17 Ways You Can Get Paid to Do Nothing (2023)

Isn’t it the ultimate dream to get paid to do nothing?

I mean, sure, we’ve all heard that you have to work hard to earn an income, and getting paid to do little more than breathe might seem like a far-fetched idea.

It certainly is if you’re hoping to make millions (unless you’re extremely lucky), but if your expectations aren’t that high, there are ways to earn money while not exerting a lot of effort.

Real Ways to Get Paid to Do Nothing

I’ve scoured online sources for legitimate ways to do this, and my searches have led me down some pretty weird paths.

But for the most part,I’ve come across amazing, if not unusual, opportunities that pay enough to help someone make ends meet or buy that new thing they’ve been saving up for.

Here’s a compilation of those opportunities that will let you make money by doing (practically) nothing.

Get Paid To Use (or Not Use) Your Phone

The internet has made it possible for lots of interesting new industries to pop up.

Some still require hard work, but others are so simple that you wouldn’t believe anyone can get paid to participate.

But they can and do.

The simplicity doesn’t overshadow the brilliance of it all, however. Because there are currently close to 5 billion active internet users.

That’s a big pool of people who can help a company in various ways if they know how to use them. And that’s exactly what companies did.

Check out some of the ways you can make money by simply using your phone:

1. Download Apps

If there’s one thing that’s easy to do, it’s downloading apps. And making money by doing almost nothing doesn’t come easier than this.

We use our phones almost every hour of every day anyway (well I do at least), and most of the time, there’s almost no effort involved in making some extra side cash by just clicking a button.

So I set out to find some companies that will pay people to download their apps.

Sounds too easy, right?

But I always make sure to look into whether these apps are trustworthy and if they really pay.

Some of the things I found:

If you’re keen on getting paid for doing absolutely nothing, then download and install Nielsen’s app right now.

They’re a consumer research agency and they will pay you $50 per year for simply downloading the app.

That isn’t your only option, however. There are plenty of ways to make money by using your phone.

In this article, I explain the example above in more detail and list more apps that let you make money by doing nothing.

2. Send Texts

Texting has taken over the world. I mean, who makes phone calls these days, right?

If you love texting over the phone then making money with it will almost be like second nature.

And I’ve got you covered here too.

Most people think that getting paid to text means they will have to resort to flirty texts and talking dirty to strangers. That’s definitely one way, and if you have no qualms about sending naughty texts to strangers then you can earn a decent income from it.

But as I explain in my article on easy ways to make money by texting, there are other great options out there that won’t make you feel uncomfortable.

You can text with ads, participate in network testing, and answer questions.

You don’t even have to get off your couch.

3. Unlock Your Phone

Yes, even unlocking your phone can earn you some cash.

You may not notice it because you’re not counting, but the average smartphone user unlocks their phone around 150 times a day.

So it’s not surprising that brands want access to your screen and show you ads, some of which can even be linked to a website or whatever they want you to see.

Lockscreen apps know this and connect advertisers with your phone; they get paid by advertisers and give you some of the profits in return for allowing them to access your lockscreen.

It’s a few cents a day, but they quickly add up, and it’s possible to get up to $40 a year for simply unlocking your phone.

Some of the apps that have a history of paying out include S’more, Mode Mobile, and ScreenLift.

4. Connect to the Internet

Who knew simply connecting to the internet can earn you money?

If you have an unlimited data plan or have plenty of data that you don’t use, Honeygain will pay you for your unused data.

The Honeygain app shares your internet securely without access to your personal data. They’re not mining cryptocurrency; they use your internet connection to run various search queries that their clients are interested in.

For instance, they run queries on Google and other search engines to help them with search engine optimization.

To start earning, simply install their app on your devices, connect your devices to the internet, and go about your life.

And when you don’t want to share your internet connection anymore, delete your account and the application from your devices.

If you have a good internet connection and you’re comfortable with letting someone else use it, downloading Honeygain allows you to get paid to do virtually nothing.

Get Paid While Living Your Life

We’ve all got to live somewhere, and we all have to sleep. But what if you could get paid to do exactly that?

It might seem crazy, but people are actually getting paid to simply do what they’re already doing.

Over the past year, I’ve scoured the internet and published multiple articles explaining how to make money by doing things like walking, reading, and sleeping.

Here they are, broken down for you so you can get started on making some extra cash just by living your life.

5. Watch People’s Houses

There’s a big market for house sitters right now, and plenty of opportunities all over the world for the right type of person.

People who own multiple properties or those who go on vacation a lot usually feel much better having someone take care of their empty house while they’re away.

Just take a look at some of the ways you can get a gig as a house sitter.

I also explain a bit about the industry and how to land your first house-sitting job.

6. Walk Around and Earn Money

Okay, this one has you actually getting up and moving, but come on, this is as easy as it gets.

Staying fit and getting paid for it?

What dream is this? Well it is real, and I’ve tested some of the best walking and fitness apps that pay, and they really do pay out in either cash or gift cards.

Here’s the whole list.

You won’t be getting rich, but it’s still an extra buck in your pocket that wouldn’t have been there otherwise.

7. Join a Sleep Study

Personally, I’d love to get a little bit more sleep.

But who wouldn’t?

Well, luckily, there is a way and I tried to find out as much as I could about it.

Check out what I found if you’re really in need of more sleep and keen to find a way to get paid to do literally nothing.

But do note that it isn’t a very big field.

So getting into a paid study to test your sleeping patterns might take some time or it might not happen at all.

But one can dream, right?

8. Get Paid to Listen to Music or Watch TV

Where would the world be without entertainment?

The average person spends at least a couple of hours a day either listening to music, or watching TV, or both.

And if you’re addicted to binging television shows or can listen to songs for hours on end, then this is perfect for you.

I’ve looked into some of the best money-making opportunities out there for both music and television.

The best part of all?

You really do get paid for doing practically nothing.

9. Read

I know what it’s like to just get lost in a book for days on end. Escaping reality is wonderful, but unfortunately, it’s always there, waiting for you to get back to it.

Well, now you can feel a little less guilty about avoiding reality by earning some money while reading.

Jobs That Pay You To Do Virtually Nothing

Can you imagine working a job that requires so little of you that it’s almost like they’re just paying you for your time and nothing else?

Well, here are a few low-stakes jobs that you might be interested in.

10. Store People’s Stuff

Neighbor.com lets you rent out basically any space or room in your house for the sole purpose of storing someone else’s stuff.

Garages and driveways in populated areas seem to fetch the most amount of money that I can see, but you can list something as small as a spare bedroom closet.

11. Stand in Line

People will fall in line for something really important to them.

Think of the first showing in a local theater of a popular movie, such as one of the Star Wars movies. Or the release of a long-awaited video game, the latest iPhone, or the latest Air Jordans.

Or the main shopping event of the year: Black Friday.

But the waiting can be a hassle. It can be cold. And dark. And the pavement can be hard.

So why not pay someone else to fall in line?

Here’s where you come in.

Thanks to websites like the New York-based Same Ole Line Dudes and Los Angeles-based Line Rushers, or apps like TaskRabbit and InLine4You, you can get paid to stand in line.

You can either meet the one who hired you when you’re almost at the front of the line, or you can charge them extra for the cost of the item and even delivery if you’re falling in line to buy something.

The pay rate is usually per hour, and you can charge more or less depending on how long you’re estimated to wait, time of day, weather conditions, and other relevant conditions.

Same Ole Line Dudes, for example, charges a minimum of $45 for up to two hours, after which it’s $10 per half hour. However, it’s unclear how much of this goes to the actual people who stay in line.

12. Strike a Pose—And Hold It.

So this one may not be for everyone, but if you have the confidence to show every inch of your body to a roomful of strangers and can hold a pose for a while, this can be a lucrative freelance job.

An art model is someone who presents themselves to drawing artists, painters, sculptors, and photographers to pose for hours (with breaks in between) so that artists can capture every bit of detail and contour of their body.

They may be employed by individual artists, a studio, or an art school. The average salary of an art model is around $25 an hour but will depend on prior experience, employer, and how long the project is.

13. Stay in the Background.

A background actor, commonly known as an extra, lends authenticity to a scene in a movie or TV show that’s set in a public space.

The typical workday of a background actor involves a lot of sitting around a movie set, acting normally, and staying out of the way of the actors, crew, and cameras.

For this, you can get paid anywhere between $100 to $150 per day.

Plus, there’s nearly always free food.

Read more about becoming a movie extra if you’re interested.

Leverage Your Assets

This may be news to some of you, but you can actually use things that you already own to make money

14. Rent Out Your Possessions.

A good source of side income is renting out your assets that you aren’t currently using. Getting rent payments for assets that are otherwise not being used is literally getting paid while doing nothing.

Rent out your house, your car, or your other belongings that are unused and just cluttering up your house.

15. Invest Your Money.

This one may sound intimidating, but hear me out.

Nowadays, you don’t need a lot of money to start investing.

Microinvesting apps like Robinhood, Public.com, and Acorns allow you to invest with as low as $1 in your investment account.

The Acorns app even automates investing when you connect the app to your debit and credit cards. When you make a purchase, it rounds the payment up to the nearest dollar amount and invests the difference for you.

For instance, if you buy coffee at $3.75, the app rounds the payment up to $4.00 and invests the $0.25 for you.

This way, you’re still shopping and paying bills like you normally do while the app takes care of the investing.

Work Now, Get Paid Later

The best way to get paid to do nothing is to work hard and work smart in the beginning to set up passive income streams, and then sit back and profit for months and years to come.

Here are some ideas to get you inspired.

16. Sell Digital Products

This is one of those endeavors that take a lot of work initially but pays off eventually, as long as you do it right the first time.

Brainstorm for a product idea that fits your knowledge and experience. If you’re into writing, publish an eBook. Artist? Create digital media and artwork. Teacher? Produce an ecourse. You get the idea.

Once your digital products are in their respective marketplaces, all you need to do now is market the products and then wait for the payments to roll in.

17. Set Up an Online Business

Building a business is undoubtedly hard work.

But because of the online economy, it’s become easier than ever to hire freelancers who do stellar work, which means you can leave much of the time-suck tasks to them while you do overall management.

For instance, you can set up a dropshipping business by yourself and then eventually hire freelancers to create and publish product listings, coordinate with the manufacturers and shippers, and address customer concerns.

Or you can start working as a transcriptionist and then eventually expand so that you handle a team who does the transcripts while you handle client outreach.

How to Get Free Stuff

While the options below won’t really get you paid, you can get a whole lot of free stuff sent right to your doorstep, if you know where to look, at least.

I’ve tried to find as many ways to get freebies as I could, and divided them into these categories:

• Become a product tester. Companies will mail you new and upcoming products and you get to keep them in exchange for your feedback. You can even get paid to try them out.
• Here’s a giant list of freebies you can get by mail or just jump right to Amazon’s product sampling page to get started right away.
• Get free stuff because it’s your birthday! Here’s a super long list, and a shorter one if you’re in a hurry.
• If you have a little one at home or on the way, you can get a ton of free baby samples and even free children’s books by mail. Raising a kid is expensive and these two articles will help offset some of those costs.

Getting Paid to Do Nothing Has Never Been Easier

If you want to get paid to do nothing just know that isn’t some far-fetched dream if you know how to do it. Most of the things listed above won’t pay enough for you to live off of, but they’re great as a side hustle to get some extra income.

If you’re still looking for even more ways to make extra money, then have a look at these easy ways to earn money from your phone, or this massive list of different side hustles.