If you have a little one at home — you know how difficult it can be to get things done. But just because you have a household filled with chatter and unpredictable schedules, doesn't mean that you can't work from home. In fact, short tasks, sometimes called microtasks are the perfect way for busy moms to earn some extra money, while still being readily available for their kiddos.
A short task is any job or assignment that can be completed in a short amount of time. The tasks that can be completed vary widely in nature (writing, editing, taking surveys, transcription, watching a video, online research, etc.) as does the pay. But the reason why this is such a great opportunity for moms is that the tasks can be completed at any time, and the majority of short tasks don't require moms to be on the phone, which requires a quiet household.
If you have kiddos running around your house here are 18 short task sites that allow you to work when you have free time.
1. Swagbucks
Swagbucks is an online platform where you can earn points called SB, which can be redeemed for gift cards and coupons. You can quickly earn Swagbucks by watching videos, playing games, answering questions, shopping online, and even surfing the web using their search bar. Refer your friends, and you’ll earn even more SB. Your SB points can be traded in for gift cards from Amazon, Target, Starbucks, and PayPal. Register today, and you receive a $5.00 sign up bonus! Swagbucks has been featured on ABC News, MSN Money, Yahoo, and Forbes and it has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.2. InboxDollars
Here you can earn cash for taking surveys, reading emails, playing games, redeeming coupons, searching the web, and shopping online. Membership is free, and you’ll receive $5.00 for signing up. Payments are made via check. Current companies using InboxDollars are Target, NetFlix, H&R Block, and Walmart. InboxDollars is open to US, Canadian, and UK residents.3. CashCrate
Is an online platform where you can start earning money by completing offers, taking surveys, watching videos, completing online tasks, and shopping online using their portal. Tasks pay out anywhere from a few cents to $30 or more, and you’ll receive a $1 for signing up for a new account. Payments are made via check and PayPal.4. FusionCash
FusionCash is an online platform that allows you to make money from taking surveys, watching videos, shopping, completing short tasks, and much more. Sign up and immediately earn $5.00 just for joining. Most offers pay between $0.25 to $30.00 per offer, and payments are made via PayPal, check, or direct deposit once your account reaches a $25.00 threshold. Some offers do require a credit card number, so if you don’t feel comfortable giving out that information, just stick to the offers which display the no CC icon. FusionCash is a member of the Better Business Bureau.5. Fiverr
Fiverr is a little different in that you don't search for jobs. Instead, you post tasks that you're willing to complete for $5.00. People sell everything from writing services, design services, voice over services, to making phone calls, and videos. Once you make a sale, Fiverr will keep a fee of $1.00 and payments will be made via PayPal. Doesn’t sound like much money? The Fiverr Mastermind Group (six Fiverr power sellers who earn six-figures a year each) wrote an e-book about their crazy success with the platform: The Fiverr Master Class: The Fiverr Secrets Of Six Power Sellers That Enable You To Work From Home!
6. Amazon Mechanical Turk
Over at Amazon you can make money online working on HITS (Human Intelligence Tasks). A few of the tasks that I saw listed were, transcribing information from a business card to a form, payout $0.02 cents. Another task was to transcribe a voicemail from audio to text (audio length three hours), payout $76.19. After you complete the task and the requester approves your work, and the money is deposited into your Amazon account.7. ClickWorker
ClickWorker is an online platform where you can get paid for writing, translating, researching and collecting data. To get started, create an account, fill out your profile, complete a qualification assessment, then bid on jobs. Payments are made by SEPA bank account transfers, and via PayPal once your account reaches 5.00 euro and your tax information has been completed. ClickWorker’s clients include Groupon, Tennis Point, Honda, PayPal, and others.8. CrowdFlower
CrowdFlower is a virtual workspace where you can earn money by completing simple tasks on your computer. Tasks include Internet research, data collection, data categorization, content creation, content moderation, surveys, etc. While I was unable to find any information on pay rates and how and payments are made, CrowdFlower does have an A rating on the Better Business Bureau website and has been featured on sites like Forbes, the LA Times, and Telecrunch.9. EasyShift
EasyShift is a microtask application where you can earn money by completing shifts on your iPhone. Shifts usually entail checking prices, seeing if a product is in stock, or taking photos of store displays. Once you have successfully completed the shift, payment will be made through PayPal within 48 hours of submission. Shifts pay anywhere from $2.00 to $20.00 per task. EasyShift has been featured on USA Today, All Things Digital, and Mashable.10. Field Agent
Field Agent allows you to make money by completing various short tasks, from checking shelf availability, product reviews, to checking display compliance. Tasks pay anywhere from $3.00 to $12.00 per job and payments are made via PayPal. Field Agent works with brands like Tyson, Target, Hershey’s and has been featured on CNET, Forbes, and The New York Times. Only available for iPhones.11. Rev
While not promoted as a short task site, Rev offers task-based positions for transcribers, translators, and closed captioners that can be done anytime. The pay range for translators is 0.05 to 0.07 cents per word. For transcribers, it's 0.40 to 0.65 cents per audio minute, and for closed captioners, it's 0.40 – 0.75 cents per audio minute. With Rev, you choose your schedule and your projects, and payments are made weekly via PayPal. Rev has been featured in Inc., The Wall Street Journal, and VentureBeat.12. GigWalk
GigWalk is a mobile workforce of individuals using their smartphones to perform short tasks. Simply register, apply for an assignment, and then complete the task (usually verifying roads and street signs, geographic landmarks or transportation options). Gigwalk’s workforce is available in multiple US cities. GigWalk has been featured on CNN, Business Insider, and Forbes.13. OneSpace
OneSpace is a short task platform where you're paid for a variety of tasks, such as taking surveys, copywriting, quality assurance, transcription and more. To get started, create an account for free. To be eligible for more complex and higher paying tasks you will need to pass a qualification test. Once you pass the qualification test, you unlock higher paying gigs. Payments are made via PalPal. OneSpace has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.14. TaskRabbit
TaskRabbit is a short task site where you complete physical tasks such as house cleaning, delivery services, handyman work, furniture assembly, grocery shopping, etc. To get started create an account, get a background check, then browse the open tasks in your city and make an offer. TaskRabbit keeps 20% of what you make and payments are made via check every two weeks, once your account reaches $25.00. TaskRabbit has been featured on ABC, The Wall Street Journal, and the Today Show.15. Fancy Hands
Fancy Hands hires US-based virtual assistants to complete one-off tasks like making phone calls, scheduling appointments, tracking down the best price for a product or service, internet research, and data entry. Tasks are worth anywhere from $3.00 to $7.00 per task and go up from there. Payments are made via Dwolla every other Tuesday. With this job, you can work anytime of the day or night.16. Spare 5
Spare 5 is a platform where you can sign up to complete small tasks in your free time. They have a wide variety of jobs, but most of them focus on providing human insight for audio clips, videos, or image files. A couple of sample tasks include: Annotating images to describe various elements of a photo or providing keywords for an image. Payments are made via PayPal weekly. From my research, tasks can be completed quickly and they pay around 0.02 – 0.05 cents per task. One person earned $14.44 for 90 minutes of work. Spare 5 can be done on your computer, iPhone, or Android operating system.17. UserTesting
With website testing, you'll visit a website or app, complete a series of tasks while speaking your thoughts out loud, and for each completed test you'll earn $10.00. To become a website tester, fill out an application and take a sample test. Once approved you'll receive invites via email to test out websites and mobile apps. This gig is open to the US and International residents alike who can receive payments via PayPal. Each test takes about 20 minutes. UserTesting has been featured on Good Morning America, The Huffington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.18. Humanatic
If you have short periods of quiet time in your schedule (perhaps during your child's naptime), you can get paid to listen to phone calls on Humanatic. With this platform, users to log in and listen to recorded phone calls via their computer. Users then tag and sort the calls based on certain criteria. Businesses use this information to sort leads, so they know which calls to make a priority. According to their website, you can earn anywhere from $1.00 to $4.50 an hour depending on your skill and accuracy. Payments are processed weekly via PayPal.A final word about short task sites. No, they are not going to make you rich, but, they are an easy way to earn some extra cash without having to get a job. After all, you're most likely online, so instead of scrolling through Facebook or Instagram, use your time to make some extra money.
Good luck and let me know if you decide to try any of these short task sites out.
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