Not sure if this a weird side hustle, but I figured I’d share it anyway. I started getting paid to pick up leftover pizza and give it to homeless people in my area.
I live a few blocks from Roosevelt Row in Phoenix, and there’s a little pizza place I pass all the time. I started noticing how much pizza they threw out after closing, so I started checking the dumpster and taking whatever was still wrapped or looked untouched. I’d put it in a clean box and take it around to the homeless people I usually saw in the area. I kept doing it because I hated seeing good food go to waste.
The owner noticed what I was doing and asked me about it. I told him I was taking the pizza to people who needed food. He liked that I was finding a use for the leftovers, so he asked for my number and offered to give me $25 to keep doing it. After that, his employees started setting the leftover pizza aside for me instead of throwing it away, so I didn’t have to get it from the dumpster anymore. They’d text me when they had some ready, and I’d stop by after closing, pick it up, and take it around to the same people. I was doing it for free before, and now I make around $300 a month from it plus it can cover my bills.
I study smarter, not harder, which results in me getting A+s on exams. You don't need to be super smart, the reason you're failing is that you don't have a smart study strategy that will help you ace your exams.
• Stop copying, start understanding. I used to copy notes word-for-word, only to forget everything. So, I shifted to summarizing the material in my own words and asking "Why does this matter?"
• Active recall over re-reading. Instead of passive reading, I switched to flashcards, practice problems and self-quizzing. This actually helps me remember everything I studied from the material.
• Small study sessions > marathon sessions. I used to study for 5 hours and often pulled all-nighters, never realizing that I was just wasting hours of studying and that long study sessions wouldn't help build memory retention. I broke my work into Pomodoro sessions (a 25-minute active session -> a 5-minute break), which helped me stay consistent without burning out.
• Consistency beats cramming. I used to wait until the day before exams to study, and the result I got from that was a B grade. So, I started reviewing my notes the same day after class and applied the spaced repetition method (1-3-5-7 days of studying).
Another key to success is balance. I thought studying non-stop would result in better grades but instead, it just led to neglecting my health. Sleeping and taking breaks will help improve your memory and focus over time.
If I can go from B to A+, so can you. You don't need to be super smart, you just need to fix and build a solid study strategy.
I am a small time Insta creator and recently got my first paid UGC job. I had been approaching different brands for weeks and finally one skincare brand responded. They wanted me to make 3 videos for $160.
I was so happy when I got the offer. They sent me a brief with different things they wanted me to mention. Like how they had three relief ingredients, four nourishing ingredients and five soothing ingredients. Also how their formula calms redness and is lightweight and so on.
I happily made the 3 short videos based on the brief and sent them over. I thought the videos were pretty good and I was quite confident about them.
Then I got a reply asking for some changes. And a minute later they sent me a whole lot of requirements again lol.
They wanted a stronger hook at the beginning, their brand to be shown throughout the video, a clear shot of me applying the serum, and a few more things.
So yeah, I had to reshoot the videos. Had to set up my phone again and do everything from scratch.
The second version was finally approved and I got paid for it. I was so relieved when I got the payment notification.
My takeaway from this experience has been to read the brief at least 3-4 times before I start shooting. And next time I might ask for a more detailed brief before I start filming.
i feel like an innocent child again, enjoying my life outside acads.. the artist in me would giggle if she sees this
i can see them every morning. like brushing my teeth. i would have to fix my hair looking at a bullet i wrote three days ago. a truly fun thing to see when the day starts heh. i write doodles too btw!!!
anyway, this is your sign to write your notes on your mirror. if you don't happen to have a big one like this, maybe it can still work if u have a smaller one... maybe treat it like a flashcard? just write mnemonics. if it's enough to write a few phrases, then that's better. just have fun studying :^