Think about writing articles for example.  There are quite a few websites that offer payment for submission of articles, as long as they meet website standards.  Places like Bukisa, and eHow are great places to publish a few articles, and depending upon popularity, rack up a decent paycheck.  Plus these articles stay up for a very long time, and you are paid a percentage of the page’s earnings.  So these turn into decent passive income makers, which you can use to make money without you having to put in extra work hours.

More ways to earn quick cash is to take advantage of work from home opportunities.  They don’t always pay a lot starting out, but the work is usually pretty easy.  Take for example, companies like to hire telecommuters for online Customer Service Representative positions.  All you have to do is take the initiative to find the work.  Search online CSR jobs, but stick to the more major companies, to make sure you don’t get scammed, or have your personal information stolen.

Finally, try writing blog posts for money.  There are a wealth of opportunities for finding blog work, where you could be paid as much as $5 for every blog post you submit.  Sites like Blogitive, Today.com, and work resources like Elance and oDesk also have great paid blog offers.  Blogging is easy, and who wouldn’t welcome the extra cash?

Well, realize that most people who feel underemployed are generally dissatisfied with their jobs.  Usually this stems from either a salary that is below your standards, the lack of opportunities to express your skills, or just not enough work for you to complete.  In any situation you can find yourself feeling unhappy at the workplace.  Which is exactly why you should take this opportunity to resolve that situation.

Try making yourself more of an asset to the company.  If you find yourself not getting enough work, try asking for more.  If you’re not happy with your salary, make yourself stand out so that the company has no choice but to recognize you for your accomplishments.  Try asking your boss for more assignments, or ways that you can help out by taking on workload from other sources.  Gives you something to do, and helps you become more of an asset.

If you’re unhappy with the position in general, you can use the extra time to network.  Hit the break room, or the cafeteria and make friends with the people around you from other departments, or other companies.  Find out what opportunities are around you that you didn’t know about.  You could end up finding the job of your dreams, you just have to put in the effort to search.  If the company you’re at now isn’t meeting your standards, networking can help you find a new opportunity that will.  Anything is better than staying underemployed and unhappy.

The career action plan is exactly what it sounds like.  A well laid plan on how to get your career from point A to point B, and beyond.  You should have a well researched path that you intend to follow.  One that works for your skill set, and commitment.  You’ll have to take into account the workload you’re willing to accommodate, and how you intend to achieve your intended ends.

Following the typical CAP format you should start out by mapping your objectives.  Write down what you hope to achieve, from pay scale, to promotions, to education.  Figure out what you want to put in, as well as what you want to get out of your career.

From there, in the next section detail all of your previous experience, and the skill set that you’ve developed.  Whether through work history, or education, write down what has set you up for your career.

Now you calculate your weaknesses, and honesty counts here.  Nobody is going to be looking at this play besides you, so be honest. Failing to record a truthful account of your weaknesses leads to a plan that might not work for you.  So figure out your shortcomings so that you may learn to work around them.  That’s all part of your plan, and you’ll be better set by knowing where you may fall short, so that you can prevent that, or work around them.

Finally you plot out your goals.  Take the information you have already written, and maneuver how it fits into the goals you want to achieve.  In this step you can map out exactly how to go about making your goals come to fruition.  Through careful planning here, you’ll have a good idea of what you need to do, and a decent time table of when you can expect to accomplish some of those goals.

Don’t fall into the bad eating pitfalls that can occur when working long hours at your job.  Many people turn to drugs like caffeine, or just bad eating habits in general, such as opting for fast food instead of something nutritious.  This is the first step to failing at your ability to perform well when working long days.  Caffeine leads to crashing, which is what you do not want after you’ve already been working a typically long day, and need to dig deep to keep going.  That’s the same effect eating fast food instead of nutritious food will have.

Eating healthy is key to surviving those shifts, so take the time to keep your fruit and vegetable intake high.  That will make all the difference, and drinking water instead of caffeine, coupled with good nutritional habits will provide for all the energy you would need.

If you happen to be working more to complete a big project, or to achieve a big bonus for your paycheck, keep both of these goals in mind.  When you’re feeling down, or just dragged around from the length of your shift, remember your reasons.  Think about your goals, the project you want done, or the money you want to make, and that should help you push on through.

Finally, find a good relaxation technique, and take some time for yourself for that activity.  Whether it be listening to some calming music for a few minutes, taking a break, etc.  Make time for that relaxation, as it will influence everything you do.  The more you can get rid of some stress when you’re feeling stressed, the better you’ll perform, and you’ll feel better too.

Keep yourself motivated, and keep on top of your assignments.  Finish your projects as quickly as possible without compromising the quality of the work you’re putting out.  A fast turnaround time, especially faster than the boss expects, is a great way for the higher ups to start noticing your name on these projects.  Being faster than your coworkers to turn in a project, and especially if you can keep up the same quality your boss would expect, ensures your boss will start remembering your name before anyone else‘s.

Take advantage of opportunities to do work that you may not even be required to complete.  If your boss offers something that isn’t necessarily in your job description/department, do it anyway, and give it your best.  This shows initiative, and commitment to the company, both of which make you a standout performer the next time your boss is considering who may need to be leaving the team because of cutbacks.  The last thing your boss will ever want to hear is “that’s not in my job description”, remember that, because that response will make you look terrible.

Finally, lead as much as possible without stepping on your bosses toes.  Become a standout performer by taking initiative and helping your coworkers as much as possible.  The more that you help others around you, the more your skills will be noticed, and the better they will appear.