The Lady Programmer

As a freelancer, one of the basic skills that I needed to develop is time management.

Except for the last stint that I had with a semiconductor company, I was not all too skilled at managing time.

But having the freelance life as the only means of income forced me to abide with the deadlines. The most tricky part is when you have to work with several freelance jobs.

photo credit: Bjay70 (SXC)

Some tips that I can share:

1. Schedule. Keep a calendar where you can write down appointments and deadlines.
2. Prioritize. Make TO DO lists for the day, the week and if you can, for the month and beyond. From that TO DO list, identify and number the work that needs to be prioritized.
3. Prune time wasters. Eliminate or simplify other tasks that are unnecessary.
4. Set time for chat. Set a specific time for turning on your instant messaging services. That goes for checking the email too.
5. Relax. Take regular breaks to clear up the mind. Keep a well balanced life between work and play.

Can you add more to this?

I have not found any resource on adding oDesk mail to be able send oDesk email using Yahoo mail. The one that is written on site is for Gmail and Apple mail.

In Yahoo mail, this is simply accessed by starting with Options at the upper right portion on the screen, then clicking Mail Addresses under Management. You should be able to see an Add button where you can add a new email address, then you can follow the instructions that is provided.

The third step on adding a Setup Mail Server is not needed anymore because oDesk automatically forwards all incoming emails to the specified email address that you are working on. Just click Skip the Step to get to the verification page.

Do not forget to verify your oDesk email address by clicking Send Verification. Get to your Yahoo account and find the verification email. Click the link on that email that will confirm the verification.

Then you are all set and done. When you try to compose a new email, you will see that you have numerous email options in the From field.

Have I told you that oDesk is a good way to earn part time?

Chances are, you got into this post because you need a Unionbank EON card to verify your Paypal.

If you have a Payoneer card already, you can use it to verify your Paypal account in a faster way.

However, if you need two cards verified with a Paypal account, or you simply do not have a Payoneer card, then you have to start the trek to the long wait right away.

Here are the steps:

• I enrolled in a Unionbank EON account online. I waited for around two weeks because the bank encountered some problems.  I had expected getting the card within a week after registration.
• When the card finally came, I went to the bank to claim it. I shelled out P850 for the account – P350 for the annual card fee and P500 for the deposit. I had to put in some money because Paypal requires some cash for the Paypal Expanded Use (EXPUSE). Paypal deducts $1.95 for this.
• I had to wait for another day to activate the card with an ATM.
• Once activated, I have to enroll in their internet banking. I waited two days to get it activated.
• I logged in my Paypal and linked this card within the site.
• I got into my Unionbank EON account and saw the $1.95 deduction – in Pesos.
• I have to wait for another 3 days for the EXPUSE number.
• When I got the EXPUSE number, I was able to confirm my card. I finally had a Verified Paypal account!

A verified Paypal account is needed to withdraw Paypal funds to any Philippine bank account. Unverified accounts do not have this capability.

A lot of bloggers had written about the success of Paypal withdrawals in the Philippines; I stumbled on a lot of these when I had to figure out how to withdraw my earnings from my Paypal account – to do this in the Philippines I need to have a verified Paypal account first.

I think that getting a Paypal account to work along with Payoneer account is good so that I get to have my earnings if one withdrawal method fails. In case there is a problem with Payoneer, then I can still have my funds from oDesk through another source. I’ve written about the comparison between the different withdrawal methods used in oDesk.

Here in the Philippines, a verified Paypal account is needed to be able to withdraw Paypal funds to any Philippine bank account and even purchase from online sites.

How did I able to get a my Paypal verified?

I was successful in using two cards for this:

• Unionbank EON card
• oDesk debit Mastercard powered by Payoneer

The oDesk Payoneer card is a debit Mastercard which I find flexible in many ways. Aside from using it to verify my Paypal account, I used it for internet transactions and POS purchases in groceries and malls around town. Withdrawal through any local Mastercard ATM is possible too.

The Paypal EXPUSE number is a number attached to the $1.95 amount that Paypal deducts from the credit or debit card for verification. According to Paypal, the number can be seen in account statements, but in the case of my Unionbank EON card, the EXPUSE number did not appear on my account statements – a call or an email to the bank’s customer support is necessary for them to say what has been the EXPUSE number provided with the account.

If you happen to use a debit card for verification, be sure to load the card with $1.95 or at least Php 100 for Paypal to properly debit the account. The deducted amount from the card, if successful, goes to the Paypal account so you have nothing to lose. If verification was not successful then the funds are credited back to the card.

photo credits: asterisc21 (SXC)

Freelancing has kept me busy once more. I was swamped with a lot of projects, that had kept me from updating this blog.

Now that I have less to do, I am back to being myself once again. I like to share my experience with freelancing so far.

And I have also realized that there is indeed a lot more to freelancing than what I have discovered.

First, I am learning how to handle my finances. It is not always the case when jobs truly come one after another. The freelancer encounters an empty well at times.

Second, I am learning how to find other sources of income. One site is not enough for me, but there are other sites that offer jobs that are suited to my skills. I just have to learn to start from scratch, create and polish my profile and apply to jobs.

Third, I learned to diversify. Being dependent on one site to give you jobs is not enough. There are other means of earning money both actively and passively. For me, having both skills in programming and writing is an advantage for me. Programming has given me high paying jobs and a “more fixed” income. Writing is fast and I can just earn money in less time.

Fourth, I have to how to specialize. Being a specialist rakes in a lot more money with lesser people to contend with.

Fifth, I have learned how to relax. Freelancing is a lot different from 8 to 5 PM job. I cannot always have 100% of my weekends to relax. Occasionally, there are projects that need to be done.

Freelancing is a great option to have as a job, if you get yourself unemployed. It can provide much time flexibility and have time with your loved ones.

This has kept food on my table so far!