing. – Hudson Taylor

2Learn the Value of Contentment

Contentment can do so much good for your soul. In fact, if you have kids then it is absolutely essential that you teach them this virtue. The challenge is that we want to bless our kids, make them happy, and give them a good childhood. What we often forget are the great lessons that we lose along the way.

For awhile, we had an extremely basic TV cable package. We have made a choice to live frugal and in the state of contentment that God currently has us in. This was a real challenge for my two kids as they had become accustomed to watching all their favorite television programs in the evening. While initially they voted us the “Lamest Parents in the World,” a strange thing began to happen. We suddenly had more time for conversation, bike rides around the neighborhood, and sitting on the front porch swing at sunset just enjoying one another’s presence. The kids began to make up silly games for us to play and we had our fair share of freeze tag in the front yard. Your life is as rich as you want to make it. Contentment is a choice.

3Hold Loosely to Everything

In the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon mentions several times how stressful life can be for those whose life’s goal is the pursuit of wealth or riches. Is it wrong to have nice things? Certainly not. But those that are consumed with wanting more live a stress-filled life.

Solomon talks about how the poor man has peaceful sleep after spending his day laboring in the field, while the rich man tosses and turns worrying about how to hold onto all his wealth. If you can learn the value of holding loosely to what you have, the pressure will begin to roll off your shoulders. Holding loosely does not mean you live flippantly and do not take careful consideration for what you have. It means that you recognize that it is all God’s to begin with anyway.

4Be Faithful With All 100%

Most Christians have been trained to handle 10% of their money God’s way through giving a tithe, but they are clueless with what to do with the other 90%. One powerful principle to remember is that all 100% of it was given to you by God.

Some of you might be saying, “Wait a minute, I earned that money by using my knowledge, skill and ability.”

Wasn’t it God who gave you that knowledge, skill, and ability to begin with? Does not God give us the power to create wealth? There is a wonderful mental shift that can take place when you recognize that you and I are just merely managers of the wealth God gives us.

Conclusion

If you are living above your means and constantly worried or stressed about your money situation, I have one simple question for you: Why? Don’t you realize that you are choosing to live that way? There is another way.

Simplify your life by learning the value of contentment. Start being faithful in the little things. Hold loosely to what you have and give 100% of it over to God. Once you arrive at that place, you can close your eyes at night and sleep peacefully. Why not start handling money God’s way today?

What else can we do to handle God’s money better? Leave a comment!

A Closer Look at Making Money with the Gigwalk App

January 20, 2020 By Jonathan

Want to make some extra income with your iPhone? It never ceases to amaze me the creativity people have with iPhone apps. Oftentimes the simplest of ideas start a new revolution. When it comes to making money with an iPhone app, you should always walk with a bit of caution at first.

Companies and manufacturers alike want to know more about how their product is performing in the marketplace. This has to do with pricing, product placement, advertising, and more. Mystery shopping has been around for awhile now. The Gigwalk app is making an attempt to simplify the process for normal everyday people to complete tasks that companies are willing to pay for. My goal today is to show you how to use Gigwalk and my overall impression of the app.

Gigwalk Overview

Once you download the iPhone app, you will be asked to sign up for a free account. It does want to collect a little bit of information from you before you start accepting “gigs.” Be sure to add your Paypal email address because this is how you will be paid.

The app will also ask for permission to access your current location. You will want to do this as the app can tell you how far each “gig” is away from you. This is also a great feature because if you do travel from time to time, you can see what gigs are available no matter where you are at the moment.

Typical gigs very in their responsibilities. Some gigs are as simple as snapping a photo of the desired product on the grocery store shelf. Some companies just want to know how their product is being displayed. Others want you to do a price check on the product.

As far as pay, a gig will range between $5-20 each. Once you submit the required information, you will need to wait for approval. After you are approved, you receive payment via Paypal.

The Main Dashboard

The main dashboard in the app is divided into 4 sections:

Browse Gigs

This is updated in real time and has to do with your current location. New gigs are added all of the time. Yesterday in my area there were 2 live gigs and when I checked this morning there were 4 total gigs. Each gig also has a desired completion date. From the looks of it, these are normally about 2 weeks out.

My Gigs

This is where you can monitor the stage your gig is in. There are three stages: applied, in progress, and completed. Applying is pretty simple as all you need to do is hit the “apply” button to notify the owner of the gig that you want to participate.

Once you are approved, you will be moved to the “in progress” stage. This displays a listing of all of the current gigs you are involved with. The final stage is labeled “completed.” This is where you can view your total earnings and completed gigs.

My Profile

There is a percentage completion meter here. They want you to fill it out as much as possible. It could be that this information is used in creating gigs. For example, a creator of a gig may just want female participation. I am of course just assuming this is true. There is nothing stated that you have to get your profile to 100% completion to make money with the service though.

Working Today

The last section on the main dashboard show the profile pictures of all of the users who are currently working gigs. Not really much can be done here, but it is a powerful feature of displaying other profiles of people earning money with Gigwalk.

Final Thoughts

As best as I can tell at this moment, Gigwalk is not a scam. It seems to be a legitimate and useful tool. I can bet that companies and manufacturers really like this idea as it gives them direct access to the everyday consumer. Some gigs are surveys and this info can be helpful for sure.

When I showed my wife the app, her first thought was: “I can do both of those gigs while I am grocery shopping.” I guess there is nothing like earning money while you are grocery shopping.

If you have used Gigwalk in the past, we would love to know your perspective. Feel free to share below!

5 Legitimate Work From Home Jobs & Opportunities

January 20, 2020 By Jonathan

We live in tough times. Those who are not unemployed are under-employed.

Many people agonize between taking a second job and family time.

My goal is to share with you some legitimate work from home jobs that will allow you to earn extra income for your family part time from the comfort of your own home on your schedule.

Many of these examples I have personally used to add extra income to my household when needed. I am not going to focus on starting an online business or starting a blog in this post (although, for the diligent there is money to be made in blogging (FREE Book here), Adsense, creating your own products, selling on Ebay, and affiliate sales.)

Instead, I want to introduce to you a few reputable work-from-home companies that will pay you for your work. All of these will send 1099’s for tax purposes.

5 legit opportunities to work from home

1Swagbucks

I was hesitant to put this one one here since it isn’t a job per se, but it is a legit way to make a few bucks. Basically this is a free site that offers you a bunch of ways to earn cash, gift cards, or other rewards.

You can earn by answering polls, taking surveys, doing simple tasks (like giving feedback about a website), trading in old video games or books, and even playing games on their site.

I have used them for months and have received multiple payments from them, so I can attest that it is legit. While you won’t get rich doing this, to me it seems like a great way for stay at home moms (or teens) to make some money. Probably won’t earn as much as some of the others listed here, but it will also be much easier. Find out more check out our Swagbucks review or their website here.

2Demand Studios

They have many different employment opportunities that range from Writers, Editors, Title Editors, Filmmakers, and more. They are usually hiring for certain positions at certain times so you have to keep your eyes peeled. I have made several thousand dollars in article writing and title editing. I even got my wife into doing title editing and earning extra spending money. As a writer you can make between $7.50-$20.00 per 150-500 word article. I usually write about two articles an hour (that’s $30.00 an hour at $15.00 an article). You do not have to be a prolific writer or have a background in writing to get accepted. Most articles are in a “How to” format. So, if you are the type that enjoys learning something new and then explaining it to someone else then this could be a fun work for you. Most of their content goes on eHow.com or LiveStrong.com.

Let’s say you have a trip you want to take in a month. Just decide how many articles you would have to write a day to reach your goal. They pay by Paypal every Wednesday and Friday. There is no payment threshold that you have to meet either. If you have money in your account, you will get paid. They currently have thousands of titles to choose from in the system and you can reserve up to ten at a time.

3Leapforce

They are a vendor for Google. Once you are accepted in the program you log-in to the Google interface and rate websites. Google wants their searches to be relevant. They use human raters to rate whether the content is worthy or spam. At the time of this writing, they pay $11.50 an hour.

4Textbroker

This is a great place to earn extra income if you want to write on simple projects. They pay is much less, but the projects are easy to write on. I once wrote several 150 word articles for someone that was creating an Extreme Sports website. The work was fun. I simply wrote a short bio about different professional athletes.

5Liveops

If you want more human interaction, then you might want to consider LiveOps. LiveOps is an at home call service that you dial into while in the comfort of your own home. You will have to make a weekly schedule, but you will never have to commute anywhere. All calls are inbound from people responding to infomercials and you basically take their ordering information while being logged into the LiveOps system. They pay is around $9.50 but you do earn commission for different products sold.

Wrapping it up

Hopefully, this list will get you started thinking about ways to supplement your income. This resource is also good for Stay-at-home moms that are looking for ways to earn so money without being on a tight schedule. There are many more work-from-home companies out there, but these are all ones I have had personal interaction with and can recommend that they are legitimate. And if you need more ideas, here are 20 more work-from-home companies for you to look into.