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information Stress and Domain Investor Mental Wellness

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Investing in domain names allows you to be self-directed, have almost complete flexibility in hours, and the ability to work from anywhere. Those advantages can result in a rewarding and healthy side-gig or full-time position, one that allows you to balance other demands and interests.

However, those advantages can also lead to unhealthy stress. The fact you can work from anywhere and at any time, can lead to not taking adequate breaks. The self-directed freedom of domain investing, coupled with the sporadic nature of domain sales, can lead to self-doubts and worry.

I asked NamePros members to suggest tips for handling stress, balance and mental wellness. I also repeated the request on social media. You can read the full set of responses at the links. I summarize key points in this article.

Find Balance

One of the most frequently mentioned pieces of advice was find balance in your life. Take breaks to do something you enjoy. Suggested activities ranged from exercise and time in nature, to reading or meditation, and many others. Some respondents indicated they built these right into their daily schedule, like an early morning run, or late afternoon walk.

In this post NickB shares links that provide an introduction to mindfulness, meditation and breathing exercises.

TopValueDomains summarized what works for him:
Stay fit, exercise, spend time outside with your family and also with your dog, if like me you have one. Sometimes you need to reset and change scenario in order to approach this business with a fresh mind.

I was reminded of Shawn Achor’s book The Happiness Advantage: Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work. The field of Positive psychology suggests that the time you take for a balanced and happier life will yield dividends, not just in your mental wellness, but also your work performance. Breaks pay off.

In a similar vein, David Carter reminded us of the importance of turning off devices for a period each day.
The do not disturb setting on my iPhone ensures I’m not disturbed between 6pm and 8 am - and I keep it out of reach. Best thing I’ve ever done and I’ve done this for 3 years now.

Spend Time With People

Domain investors we spend much of the day in front of a monitor, going through auction or drop lists, or seeking available names to hand register. Face to face social contact can be rare.

When you do take breaks, try to maximize time spent with others. To be happy and mentally healthy we all need positive social interactions and a support network.

Selling Domains: The Best Business and The Worst Business explores why a network is important, and suggests ways, including right here on NamePros, to build one.

The Addictive Nature of Domain Investing

Domain investing can be highly addictive – there are an infinite number of names to potentially chase, and the occasional big sales can induce us to invest when we should show restraint. Fear of missing out, FOMO, is constantly present.

SunflowerDomains offered this advice.
Eliminate emotional attachment to your names. Don't second guess your pricing. Invest in what you are passionate about. Don't FOMO into investing in every single trend because most will pass, and you will be left with unsellable inventory. Find a community of support. Rest.

Quite apart from too many acquisitions, we can let it consume all of our time in an unhealthy way. Relative newcomer DomainMetric commented
As a beginner who's very passionate about domaining, I sometimes have to stop myself from research because domaining can be very addictive. I find myself going from Twitter to Namepros, to DNJournal, then Namebio, and so on. I find distractions in movies and spending time with family.

New opportunities can be particularly addictive. The article Catching Trains And Avoiding Train Wrecks may be helpful in deciding which new opportunities to pass up.

Shubham reminded us that it is important to let go of regret over lost opportunities.
Don't think too much about lost opportunities and past failures. The good time will come. Take a break from domain investing. And invest your time in your hobbies that bring joy for you.
Probably most have made acquisitions they regret during their first year in domains. The important thing is to learn from that and move on.

DNPlaybook offers some great advice, including to always live within your investment fund limits.
*Don’t invest more money than you can afford.
*Learn to spot gems. They are out there. Whether fresh reg's or low priced expired auctions. This comes from experience more than anything else. So be patient.
*Develop a domain on a subject you are passionate about. This will be a healthy mental distraction and even better if you can monetize it.
Others mentioned the importance of building up a fund reserve, to allow you to not feel pressured. It can also help you take advantage of opportunities.

Have Realistic Expectations

Some, particularly those new to the domain investing, are unrealistic in their expectations. If you have a portfolio of a few hundred solid names, odds are you may only sell a few a year, and occasionally a year with no sales.

@biggie wisely reminds us that if you are achieving what you set out to do, your are doing fine.
i only sell a few names a year, some years I may let more go, than others

that, keeps me close the middle,
so, no strives for highs, and no sighs for the lows
freeing my self from the stress and pressure to close a deal,
just to meet or exceed a volume from previous year....
is no biggie.

Comparing our success with others can be a negative or a positive, as FolioTeam reminds us.
No two domainers' journeys are the same. Find contentment in what you have. Change what you don't like. Instead of being stressed by the success of other domainers, be inspired by them. Emulate them if you must, but find your own path.

Emphasize Learning

Several respondents emphasized the importance of the learning journey, both as a way to avoid mistakes that would induce stress, but also to build confidence. As FolioTeam wrote:
If you came straight from a YouTube video that told you how sex.com sold for millions and how you would be raking in millions in no time from domaining, then stress is bound to set in when you discover it isn't so. Having the right expectations will definitely keep your stress level down. Read, study and learn.

@karmaco reminded us that we should constantly strive to do better, and if we achieve that, stress will naturally decrease.
If you are stressed about domaining you probably need to evaluate what you are doing wrong be it over spending, under promoting, registering garbage, selling too low, asking too much money , etc. We should all be recalibrating and analyzing our portfolio every year as there is always room for improvements. Its a work in progress.

Managing Your Day

Some investors find it helpful to manage their day, while others stressed that value in shifting your routine from day to day.

Tauseef of TLD Journal mentioned the Pomodoro Technique developed by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980’s. You break your day into task intervals, often 25 minutes in length, with each separated by a brief break period.

Having Confidence

Nametra reminded us that it is important to have confidence to get through those times of uncertainty between sales.
Often I feel that no matter what I do to increase sales, I don’t have any control over the results and that can be very frustrating and stressful. But I’m learning how important it is to have faith and stay the course.

On Being Patient

Unless you have a large or very prime portfolio, many days will result in not much happening. Patience is a virtue, as giving up too soon can be a lost opportunity.

Siddhesh Patwardhan pointed me to quotations on patience from Investment Masters Class. While not directly meant for domain investing, the principles can apply. Here are a few samples:
Any superiority an investment process may have will only emerge with time, so patience is important.
–Nick Sleep
We find doing nothing the most difficult task of all.
–Warren Buffett

A Diversified Income Stream

While I know many have the ultimate goal of becoming full-time in domain investing, be sure you are ready for that stage.

Depending on a regular income from domain investing is challenging. In most cases, I think it is better to keep your day job, and view domain investing as a serious part-time gig. A day job also provides social interaction and other advantages.

This discussion started by Sammy Jakes asks At What Point Do You Become A Full Time Domainer?

I interviewed Keith DeBoer on his decision to move to full-time in domains: Making The Leap To Full-TIme.

@Nametra.com, who recently turned to full-time domain investing, reflected on that experience, saying in part
I think this business requires patience, determination, experimentation and a willingness to keep going through a lot of disappointment. And keep learning – this forum is a great tutor.

Taking A Break From Domain Investing

Is it Time For A Break From Domain Names? Whether a full break, or a break in new acquisitions, you may well return from a break refreshed and feeling more in control.

Final Points

This topic does not get much discussion on NamePros, and I was encouraged to see that so many had thought about, and taken steps in their personal lives, to promote mental wellness. Thank you to all who responded.

While more geared to workplace stress, there is some good advice in the American Psychological Association article Coping With Stress At Work. Figure out what leads to you feeling stress, and try to substitute healthy responses, or boundaries that removes that stress. They also stress learning how to relax.

The US CDC has several articles on Coping With Stress. Among the things they mention are take breaks, eat well, exercise, get enough sleep. take time to unwind, and talk to others.

Aly Keiler wrote 5 Ways to Handle Stress of Being a Freelancer, more directly applicable to the situation faced by domainers. One part I found particularly interesting was section two on how to turn potential negative experiences into positive ones. She also stresses clocking out and taking vacations.

Of course, if the stress you feel is significant, you should discuss it with a health provider.

TonyNames, who has had significant selling success in the last year, turned the response around.
On the contrary, I would dread to think how I would have coped in these Covid times if not for domain investing. So far, it has only bought me joy and the dopamine high from BIN sales is unmatched. I find the whole process highly enjoyable and enjoy the gaming aspect of auctions.
It is good to be reminded that, while some aspects of domain investing can live to stress, domain selling and the NamePros community can also play a key role in our mental wellness.

Author and domain investor Yogi Solanki expressed a similar view
If you enjoy and passionate about what you do, it won’t be a stress.

@biggie reminds us that domain investing can help us handle other pressures and setbacks.
Even though domaining has a stress factor of it's own....I do think, it has helped weather the storm when economy was bad, which i may have suffered from if not for domaining.

Let’s continue the discussion in the comments below. Please share what works for you, or resources that you have found helpful.
 
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The views expressed on this page by users and staff are their own, not those of NamePros.
Renewals would be source of stress if there is not enough cash flow.
And domain management is time consuming (deciding what to renew).
Outbounding, if done, can be time consuming. You can probably not know
if it is working or not (if you are like me), because noone responds (they add
your email to their spam list instead).
We can't control everything.. For example registrars' and marketplaces'
choices can make a big difference.

Your wife or boss can buy your domain just to make you happy,
and help you concentrate on your real work.
Not a good feeling if you learn about it (not happened to me).
 
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An important topic. Thank you!
 
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Thank you 🙏

Having a budget and sticking with it is the key to avoid stress. Everyday there are great names dropping but you can’t buy them all.
 
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Stress?? in this BS hobby??

WTF LMAO

Just have fun and when you are having fun, no expectations, money will flow in

The stress is the stress you created!!
 
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Hoarding the best names is my illness.
 
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You forgot to mention that listening to soothing and peaceful music while working or investing in domain names can help a lot in mental wellness. Study reference from here

And some music examples here
 
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Thanks, @Bob Hawkes for researching this topic, a great article as always:xf.smile:. Enjoyed reading it found some good insights. Also, it reminded me of the fact that I'm not alone & stress related to domains & FOMO is a real thing😅.
 
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Renewals would be source of stress if there is not enough cash flow.
And domain management is time consuming (deciding what to renew).
Outbounding, if done, can be time consuming. You can probably not know
if it is working or not (if you are like me), because noone responds (they add
your email to their spam list instead).
We can't control everything.. For example registrars' and marketplaces'
choices can make a big difference.

Your wife or boss can buy your domain just to make you happy,
and help you concentrate on your real work.
Not a good feeling if you learn about it (not happened to me).
Definitely cash flow renewals a concern ..and everything else you talked about, I agree, experienced them just like that
 
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Thanks for sharing valuable info.
 
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Great research with such discourse output again Mr. Hawkes.
I have to admit when I was creating names, buying names.. I couldn't stop for a long period of time ...my wife was thinking I was really out of my mind
 
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I manage my mental health by blasting some cannibal corpse and sacrificing goats to Satan, everyone needs hobbies.
 
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