@shopnyc wrote:
My tip: be careful not to overbook yourself.
It can be very tempting to apply for or self-assign a lot of shops to do on the same day, especially when the pay adds up to a very nice number for the day. However, one must think about the time in between each one. Can you really prepare for, travel around to, and submit reports on time for all the shops you want? Factor in time for unexpected problems, like traffic jams, sudden changes in the weather, or other things beyond your control. You never know what can happen!
This also applies to your week. You may need to give yourself a break in between very full days more often than you think. This is not only to avoid burn-out. Alternating light days with very full ones can alleviate stress and help you meet the responsibilities of the shops you signed up for. There are few things that make you feel worse than flaking or cancelling because you planned poorly and ran out of time - and no one wants to be considered unreliable by schedulers.
.
Way back in the day, I did a route in South Texas and performed like 3 apartment shops along with 3 fast food shops. I think I also did a truck stop quickie on the way back up north. I get home around 5PM or so. I started doing the reports around 7ish or so
I put on Titanic and start doing my reports. I think the lifeboats were all gone by the time I finished all of the reports. Made a nice payday but at the end of it all, I probably made something like 17 an hour for that day. Math is fuzzy.
But definitely don't over-extend yourself. One thing I have noticed was that if you work with the schedulers, they will give you a little breathing room if they can.
Just be cool folks.