5 Life Lessons from Driving for DoorDash
I fell into the hype for some quick cash on the side and was pleasantly surprised.
First off, here’s a disclaimer: I work a full-time job that pays me a decent amount of money to work from home most days. Driving for DoorDash came as a random decision one night after seeing an ad pop up while using the app to order food for my family. I’ve only completed eight deliveries as of today, and they were done over the past two weeks. In no way am I a full-time driver or using it to earn my main income.
1. To Do Well, You Have to Be Strategic
Working hard is a great characteristic to have and build, but even the hardest workers know that this only gets you so far. Once you’ve turned on the “dash now” setting, DoorDash starts alerting you every time you’re close to a restaurant that has an order in need of delivery. Sometimes, you have to drive to the “hot spots” (usually closer to downtown areas) to get these notifications, but once you do, you have anywhere from 30–55 seconds to accept, deny, or ignore the delivery offer.
I accepted the first two offers I got; my first took me 5 miles north of my location, and then the next popped up after my drop-off and took me another 13 miles of driving north. DoorDash tells you, “13 miles total”; this means that from your current spot to the restaurant and then to the drop-off point, you’ll be driving 13 miles — but if you live or are headed back home (like I was), then that’s also 13 miles back to where you started and a lot of time wasted.
Moral: Make sure that you want to head in the direction that the delivery is taking you. If not, you should consider that you’re being paid, let’s say, “$5.25” for a 26-mile drive that will take you about 40 minutes or more (consider wait time at the restaurant as well); you could therefore be paid less than minimum wage for your time. Be strategic! Make sure where you’re going is where you want to head, and that you consider both time and money into the equation.
Being successful doesn’t come from hopping on each and every opportunity, but choosing the ones that will benefit you most.
2. The Hussle is Real; Just Surviving Is Okay
If I ever get fired or tired of my 9–5, I’m going to use DoorDash as my backup. Yupp, I’m just putting it out there. Not that I don’t want to try harder to find another job, but I know what it takes to deliver on DoorDash, and the money that it can generate and I will never worry about being unemployed again. It’s a reassuring feeling.
Don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t be a delivery driver for the rest of my life, but I know that the struggle and hussle is real everywhere, and I’d hop right on DoorDash as an “in-between” before finding a true “next job” or career.
As someone who got married and had kids young, I know how hard it is to survive, but if you’re willing to put in the work and understand that you have to sweat to survive, then you’ll be fine. DoorDash is a good reminder that although working hard doesn’t get you everything, it can still get you enough, and sometimes, enough is just enough.
We all want to thrive, but some seasons of life require just surviving and that’s okay. Survival shows us what’s really important and what we value in life.
3. Waiting Can Be Rewarding
Not everything that comes your way is going to make sense — you don’t want to 12 miles to earn $3.25. If you ignore that offer and wait, a better one might come along. Obviously, if this is your only job, you might take that offer… but odds are, most people wouldn’t want to.
Before I accepted my current job (my 9–5, not DoorDash), I had 13 interviews and 6 job offers. None of them felt right, so I kept waiting. I didn’t really know if there was going to be a next offer, let alone if it would be better than the last.
That waiting process taught me a few things:
1) you learn what you really want by seeing what you don’t want;
2) you learn to value your worth and stand up for what you’re worth; and
3) you learn to be patient and accept only the best and what you deserve.
4. Sometimes You Need a Break; Take One
Although sometimes it’s crazy, most deliveries just allow me to drive and relax. All I have to do is head to the destination, and my brain needs that every once in a while.
Whatever your life consists of, everyone needs a break — whether it’s from a real full-time day job, chores at home, family, or just other duties that require your brain to be ticking.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a break and do something that allows your mind, body, and soul to relax —you deserve it.
(Whether that’s DoorDash or something else!)
5. Flexibility is a Treasure
It’s not rocket science why lots of people love the work-from-home options that have appeared in greater quantities during COVID-19. What’s great about DoorDash is that you can start and stop as a driver whenever you want (as long as you complete the offers you take, anyway).
The ability to choose when, how hard, and how long you want to work is this great thing called flexibility that just takes the pressure off. In a world that constantly puts pressure and a sense of urgency on us, flexibility is a godsend.
Go ahead and sleep a little longer; go ahead and take your kid to the doctor; go ahead and go for that run you probably need. Why?
Because what matters to your health is taking care of you and being able to help your home function — flexibility gives you that. Take and make some more of it.
Other DoorDash facts for the curious mind:
- I’ve earned an average of $6.28/delivery
- People tip more than I thought they would ($3.00+)
- I’ve averaged 5 miles per delivery (I love the 1–2 mile deliveries…)
- I’ve totaled $50.25 in deliveries over the past 2 weeks and spent 2.5 hours driving in total, meaning I’m at about $20.01/hr… but remember that I’m paying for my own gas and car insurance and have no benefits. Not a bad gig, but also not the best.
