You already know by now why most people want to become affiliate marketers.
You either want to make Lamborghini money, or you want the freedom that comes along with one.
One huge motivation for me is that I wanted to work from home.
That meant:

• No more ironing my dress clothes for work every morning.
• No more spending over an hour a day stuck in traffic.
• And no more fucking alarm clocks.

And eventually, I achieved my goals. But you know what they say: be careful what you wish for.
Life was good for a few weeks, but then I started feeling depressed.
Every day started to feel the same.
I’d wake up, work on campaigns the entire day, order some food, watch something at night, sleep, and repeat.

That’s when I realized, “Holy shit, I haven’t seen anyone in over a week.”

I had heard about the “freelancer loneliness” syndrome before.
It’s where you work from home and you stop getting so much of that face to face interaction with people.

It’s easy to slip into that pattern because so much of our work is isolated. Even though most affiliate marketers are introverts, we’re all programmed to crave social interaction.
We’re not the only people who deal with this. It happens to programmers, writers, and any other remote worker.
I’ve always believed in trying to to achieve some sort of balance in life. It’s hard to perform at your best if your emotional and mental health isn’t well tuned.

I’m going to share different experiences and strategies I’ve used over the years.  

1. Buy a $3 Cup of Coffee and Camp Out at a Coffee Shop the Entire Day

This is the classic alternative to working at home. Pack your laptop and head over to the coffee shop or library.
Buy a cup of coffee and camp out there the entire day :-).
I’ve always loved the idea of working in a coffee shop, but I don’t think it’s ideal.
Coffee shops don’t have the most comfortable chairs or the best “height” for tables to type on. The internet can be slow, unsecured (use a VPN), and unreliable.

It’s also a loud and distracting environment.

A lot of coffee shops don’t have power outlets available because they don’t want you sitting there all day. It makes me feel guilty camping out there for several hours (I can only drink so much coffee each day).
Coffee shops, in general, are a no-go for me.
I do enjoy going to the library sometimes (NYC has awesome public libraries). I like to go to the library when I’m in writing mode. I leave my phone at home and just write.
Protip: Want to work at home but still get coffee shop vibes? Check out Coffitivity.

2. Get a Dedicated Office

Getting a dedicated office space means you’re seeing people every day. Either your co-workers or people from other companies.
I’ve been back and forth between working at home and getting an office over the years. I had dedicated offices in Atlanta and Miami.
Right now I live in NYC. I have a two bedroom condo where the 2nd room is a dedicated home office space for me.
I prefer working at home for several reasons:

• It’s a distraction-free environment.
• I save money. Manhattan’s expensive for office space.
• I save time by not having to commute or dress up for work.

Is having an office space more productive? It’s debatable. I find that it’s hard to get deep work in when you can get interrupted easily.
If you have good project management, Slack, and software, you can run a remote team without missing a beat.

3. Join a Co-Working Space

I’m in New York City now and there are WeWorks everywhere.

It’s simple.
I visit WeWork every two weeks on a Friday. It’s $50 everytime I visit.
I like co-working spaces because they’re designed for work. The chairs are comfortable. There are power outlets everywhere.
And there are even soundproof booths if I want to make a phone call.
It’s nice to be surrounded by like-minded people. Everyone there is a freelancer of some sort and are there for the same reason.

4. Make Sure You Have a Social Hobby

I love going to the gym, but it’s not a social experience for me. I go in with my headphones on and knock my sets out.
These days I train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu several times a week. It’s my insurance to make sure I get out of the house and meet people.
I’m doing Improv Comedy lessons on the weekends. By filling up my calendar with hobbies, I’m making sure that I’m getting out of the house.

5. Find Your Tribe Online

You’re not the only lonely affiliate marketer in the world.

There’s Slack, Discord channels, Whatsapp Groups, Telegram, Facebook groups, social media, and more.

Warning: They can be distracting. I like to limit these chats to the afternoon. Mornings are reserved for deep work.  

6. Get Your Networking Time Each Week

This depends on what city you’re living in.
I can imagine it’s hard to find like-minded people if you’re in, say, Wisconsin.
But if you’re in hotbeds like San Diego, NYC, Bangkok, etc. then make sure you’re getting some good networking time in.
Schedule in coffee, lunches, or dinners with other marketers. Schedule in days where you visit a co-working space with them.
If you find a solid group of people then why not schedule weekly masterminds in person.

7. Pick Up the Phone

Emails. Skype messages. Whatsapp Messages. Facebook messages.
What do they all have in common? It’s all typed messages.
Try picking up the phone more.
Instead of writing an email to your affiliate manager, try calling them instead. Do webcam Skype calls.
You build the relationship so much stronger when they can hear your voice.

8. Get Plenty of Sunlight

It’s safe to assume that most of us spend all days indoor.
When you spend all day inside, you’re not getting enough sunlight. Not enough sunlight means you’re not getting enough Vitamin D. There is research showing a link between the lack of Vitamin D and depression.
Are you seeing this feedback loop? It’s dangerous if you’re living in places that don’t get a ton of sunlight.
Make sure you’re taking Vitamin D supplements. I walk my dog three times a day so he’s my insurance to make sure I’m going outside enough.

Don’t Neglect Your Emotional and Mental Health

I’ve always stressed the importance of working towards balance in your life.
A lot of it was focused on physical health. Make sure you go to the gym, get eight hours of sleep, and eat healthy.
But I’m starting to notice the importance of mental and emotional health.
I never felt like this was an area I needed to work on because I never felt depressed. But that’s like saying I shouldn’t brush my teeth because I don’t have any cavities.
It’s about optimizing what you do have, and preventing bad things from happening.
So, I’ve been working on making sure I’m in tip-top mental shape.
This includes meditating, journaling, surrounding myself with the right people, and making sure I’m not too isolated from others.
I hope this article helps.
Featured Image by Rangizzz