AssociatePrograms.com

Larry Chamberlain · Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 8:57 am Post subject: Down in the hole...

Hi Folks,

A wonderful New Year to you all, may 2004 bring you all that you desire and not slip by so fast as 2003 did Smile

First off. I'm not 100% sure if I should be starting a new thread with this, or be continuing on with one of the 'motivational' threads. It isabout motivation, but not about your motivation for being in this business, but what happens when you
fall...

....down in the hole!

I guess I'd better explain what I mean Smile

Sometimes, (mostly I would say) I can't wait to clock out, rush home from work, fire up the 'puter, check my stats, and get busy, busy, busy. Write new content, try this, try that.

Othertimes, I'm in front of my screen, but really I'm just a lump sat there. There is no spark! Maybe waste the whole evening, and not even attempt to achieve anything. The negatives have taken control, the buggers Sad

Of course it could be tiredness, but then often when you are tired enthusiasm somehow overrides that and keeps you going. Reminding myself of the reasons that I started down this path should be enough to give myself a kick up the bum, and get me back on track, but somehow that don't seem to work when...

...I'm down in the hole!

Okay, enough rambling on.

Does this happen to any of you folks? ( I suspect that it does, it can't just be me, surely?)

If so, can you recommend a good psychiatrist? No, seriously, what works for you in getting out of it and getting on with it Smile

Can I say that I'm not in that nasty ol' hole at the moment,(if I was I probably would not be bothered to post this) so I'm not after encouragement as such. I know that I'm gonna make it, by hook or by crook, if I try Smile

All the best,
Larry Chamberlain.
_________________
Why Do Most Affiliates Make Less Than $500 Per Month?
Is SBI! eLearning Right For You?

Charlie · **Joined**: 22 Aug 2003 **Posts**: 3305 **Location**: UK

Debs · **Joined**: 16 Aug 2003 **Posts**: 4296 **Location**: NY

Hey Larry

Happy New Year to you as well!

I agree with all Charlie said ... don't expect it to continue however Wink

Yes, it happens to me! Often too. I could go a week without being what I call productive, then rush into weeks of super productivity. It can happen due to family distractions, work, holidays (oman can it happen with holidays and all that they entail!)

Sometimes I think it could be worse for women (no offense guys!) because of child care, working outside the home, and some of the tasks commonly referred to as *ahem* "women's work."

I am diabetic, but even if I weren't, Charlie's advice about eating carbs and small meals frequently is absolutely essential. Carbs first thing in the AM is essential to get brain juices flowing, so just do it more often to keep them stable all day long, just ask Dr. Phil Smile

The thing about carbs is they help "level" blood sugars throughout the day which can prevent those feelings of distraction, down time, depression, and lethargy. This is medically proven, seriously.

Break from the computer every couple hours ALL THE TIME not just when you are feeling "in the hole." This keeps your metabolism going and blood circulation in proper order. Same with regular exercise, go chase the dog, or cat, around the block if the kids are grown. I would suggest chasing your better half, but then we may never hear from you again Wink

Take time to smell the roses Smile

it will rejuvenate your mind and body, to paraphrase Charlie.

Keep a notepad on your desk, the paper and pencil kind Smile

to jot thoughts and notes down as you walk by ... use these notes to spark you during your "down" times. Carry a pocket size notebook to work and on outings too ... fleeting thoughts can be a great jumpstart for you.

One of the things that helps me, is to pick something to research from my list of thoughts ... sometimes I just have to go surf, satisfy a hunger to learn about something. So I set my oven timer for one hour to do that, bookmark pages, make notes. So while it isn't always "productive" in that it may not pertain to my project of the moment ... it got my mind working Smile

and it's then easier for me to switch over to being productive on my site.

Best wishes,
Debs
_________________
Learn how to turn keyphrases into quality, well-targeted articles your visitors and SE's will love with Gary Antosh's new ebook "Web Content Made Easy!"

Charlie · **Joined**: 22 Aug 2003 **Posts**: 3305 **Location**: UK

Hello again.

I don't know if this is working on you Larry, but it certainly isn't doing me any harm... Laughing

Larry Chamberlain · Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 6:41 pm Post subject:

Hi Charlie,

Thanks very much for replying, and for those kind words. Smile

Charlie · **Joined**: 22 Aug 2003 **Posts**: 3305 **Location**: UK

Hello again Larry.

Jewel · **Joined**: 09 Nov 2003 **Posts**: 267

Hi, Larry,

Along with Charlie's suggestion about trivial targets, why not also just randomly choose one tiny baby step you need to do for one of your projects? It could be something that takes you less than a minute. Do just one, then let yourself off the hook for the evening with a sense of accomplishment.

Larry Chamberlain · Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 9:52 pm Post subject:

Hi Charlie,

AllanGardyne · Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2004 3:40 am Post subject:

Heaps of excellent advice has been offered already, so I won't waste time repeating it.

I fell into a bad hole for a long time, a few years back. It's a trap I still fall into quite often. It's making the mistake of checking email and reading newsletters the first thing I do for the day.

I'd have prepared my list of "6 most important things to do" the night before, but instead I'd spend an hour or two reading and answering emails and reading newsletters.

Then I'd have a long coffee break (I drink water or fresh vegetable juice these days) and after that, instead of starting on my important things to do, I'd be tempted to download more emails and newsletters. Pretty soon, it would be lunch time, and then in the afternoon I'd often repeat the pattern, by then getting a bit tired and being tempted to click on links in newsletters and explore a few sites...

In the evening, I'd tell myself to get stuck in and begin that article or whatever, but by that stage all my energy and enthusiasm seemed to have vanished. (I've improved my diet and exercise since those days.)
I'd start doing research for an article, but be tempted to click on interesting looking irrelevant links...

Often days and weeks could go by in which I didn't even start on my "to do" list.

Here's the new, better way...

On days when I'm worker smarter, I force myself to NOT download email, and start straight into doing a small, useful task. (For example, to me, answering questions on this forum is a useful task. It makes me feel good and at the same time I promote either my newsletter or excellent products I recommend in my signature, so I'm not giving away my valuable time for nothing.)

I've found it takes my brain a while to warm up in the mornings, so it's best to start with a quick, easy task - one of those trivial goals easily achieved. That quickly gives me a feeling of accomplishment that sets me right for the rest of the day. After that, it's time to work on the top priority task in my "to do" list. I use a real diary on my real desk, so I always have the "to do" list open and only a few inches from the keyboard.

If it's a large task, I break it down into small chunks, to allow me to reward myself with a large tick when I've done it. (I used to cross out things I'd done, but ticks are much more pleasing.)

Joanna and I also reward ourselves for small victories, such as achieving new traffic targets or higher subscriber numbers, or higher commissions, or sometimes simply if a large commission check arrives in the mail - the more excuses the better! It reminds you that you're making progress.

In the early days of AssociatePrograms.com, I used to keep a record in the back of my diary of the daily traffic - 100, 200, 300... When things are tough, you need to keep reminding yourself how much you've learned and how much progress you've made.

The biggest mental boost I ever received was on the day in 1998 when I quit my day job. Suddenly I was the one who was responsible for my own future. It was a glorious feeling that immediately transferred itself into my work online, and from that month on my business took off like a rocket.

If you want it enough, you'll get there.

Good luck!

Allan Gardyne - http://www.AssociatePrograms.com

The Complete Site Build It! Reference Center...
This Link Directory May Change Your Affiliate Business
http://www.AssociatePrograms.com/search/reference-center.shtml

Charlie · **Joined**: 22 Aug 2003 **Posts**: 3305 **Location**: UK

Hello again.

Larry Chamberlain · Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2004 7:09 pm Post subject:

Hi Allan and Charlie,

Thanks very much for posting the detailed advice.

A common theme seems to be exercise and diet. I have to put my hand up to being very lax in both those things. I don't exactly knock myself out physically at work, and then come home and flop in front of the computer, I'll have to do something about that.

Thanks very much once again.

All the best,
Larry Chamberlain.
_________________
Why Do Most Affiliates Make Less Than $500 Per Month?
Is SBI! eLearning Right For You?

Charlie · **Joined**: 22 Aug 2003 **Posts**: 3305 **Location**: UK

Heidi · **Joined**: 25 Oct 2003 **Posts**: 12

Hello Larry,

Wishing you a wonderful new year as well!

I haven't checked this forum for a couple of days - one of my new year's resolutions is to stay on task. Wink

I hope you have climbed out of the hole and have covered it up!

Many thanks to You,Charlie,Debs,Jewel and Allan. This thread has lots of valuable motivation tools to keep us all out of our holes- I'm saving it to my desktop.

Only one problem---now I feel compelled to research Anita Bean's book, instead of finishing a webpage--- Rolling Eyes

(sounds great! thanks FTI) Very Happy

All the best,
Heidi

Timothy Warnock · Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2004 8:23 pm Post subject:

Hi Everyone

Allan, Charlie, Debs, Larry, and all, haven't been around for a while, wishing you all the best year yet!

Thanks for the down to earth post Larry. I think anyone who says that they don't fall into the hole is lying. Life is about duality, and the downs and the ups are an integral part. Perseverance and patience are the keys.

Wonderful advice being shared here. Allan, you kind of named my same challenge - I have found myself in the same darn trap, again, and again - swamped by email, with an almost sense of guilt if I didn't respond right away, then distractions, etc. etc. and before we know it, the day is gone!

Then to make up for this - the midnight oil... then a tiredness cycle starts...

It really does take discipline to avoid this.

One wonderful thing to do when we are stuck in the dark (above and beyond the wonderful advice already presented here) is to help someone out - reach out and make someone smile, help them in anyway you can, big or small.

This works wonders - it gets the juices in the heart flowing - these juices cure all ails. Isn't this why we like posting here so much? Sure, Allan says he gets his products out in view by posting, but don't let him fool you - this forum is his secret medicine box, by offering such helpful posts he is actually healing himself. Very Happy

A helpful post a day, keeps the doctor away...

Always my best,

Tim
_________________
Timothy Warnock

Copywriter