Tomorrow, I go back to school.
My summer mornings of coffee, writing, working on my website, and building my online business are about to look very different.
I’ll be back in my classroom full time—and I’m excited about it.
I love teaching.
But I’m also not giving up on something else I’ve been building: more financial freedom for my future.
I Don’t Have Hours Every Day
One of the reasons I put off learning how to make additional income for so long was time.
Where was I supposed to find it?
Teachers know this better than anyone. The school day may end in the afternoon, but our work—and our lives—don’t.
There are papers to grade, lessons to plan, groceries to buy, dinner to make, family to spend time with and, occasionally, a couch we’d really like to sit on. 😊
I wasn’t looking for another job to squeeze into my evenings.
I didn’t need another job. I needed another option.
So instead of waiting until I magically had hours of free time, I started using the little pockets of time I already had.
Twenty minutes here.
Thirty minutes there.
A little time on the weekend.
One small task before moving on with my day.
It didn’t look particularly impressive.
But those little pockets started adding up.
Small Pockets of Time Can Build Something Big
I’ve learned new skills in my 50s that I honestly never expected to learn.
Affiliate marketing. Digital marketing. Creating content. Building an email list. Creating digital products. Finding different ways to earn income online.
I didn’t learn all of it in a weekend.
And I certainly didn’t master everything before I started.
I learned one thing.
Then I learned the next thing.
And I kept going.
That’s something I think we sometimes forget when we look at people who have already built something successful. We see where they are now instead of all the small, ordinary moments it took to get there.
I’m still in those ordinary moments.
I’m still learning.
I’m still building.
And I’m doing it while working full time.
I’m Not Trying to Build Another Full-Time Job
This part matters to me.
My goal was never to come home from teaching and work another eight hours.
I wanted to create income that could eventually give me more choices, not less time.
Choices about retirement.
Choices about travel.
Choices about spending time with my family.
And someday, the choice to keep teaching because I want to—not because my paycheck is my only option.
That’s what financial freedom means to me.
Not getting rich.
Having choices.
You Don’t Have to Wait Until You Have More Time
If there’s something you’ve been wanting to learn or build, but you keep telling yourself you don’t have enough time, maybe you don’t need hours.
Maybe you just need your first 20 minutes.
You don’t have to build everything today.
Learn one thing.
Complete one small task.
Then come back tomorrow—or whenever you have another little pocket of time—and do the next thing.
That’s how I’m doing it.
And tomorrow, I’ll be back in my classroom doing a job I love.
When I come home, I’ll still be building something for my future—
one little pocket of time at a time.
Cheering you on,
Jodi
P.S. Curious about what I’m learning? You can catch my free training here.