Edition #75 – 8/12/2006
Lately I’ve been experiencing what I would consider to be “moments” of burnout.
My self-diagnosis is basically that I’ve been working extremely hard this year with too little rest.
Do you know the feeling?
It’s not that I’m on the verge on a nervous breakdown or anything like that (yet)…
It’s just that I’m starting to lose a bit of an edge… I’m becoming more easily distracted and slightly less efficient in my work. For example, I’ll sit down to do a task, and before I know it, I’ve spent nearly an hour watching funny videos on YouTube.com.
Then what inevitably happens is I just stay up later finishing the work that I should have gotten done during the day, which in turn compounds my lack of sleep 😉
I think I need a vacation, but maybe I just need to get into a better sleep/exercise routine… what do you think?
During one of my momentary brain drains earlier this week, I tried something that seemed to help. I went out and did some good old fashioned yard work to my overly neglected yard, and worked up a nice sweat. I focused on the task at hand (pulling up saplings that were invading my yard) and forgot about marketing for a little while. After that I was able to focus better for the rest of the day.
I’d like to hear your ideas…
What do you do to keep your mind fresh? And what’s the best cure for Internet Marketer Burnout?
I want YOU to be the teacher of this lesson… there’s no tip from me today. I want YOUR tips, so we can ALL learn from them…
As always, you can leave your comments here in the blog.
Have a great day!
Eric,
Sounds like you did the very best thing possible which is to get as far away from a computer as you can. It seems to be much more real than strictly onlind doings. Pull saplings more often..
Eric;
For me, that one is easy. Whenever I get to that point, I get both of my grandsons and we go play golf. Use to be more fun a while ago than it is today, because they beat me up too. But, I love every minute that I get to spend with them. Frustrations can be taken out on a golf ball. Carpe Diem!
Best regards,
Jim Kelley
I am a big fan of weight lifting to clear the cobwebs. Short term and intense way to keep healthy. I know of a GREAT gym in your area run, oddly enough, by a couple of younger guys in a basement. Not sure about membership costs.
Get some walking boots and walk 4 miles (about an hour) at least three times a week. You’ll work better, sleep better and live longer! Appreciate the world, listen to the birds sing and let your mind go free. You only have one life – enjoy it!
peter gilbert (aged 67)
Hi Eric; Well I have the product for you that will make you feel better It`s called Fruta Vida or Fruita of Life, and It comes from the Brazilian Rain forest. My wife and I are drinking Fruta Vida and if it didn`t work I wouldn`t be promoting it. just go to my wed site and read what others are saying there is nothing to join just buy a bottle once a month, and you can make big money as Fruta Vida has a seventy to eighty % repeat sales.
http://frutavida.com/2279710//product.htm
http://tryfrutavida.com/2279710//media.htm
Geesh – you came to the right place; I think I must be the burnout queen. Two years working on the ‘net obsessed with making a full-time living. I can’t stop until I have reached my goal. I was on my way to becoming a shut-in! I also found I was getting frozen to the chair; pretty hard to walk after sitting in one position all day!
Since I have a background in IT, I can do the technical work but find marekting extremely difficult. I love what I’m doing and can’t wait for the next day to get back on the computer and make something happen.
Early this year I started a new business with a partner. She has actually saved me from myself. She’s much younger than me and a health nut. She got me to take 30 minutes to go exercise. It took a lot of starts and stops, but I’m finally starting to enjoy exercise and look forward to Gail time.
I also realized I wasn’t eating regular meals (too much time away from the computer). Natural popcorn, fruit and cereal are not daily meals (shocker, huh?).
The result of eating healther and getting exercise has had the same result for me. I come back to the computer more focused and more creative.
You need a vacation AND a better sleep routine. Although, I haven’t taken my own advice on the sleep routine yet…
I just returned from a week’s vacation in Jamaica at an all inclusive “couples only” resort. After sleeping a good portion of my vacation and spending the remainder of it doing FUN activities with my husband and being well pampered, I returned home with a new attitude and outlook. It was a great cure for marketing burnout, entreprenuer burnout, customer burnout, parental burnout and I REALLY NEED A BREAK burnout! Besides, does your wife remember what your face looks like … or just the back of your head as sit looking at the monitor?
Call the grandparents to keep the kids and book a vacation at one of these resorts: http://www.couples.com – I recommend Ocho Rios – It’s FABULOUS and you can thank me when you get home. =)
Eric,
Whenever I feel the “computer blues” I take a 3 day vacation to L.A. In fact, I drive my hummer 6 hours through the Arizona desert and into hollywood and finally L.A. (Agoura Hills.)
The scenery is what does it and the destination is even better.
Incentives for going to L.A.?
– Malibu
– Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles on Sunset Strip
– Driving On The Pacific Coast Highway
– HangingOut With Those Crazy Californians! (They Rock!)
-Anthony Tomei
Eric, you know nothing about it, when you are at this end of the proceedings life is not any the easier.
I an 73 years old, never been a saver, always the worker.
Since the begining of this year I have been trying to get a little something financial from the internet.
I have not spent a lot of money in trying, but what I have spent means that I still have to bend my back
to make ends meet.
I know exactly how you feel, been there, done it, got the scars to show it, beware, you may be a lot younger than me. STOP, take stock, bugger off somewhere even for a few days.
By that I do not mean that we an do without you, what I mean is some of us are patient, what we are due is what we will get.
Listen to an old man, take a break or it will break you.
Look after yourself sunshine.
Regards
Norman (normanuk)
as a fitness professional i will tell you exercise is a great stress reducer among other healthy benefits…get back on the fitness track. 🙂
Eric,
You have already found a good solution…change of focus and physical activity. There is one thing I’ve discovered in my case, though. If I have a lot I want to get done and am in a hurry I will sometimes throw together a peanut butter sandwich for lunch. For me, this is not a good idea, because the protein really slows me down…especially my thinking. I do much better with a lunch that involves carbohydrates. The carbs give energy and I can more easily keep my thinking sharp.
A’ha….
I will say, have a vacation! Specifically to Malaysia…It’s a great peaceful country.
You already got yourself one hell of a tour guide for sure… 😉
Eric,
You hit the nail on the head! Whenever things get overwhelming, no matter what it is, the best solution is to give yourself some down time. Take some time away and indulge in something you enjoy that will keep your mind and preferably your body occupied and off what is getting to you.
Bottom line… take a break! Sounds like you need it and if your not giving your best then we’re not getting your best. 🙂 Too many of us out here looking to you and listening to you…. and on top of that and even more importantly, we care.
D.
The best thing in those moments is to get away from the computer. Either go for a walk or grab the family for some fun activity. This can help to clear the mind for some great new ideas.
At other times, when I need to get something done, but my brain is blocked, I just get away from the computer (preferrably in another room or outdoors) with a piece of paper. This can work miracles. All in a sudden, fresh ideas start flowing from the brain onto the paper.
Dear Eric,
Flattered as i am to be asked my advice bt such a self-motivated expert as yourself but here goes!
In the days before the computer when everyone worked for someone else the condition that you describe was easily cured by a couple of weeks off and away on holiday, every 6 months or so.
Nowadays time off is even easier, your job is secure and works by itself and in reality you don’t have to study the job as hard as when you first started therefore you have more than enough time to spare so my advice is to take up the game of GOLF, once or twice a week. It is a challenge since it is a damn site harder than it looks and the fresh air and long walks will entirely refresh you. The company within the golf club will soon welcome you with open arms and the contacts made there will surprise you!
Wish you well and Kindest Regards
Howard
Exercise is critical to help reduce stress and maintain good mental health. But I think one thing is just as important– don’t forget to DREAM. What I mean is, dream about your future, focusing on what you want. Envision what it would be like right now if you had what you want, as if you already have it. Spend a few minutes in the morning and evening visualizing that you’ve obtained your goal and are so thankful and excited about it. If you’re a Christian, commit your dream to prayer, thanking God that he is going to help you get your dream.
Putting yourself in a positive and optimistic frame of mind will allow positive things to come to you. Don’t worry about how, just know it will happen. Working frantically can’t bring you what you desire, because it is not good for your health. So, RELAX and enjoy the journey.
If you think you need some time off then perhaps that is what you should do. But if you can’t do that then make the best use of your time by creating a list of tasks that you must accomplish and then prioritize that list putting what is most important at the top to the least important at the bottom.
It is tempting to put those things that are easiest to do first to “get them out of the way” but that is a way of actually avoiding doing those important tasks because there is something distasteful about them; they are too big, too complicated or just plain boring or some other characteristic that causes you to want to avoid doing them. In other words, those little tasks seem to allow you to convince yourself that you are getting things done when, in reality, you are avoiding doing what you really have to do. Those little jobs are tension relievers rather than goal achievers.
That is not to say that small tasks are unimportant. If you are building a house you can’t just launch into framing the floors, walls and roof. You have to start with a good foundation that is properly constructed, plumb and level. Then, and only then, can you start the framing.
So, what does all of that have to do with internet marketing? Well, I’m probably not the best person to ask but I do think it is a valid analogy. I’m new to internet marketing; so new, in fact, that I don’t have my first website up yet. I’m still haven’t gotten to laying out that foundation. In fact, I’m still in the design phase, trying to find a good architect. I think I may have found one and I’m looking at his work to see if he is the right one for me and my project. And, perhaps, I’m engaging in a bit of that “tension releiving” activity to which I refer above.
But I know that about 98% of those who launch into internet marketing either fail or quit within a year having not made so much as a dime. In fact, they spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars buying this e-book or that course or some other “system” without understanding just what it is they are attempting to do; IE, they lack a vision.
So, if you have your vision, if you know what you want to do or get accomplished then break it into smaller tasks, make a list of those tasks, prioritize them and do them in order of importance, not ease of accomplishment. The sense of accomplishment at having completed a particularly difficult or distasteful but necessary part of the overall job will energize you to take on the next segment.
And I thought I was the only one with not enough hours in the day. It is a vicious circle when it comes down to it. Get distracted doing something else and then feeling guilty because you haven’t done half of what you thought you should have done during the day. Answer – stay up later only to find that you are probably too tired to get anything done anyway. Then it is time to start the next day.
My answer is to take my 4 year old grand daughter out for the day. Like today, baked cakes with her, went to the local town for ice cream and generally spoil her. Do some shopping in the local supermarket and then take her out and home on her bike. Great fun albeit hard work sometimes (I wouldn’t change it for the world though) but a break away from these computer screens which themselves make your eyelids come closer together. It also pays to take regular breaks away from the screens – for me that means drinking too much tea and coffee but it is better than trying to do everything in one sitting which doesn’t happen anyway.
I have had this problem before, but I have a great solution that works wonders for me.
Have you ever heard of Qi Gong (Also spelled Chi Kung)? It’s a sort of active martial arts meditational practice that generally involves very simple body movements aligned with mental relaxation. Many martial artists practice Qi Gong as a warmup and cooldown before and after martial arts practice. It helps align and balance the chi flow along your energy meridians.
I find that it works wonders to take a 10 minute break or so from my work every hour or two to do some simple Qi Gong exercises to balance and align my energy meridians and relax my mental processes.
A hypnotist friend of mine wrote a book on SuperLearning that mentions how you can vastly improve your learning ability and work efficiency by taking small 10 minute breaks every hour or so.
Tai Chi would be equally good, and here is a link to a Tai Chi video you can order online if you’re interested: http://affiliatesupernetwork.com/taichi
If you want to try Qi Gong, you could always order a book from Amazon, or find a local teacher in your area and take some lessons.
I hope that helps.
Peace & Prosperity,
Jambhala
http://JointVentureNetwork.net
Hi Eric,
Try this:
http://falundafa.org
You will NOT find anything better!
I’m speaking from experience .
Dave
DEAR FRIEND ERIC:
GOOD TIMES.
DON’T WORRY MY DEAR.
THAT HAPPENED TO ME FROM TIME TO TIME,SPEICIALLY.WHEN I WANT TO WRITE NEW MATERIAL ON MY NEWSPAPER OR MAGAZINE.THIS TIME,LIKE THE HARD BORN,NEED SOME QUITE.
I GO TO THE RIVER BANK,THE NILE,AND SET VERY CALM.LOOKING TO THE SUNRISE,AND THE BOATS FLOATING VERY SMOOTH,ON THE BRIGHT WATER
DRINK COLA, ICE CREAM.FORGET ALL MY PROBLEMES FOR AN HOUR OR MORE.
AFTER THAT I COMMENCE TO WRITTING AND LOOK
TO THE NICE VEW,THEN I COMPLET THE MATERIAL,
HURRY TO THE NEWSPAPER TO PUBLISH MY PAPERS.I HOPE MY FRIEND ERIC DO THAT SOON AND,TELL ME THE RESULT,MY ADVICE TAKE YOUR
FAMILY WITH YOU TO THIS SHORT TRIP AND YOU WILL
FEEL BETTER.
WITH MY GOOD WISHES .
These are all ‘nice’ suggestions Eric, but in my opinion, YOU NEED A GOOD WOMAN! It doesn’t work for me 😉 and I’m not available, but looks like you need some ‘lovin’ to drag you away from your PC!
Hi eric,
I have been a owner of bfm since day one,back in jan.
Eric,
Sounds like exactly what I am experiencing right now. BURNOUT! But it happens about twice a year. What works for me and I plan on beginning this afternoon is I lay on the couch, watch TV and sleep ALL DAY and into the night. I don’t think about work … I stay AWAY from computers and I just RELAX. Then the next day I have been RE-Energized and ready to go….I call that my “CRASH DAY” and it works every time.
Have a good day.
Sheryl
Hey Eric!
I’ve got four kids (ages 8,6,4 & 5 months) all at home for the summer while I’m trying to simultaneously work. I know what you mean.
The answer is simple dear brother. Take the time to inquire of The LORD and find out what he would have you do at THIS moment.
You will crash & burn when you’re operating in your own strength, using your own wits and understanding to make decisions on time management. I should know. But if you are doing what God wants you to do minute by minute, you’ll discover he gives you the strength to accomplish His will for your life.
Sometimes, He may want you to buckle down and do some marketing. Other times, it may be time for you to give the new baby a bath, and still other times, it may be the Lord’s will for you to call a sitter and take Melissa out somewhere… You’ll never really know what you ought to be doing unless you remember to ask.
Perhaps my viewpoint is a little elementary; nevertheless, I’ve discovered that it’s accurate and true. Pray. Read the Bible, listen to it if that works better for you. Stay plugged in, connected and in tune with God’s agenda.
In His Service,
Sabrina O
Hey Eric,
When I was in the service going to training after boot camp, I had to do a lot of inside “book” learning. The rule was simple, for maximum productivity in the learning environment, everybody, and I mean everybody had to get up from their desks and spend 5 minutes out of every hour. It might be going to the rest room, getting a snack, but it was “WITHOUT FAIL” everyone doing anything except more deskwork.
That lesson has served me well in the years after that. Every hour, without fail, I take a 5 minute break. If I am making a news ite or writing copy or whatever, it doesn’t make any difference, I stop and get up and do something different.
I never get burnout and I get a lot of great ideas when I am not thinking about them.
How cool is that.
And then every day I play with my collie dog. That works great too.
Michael
Eric,
Have to agree with an earlier writer. For me when that starts to happen it is time to go beat the little white ball into submission.
I do however always carry my little pocket notepad and pen with me. Some of my best ideas come when golfing, fishing or even doing yard work.
The hours spent doing something else always seem to come back due to increased productivity when I return.
Mike
In my opinion, exercise is not the answer for you. After such a long time of letting your body and muscles atrophy, it would probably harm you more than help you. And I would only be out in the sun for short periods of time, seeing as your skin is not used to the excess amounts of ultraviolet rays that could hit you at any given moment. What I will say though, when is the last time you went fishing? I know I have not been fishing near as much as I would like to be this summer, and I’m sure you have not been in quite a long time. Maybe, you should pick up something like that again, and do it fairly regularly, even if just for a few hours. Also, I know Josiah would probably love to go fishing again sometime…
Hi Eric, I can definitely relate…today i’ve been pulling a 16+ day and i’ve still got a few more to go.
there are many ways to go around this…
have you tried mark joyner’s simpleology course?
at least that helps you focus and work more effectively the time you are working.
for myself, i don’t believe that watching some funny videos on youtube is that bad really, it might sometimes be just what you need to get the inspiration flowing. a holiday is always good, even though it’s sometimes rough to come back from a holiday, if you manage the pace, i recommend distributing time towards business for just a while longer.
now I know how hard and demanding it can be having to be able to dip into the deep pits of creativity as I’m both a musician and an online marketer(consultant). For a few hours every day, i let myself distract. i do the chitchat with my friends or whatever, because i need the input. or just a simple relaxation. And there is nothing bad about it, not at all, it just helps me focus on target objects more! There are probably a million different ways of finding ways to relax.
I know a few very successful business owners and they say they sleep only 3 hours a night, but they say they feel GREAT.
And nothing seems to stop them whatsoever.
But you’ve put the question out yourself, and just like a prayer, it will reveal itself over time(or right now) and you will find your answer…the easy or the hard way. to make it easier i still suggest you give yourself that hour together with youtube or whatever gives you fun and value. just organize it, so you have enough energy to go on.
wishing you all the best and I think you’re doing JUST FINE!
Get thyself to a good massage therapist. However, Instead of requesting a sports massage, go for a lighter relaxation massage which supports the restoration of the autonomic nervous system balance — so necessary to restore true vitality. Second most important thing is to make sure that you are well hydrated. Thirdly, for your adrenal health, try to get to bed as early as possible…because many of the body’s maintainance functions are naturally scheduled for much earlier in the evening…and you must be asleep for that to happen…so burning the midnight oil denies you of that much needed self-repair work. Last but not least, learn to take power naps of about 10 minutes…any longer than that and you may not feel refreshed, but instead just feel “groggy”. Doing that will help the brain to discharge some stress on a more frequent basis, helping you to stay calm, cool and collected in order to work more effectively instead in a half-hearted way. Be well!
Have 2 jobs, one on the computer and another that takes you away from it, ok so the other job may not pay as much, but for me running the part time motorcycle courier business is great, gets me out, takes me to new places and I dont feel guilty because I am still making some money and enjoying riding the bike.
Cheers
Dave
Eric my friend,
I live in Bermuda. The water is a beautiful blue. The sand is a fine grain and almost pink. The weather is fantastic. Come on down! Contact me through my email. I will give you a tour of my lovely Island home that no tourist will ever be able to get. Bring your family. Contact me with your dates.
Clef
Eric, you’ve found one solution and Sheryl has given you another. When I find myself reading emails I normally skim, or staring at a blank screen, I just turn it off for as long as it takes. I do NOTHING. But I do it actively.
What I mean is, I force myself to take naps, watch mindless TV, go to the movies, go to the beach and count the waves, whatever. Usually by the end of the day, or two at worst, I’m so bored I can’t wait to get back to work.
If a day or two of actively vegging out doesn’t stir you up again, then it really is time for a longer vacation with real down time and relaxation…
Hi Eric,
Sorry but I can’t help I have never experienced burnout. Kids, family, friends, love and happiness sit at the top of my list and they can distract me anytime. Here’s some food for thought though. When you are distracted and end up working late, have you lost sight of what you are working for? What I’m saying is, your goal is probably to spend more time with family and friends so by wasting time looking at videos and working late you are missing the boat so to speak. The next time things aren’t clicking you should think seriously about the better choices you have.. and it’s not funny videos! Remember, time is the one thing we are always losing so don’t waste it!
All The Best,
Mike
Eric,
I’m a psychologist, a kinesiologist, an NLP practioner and a tai chi and qigong teacher – and qualified in all the above after 50!.
Before that I was a computer whizz kid back in the 70s when it meant that you could ‘read’ the holes in puched cards and counted in units of 16!.
I know how easy it is to become immersed in problem solution and product delivery.
And I well remember 16hours a day tracking down intermittent bugs and inexplicable failures. And it was fun …
But, its a bad life style …People – or rather bodies – are just not built to sit all day in chairs in front of screens. And brains are not built to concentrate without breaks.
Productivity, creativity, imagination and logic all go out the window with repeated sets of long hours. More mistakes get made and more wild gooses get chased.
People are built to move and the need to move to keep the body healthy – half of the circulation system (the lymph system) does not have a pump it needs movement in the major muscle groups to work effectively.
Ideally you should stretch your entire body for a couple of minutes every hour . A five minute break will improve circulation and help clear brain fog.
Try “flying like an eagle” http://www.everyday-taichi.com/qigong-exercises.html
Then you could try the 2nd move from the shibashi pattern – opening the chest – the slow breathing and arm movement promote a sense of well being http://www.everyday-taichi.com/taiji-qigong.html.
People learn and concentrate in short burst – about 20 – 40 minutes is ideal. If you are going to do a couple of hours – you need a longer break 20 minutes at a min. If you really can’t afforf the time take at least 5 minutes every couple of hours and do deep diaphragm breathing concentrating on the process of breathing to help clear out toxins and refresh your powers of concentration.
If you can afford longer – over 20 minutes – try qigong see http://www.everyday-taichi.com for exercises you can do (nothing to buy!).
It might be useful to know that it takes 20 minutes of relaxation, meditation or tai chi before the relaxation response kicks in and allows your body to “stand down” from the flight and fight response. Watching exciting movies or reading thrilling books is not relaxing – your brain is still doing all the flight fight stuff.
And all the standard things – avoid coffee and other stimulants they just cause a crash and burn cycle.
If all this seems too much just get out and smell the roses. ( grass, trees ……)
Oh and did I mention playtime? Laughter is still great for you …
If you would like to talk more just drop me a line – after your next break of course!
When I experience burn out, I do something relaxing such as watching a movie, hanging out with friends or do something around the house that I’ve been neglecting to do.Just need to re-focus and expend energy on something other than the marketing & computer.
What’s the best cure for Internet Marketer Burnout? A lap full of kittens sure takes the edge off for me. Just be sure to unplug your keyboard and hide your mouse first.
Hi, Eric!
As a busy, homeschooling, entrepreneurial mom, I know all about what you’re going through. I’m ADD to boot, so that makes it even worse!
However, my business specializes in self-care for moms, so let me share an article with ideas:
http://www.mom-defrazzler.com/vmt/articles/Simply-Defrazzle.html
While you’re not a mom, stressis universal, and there might be something there to help you out!
Darlene
Hi Eric,
I think you did the right thing by doing som physical work. When I get to the point of burn out or have too much on my mind, I’ll do something physical like workout in the gym, go for a walk or some other physical work.
I suggest that you take some time each day to do something else than just sit in front of the computer.
Have a nice day
Lennart
P.S. The idea of buying the butterfly marketing manuscript for us was one of the coolest thing you could come up with for your “people”. That other marketers are giving you a hard time about it comes with this kind of “crazy deals”, but we just love it. Keep up the good work.
Eric,
I have to drag myself away from my computer every day. I absolutely can not get enough of Internet marketing because I love it and it has been good to me.
I used to work from early morning until late hours at night almost driven to keep putting up more web sites.
But I found if I drag myself away for a few hours, I actually get great ideas. It seems like I can still build just as many sites too.
This morning I got on my elliptical crosstrainer for thirty minutes and I keep a note pad and pen handy because the ideas flow like crazy when I’m on it.
I know that sounds crazy but it works for me and another benefit is those crosstrainers are great for keeping your weight off.
Later on today I’m going swimming and I have learned to keep a pad and pen handy on the table. Getting away from the computer for awhile seems to work better for me than if I had just worked all day at it.
It also balances your time better and I actually feel like I have a life again. I also found that outsourcing a few small jobs really frees up a lot of time too.
Anyway, it works for me and I hope that helps you.
Gary
I do Dahn Yoga and special breathing exercises. Hard physical exercise is good. Look at this website: http://www.dahnyoga.com
Pauline
Hi Eric,
I believe you have a cooking timer at home. Why don´t you use it?
I have 3 blogs, 2 websites of my one, some 5 or 6 with my name on, 80+ daily e-mails and no auto responder. I am going to be 53 years old next month, so, I know it works!
There is a maximum period of 10 to 15 minutes a normal person can stand his concentration focused, more if he or she is a trained thinker (as I suppose you are). Setting the timer for an extra 15 minutes longer than the individual standard should be enough to feel some (self) pride…
Gardening is good for the soul (and body, to), but cleaning the house from old papers and/or photos with no more interest or perfect the ideal future, are some options with long term benefits for an intermission. Besides doing some physical exercise, of course!
As I use to say to my friends: be cool, be happy, keep smiling to the people next to you.
Best Wishes to all. PT
There you are in this well constructed hut that is like a small custom home but made to look exotic. Strange thing is engineers have created it to sit in 10ft to 20ft of water off shore in Tahiti. It has a glass floor that allows you to see to the bottom of the ocean in some of the clearest and warmest water on the face of the earth. At night the bottom of your space lights up so you can still see through to the bottom; like walking on water. This place actually exists, and personally I feel that everyone only has so much time in life that…. it’s just about time to have some fun. I’m traveling on the regular now at such cheap prices…it’s a crying shame. Besides…I get more ideas that I actually implement, when I go on these trips. I just got back from Vegas and the week before that, I was in Florida. You could say…I get paid to travel. Anyone can and you need it, …right about now. Book a trip… You’ll never get burned out again.
Hi Eric,
When that happens to me I just switch off and go away on a trip.
It;s amazing how you feel when you have done that. I take my daughters and we just take off – no plans no routes at all. Point the car and end up wherever we end up.
You realise the the computer and your business continues when you return.
I saw the picture of your baby – beautiful. Now that you have a beautiful baby girl- and your business is booming – take the time off and cherrish it.
My daughters have now grown up a little now but they always remember the times when we spent doing those little simple things in life.
Spend time with your loved ones and its amazing how therapeutic it is.
Take care
All the best
Hamant
Hi Eric,
A new baby in the house – believe it or not and as nice as it is – always creates stress. I think this is often overlooked by new parents in their fraught intentions to do everything right for the new Bub. Family additions simply need readjustment time. To get enough sleep each night will make this a lot easier but is often the thing most disrupted.
What works best for me is a bit of ‘regularity’ in my day. I try to walk for 1 hour each afternoon, and if there is a teleseminar I want to listen to I put that on my MP3 player and slug it out. If I need some extra marketing, I also take a handfull of lesser-quality business cards with me and slip them into mailboxes where I see a Tradesman lives. They are easily picked because they usually have ladders, tools etc clearly visible. I actually get to talk with them sometimes too and this always rejuvenates me – I love hearing about their business or their ‘wish list’ because I know I can often find a solution for them.
Then each Monday night I go to Belly-dancing class just to do something really different. Here I meet a lot of other people whom I would not otherwise meet. And the exercise is unbelievable – much more interesting than going to the gym. It also puts me in touch with my feminine side and I feel great afterwards. It is teaching me to appreciate myself and my body better.
Then on Wednesday Nights I go to Rotary. Here again I meet a ‘family’ of very nice people from an eclectric range of different industries – all of which gives me different views of life. And Rotary allows me to participate in my community by helping others. Not only my community but we do things to help make the world a better place – like the PolioPlus programme to assist with the eradication of Polio from around the world.
It is these little things that act like ‘mini-holidays’ for me and I look forward to them. Sure, it’s only a few hours but they are “my hours” where I get re-energised.
So, perhaps its not really a vacation (holiday) you need but a new way to get re-energised on a more regular basis?
Perhaps it sounds silly but I can honestly say for the first time in my life I am peacefully happy.
Your’e a really nice bloke Eric and I hope our thoughts here help you.
Jan
On second thought, fishing would be good, but it seems like maybe you should bring yourself and your family to one of these luxurious vacation spots people are offering you.
Eric, read my essay at
http://www.sam-freedom.com
I worked 30yrs in my father’s company
which recently sold off 1 division for $10M
(I think I’ve told you this before). And that’s
not to brag, but to illustrate a point. Even
with that money in my family, and even with
some of it coming to me and buying me some
nice things and some breathing room, it doesn’t
increase my sense of freedom.
I know, consciously and subconsciously, that unless
I put it to work for me, it will dwindle to nothing fast
enough. Just ask Mike Tyson. Or Michael Jackson.
(“Heeee…Heeeee!” My best impresonation of the
latter.)
But everything changed for me when the wisdom
shared by Robert Kiyosaki sunk in – a simple formula
really, that goes like this: “When your passive income
is equal to or greater than your monthly expenses, you’re
free (out of the rat race).”
In the cashflow quadrant, Kiyosaki lists the 4 categories
of being a money-earner. What you are is a business owner.
To become free, you need to be an INVESTOR. You can easily
translate this into “investing in web real estate.” But bottom line
is to get your residual income up.
THIS CANNOT BE UNDERESTIMATED.
Yet, quite often, it is…even very intelligent people who grasp
the concept intellectually still have some excuse for not putting
it into action. They just keep doing big sale after sale (or trying
anyways) thinking that they just need to “wash-rinse-repeat”
their money-making formula.
But do you, or anyone, remember what it was that got us all
into internet marketing in the first place? I don’t mean POVERTY
or DREAMS OF RICHES, but it was some kind of an ad telling
us that we could make like little cash machines on autopilot.
AUTOPILOT! Residual income…!
Anything you can do to increase yoru residual income brings you
closer to financial FREEDOM. Again, we grasp it intellectually,
yet here you are buying people BFM manuscripts in yet another
clever marketing maneuver….yet disrupted by YouTube…yet
disrupted by [fill in the blank].
When you are financially free, you can’t be disrupted because
your expenses are covered. Even when a man gets his residual
income up to half of his expenses, he feels a corresponding amount
of him breathe a huge sigh of relief. And it sounds something like
this, “Whew…that’s another $800 I won’t have to work for each and
every month…!”
But the business owner, the self-employed and the wage earner all do.
Over and over and over again, with growing responsibilities. So when
you tally up your monthly expenses, make sure to add in the cost of a
bookkeeper/accountant, a financial planner and a tax preparer, so that
you don’t have to be distracted by those things either! 😉
But by now, I think you get my drift. You can get all sorts of advice, but
only when you follow the principles of financial freedom, however that
should occur, can you begin to feel a kind of “peace that surpasseth
all understanding.”
If you’d like to talk about this some more, please drop me a line.
And I’ll be contacting you anyways regarding my initial contact with you
about 2 months ago…!
Alright bro, wishing you the best!
Sam Freedom
http://www.sam-freedom.com
I too am burned out! My father died in Feb. and my mother is elderly. The job I do is increasingly hectic and demanding. I am a case manager for the MR/DD population and I contract with my state to deliver my service to this population. Hey sometimes just working with these folks can be stressful, and I have several that are over the top. The state cut our funds in Nov. 05 to the point I can barely make my house payment & car payment. Yep, that leaves little room for all my other bills and buy food too. Then in May I found out I had cancer. I have no medical insurance. To get the treatment I needed I had to max out the rest of my credit cards. By this point I am practiclly living on my credit cards and desperatly looking for a homebased business to supplement. Three days after I am told I am cancer free, I go to the hospital for an unrelated emrgency surgery. Two days before I go to the hospital I find out my current job ends Sept. 1 I must get hired by a new Case Management Co if I want to continue to work as a case manager, which I am very good at, by the way. Thing is they keep jacking me around and I find out the are only paying 1/2 what I get paid now, which remember I can’t live on anymore. My bill collectors are phoning every 5 min. so I filed bankruptcy. So I have no more credit cards or money for that matter and I have no way to purchase any of your products to help me out of the screaming crazy stressfull circle.
Everyone, have a God blessed day and continue to prosper.
Fonda
Hi, Eric,
Boy oh boy can I ever empathize. I got to the place where I was developing R.S.I. in both wrists and shoulders from being on this machine so doggone long each day. I knew this elder bod needed a break and I had a difficult time figuring out how.
Then I decided that using my alarm software just for affirmations was not putting it to work at its fullest potential, so I started adding little “break reminders” to the software. Now, every three hours a message pops up that tells me it’s time for a quick break. You can get it free at http://kirbyfooty.com and he’s recently also come out with a pro version for under $25 and either one does the job. I’ve been using Kirby Alarm for over five years. No spyware, adware or other rotten stuff.
Your break can be anything but like so many of your wise readers say… the best is exercise, fresh air, walking, relaxing, meditation, ANYTHING but computer! Get completely away from it, and concentrate on something else. You’ll be amazed how much better your days go.
Bless you, Eric, you are appreciated… but if you need to publish less often, none of us will hold it against you!
Donna 🙂
Eric,whenever we get burned out with something we need to justwalk away from it and do something that we really like and enjoy doing–whether it be spending time with our grandchildren,gardening,or pursuing one of our favorite hobbies.Have a great day.