Wednesday, December 14, 2016

5 Fun Things to Do During a Fiverr Dry Spell

A dry spell at Fiverr is often stressful, and, while stress can be stimulating, you also need to relax and take care of your health. Here are some ideas what to do to entertain yourself, and, possibly, give yourself strength to keep moving on.

1. Get a Silly Haircut

All right, don't get a silly haircut if it will get you fired from your day job, or if you'd really, really hate it. Do change your appearance, though. It can be a silly haircut (or simply a different haircut or a different hair color), or shaving your head, or wearing something you don't usually wear (switching from casual to formal or sportsy or hippie or whatever), or start wearing a lot of jewelry if you don't usually do it (it can be cheap), or...

Don't do something that would get you arrested, and don't do something that would be difficult to reverse (like getting a tattoo or having plastic surgery done) unless you're completely certain that you really want it and that it isn't the stress talking. The point is to temporarily step out of your own skin, and possibly see things in a new light (and, preferably, to have fun while doing it).

2. Call Someone and Request Something Silly of Them

Only do this with a person you trust. For example, call that person, and ask them to marry you (you should be certain that this person would not misunderstand you and really accept something that neither of you wants). Or suggest that the two of you run away together and see the world, or travel the space, or start exporting tuna to penguins. Talk about it. Make plans. Imagine, together, what will it be like. Dream. Joke. Laugh.

It's a good psychological trick to get yourself unstuck, so you can get back to the business (analyzing, if necessary, then coming up with solutions, implementing them, experimenting, finding new solutions... It's always a work in progress).

3. Dance a Silly Dance

Or do silly warrior moves. Or whichever silly physical action you can come up with, as long as you don't harm anyone (yourself included). If you have no idea how to dance, or have zero experience with martial arts, or can't think of anything physical to do, search the Internet, imitate what you see, and make it as silly as you can.

Ideally, it will make you laugh (possibly while feeling like a fool, but that's fine), help you relax a bit, and put some oxygen into your brain, so you can finally think of something more useful than endless worry and despair.

4. Create Terrible Art

Play an instrument you have no idea how to play (just don't break it!). Write poetry if you don't know how, and never read any. Sing, even though you can't catch a tune (especially if you can't catch a tune). Draw, paint, make ugly jewelry (you can wear it later), sculpt something, make something out of pebbles or newspapers or whatever you can get your hands on.

It's not supposed to end up good, or to teach you to do something (although, if you feel like learning something, go ahead and do it!). It's supposed to allow you to have fun, and to let you know it's perfectly fine if what you make ends up far from perfect (or even passable).

Relax. Laugh. Enjoy. You need it.

5. Make a Terrible Dish

It doesn't matter whether you know how to cook or not; either way, there's certainly something you don't know how to make. Go on and make it. Rush things up, or slow them down unnecessarily. Change the instructions at will, or don't even read them, and come up with your own idea how to make that dish instead. Don't poison yourself or anyone else (a stay at a hospital isn't going to make you feel any better), but other than that, feel free to make the worst dish on the planet.

Once it's made, smell it. Taste it. Eat it, if it's edible. Laugh about it. Notice whether somebody died (no), and whether the world ended (again, no).

The world didn't end, and neither did your Fiverr business. It's just a slow period, or maybe you're doing something wrong. After making yourself laugh and relax, you'll be able to see things in a new light, and come up with new solutions and new business ideas (Fiverr-related or not).

Allow yourself to act silly. Have fun. Learn something while doing it.


Keep moving, and win.