My ability to earn has always been closely rivaled by my ability to spend. So less work and more pay has always been high on my priority list. However, for most of my 30’s, depending on the week, I would work between 30 and 60 hours. 

Then I had a baby. He was premature and so tiny. He was also super sensitive. I couldn’t put him down.  Ever. He would immediately start screaming and wouldn’t stop for anyone but me. I got out of the shower to the sound of my baby screaming for 4 solid months. But I still had to pay for the nice house and the bucket loads of debt I had managed to incur. Not working was not an option. Working 40 hours a week was not an option.  I had to figure out a way to work less and still pay my bills.

4 Ways to Work Part-Time and Still Make Money

1. Be Self-Employed

I haven’t had a real job (read traditional, with face time and a boss) in years. But I’m pretty sure that if you have one, the powers that be expect you to work at it. A traditional job also caps you at whatever your current salary is. The primary key to working less and making more is being able to control your income flow by being self-employed. 

Being self-employed is terrifying most of the time, especially at first. You don’t get to bank on a paycheck every two weeks, but the cost of that paycheck is not cheap – it’s your freedom. If you can live with the uncertainty, payday as a self-employed person when it finally arrives is usually much larger than the pittance your real job was paying you. Besides, fear of being destitute is by far the best motivator out there. You can leverage this fear into a successful career as a self-employed person.

2. Be The Best

There’s always a job for the best. Spend your time being the best at what you do. When you first start out, you spend a lot of unpaid time teaching yourself things. The only thing glamorous about being the best is finally getting to the top. Otherwise, it is time spent getting better. 

It is much easier to be the best if you are in a job that is suited for your personality type. Otherwise, since you are doing something you are not inherently good at, it will take much longer and the hours spent will feel more brutal than they have to.

3. Be The Most Fun

Work is a drag. Someone being unexpectedly funny is like a cigarette break – it’s delicious, it calms you down, and wakes you up, all at the same time. Of course, no one really takes cigarette breaks anymore, which is even more of a reason for you to bring those elements to someone’s work experience. Forewarning – this only works if you are also the best. Otherwise, you run the risk of not being taken seriously. 

One time a client and I had a big hearing.  It was over 45 million dollars and the future of his company. He drove a Porsche.  You cannot drive your Porsche to a hearing in which you are claiming dire financial difficulties. I met him at a gas station and we found a place to park the Porsche. Which was more difficult than it would initially seem given that the town was a hellhole where no one would ever want to park their Porsche. Instead of being furious (my first response), I somehow was able to appreciate the humor in the situation. We won the hearing and he still talks about hiding the Porsche. 

People hire people they like. They stick with people they like, so be likable. If you need help doing this, read The Art of Seduction. I initially read it to attract men, but the principles work in any situation.

[RELATED: 10 Steps To a Promotion (Without Working Longer)]

4. Never Explain Yourself

None of my clients know that I work part time. I work 10:00 to 3:00 four days a week.  If a client wants to schedule a call outside that time, I’m “not available,” “have a meeting,” or a “prior commitment.” I do have a prior commitment – with my little man or maybe the laundry if I’m feeling ambitious. I’ve been using this strategy for a year and it has not hurt business at all. Instead, it makes me look busy and sought after. 

The caveat is that you also must be flexible if the situation calls for it. I was sending a fax at 7:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve. (Yes, some people still communicate by fax – it’s ridiculous, almost like sending a telegram). It wasn’t a big deal to me because my fax machine is downstairs. It was a big deal to my client, who was incredibly grateful. There are many instances where I make a call or respond to an email outside of my formal working hours. 

I have managed to survive the first year of motherhood and pay my bills at the same time. It wasn’t easy. There were times when both were in serious doubt. They still are in fact. My kid is screaming as I write this. I thought about adding another point about living with fear and doubt but then decided that fear and doubt were just part of life that everyone deals with no matter what their situation. So I can’t say that I’ve overcome fear or doubt or anything that inspiring. I have, however, paid my bills this month, which is something.