Overworked remote jobs offer financial security, Gen Xers say

“We started to be less dependent on one company, being employed by more companies,” said Brian, whose identity is known to BI but has been withheld because of his fear of professional repercussions. “Unless something went wrong, then no big loss. I temporarily lost a paycheck.”

Over the next 15 years, side jobs gave Brian the extra income and job security he was looking for. But it wasn’t until around 2020, when there was a month of overlap in his transition from one full-time job to another, that he realized he might be able to secretly juggle two full-time jobs at once . So he decided to give it a try.

Last year, Brian earned more than $150,000 through several remote jobs, according to documents viewed by BI. He said the extra income has helped pay off credit card debt and allowed the family to take trips for up to six weeks at a time while he works remotely. He said he currently has two full-time and four part-time jobs and lives only in the U.S. part of the year because he travels abroad so often.

Managing all these jobs can be stressful at times – Brian said there have been many “100+ hour weeks” over the past few years. But he said the long hours are worth it: Last year, he was laid off from one of his jobs, but he was well prepared for it.

“The biggest impact was the confidence that our family’s future is not tied to the success of a job or company,” Brian said.

Brian is among the “overworked” Americans who have secretly worked multiple remote gigs to boost their income and job security—BI interviewed more than two dozen of these jugglers. These people earned up to $1 million annually through their jobs and used their extra income to pay off student debt, save for retirement, and afford expensive vacations.

While some companies may be fine with their employees doing overtime, doing so without approval could have consequences. In addition, competition for remote roles, back-to-the-office mandates and burnout have some job jugglers questioning whether overemployment is sustainable.

Brian shared his “secret sauce” for avoiding burnout and his top tips for overworked workers.

The “secret sauce” to avoiding burnout as a juggler

Working two full-time jobs at once can be financially rewarding, but also mentally taxing. To stay motivated, Brian, who is in his 40s, said he has a “secret sauce” for avoiding burnout: He juggles only two full-time roles for part of the year.

“When it starts to feel like a waste of family time or fun time, it’s simply that we evaluate our situation and choose to continue full-time in the role that has the best potential to maintain our lifestyle until the next one comes along.” overemployment opportunity. he said.

While it may seem risky to quit a remote job and rely on finding a new one later — especially when remote roles have become so competitive — Brian said he’s gotten pretty good at finding remote roles. He said he regularly hears from recruiters and recently interviewed for three full-time remote positions in the same week.

In addition, Brian said that applying and interviewing regularly for jobs has helped him stay on top of hiring trends and learn about roles he can return to later when he wants to hire more. He said he has taken on a mix of salaried and contract roles throughout his overwork experience.

Leveraging time management and staggered work hours can help the overworked

Brian said he keeps his overwork a secret from his full-time employers. He has some advice for current and aspiring jugglers when it comes to avoiding suspicion.

First, he said, it’s helpful to find workplaces where employers don’t require workers to have cameras during meetings.

Second, from a time management perspective, he said it’s helpful to have jobs that have staggered work hours — perhaps because companies are based in different locations. He said this reduces the amount of time someone has overlapping work hours at their jobs.

Finally, Brian recommended doing everything possible to improve his time management skills.

“Build a 24-hour calendar that allows you to strictly block off the most important part of the day,” he said.

Going forward, Brian said he plans to continue juggling jobs for the foreseeable future and is considering taking on a third full-time gig for a while to further increase his income and job security. For him to consider a single job, he said, it would have to be remote and pay at least $250,000 annually.

For now, one job is not enough. He simply could not trust that his employment would last.

“Most roles today come with an inherent longevity risk,” he said. “This includes everything from a role being eliminated to the department or company undergoing major personnel changes.”

Are you working multiple remote jobs at the same time and want to discuss details about your salary and schedule? If so, contact this reporter at [email protected].