Working Alone… and Self Discipline
Working Alone: Look at your keyboard and your computer screen. If you decide that affiliate marketing is for you, you will develop an up close and personal relationship with your computer 
!
Until your business is established, you must accept the fact that much of your work day will be spent at your computer.
If you are a highly “people oriented” person — and if you find the interaction in an office atmosphere stimulating rather than distracting — you may need to get used to the “alone time” required by affiliate marketing (or any other online business).
Of course, the obvious advantages of affiliate marketing…
You can go to work dressed any way you like.
You set your own work hours.
You can take time out for family and friends on your own schedule.
You will not have to deal with the stress of rush hour traffic.
You can make a good living and be your own boss.
You don’t need to deal with office politics and infighting.
You spend your work day in your home and not a sterile cubicle.
…usually outweighs the time you spend working at home, on your own.
But if…
You truly relish the camaraderie of your co-workers
You need to “bounce” ideas off of co-workers
You really hate being alone for more than a few minutes
You need to interact with a team (or have a boss) to motivate you to take action
…the “alone time” aspect of affiliate marketing might be difficult to get used to, unless you network with other affiliate marketers on forums, at conferences, or through online communities. However, not all forums are friendly places.
The politics and infighting on some forums can be worse than the office politics that drove most of us to working online from our homes. The advice can also be flat out wrong.
It’s not just about creating a place to get your questions answered. It’s also about providing a safe, welcoming environment where you can bounce ideas off other and build relationships.
In our industry, email, online chat, and online networks replace the social aspects of talk around the water cooler, business lunches, and a beer with your coworkers when the work day is done. If you’re going to participate in the online equivalent, then you want to be sure you choose the venue wisely.
Self Discipline
In the brick and mortar work world, others tend to make decisions for you. They pay you a salary or an hourly wage, and in return you follow their orders. You’re required to be on the job at a certain time and you are required to work eight hours a day, five days a week. You get weekends and holidays off. Affiliate marketing is different. It depends on YOU making the decisions. It also depends on you giving the orders to YOURSELF — and taking action.
Becoming a Self Starter
The concept of being a “self starter” is very important for your success in any online business, especially affiliate marketing. When you work at affiliate marketing online, nobody will tell you when to start working or when to stop working.
So you’ll need to:
Commit to making a work schedule for yourself – even if it’s just half an hour a day to start.
Be sure to work on your business every day – even when nobody is looking!
Time Management
When you work out in the brick and mortar world, others determine the deadlines you must meet. They also push you to accomplish a certain amount of work during a given period of time. Those you sign your paycheck decide what your due dates will be.
When you work at affiliate marketing — or any other online business — only YOU set the deadlines. Nobody will tell you what tasks need to be completed, or when.
When you are first starting out, you’ll be building your business gradually, most likely in your spare time. So you’ll need to develop skills for managing your time wisely, and getting as much done as possible in as little time as possible.
Good time management can really help you get anything off the ground faster — not just your affiliate marketing business, but many other aspects of life.
Time management includes the coordination of many important skills:
Setting goals – short, medium, and long term.
Determining priorities, urgencies, and deadlines.
Doing things in the right order, at the right time.
Grouping similar tasks and not doing the same thing twice.
Taking advantage of your “peak performance” times.
Being organized (not losing things means you don’t waste time looking).
Delegating (eventually) to others.
Not wasting time.
Whether you enroll in any systems, or you organize your time on your own, learning good time management is essential to becoming a successful affiliate.
