But you are using it! You're using it to solve your cash flow problems for good. You've given yourself the freedom to do whatever you'd want to be doing anyway, no matter how risky it is, no matter how long it takes for the money to roll in, secure in the knowledge that no matter how unprofitable your next venture is, your worst-case fallback position is "Damn, I'm retired again. How I hate the prospect of sitting on this beach, reading whatever I want, writing whatever I want, until I die of old age!"
The thing about making money on the side is that it's work. It's distracting and requires continuous effort if you have to keep the money rolling in smoothly. How did tptacek put it the other day, in response to the question "How many billable hours are lost on HN every day?"
As someone who often bills hourly, I'll go with $0. Your time isn't fungible; it only commands a bill rate if you can commit to a start time, milestones, and a delivery date. Very few businesses want to pay for your spare cycles.
Now, I realize that there is a class of personalities that cannot possibly follow my advice. They will find themselves unable to motivate themselves when they have the option to sit around playing WoW all day, and yet all that WoW makes them miserable and unfulfilled. So they will be compelled to blow some or all of their $2m at the craps table so that they can feel alive again. Las Vegas was built around such people. I can't possibly dissuade them with my feeble arguments (and blowing the money is surely preferable to being miserable) but I would encourage them to try my plan first.
But you are using it! You're using it to solve your cash flow problems for good. You've given yourself the freedom to do whatever you'd want to be doing anyway, no matter how risky it is, no matter how long it takes for the money to roll in, secure in the knowledge that no matter how unprofitable your next venture is, your worst-case fallback position is "Damn, I'm retired again. How I hate the prospect of sitting on this beach, reading whatever I want, writing whatever I want, until I die of old age!"
The thing about making money on the side is that it's work. It's distracting and requires continuous effort if you have to keep the money rolling in smoothly. How did tptacek put it the other day, in response to the question "How many billable hours are lost on HN every day?"
As someone who often bills hourly, I'll go with $0. Your time isn't fungible; it only commands a bill rate if you can commit to a start time, milestones, and a delivery date. Very few businesses want to pay for your spare cycles.
(http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=467900)
Now, I realize that there is a class of personalities that cannot possibly follow my advice. They will find themselves unable to motivate themselves when they have the option to sit around playing WoW all day, and yet all that WoW makes them miserable and unfulfilled. So they will be compelled to blow some or all of their $2m at the craps table so that they can feel alive again. Las Vegas was built around such people. I can't possibly dissuade them with my feeble arguments (and blowing the money is surely preferable to being miserable) but I would encourage them to try my plan first.