Pro-tips: Passing The Time (37)
My fellow STMers,
I am bored as hell today. I literally have every affiliate task in some kind of queue - waiting on ad approvals, waiting on contractors, etc.
So today I pose a simple question for you:
What do you do to fill the time while you are waiting for the money to come in? When you just want to pass a couple hours but want to work later that day?
Obviously scale harder would be an acceptable answer, but like I said, we're waiting on contractors. Or of course work on "real projects" like authority sites, etc....
I'm looking for non-aff activities that you guys have found that you can do during your workday that actually make you feel good about yourself - better, smarter, stronger, etc.
And of course I will accept indulgent answers as long as they are flagged as such --- any other gamers in the house??
This is the first time I've ever had real time freedom, but I want to feel like I'm doing something that's growth-oriented while I wait.
Personally, I read and meditate, and of course share ridiculous videos with Maynzie. How about you?
Things that I use to break up my days are: gym, social lunchtime football (soccer), language classes, bromance lunch dates, working on offline ventures. I'm also about to join a toast masters club, that helps with public speaking and all round self confidence.
Curious to hear what others do.
Longboard sessions, Gym, Reddit, Travel TV and Cooking
For the last 3 years i've been working pretty hard around the clock, slowly losing activities, non-work related skills and general "open" time. I hope to slow things down near end of 2013 and build up my non-work related skills sets back
I keep a checklist of things to do during downtime:
- Gym
- Read
- Clean
- Cook
- Meditate
- Blog
- Nap around 2pm
I try to keep the downtime productive so it makes my mind sharper when I'm working
Call of Duty/Halo 4
Gym, read, meditate, study/write copy, play guitar, movies, video games (once in a while), get out of the house, lunch with local/non-9-5 friends.
lsd and shrooms.
Originally Posted by Mr Green
U will like Toastmasters. Keep in mind they are more geared to "speak just to speak" and the mindset/skillset they will help you build is actually quite different from what it takes to sell on stage, i.e. self-confidence and poise vs raw heart and buying triggers. In the event you ever want people to buy shit from you on a stage. Just sayin'.
Originally Posted by stackman
Originally Posted by dr_ngo
Originally Posted by MJDUB
Originally Posted by machete
Originally Posted by sandyone
Originally Posted by sandyone
Free time? What is that?
refresh stats
While I wait for money to come in, I work a friggin' day job haha. Bleh! Sweet affiliate Gods, dost thou heareth my clicks?
When I'm waiting for my affiliate stuff to get sorted, I do the thing that I'm running affiliate marketing to pay for 
I'm actually a filmmaker by profession. I got into AM after reading Tim Ferriss' Four Hour Work Week, and realising that rather than competing for grant funding or all the other usual nonsense filmmakers do to get their films funded, it'd be easier to start a "muse" business and fund my films with that.
I actually settled on AM after reading various people complaining about all the downtime - at which point I went "aha, perfect!". So when I'm not running my campaigns or moderating here, I'm making films!
I try to write at least 1000 words every day, and read at least 100 pages every day.
As backwards as that may sound, it's therapeutic to me.
For relaxation, I've been doing a lot of hypnosis and NLP sessions.
I also play a lot of snooker, pool and chess.
As I read this back, I wonder how I'm not single...
I read books too, mostly on personality development...if not then I go to gym or hang out with friends and do some crazy stuff on the streets...anything just for experience..
Watch hockey.
Originally Posted by Finch
Writing is incredible as well. Can't wait to have a proper personal blog again. Nothing brings your creativity back into play like writing, nothing else I've found anyway.
I understand gym, reading books, getting out with friends...but you guys don't have girlfriends? These "eat" you a lot of time, especially if you are living with them
Crysper, Women EAT alot of time and money...and are the main cause of distraction from the business..i personally just prefer to stay away from this distraction...THIS may be from my conservative culture that I come from(Indian, Brought up in Saudi Arabia :P )
Originally Posted by sean3
Originally Posted by sean3
Otherwise I travel all the time so when i'm not staring at my screen i'm staring at beautifull landscapes, spending time with my beautifull gf or sipping a drink ( and else )..
I don't do gym as I don't like physical efforts (also why i have the body of a sick shrimp) but I do every possible adrenaline or fun activity : got my diving licence, going through the skydiving one, surf, mountain biking, escalading mountains in peru with no equipment, quad, dentist (lol, yes that's a very stressfull activity for me), etc ..
Mehdi
so you won't say it was a waste of time.Well, if you can satisfy sexual and emotional needs in other ways, that's perfect. But talking about relationships and IM it's a long story...
No Argument in that..a women is indeed important, but having a troublesome one..or having many of them will eventually take you down..I had a girlfriend who just ate up all my time for the time she was with me...lucky me, i already had a few campaigns that kept the funds moving..now, im single and have lot of time for IM so I refrain from entering any relationship for some time from now..lots of other activities to do and talk about 
Strongly agree that single "is more likely" to have less distractions than "coupled" guys.
The difference in my creative freedom when I was single compared to being in a relationship is huge. Single affiliates have every hour on the clock at their disposal. There are times where I wish I could sit down and splurge an entire night on a campaign to get it profitable, but it's much tougher to do that when you're living with your other half... You have to be more 'time-efficient'. In a major way.
There's pros and cons for this, personally being single has never helped me stay focused, when night comes I wanna go out, drink, score some chick ..
When i'm in a couple, I have sex, cuddle for an hour until she falls asleep and sneak back to my computer :P
I have to say i'm a night guy though, i get my best work done between midnight and 4-5am
Mehdi
From my experience, being single definitely doesn't help with productivity. All though being in a relationship takes up a lot of time, it gives you a routine which I think is key.
There could be a whole new thread just on "The effects of girls on your affiliate business".
- Is a lot of free time good? Would you be more productive with time constraints that comes with a relationship?
- By being single your costs are generally lower, but do you earn less because you party more?
- Does being in a relationship give you a stable settled mind that allows you to be more productive?
A very interesting topic!
What do I do with free time?
Everything that everyone else wishes they could be doing, and the things yourself would wish you could do if you had a normal job! Just do what makes ya happy, its freaky as that you're even alive so no one should ever be bored
Sun, fun, gym, food, coffee, surf, skate, music, read, documentarriiesss biatch, party everything I'll try it I don't say no often to invitations
Originally Posted by Mr Green
And I was single, and I admit I was a nightmare for him because he always had to be the dad kinda, don't go out too much, don't get too wasted we have a meeting blabla, don't forget we have this .. man i'd blow important meetings just to go to an after party , get more drunk and hopefully laid ... lol .. we men are animals :/
Mehdi
Originally Posted by maynzie
Routine is DEFINITELY key. My mates/family all have less busy schedules than me, and I seem to get way more done in every aspect of my life.
In the last 2 years I've never been hit the gym less than 3 days in a calendar week (my minimum routine) - usually 5-6 times though. I live with my sis and she sleeps til 12 on weekends, sees me coming back from the gym around that time and asks, "where do you get the energy"? A technically correct answer is quasi-legal Chinese caffeinated pre-workout powder, but what I tell her is: "I don't even think about it - it's routine, it's what I do..."
When you lift/work out, you get first-hand experience with the quote, "I will do what you won't today, so I can do what you can't tomorrow" - example: bench-pressing 90kg for the first time was wicked! And I couldn't do it the week before.
Launching those campaigns today will get you the stats to make decisions tomorrow, so you can run the campaign others can't.
Make this a routine. You will find it a lot easier if you have other routines.
I get way more done in 3-4 hours after dayjob/gym than I do on weekends -- I am at my spend limit and launching/culling like a mofo, so I'm glad I have other routines to stop me from checking stats every 10 minutes. Oh damn I have that impulse again *eek*
Originally Posted by mehdi
Having a good relationship definitely makes you more productive, you get what you want from the girl near you, no more money and time wasted on too many parties and half or entire day lost due to hangovers(hate that now, but few years ago it was something normal, every 3 days) just to get laid.
Related to what mehdi said, I wanted to get into a partnership with a friend of mine who is single almost all the time. I tried for a month but I couldn't handle more since he pissed me off being almost daily in clubs and getting up at 1pm, wtf is that? Yea, he got hurt 2 times from 2 long relationships and for the last 3 years he just fucks around...
Ohhhh....what happened with that indian guy that wanted to kill himself in november?
Great girl = game over, you win.
Haha this thread went in a different direction but it's interesting to hear everyone's perspectives on interacting with the feminine.
Originally Posted by Mr Green
Originally Posted by dr_ngo
My girlfriend's a junior in college. It works out pretty well since she's always got so much homework to do anyway, she doesn't mind me doing AM stuff all the time.
Originally Posted by Mr Green
well since many of you were still just baby gravy when I was born....I know that most of you aren't married or have kids....but I just wanted to add to this....and extend it past GF's or just women in general...
when my kids were born the motivation to do is never stronger.....there is nothing like the feeling to look at this fragile beautiful little person, just born.....that depends on you for everything for its very existence.....
the world changes on those days.....and you realize you will do anything to give those little people....every chance in life.....its like all the voices in your head become one and its rocket fuel for your success.....
Ok so I am not saying go out and make babies.....but what I am saying when you do things not just for yourself but others as well (think of it as a team).....the desire and passion to succeed becomes incredibly stronger .....
I know this is contrary to the "all about me" and "look at the size of me ego" that is IM but if you havent ventured down that path.....I might suggest you try it at some point.....
P.S this was not directed at MR Green btw.....just wanted to quote what he said and further the topic....
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