I need to be real for a moment.
Since the 11th, I have not worked Instacart or any other gig app that requires license verification. Not because I didn’t want to work. Not because demand dried up. But because my driver’s license expired, and I completely missed the renewal window.
What makes it worse is that this one is on me.
Last year I went to the DMV to get a replacement license, and in my head I mentally filed that under “handled.” Somewhere along the way, I convinced myself that replacement also meant renewal. It doesn’t. I didn’t double check. I didn’t set a reminder. I didn’t renew a month early like I should have.
So here we are.
California lets you renew online, which I did the moment I realized the mistake. But California also takes its sweet time mailing the physical card. And the temporary license they provide is just a piece of paper. No photo. No barcode. Nothing a gig app can scan.
That means I am legally allowed to drive, but functionally locked out of Instacart and most delivery apps. Their systems require a live scan of the physical card. No exceptions. No manual override. No grace period.
As a result, my Instacart dashboard went from a solid week to zero.
That hit harder than I expected.
Not just financially, but mentally. There is something about seeing $0.00 where there should be movement that messes with your head. Especially when the cause is something so avoidable.
I have been doing Prolific in the meantime. It helps, but it is not the same. It does not replace the flexibility or earning power of a good Instacart week. It feels like being sidelined over paperwork while the game keeps going.
I feel overwhelmed. A little embarrassed. Definitely annoyed at myself. This was a reminder that small admin tasks can have outsized consequences when your income depends on systems and verifications.
The lesson is simple, even if the moment feels heavy.
Renew early. Double check. Do not assume past DMV visits cover future deadlines.
Now it is just a waiting game for the plastic to arrive. Once it does, everything unlocks instantly. Until then, I sit in that uncomfortable space between knowing what needs to be done and being unable to move faster.
Not quitting. Not spiraling. Just owning it, learning from it, and getting back to work the second I am allowed to.
Sometimes the timeout is self inflicted. The key is making sure it is temporary.