5 Ways to Make Money With Your Computer While You Sleep

Jeff Bezos is, by some estimates, the wealthiest person in all of Earth’s recorded history. With an estimated net worth of $137 billion, he makes a staggering  $149,353 every single minute. Assuming he gets the recommended eight hours of sleep each night, he earns $71,689,440‬ while he dreams.

Even if we can’t hope to earn that kind of money in our lifetimes, making money overnight as he does is a surprisingly achievable goal. By putting in the work ahead of time, you can develop passive income streams that let you make money with your computer while you’re off traveling, relaxing, or even sleeping.

Want to get in on the earning action? Keep reading for five ways to make money from a computer with skills you may already have.

1. Write Your Heart Out

Do you have a way with words or a passion for documentation? If you aren’t shy about minor web development, starting a blog could be the perfect way for you to earn a passive side income.

To begin, find a niche that you’re interested in and start writing. You can also ask other creators in your industry to write guest posts that you host on your site.

Over time, you’ll grow your audience and can start making money off your blog. This usually takes the form of ad revenue from banners and popups. You can also use your site for affiliate marketing, where you place links to products throughout your content.

If you don’t want to spend the time building profitable websites from the ground up, you might be able to find a pre-made one for sale. Sometimes people grow tired of managing them or want to move on to bigger things, but don’t want to let a valuable site go to waste. If you have some money to put down upfront, you could improve that existing site and use it to turn a profit.

2. Share Your Knowledge

Are you knowledgeable about a topic that other people want to know more about? Are you good at learning new information and then explaining it to others?

If either of those situations describes you, then the question of how to make money with your computer could be answered by creating your own online courses. Many of these take the form of PDF worksheets available for download, but you can get creative.

If you’re more into video tutorials, try hosting courses on a subscription site like Skillshare or trying to earn ad revenue off YouTube. For those who have a lot to say, consider self-publishing an eBook and listing it on Amazon. Better yet, gather your information and release it in multiple formats across a variety of platforms.

3. Dive Into eCommerce

One of the best ways to make money from a computer, especially for artists, is to make a single product and sell it multiple times. Opening an eCommerce store allows you to do just that.

There are two main ways to earn a passive income through eCommerce. The first is by creating digital files, like templates or art pieces, that people can buy online and print at home.

The second method is dropshipping, where you create a design that’s then printed on mass-produced items. You can either open your own dropshipping store or list designs on a site like Redbubble or Society6.

4. There Isn’t an App for That (Yet)

If you have coding, programming, or developing skills, you know how to make money with a computer better than most. If you want to earn an income while you sleep, though, your best bet is to make a standalone product that people will pay to download.

Enter: the app store.

Mobile and web applications are having a serious moment right now. If you have the skills and the ideas needed to design and launch an app of your own, you can make money from anyone who uses an iOS or Android device.

The competition is fierce, so it’s crucial to have both a great idea and great execution if you want to make a splash in the app stores. If you aren’t sure where to start, spend time browsing through the most popular app categories. Take note of where existing apps fall short and design something to fill the gap.

To maximize your earning potential, consider making your app free or cheap to download and then offering in-app purchases for user upgrades.

5. Plant a Money Seed and Watch It Grow

You don’t need to be a millionaire on Wall Street to put some skin in the investing game. These days, micro-investing apps let you start playing the stocks with only your computer (or smartphone) and a few spare dollars.

It’s even easier than you might think. Apps like Acorns round up your purchases to the nearest dollar and auto-invest the spare change. Others, like Stash, Rize, and Robinhood, let you choose your investment amount and where to put it.

Keep in mind that the more you invest, the more you can hope to earn back. You can’t count on micro-investments to help you get rich, though they are a good way to start investing when you don’t have much cash to spare. As you get more familiar with your investing platforms of choice, try using the money you’ve earned from previous investments to buy larger, more valuable stocks to increase your potential returns.

Make Money With Your Computer Overnight

If you’re looking for ways to put your skills to work and make money with your computer, the list above is a great place to start. Don’t expect overnight success, but if you’re willing to put in the work on the front end, these passive income streams can earn you literal cash while you sleep. If you ask us, that sounds like the financial dream.

For more unique ways to further your career and pad your pockets, make sure to check out the other articles on our site.