Things No One Tells You About How Lonely Earning Money Online Can Be

Things no one tells you about how lonely earning money online can be:

• Your friends and family often don't understand what you're doing, which results in quite a few awkward conversations. They're not interested in what you want to talk about. You seem to be on different wavelengths.
• Turning down many social gatherings becomes the norm. You even start to feel like your friends have stopped inviting you altogether.
• You're eagerly waiting for your hustle to take off. You dream of reclaiming your nights and weekends and attending social events again.
• You're losing hope of finding people who share your experiences and understand this journey, people who can help you fight off this isolation.
• You keep telling yourself, "It won't always be like this. It's just a part of life." But knowing it's temporary doesn't make it any easier.

Have you felt this way?

Working from Cafes is Not My Thing

I've been working remotely for a while and am grateful for the freedom to work from almost anywhere. In Thailand, I've had the chance to work in some of the most beautiful cafes.

However, I quickly realized I couldn't focus well in public places.

That's when I decided to start working from my apartment. I love the routine, and the quiet boosts my productivity. But after a while, I started feeling lonely. Seeing my friends' Instagram posts didn't help because I felt like I was missing out. The worst part was that no one understood what I was going through.

So, instead of waining about it, I joined online communities of people facing similar challenges and began to build relationships. I made an effort to meet a friend for lunch here and there. This improved my mood, and I realized the quality of my work didn't deteriorate—quite the opposite.

I learned a valuable lesson: We need to consciously make time to connect with others.

Think of when you are trying to maintain a gym routine without setting a plan. If you try to exercise just when you have time, you'll end up not going for months. (Oh, the feeling of failure when you realize you have lost that monthly gym pass... AGAIN!)

To do more of something, you must make time for it.

Making Time to Connect

You have to take deliberate steps to build the habit. Block out time in your calendar and commit to it.

Successful online entrepreneurs and freelancers:

• Ensure they schedule at least one social activity each week, even if this means stepping away from work because they know this will make them more productive in the long term.
• Join communities of like-minded people and have regular Zoom meetings and Slack chats with them.
• Recognize that social activities can help them get a better perspective, improve creativity, and boost their energy levels.
• Stay positive and open to meeting new people.

Connecting with others can make your digital journey more productive, effective, and enjoyable.
We're here for such a short time, we better have fun while we're here.
It doesn't have to be lonely.