In many things in life, taking a break can be healthy, and domain investing is no different. If you are getting frustrated from lack of sales, or losing your passion for domain investing, one option might be to give yourself a break. Even if you don’t briefly take a complete break from domain investing, it may make sense to take a break from one aspect, such as acquisitions.
Taking a Full Break Let us first look at the idea of a complete break from anything domain related for a few days or a week or two. Before your break starts, make sure your domains are effectively listed on marketplaces and have landers. Also, any domains that are about to expire should be renewed prior to your break, if that is your intention.
Now take your break and forget about domains for a week or two. Don’t research acquisitions, follow domain news, or do anything with your portfolio during your break.
You may well come back to domaining after the short break more creative and energized. Scientific research supports the benefits of taking a break. For example, an article from Psychology Today covers five mental benefits from taking a break. These mental benefits include better focus, sounder decision-making, and enhanced creativity.
The subconscious brain works without you realizing it. You may develop new insights while you thought you were not even thinking about domain names. I have more than once been stumped in an analysis. When I have set it aside for a few days, and then returned, the solution was then obvious.
At least once each year, I head out camping to a region without cell service, and that forces me to take a break from all online activity. A fair number of Canadian survey respondents reported that they too take an online break each year.
One obvious problem with a full break from domain investing is that you may miss sales due to being unresponsive. It is unlikely that, for your highest-value domains, the delay will result in a lost sale. The potential purchaser really wants that particular domain name. For domains with more modest prices, you may want to set fast-transfer or a registrar marketplace immediate-transfer.
Another option would be to assign a trusted associate to monitor your domain investments while you are taking a break. Providing clear written directives, and having someone manage your portfolio for a week, also means that procedures are in place should you have an unexpected future absence due to injury, sickness, or personal emergency.
Taking an Acquisition Break Perhaps you don’t want to take a complete break from domain activities, but you feel it is time to take a break from acquisitions. In the article Balance Buying and Selling the idea of assigning certain time periods just for selling activities was mentioned.
I recall once reading about a domainer who set a month in which he never bought domains. I think that is a great way to force yourself to take an acquisition break.
In 2018, @DefinitelyDomains started the topic titled, Time for a Break, which ties in nicely with this topic. For example, @NameSplice said:
Taking a Social Break Because domain investing is, so much of the time, a solitary activity, we can all benefit from online communities such as NamePros. We learn new techniques, stay current in domain news, get help and advice, and find encouragement.
There are valuable debates about many topics on NamePros. I think most of us have learned a lot from these. Sometimes, though, debates can get too heated, and a brief break may help you see issues more clearly and to respond more constructively.
I think this argues in favour of taking a break from domain-related social media, at least now and then. You will probably appreciate NamePros, LinkedIn, or Twitter even more after a few days of a social media break.
If that idea seems too extreme, another possibility is to ration the time you spend on social media. For example, each day sign on for no more than 30 minutes. I find that Twitter is more effective if, rather than being on it continuously, I only sign on for a short period a couple of times a day.
I admit, I seldom leave NamePros for very long. However, I do find that when other priorities have required me to be away for a day or two, I come back to NamePros and appreciate it even more. I am more apt to prioritize what it is I want to interact with, rather than trying to follow every thread.
Tips on Effective Breaks A few years ago, @James Iles wrote an excellent blog post on Should You Take a Break From Domaining? In addition to justifying why someone might take a break, he provides tips such as notifying important contacts in advance and effectively using autoresponders. He also covers topics like setting maximum bids on expiring auctions a few days in advance.
For those who manage websites or write content, he recommends that you schedule content to appear on different days to have a smooth flow of new content.
What Do You Think? I would love to hear from you on this topic!
Now take your break and forget about domains for a week or two. Don’t research acquisitions, follow domain news, or do anything with your portfolio during your break.
You may well come back to domaining after the short break more creative and energized. Scientific research supports the benefits of taking a break. For example, an article from Psychology Today covers five mental benefits from taking a break. These mental benefits include better focus, sounder decision-making, and enhanced creativity.
The subconscious brain works without you realizing it. You may develop new insights while you thought you were not even thinking about domain names. I have more than once been stumped in an analysis. When I have set it aside for a few days, and then returned, the solution was then obvious.
At least once each year, I head out camping to a region without cell service, and that forces me to take a break from all online activity. A fair number of Canadian survey respondents reported that they too take an online break each year.
One obvious problem with a full break from domain investing is that you may miss sales due to being unresponsive. It is unlikely that, for your highest-value domains, the delay will result in a lost sale. The potential purchaser really wants that particular domain name. For domains with more modest prices, you may want to set fast-transfer or a registrar marketplace immediate-transfer.
Another option would be to assign a trusted associate to monitor your domain investments while you are taking a break. Providing clear written directives, and having someone manage your portfolio for a week, also means that procedures are in place should you have an unexpected future absence due to injury, sickness, or personal emergency.
I recall once reading about a domainer who set a month in which he never bought domains. I think that is a great way to force yourself to take an acquisition break.
In 2018, @DefinitelyDomains started the topic titled, Time for a Break, which ties in nicely with this topic. For example, @NameSplice said:
You can get caught up very easily in the addictiveness of buying domain names.
Being disciplined is a must.
There are valuable debates about many topics on NamePros. I think most of us have learned a lot from these. Sometimes, though, debates can get too heated, and a brief break may help you see issues more clearly and to respond more constructively.
I think this argues in favour of taking a break from domain-related social media, at least now and then. You will probably appreciate NamePros, LinkedIn, or Twitter even more after a few days of a social media break.
If that idea seems too extreme, another possibility is to ration the time you spend on social media. For example, each day sign on for no more than 30 minutes. I find that Twitter is more effective if, rather than being on it continuously, I only sign on for a short period a couple of times a day.
I admit, I seldom leave NamePros for very long. However, I do find that when other priorities have required me to be away for a day or two, I come back to NamePros and appreciate it even more. I am more apt to prioritize what it is I want to interact with, rather than trying to follow every thread.
For those who manage websites or write content, he recommends that you schedule content to appear on different days to have a smooth flow of new content.
- Do you regularly take a short break from domain activities?
- Did you find that it improved your productivity after you returned?
- Do you regularly take breaks from new acquisitions?
- What tips do you have on not missing sales while you are away?
- Do you have a trusted associate who can handle your domain activities in your absence?