Part II: How to Keep Your Sanity as a “Work From Home” Domainer

In Part I, I discussed various ways to deal with working from home as a domainer. In Part II, I want to address the issue of motivation – something we all have to deal with at some degree or another.

Continue Your Education

I continue to emphasize the importance of learning whatever you can on a daily basis. Not only does this boost your self confidence but overall your productivity. Whenever you can make time for this, make it. I personally like to research while eating lunch or at the end of day. Even if you only have 30 minutes a day, ten minutes, etc: something is better than nothing.

Embrace Self Improvement

One of the issues that hold us back from growing is staying too much within our comfort zone. Striving for self improvement forces us to see a different perspective about the world and keeps us on our toes. A lot of people are too afraid to venture out of their “comfort zone” but the more you push yourself, the more you discover there is nothing to be afraid of.

Keep a Balance

Burnout is a great way to reduce motivation and productivity. Workaholics like myself often believe the more we work, the more we will achieve. Not true if you are burning the 4am oil on your 3rd day of a work marathon. Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way many years ago. Today, I achieve greater by first taking care of myself so that I am always sharp, focused and clear on what needs to be done and when. The difference has paid off several fold.

Help Others

Call it karma or whatever you want but helping others does have benefits for everyone involved. Preferably, an offline effort works best (donating $20 to your favorite charity sometimes isn’t enough) as there are many organizations locally who could use an extra hand. This is also a great opportunity to spend more time with your family. You don’t have to join an organization to effectively help someone in need. (For instance, my daughter voluntarily picked up trash within our community recently.)

Immediately Deal With Stress

Stress sucks but the only way to deal with it is swiftly and immediately by whatever means possible. The best explanation for why is best elaborated by an inspiring man named Sean Stevenson in his video “4 Ways to Deal with Stress“.

Learn How to Relax

I have to force myself to relax. I know that is weird but sometimes I forget to take time out for myself (not meaning “forced” as in uptight, btw). Whatever you enjoy doing for pleasure, do it a few minutes per day. Make it just you and yourself, no one else. It can be anything from relaxing in the tub to running or playing a couple of games. We all need a break from the responsibilities in life so be sure you treat yourself daily.

Get Creative

Some people are creative by nature, some people aren’t. Whether you are or not is irrelevant but choose an activity that does not require you to think, only create. If you are like most domainers, we spend our day thinking, analyzing, researching, comparing, etc. Doing the opposite is very relaxing and allows you to free your mind of end-of-day clutter.

Keep Lists

I don’t know how I would get through the day without my “to-do” list. I believe if you want to get anywhere in your career, this is a must. Personally, I found online to-do lists hard to keep up with so I resort to old fashioned pen and paper. Use whatever works for you. Checking off completed tasks not only are mini motivators but also keep you focused on what needs to be done.

Prioritize and Categorize

Finally, it is impossible to do everything at once or interact with everyone who wants to. The simple solution is to prioritize and categorize into 3 layers: stuff to do today, stuff to do over the next week and stuff to do when you have the time. Also, get rid of distractions in your life (this includes people): shut off instant messengers, stay away from forums, social networks and email programs while you are working. Only check email at certain times of the day. If you find yourself checking any of the above (hey, I do it at times, too) quickly say what you have to say, then leave.