by SuitUp
107 replies
My Blogging Journey
And a Challenge

Hello fellow warriors,

I'm excited about this new section and after some thought, I have decided to join the fun too.

When I first saw this new section I was reminded of a similar section in a poker forum I used to visit years back. It was the best part of the forum. The threads were filled to the brink with knowledge and you could literally follow people on their way to success at the poker tables.

Let's make this forum section just as good!

My Goal
The goal I will focus on in this blog will primarily be the following:

My goal for 2018 is to write ~ 500 daily words at least 300 days.

The writing has to be for publication purposes, mainly website content and email newsletters. Email responses, social media and writing here on the forum does not count towards the challenge. The reason I've kept it at 300 days I that want to have room for some vacation time where writing may not be feasible.

I almost stumbled upon this goal at the end of last year when I realized I had an urge to start writing more. Without paying much attention to it, I had already started writing more here and there and when I finally registered a new domain name for the challenge I decided to go all in.

I may reveal the domain name in time, but for now I'll just write about my journey here.

Where I Am Right Now
I've had a great deal of success creating and selling information products. Especially here on the forum where I have consistently sold WSOs since 2013.

However, when it comes to blogging in the internet marketing niche and consistently producing content I have always struggled.

I have plenty more to share, but this wall of text is long enough already.

Let's go!

#blogging #journey
  • Profile picture of the author Enfusia
    If I may;

    I too blog.

    I've found that producing a really great piece of content and then promoting it until it's successful is the way to go.

    I've found that, producing more content, was not as successful as producing less, but promoting more.

    Just my findings.
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    • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
      Originally Posted by Enfusia View Post

      If I may;

      I too blog.

      I've found that producing a really great piece of content and then promoting it until it's successful is the way to go.

      I've found that, producing more content, was not as successful as producing less, but promoting more.

      Just my findings.
      Thank you for the input!

      I agree that promoting your content is just as important, if not even more important, than producing it. And I will be promoting my content too. Your findings just emphasized that point for me.

      Here's why I still believe this challenge is beneficial:

      1) Writing 500 words is not exactly spending all day writing. I haven't noted how much time I have spent so far, but it's definitely less than one hour a day.

      2) I want to improve my writing. I'm not exactly stoked about my level right now. How do I get better? I write. Every day.

      3) More content can also be used for promoting my blog. Distribution, guest posts, etc.

      Cheers,

      Mathias
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      • Profile picture of the author Enfusia
        Originally Posted by SuitUp View Post

        Thank you for the input!

        I agree that promoting your content is just as important, if not even more important, than producing it. And I will be promoting my content too. Your findings just emphasized that point for me.

        Here's why I still believe this challenge is beneficial:

        1) Writing 500 words is not exactly spending all day writing. I haven't noted how much time I have spent so far, but it's definitely less than one hour a day.

        2) I want to improve my writing. I'm not exactly stoked about my level right now. How do I get better? I write. Every day.

        3) More content can also be used for promoting my blog. Distribution, guest posts, etc.

        Cheers,

        Mathias
        I agree.

        You can be born with talent.

        But skill, you only get by hours and hours of working on and refining your abilities.

        Way to go.

        Patrick
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        • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
          Originally Posted by N4PGW View Post

          I want to commend you on your challenge and progress. I understand that a good writer can write a 500 word article in 15-20 minutes, so the time you spend on this isn't the issue.

          Your challenge is being consistent and improving your skills. I need to do the same thing. Inconsistent is my middle name. I can only guess where I would be if I had just written one article a day, 5 days a week when I first got started. I would have quite a PLR library set aside.

          Thanks for keeping us updated. I'll be watching and encouraged by your success.
          Thank you for the interest. I hope to make this thread educational and motivating.

          I'm much like you when it comes to consistency. I have only managed to consistently be inconsistent When I get time I'll share the methods that have helped me with this challenge so far.

          Originally Posted by brettb View Post

          Try writing more. A few years ago I was in The Keyword Academy. I think I averaged 8,000 words a day. They had a thing for logging our daily totals, which was really motivating. I even broke my keyboard.

          Sure, half of what I wrote was junk but I launched a whole load of niche sites that kept generating money year after year.
          That's a lot of words a day. I wish my throughput was as high. But for now, that is beyond my reach. I also focus on improving my quality, so "junk" is not really what I'm looking to produce. I know it can work for other strategies, like your niche strategy, but that is not my goal at the moment.

          Thanks for the input. I will try to up my writing a bit when I can. The 500 words are just a minimum.

          Originally Posted by Enfusia View Post

          I agree.

          You can be born with talent.

          But skill, you only get by hours and hours of working on and refining your abilities.

          Way to go.

          Patrick
          True! It's all about that daily grind.
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    • Profile picture of the author Tangent Life
      Enfusia I am curious though. Do you see any correlation with more content helping or would it be possible from your stand point that even with a just a few great posts you could pull in a lot of traffic?
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    • Profile picture of the author Benjamin Ehinger
      Originally Posted by Enfusia View Post

      If I may;

      I too blog.

      I've found that producing a really great piece of content and then promoting it until it's successful is the way to go.

      I've found that, producing more content, was not as successful as producing less, but promoting more.

      Just my findings.
      I agree. One great piece of content promoted well can go much further than 100 average pieces of content with very little promotion.
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    • Profile picture of the author chuckholmes
      Originally Posted by Enfusia View Post

      If I may;

      I too blog.

      I've found that producing a really great piece of content and then promoting it until it's successful is the way to go.

      I've found that, producing more content, was not as successful as producing less, but promoting more.

      Just my findings.
      I was taught by a good mentor in my early blogging days that for every hour I spend creating a piece of content, I should spend 8 to 10 hours promoting it. I didn't follow that advice initially, and that was a huge mistake. I now try to spend about 10:1 ratio and it has led to a lot more traffic, leads and sales.

      Great content is just the beginning, not the end goal. You must equally committed to promoting and marketing that content. Just my two cents.
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      • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
        Originally Posted by chuckholmes View Post

        I was taught by a good mentor in my early blogging days that for every hour I spend creating a piece of content, I should spend 8 to 10 hours promoting it. I didn't follow that advice initially, and that was a huge mistake. I now try to spend about 10:1 ratio and it has led to a lot more traffic, leads and sales.

        Great content is just the beginning, not the end goal. You must equally committed to promoting and marketing that content. Just my two cents.
        Hello Chuck,

        Thank you for the reply.

        The great content vs. promotion discussion is a constant in the online marketing world. I completely agree that promotion is as important as the content, but I also believe the content should be worthy of promotion in the first place.

        Creating promotion-worthy content takes time and experience. My goal with this challenge was to start producing content regularly and improving my skills. Next step will be improving the marketing efforts.

        On a final note, I think your 1:10 ratio may be a bit high. At least it would be for me. I want to publish roughly every week and a blog post takes at least 3 hours, often more. That would make the task of promoting just one post a full-time job.

        Again, thanks for checking out my challenge and posting your feedback.

        - Mat
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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    Status So Far
    Day 37

    My Warrior Path went live just days ago, but I have been on the 300 day challenge since the start of 2018.

    For this first update I will share my stats so far:
    I have published 5 posts for a total of 4516 words.

    I have 10 drafts with 13260 words total.

    Furthermore, I have also published an article elsewhere for another 1103 words.
    This averages out to be ~ 510 words per day. Some days I may have written just a bit below 500 words, but no day so far has been way below the mark. I do not really care about the average words per day. I just care about creating content consistently.

    As you may agree, I need to get a better handle on the editing and publishing part of my content process. I know that and will be working on it over the next few days. This should decrease my draft queue over time.

    I have also started seeing some of the things I did wrong with my first posts. Not adding enough pictures/visuals and sub-headlines to split the content up. My first posts were just walls of text. Not at all exciting to read.

    That's it for now.

    Stay Awesome,

    Mathias


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  • Profile picture of the author N4PGW
    I want to commend you on your challenge and progress. I understand that a good writer can write a 500 word article in 15-20 minutes, so the time you spend on this isn't the issue.

    Your challenge is being consistent and improving your skills. I need to do the same thing. Inconsistent is my middle name. I can only guess where I would be if I had just written one article a day, 5 days a week when I first got started. I would have quite a PLR library set aside.

    Thanks for keeping us updated. I'll be watching and encouraged by your success.
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  • Profile picture of the author brettb
    Try writing more. A few years ago I was in The Keyword Academy. I think I averaged 8,000 words a day. They had a thing for logging our daily totals, which was really motivating. I even broke my keyboard.

    Sure, half of what I wrote was junk but I launched a whole load of niche sites that kept generating money year after year.
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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    Preliminary Blog Setup
    Day 44 | 43 Days Completed

    Time for another update. I have skipped one day of writing since the last update so I am on 43 days of writing. The missed day was this Sunday where I wasn't near my computer.

    For this update, I will also share my current blog setup. I'm of course on WordPress and have done a few of the standard tweaks so far:

    Theme
    I'm currently using the default Twenty Seventeen theme by the WordPress team.
    The simple theme works fine for now and is tested mobile friendly (https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly).

    Search Console
    I have submitted my website sitemap to the Google Search Console. So far, only a couple of pages have been indexed, but there are no errors so the rest will come.

    WordPress Plugins
    You can find WordPress plugins for almost everything. This is one of the reasons why WordPress is such a powerful tool for bloggers and website owners. Here are the plugins I have installed:

    Social Warfare
    A plugin to show social sharing buttons on blog posts. There are plenty of options out there, just make sure you have some social sharing buttons on your page.

    UpdraftPlus - Backup/Restore
    Plugin for taking automated backups. You can store your backups on extern storage so you do not lose your data should your server go down. I personally store my backups on Amazon S3, but you can also use Dropbox, Google drive or even email. Backup is boring but a must.

    WP Super Cache
    Caching plugin. Website caching is a bit technical, but it can make your website much faster.

    Yoast SEO
    You should have some kind of SEO plugin installed. I installed this one after already having posted a couple of posts and now I can easily see what I have missed out on. This plugin is quite amazing with simple recommendations to improvements on your posts and much more.

    Easy Google Fonts
    I wanted to increase my font size. The standard font size is way too small.

    Hello Dolly
    WordPress standard.

    Insert Headers and Footers
    For analytics and Facebook pixel.

    ... and that's what I have done for now.

    Do you have any recommendations that can improve a new blog setup? If so, shoot!
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    • Profile picture of the author N4PGW
      Originally Posted by SuitUp View Post

      Preliminary Blog Setup


      Search Console
      I have submitted my website sitemap to the Google Search Console. So far, only a couple of pages have been indexed, but there are no errors so the rest will come.


      I don't know how much has changed, but when everyone had courses, paid services, etc. to be listed in Google, I found a way to get listed in 2 days without all the trouble....

      I paste this in Google search box two or three times a day for two days:

      site:mysite.com

      I haven't done that in a long time. Now, I add my sites to Google analytics and they show up soon.

      I also have pinging in WP that supposedly helps with backlinks.



      UpdraftPlus - Backup/Restore
      Plugin for taking automated backups. You can store your backups on extern storage so you do not lose your data should your server go down. I personally store my backups on Amazon S3, but you can also use Dropbox, Google drive or even email. Backup is boring but a must.
      This is not an affiliate link, but I use WPTwin. I'm one of the charter buyers. It is an external script that backs up sites so you can restore them anywhere.

      I backed up a 2 GB ecommerse site and restored it to another domain in just 2 minutes.

      I manually do backups with it for over a dozen sites every weekend. For single sites whenever I make changes. Backing up takes seconds.

      Hello Dolly
      WordPress standard.
      To remove and keep dolly out of my plugins, I go to cpanel and edit to empty the plugin, and change the permissions to 000. I have to change them again to delete the site or folder, but that's rare.


      ... and that's what I have done for now.

      Do you have any recommendations that can improve a new blog setup? If so, shoot!
      [/SIZE]



      I also use the free WordFence firewall to protect my sites. I had over 500 attacks one day on one site in just 12 hours. Wordfence automatically banned and blocked the ips for 30-60 days each, depending on the offence. I have never had a successful hack since I started using it.

      I also use a 404-301 plugin so when someone misses a page, it takes them to either the home page. Some people send it an opt-in form, sales page or squeeze page. Sometimes they say "I'm sorry, we couldn't find that page, but you here is ....."
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      • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
        Originally Posted by N4PGW View Post

        I don't know how much has changed, but when everyone had courses, paid services, etc. to be listed in Google, I found a way to get listed in 2 days without all the trouble....

        I paste this in Google search box two or three times a day for two days:

        site:mysite.com

        I haven't done that in a long time. Now, I add my sites to Google analytics and they show up soon.

        I also have pinging in WP that supposedly helps with backlinks.





        This is not an affiliate link, but I use WPTwin. I'm one of the charter buyers. It is an external script that backs up sites so you can restore them anywhere.

        I backed up a 2 GB ecommerse site and restored it to another domain in just 2 minutes.

        I manually do backups with it for over a dozen sites every weekend. For single sites whenever I make changes. Backing up takes seconds.



        To remove and keep dolly out of my plugins, I go to cpanel and edit to empty the plugin, and change the permissions to 000. I have to change them again to delete the site or folder, but that's rare.






        I also use the free WordFence firewall to protect my sites. I had over 500 attacks one day on one site in just 12 hours. Wordfence automatically banned and blocked the ips for 30-60 days each, depending on the offence. I have never had a successful hack since I started using it.

        I also use a 404-301 plugin so when someone misses a page, it takes them to either the home page. Some people send it an opt-in form, sales page or squeeze page. Sometimes they say "I'm sorry, we couldn't find that page, but you here is ....."
        Thanks for the tips N4PGW. I'll be searching for my new site using the site: tag every now and then from now on until Google starts indexing faster.

        And the 404 plugin also sounds like a great idea. I've seen that applied before.

        Thanks!
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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    Quick Update
    Day 50 | 49 Days Completed

    Hello Warriors,

    Just a quick update on my progress. I have not skipped any days since the last update so I'm now on 49 days. One more day and I have completed 1/6 of the challenge.

    This is quite exciting. I don't think I've very managed to stay this consistent at anything voluntarily before. But not some days are also rather hard.

    Just yesterday I came home late in the evening and almost couldn't bear to start writing. However, I made a cup of tea and managed to push myself. When I first got started, it wasn't all that bad and I wrote my words in almost no time. Completing those 500 words made my Sunday about 200% better.

    Sometimes, all it takes is a small push. If you are struggling with motivation, just get started on something. Doesn't matter whether your work is great or not. Just do something. You'll feel much more powerful after just a few minutes of work.

    I'll be back with a longer update and responding to comments soon.
    (Thanks to everyone reading and responding so far. It has been a pleasure.)
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  • Profile picture of the author BiancaRaven
    I hope this doesn't sound presumptuous - but as a full-time freelance writer, I tend to write around 500 words per 30 minutes, including researching the keywords needed. In order to pay the bills, I need to write (churn out) at least 7 or 8 articles per day for various Warrior clients.

    That's 3,500 - 4,000 words per DAY on other people's keywords and topics just to pay the bills - either that, or I increase my rates to the point where no Warriors will bother to hire me any longer. Sad, isn't it? Everyone here wants super-cheap rates and lots of quantity, but not many are concerned about quality these days. Sigh. The trials of being a freelance writer when everyone's hunting for bargain pricing can be tiring. Then there's the issue of trying to keep up with writing for my own blog when I barely have the mental energy to keep going.

    So... a minimum of 500 words per day on your own blog. That's hard work when it's for your own blog. Not only does your content need to stay relevant, but you need to keep finding new topics to blog about for a consistent 300 days. Then you need to find time to promote those posts.

    Then there are those days where you have a cold, or your kids are at home at being just painful little wretches for six hours straight or your brain is so fried ... whatever other distractions you have going on in your life.

    I sincerely hope you achieve your goals. The biggest lesson I've learned writing full-time is consistency can be hard. Yes, there are days where you just don't feel like it. There are also days when you can't think of anything to write.

    You already said it best - even when you really can't find the motivation to keep going, the smallest push is usually enough to get the words flowing. Remember your own words on those difficult days. Just get started writing anything at all, Before you know it, your post is complete and you're done for the day!

    I wish you the best of luck.
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      If you position yourself as a commodity, people treat you as one.

      If everyone here on WarriorForum wants cheap, and you do not, you might want to find other sources.

      There have been a few good discussions about writers positioning themselves better and/or competing in different arenas on WarriorForum. You might find them useful.

      I have been offered, on this Forum, articles at $5 for 400-500 word, $10 for 500 words, $17 for 500 words and $24 for 500 words. I bought 1 from all sources. The $17 was good enough to use as filler, the $24 was the best, good enough to use on my blog without changes, the other 2 not good for anything I do.

      The $17 guy, I ordered again. The $24 guy, I would have paid up to 4 times that, considered it a great bargain. (Outside the forum, if you came upon his site directly, the guy was selling them for more, from $35 and up for 500 words.

      This was a while ago, so their prices might have gone up. The point, on this Forum, the same month, there were different writing markets. I am willing to bet that there are different markets now.

      Originally Posted by BiancaRaven View Post

      That's 3,500 - 4,000 words per DAY on other people's keywords and topics just to pay the bills - either that, or I increase my rates to the point where no Warriors will bother to hire me any longer. Sad, isn't it? Everyone here wants super-cheap rates and lots of quantity, but not many are concerned about quality these days. Sigh. The trials of being a freelance writer when everyone's hunting for bargain pricing can be tiring.
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    • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
      Originally Posted by BiancaRaven View Post

      I hope this doesn't sound presumptuous - but as a full-time freelance writer, I tend to write around 500 words per 30 minutes, including researching the keywords needed. In order to pay the bills, I need to write (churn out) at least 7 or 8 articles per day for various Warrior clients.

      That's 3,500 - 4,000 words per DAY on other people's keywords and topics just to pay the bills - either that, or I increase my rates to the point where no Warriors will bother to hire me any longer. Sad, isn't it? Everyone here wants super-cheap rates and lots of quantity, but not many are concerned about quality these days. Sigh. The trials of being a freelance writer when everyone's hunting for bargain pricing can be tiring. Then there's the issue of trying to keep up with writing for my own blog when I barely have the mental energy to keep going.

      So... a minimum of 500 words per day on your own blog. That's hard work when it's for your own blog. Not only does your content need to stay relevant, but you need to keep finding new topics to blog about for a consistent 300 days. Then you need to find time to promote those posts.

      Then there are those days where you have a cold, or your kids are at home at being just painful little wretches for six hours straight or your brain is so fried ... whatever other distractions you have going on in your life.

      I sincerely hope you achieve your goals. The biggest lesson I've learned writing full-time is consistency can be hard. Yes, there are days where you just don't feel like it. There are also days when you can't think of anything to write.

      You already said it best - even when you really can't find the motivation to keep going, the smallest push is usually enough to get the words flowing. Remember your own words on those difficult days. Just get started writing anything at all, Before you know it, your post is complete and you're done for the day!

      I wish you the best of luck.
      Thank you for the encouraging words BiancaRaven.

      I've had a cold for the last two days but somehow managed to write my daily words. I think this challenge thread helps a lot. Especially with kind posts like yours.

      I don't think I could do what you are doing, so hats off to you. Freelancing sounds like a rough environment. If you are doing 7-8 articles a day then you are leaps and bounds ahead of me when it comes to consistency and efficiency.

      But I'm getting there. Slowly

      Maybe you need to look outside the forum for clients willing to pay more? I don't know anything about freelancing so I guess you have already considered this

      I wish you all the success with your writing,

      Mathias
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  • Profile picture of the author durriyahkhan
    awesome...i too blog but i don't writer regularly, i had tried regularly to write on tech news niches but i am too lazy
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    • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
      Originally Posted by durriyahkhan View Post

      awesome...i too blog but i don't writer regularly, i had tried regularly to write on tech news niches but i am too lazy
      I've been there too. Plenty of times.

      I don't think you are lazy, you just need a better system. I can recommend a writing challenge if that is what it takes

      If you are struggling, it may also be because you have not found the right "fit" yet. I've started many failed websites, and most of them had this is common. I wasn't that interested in the topic.

      That's not to say that staying consistent is easy once you find something interesting. It's still hard. But when it's about something you care about, it's worth the hard work and struggle.

      Mathias
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  • Profile picture of the author DABK
    Suiteup.

    There's the notion that content is king going around. By which, most people mean, among other things, that content has to be long and produced often and regularly.

    And someone's done 'studies' to show that articles with over X amount of words perform better in search engine results than articles with fewer than X words. X was around 1100 in one, around 2000 in another.

    If you have long articles, you have the opportunity to stick in many long-tail keywords, and, therefore, increase the chances that your article will show up high in results for many long-tailed keywords. Which, usually, means you get more visitors.

    However, it is possible to rank articles titles only at the top of the search.

    In addition, a bunch of people think that Google wants fresh content, no matter what. Which makes sense if you're dealing with news but does not make sense if you're selling, say, anything related to die-casting.

    And, some confuse Google showing their articles higher up the first few days after they get published with ranking higher and with 'a good strategy' for being in front of whoever they want to be in front of.

    For many, it is possible to be more profitable by sending visitors to the site via Facebook ads or some other type of advertising.

    If you really want to know what's the best approach for you, make a list of your skills and resources and activities you like/hate and study a few successful bloggers. Compare what they do against your list. If you like, incorporate. If you hate, toss (assuming you find enough activities/strategies/tactics you like to produce the kind of income you're after).
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    • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
      Originally Posted by DABK View Post

      Suiteup.

      There's the notion that content is king going around. By which, most people mean, among other things, that content has to be long and produced often and regularly.

      And someone's done 'studies' to show that articles with over X amount of words perform better in search engine results than articles with fewer than X words. X was around 1100 in one, around 2000 in another.

      If you have long articles, you have the opportunity to stick in many long-tail keywords, and, therefore, increase the chances that your article will show up high in results for many long-tailed keywords. Which, usually, means you get more visitors.

      However, it is possible to rank articles titles only at the top of the search.

      In addition, a bunch of people think that Google wants fresh content, no matter what. Which makes sense if you're dealing with news but does not make sense if you're selling, say, anything related to die-casting.

      And, some confuse Google showing their articles higher up the first few days after they get published with ranking higher and with 'a good strategy' for being in front of whoever they want to be in front of.

      For many, it is possible to be more profitable by sending visitors to the site via Facebook ads or some other type of advertising.

      If you really want to know what's the best approach for you, make a list of your skills and resources and activities you like/hate and study a few successful bloggers. Compare what they do against your list. If you like, incorporate. If you hate, toss (assuming you find enough activities/strategies/tactics you like to produce the kind of income you're after).
      I agree with all your points DABK.

      I actually read up on some basic SEO for 2018 just a few days ago. As far as I can tell, it boils down to:

      1) Have users spend more time on your page. A user spending a lot of time on your site means that the user found what she was looking for. Google likes that.

      2) Have a good click-through rate (CTR) on your search results. If people click on your link in the search results, Google considers this an indicator that your page is relevant to the search term.

      3) Write comprehensive, in-depth content. Your page should cover everything relevant to a topic so users do not have to jump to other sites to get the full overview. This means at least 2000 words as you also point out.

      4) Content and links are still key. SEO is still all about high-quality content with good backlinks.

      Other than that, you also need to seriously consider how your website loads and shows on mobile devices. Google is really looking to promote mobile friendly search results.

      Please note that I'm not interested in making this thread an in-depth SEO discussion. I only do some very basic SEO for my site and I believe beginners should use the same approach starting out. Feel free to disagree with views on SEO views. But if you want advanced SEO discussions, I suggest you head over to the SEO section. I won't be of much help

      I also agree that you should consider other options that just search rankings. Most of the money I've made has been from other traffic sources. Paid advertising being the top performer.
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  • Profile picture of the author erin31
    Thanks for your sharing, It's a good start for newbie.
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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    The Streak Continues
    Day 64 | 63 Days Completed

    63 days and counting.

    At this point I'm quite amazed that things are going as well as they are. I'm starting to feel like things will crash any moment now. However, I have learned not to trust this feeling. It's from that part of me that always expects failure.

    Thanks to everybody following along this challenge so far, especially the friendly comments and helpful feedback. The thread was recently featured on the Top Discussion feed and it's still on the monthly top feed so we have had quite a few visitors - thank you!

    Now I just hope I can follow up with more useful information.

    And I'll attempt it right now.

    By writing about how I write.

    My Writing System
    I'm a big fan of systems. I've become an even bigger fan after reading Ray Dalio's Principles: Life and Work, although he likes to refer to them as machines.

    Anyway, my writing system is attributed to Jeff Goins. If you want to learn from the source itself, you can so here. I suggest you do. He's a much better writer than I'll ever be.

    Okay, with that out of the way: the system. The machine that has helped me get through 63 days of writing without running out of ideas or getting stuck for long periods of time.

    It's quite simple: writing is easiest when you have something to write about (an idea) and when you are not constantly punishing yourself for making mistakes or writing uninspired sentences (editing).

    This leads to a three step system:

    1) Getting ideas
    Coming up with ideas on the spot is hard. You can't just sit down and expect to crank out 500 words on something interesting every day.

    You need a system for getting ideas. Mine usually come to me thoughout the day at various times. In bed in the evening, in the morning shower, while reading a book, you name it. Once it arrives, I simply note it down in my Evernote notebook named Writing Ideas. You can use any notebook/note taking tool - as long as you can take it with you.

    And that's it.

    As of writing this I have 26 ideas in that notebook. Some good, maybe or or two great and some less so. Some of the ideas are primed and ready for a 2000 word blog post. Others may need some work, or they will change form once I start writing.

    But as long as I have something here, I won't struggle with ideas to write about.

    2) Writing
    For writing I simply pick an idea from the Writing Ideas notebook and write.

    There's really just one rule when it comes to writing: just do it.

    When I'm in writing mode, the quality doesn't matter. That comes later. This little rule is extremely important. If I start editing too much or rewriting sentences, I'll get stuck and spend too much time without getting anywhere.

    Just let the writing flow and forget about making it great. Words come much quicker when there's no pressure. And you can always get rid of the truly terrible parts later.

    There's nothing that can zap your creative energies as an overly harsh quality control. Forget about grammar, spelling, wording and formatting.

    You save that for...

    3) Editing
    Of course you can't just publish your monkey writing. So after writing your draft, you save it and let it simmer for a bit.

    I suggest you do not immediately edit your recent writing. It's better to let it mature for a day or so. Instead, you can take some of your other writing and edit it if that's what you want.

    Editing is all about making your writing good. For now, I don't have any pointers here. Just make it good

    *

    ... and that's my system
    It not fancy or polished. It's not even mine. But it works.

    With this system, I always have ideas to write about and content to edit and publish.

    Feel free to give it a run for yourself. I would love to hear how you do - or what you think can be improved to make this machine better.

    Until next time,

    Mathias


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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    Another Short Update
    Day 70 | 69 Days Completed

    Hello forum,

    It's time for another short update this lovely Sunday.

    I have completed my 500 words for today and just published a 2835 word blog post. This brings me to 69 days of the challenge.

    I'm still struggling a bit with the editing and publishing part as I have 10 published posts but have 13 drafts in various stages of the editing process. However, it's not that bad. I've never had this much content to work with so I'm just busy editing and adding graphics.

    A Note on Headlines
    I have started to pay more attention to my headlines.

    After all, this is the most important part of a blog post. So it's stupid to spend hours creating a great article and then only a couple of minutes on the headline. Especially when the headline can make or break the post's success.

    I recently had a post where I was was debating two different headlines. I published the post with one of them and then created an A/B split test for my email newsletter, testing the two headline variations as the email subject line.

    The headline I had chosen for my blog post performed ~65% worse than the other. Immediately after the test had finished I naturally changed the headline.

    Lesson learned: spend time on your headlines and test them if possible.

    For my headlines, I've also started using CoSchedule's Headline Analyzer and a headline capitalization tool to get proper capitalization as I somehow can't do this properly on my own. The headline analyzer can score your headline and give you tips on how to improve. It's a great tool for comparing headlines and trying to come up with better ones.

    Until next time,

    Mathias

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  • Profile picture of the author Dave d
    Hi Mathias, this is a little similar to my challenge although I think you are way ahead of me. Is there any news on traffic yet ?
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    • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
      Originally Posted by Dave d View Post

      Hi Mathias, this is a little similar to my challenge although I think you are way ahead of me. Is there any news on traffic yet ?
      Hello Dave,

      I just looked at your challenge. It looks like we have very similar goals when it comes to writing daily

      Best of luck with your challenge. I will be following your progress.

      My own site doesn't have any traffic worth celebrating just yet. Primarily some referral traffic from social media and email marketing.

      The site is not really set up to capitalize on any traffic yet so this is fine for now.

      I'm not looking for a quick success with this website (and I don't think anyone should with a blog). It's more of a long term project. I'm already making money from WSOs, so I don't need revenue to fuel this online adventure immediately.

      The plan is to use this site to expand beyond the Warrior Forum and also have some content to share with my customers and email list (it's nice to finally have something to mail about again).

      I hope this challenge will give me momentum to get the ball rolling for the website.

      - Mathias
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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    The Easiest (And Most Popular) Blog Posts You Can Write
    Day 80 | 78 Days Completed

    Hello forum,

    It's time for another update. I'm at 78 days of writing now as I didn't write anything this Sunday either.

    I have struggled a bit on some of the days since the last update as I couldn't seem to turn my writing ideas into actual content. But I'm back on track now I believe.

    One thing that helped a great deal was to go back to list posts. "X things about Y" posts are so much easier to write than a post with no clear structure. And that these posts are often more popular is a nice bonus.

    Just pick some topic and make a list of things related to it. That's your post structure right there. Now just fill it out with some writing and you are good to go.

    It doesn't come much simpler than that,

    Mathias

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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      And, besides writing and posting for 78 days, what have you accomplished?

      I mean, what are the results of all this writing and posting?

      Originally Posted by SuitUp View Post

      The Easiest (And Most Popular) Blog Posts You Can Write
      Day 80 | 78 Days Completed

      Hello forum,

      It's time for another update. I'm at 78 days of writing now as I didn't write anything this Sunday either.

      I have struggled a bit on some of the days since the last update as I couldn't seem to turn my writing ideas into actual content. But I'm back on track now I believe.

      One thing that helped a great deal was to go back to list posts. "X things about Y" posts are so much easier to write than a post with no clear structure. And that these posts are often more popular is a nice bonus.

      Just pick some topic and make a list of things related to it. That's your post structure right there. Now just fill it out with some writing and you are good to go.

      It doesn't come much simpler than that,

      Mathias

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      • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
        Originally Posted by DABK View Post

        And, besides writing and posting for 78 days, what have you accomplished?

        I mean, what are the results of all this writing and posting?
        Hello DABK,

        You can see my answer to a similar question just one or two replies above this.

        The essence is this: I still think it's too early to look at results.

        The long version:

        I have posted 12 blog posts which is nothing when looking at the big picture. Part of this
        challenge was to shift my focus from quick results to consistency and long-term thinking.

        Also, I have other projects going on so I'm not spending all my time on this.

        Writing the daily 500 words takes less than an hour, probably more like 30-40 minutes
        depending on the topic. And then there's editing which I do every now and then.
        This is not to make any excuses as to why I do not have any results yet, just that I haven't
        spent enough time on this project to be able to evaluate the results yet.

        Results are important, of course. Without them I wouldn't want to write. But so far I don't
        think there's much to evaluate. Analytics shows 963 sessions and 1789 page views
        since installing the tracking script in January.

        In terms of what I have accomplished: I have proven to myself that I can be consistent if I
        set up the correct environment for me to be so. I have improved my own blogging just a bit
        (I'm already embarrassed when looking at my first posts so that's a good sign). I'm starting
        to build a platform where I can share content with my customers and hopefully get new ones
        in the future.

        I guess the results are more on the personal side so far. Let's hope the website results also
        come.

        - Mathias
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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    Generating Topic Ideas
    Day 94 | 92 Days Completed

    Writing consistently for 300 days isn't just about hitting the keyboard every day.

    It's also about generating enough ideas such that I always have something interesting to write about.

    As I've said in an earlier update, I keep a notebook with new writing ideas and try to always have at least a couple of good ideas ready.

    This way I always have something to write about. An important element as writing becomes so much more daunting if you are empty of ideas. And you can't expect to always come up with interesting ideas out of the blue when sitting in front of your monitor.

    Here are some of the methods that have helped me come up with topics to write about:

    Read books
    I always get a lot of new ideas when reading books. There's just something about it that turns on my creativity.

    It helps to read books closely related to your own writing, but other books can also give you plenty of ideas.

    Always keep a notebook close
    You never know when the idea hits you. I literally woke up around 2 am last night with an idea. I couldn't be bothered to write it down, but luckily I managed to remember it today.

    The same happens a lot when I'm out walking or in the shower. Ideas often come to you when you are away from the monitor.

    I use Evernote to record my ideas, but any note-taking tool for your smartphone will do. And if you are still living in the 20th century, a real physical notepad works too. I imagine they still exist.

    Read other blogs and websites
    One of the easiest places to find ideas are on other websites related to your own.

    Whatever works for them will most likely also work for you.

    TED talks
    Need some inspirational ideas in general? Ted talks is the place to go.

    It's an amazing community and I've had at least a few ideas pop up while watching.

    Forums
    If you are writing about internet marketing, you are looking directly at a gold mine right now.

    The Warrior Forum is filled with ideas for you to write about. Just open up a forum section and people will throw questions at you. Questions that are in need of answers.

    Now just provide these answers.

    If you are in any other niche, there are forums and sites like this one. And you'd be stupid not to use them.

    Use headline and blog idea tools
    If you search for blog ideas on Google you'll find plenty of resources to help you.

    Another tip I stumbled upon recently is using headline tools like IMPACT's Blog About title generator or Inbound Now's blog title generator to get ideas. Just let the headline suggestions lead you to writing ideas. As a bonus, you'll already have a perfectly fitting headline before you write your first word.

    Do you have any other tips on how to come up with good content ideas?

    These were some of the ideas I use. But what about you. Do you have any tips or tricks that help you come up with good ideas?

    I would love to hear them.

    Until next time,

    Mathias

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  • Profile picture of the author Mazebits
    Originally Posted by SuitUp View Post

    My Blogging Journey
    And a Challenge

    Hello fellow warriors,

    I'm excited about this new section and after some thought, I have decided to join the fun too.

    When I first saw this new section I was reminded of a similar section in a poker forum I used to visit years back. It was the best part of the forum. The threads were filled to the brink with knowledge and you could literally follow people on their way to success at the poker tables.

    Let's make this forum section just as good!

    My Goal
    The goal I will focus on in this blog will primarily be the following:

    My goal for 2018 is to write ~ 500 daily words at least 300 days.

    The writing has to be for publication purposes, mainly website content and email newsletters. Email responses, social media and writing here on the forum does not count towards the challenge. The reason I've kept it at 300 days I that want to have room for some vacation time where writing may not be feasible.

    I almost stumbled upon this goal at the end of last year when I realized I had an urge to start writing more. Without paying much attention to it, I had already started writing more here and there and when I finally registered a new domain name for the challenge I decided to go all in.

    I may reveal the domain name in time, but for now I'll just write about my journey here.

    Where I Am Right Now
    I've had a great deal of success creating and selling information products. Especially here on the forum where I have consistently sold WSOs since 2013.

    However, when it comes to blogging in the internet marketing niche and consistently producing content I have always struggled.

    I have plenty more to share, but this wall of text is long enough already.

    Let's go!


    Sounds Good
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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    Quick Update After the Weekend
    Day 99 | 94 Days Completed

    Just a quick status update after the weekend.

    I had a lot going on this weekend so didn't get to write much.

    In fact, I didn't get my 500 words done Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. I did write about 200 words on my phone while sitting in the back of a car, but that's too little to count the day. All of this is fine as I'm soon at 1/3 of the challenge and I have a good chunk of "free" days saved up as I have only skipped 5 days of writing so far.

    However, I do need to start working on getting the site in better shape. So far the layout is very basic and I do not have landing pages or opt-in forms. I plan on adding this soon so I can start promoting the site better.

    - Mathias

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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    100 Days Done!
    Day 106 | 100 Days Completed

    100 days done!

    I have now officially completed 1/3 of the challenge.

    Over the last 106 days I have written a total of 37 articles. 16 of them are published and the rest are still in various draft stages.

    The total word count of these articles is 52,878. If I continue at this pace I'll pass the word count of the first Harry Potter book in 46 days

    Here are some tips that have helped me write more than 52,878 words over 100 days:

    Note down ideas when away from your writing
    I've written about getting ideas before, so if you want more on this just go back a few posts.

    However, having ideas to write about has been a crucial part so I feel like this is worth mentioning again.

    Your best ideas rarely come in front of the screen.

    Go away from your usual writing spot
    I have started writing more and more away from my usual spot if I'm struggling.

    It helps a lot to go somewhere else if you can't seem to write anything. A couple of days are also completed entirely on my phone.

    Use simple article structures
    Structured articles are easier to write and easier to read.

    Use them.

    Write often instead of a lot
    This is part of why I feel this challenge works well for me.

    I'm rarely able to sit down and write several thousand words at a time.

    500 in one sitting works really well for me. And doing it every day means I still build up a nice pile of content to publish.

    Read other people's writing
    Inspiration matters A LOT.

    You can't write without it. At least not anything worthwhile.

    Many of the topics I write about come from other articles I have read on Medium, other blogs, or in books. I try to read every day. Not just news stories but positive, inspirational reading.

    Here's to another 100 days!
    I hope some of you are still following this challenge.

    I'm happy to have completed my first 100 days. Now I just need to make the next 100 even better.

    Let's do this,

    Mathias

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  • Profile picture of the author blisters
    Congrats on your first 100 days Mathias! I've just completed 65 days since launch myself. I've been trying to follow the method of 20/80 whereby you focus on promotion for 80% of your time, which is actually starting to work pretty well for me - I even get top bloggers sometimes commenting on my posts now. I've just written a post on my favorite methods of driving traffic if interested:
    https://wordsbyjustin.com/ways-to-bo...ic-like-crazy/

    (Pardon the spammy looking title but I'm also experimenting with 'Listicles' )

    Justin
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    • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
      Originally Posted by blisters View Post

      Congrats on your first 100 days Mathias! I've just completed 65 days since launch myself. I've been trying to follow the method of 20/80 whereby you focus on promotion for 80% of your time, which is actually starting to work pretty well for me - I even get top bloggers sometimes commenting on my posts now. I've just written a post on my favorite methods of driving traffic if interested:
      https://wordsbyjustin.com/ways-to-bo...ic-like-crazy/

      (Pardon the spammy looking title but I'm also experimenting with 'Listicles' )

      Justin
      Thank you, Justin.

      80/20 promotion-to-writing sounds like a good ratio. A lot of people have encouraged me to start promoting more and I'm starting to listen.

      Good luck with your blog,

      - Mathias
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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    Quick Update
    Day 112 | 107 Days Completed

    Two quick updates:

    1) I updated the site yesterday to make it more usable. I plan on adding a bit more soon. (About page, etc)

    2) I have struggled a bit with ideas but came up with a bunch today so that should not be a problem for a while.

    The challenge is still going strong and I hope I'll have some results to share soon.

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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    Inititate Phase Two
    Day 120 | 114 Days Completed

    It has been more than 100 days since I started my challenge. 120 to be exact.

    In this time, I have done a lot of writing for the new blog.

    But as several of you have pointed out (thanks), I haven't done so well when it comes to promoting this content.

    This was a deliberate decision, and I'm still happy with it.

    I'm satisfied with my decision to focus only on writing for the first part of this challenge.

    Its hard enough to start a blog and figure out how to go about creating content for it. Adding promotion to the mix only makes it more difficult and increases the risk of being overwhelmed.

    Which has happened to me before.

    Content is at the core of any blog. Without it, nothing else can work. Therefore it's important to get the content creation process in place before doing anything else.

    I believe I have done this during these first 120 days. Which means it's time to initiate phase two: promotion.

    As I'm writing a lot of content (and will continue to do so), I plan on using some of this content for guest posts.

    I'll throw in some other promotion strategies too, but I plan on making guest posts the core strategy for phase two.

    This way I get to continue writing while also promoting the blog.

    I'll have some more info in another update shortly.

    - Mat

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  • Profile picture of the author ncinsure90
    this is very important for all of us.
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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    A Quick Sunday Update
    Day 126 | 119 Days Completed

    This week I have started working more on promotion. I have secured two guest posts, so starting tomorrow I'll be writing for other people. This is exciting and I plan on putting in at least as much effort as in posts on my own site.

    I know two guest posts aren't going to make any huge difference for my blog. But once I have the process in place, I'll ramp up the efforts.

    On the writing side, things are going slow and steady. I'm writing although some days I'd rather not. Most of the time I just have to get started. (A good example of this was today. I came home in the afternoon after a long weekend and really didn't feel like writing. But I managed to push myself to open up my site and write a bit. A bit turned to 500+ words in no time. Job done: check!)

    - Mat

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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    Sunday Update
    Day 133 | 125 Days Completed

    This week I managed to write 3 guest posts.

    I'm satisfied with this, but I don't think I'll be able to keep up this pace every week. Writing, editing and publishing 3 guest posts meant that I barely had time to work on anything else.

    Moving forward I'll try to aim at 1-2 guests posts a week. This should leave me with time to work on improving the blog and working on other parts of the machine.

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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    Steady Progress
    Day 138 | 130 Days Completed

    So far this week has been great.

    I have written all days (Mon-Friday) and just reached out to a couple of blogs about guest posting.

    I also published a massive 3500+ word post earlier today. I believe this is the longest post I've released so far, and it took quite a bit of time over the last three days to edit.

    I guess status is steady progress for now.

    - Mat

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  • Profile picture of the author crackhouse
    this is a really difficult challenge - how do you come up with new topics all the time?
    Signature
    I sell backlinks on some of the most lucrative editorial websites in the world.
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    • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
      Originally Posted by crackhouse View Post

      this is a really difficult challenge - how do you come up with new topics all the time?
      Hello crackhouse,

      Thank you for checking out my challenge. It will be a difficult one to complete, but I'll have gained a lot even if I fail (I have gained plenty already and I'm not even halfway there).

      Getting ideas has been one of the more difficult challenges. Writing is really hard if I don't have a good idea to write about.

      Here are some of my previous posts about getting ideas:

      My writing system (idea generation included)

      A post about generating ideas.

      I hope this helps,

      - Mat
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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    Monday Update
    Day 148 | 138 Days Completed

    Not much to talk about at the moment. I'm working on writing for the blog and for guest posts.

    So far the guest posting is going well. Most of the people I've contacted have been very welcoming and they have accepted my content with open arms.

    It's either that or no reply most of the time.

    I'm starting to learn that guest posting a rather time-consuming process. Finding candidates, getting ideas, reaching out, writing, editing and then following up on the post. However, I'm still working on making my process as efficient as I can with templates, etc.

    - Mat

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  • Profile picture of the author salsym
    Originally Posted by SuitUp View Post

    My Blogging Journey
    And a Challenge

    Hello fellow warriors,

    I'm excited about this new section and after some thought, I have decided to join the fun too.

    When I first saw this new section I was reminded of a similar section in a poker forum I used to visit years back. It was the best part of the forum. The threads were filled to the brink with knowledge and you could literally follow people on their way to success at the poker tables.

    Let's make this forum section just as good!

    My Goal
    The goal I will focus on in this blog will primarily be the following:

    My goal for 2018 is to write ~ 500 daily words at least 300 days.

    The writing has to be for publication purposes, mainly website content and email newsletters. Email responses, social media and writing here on the forum does not count towards the challenge. The reason I've kept it at 300 days I that want to have room for some vacation time where writing may not be feasible.

    I almost stumbled upon this goal at the end of last year when I realized I had an urge to start writing more. Without paying much attention to it, I had already started writing more here and there and when I finally registered a new domain name for the challenge I decided to go all in.

    I may reveal the domain name in time, but for now I'll just write about my journey here.

    Where I Am Right Now
    I've had a great deal of success creating and selling information products. Especially here on the forum where I have consistently sold WSOs since 2013.

    However, when it comes to blogging in the internet marketing niche and consistently producing content I have always struggled.

    I have plenty more to share, but this wall of text is long enough already.

    Let's go!

    Thanks for inspiring me with idea of 500 words blog post for 300 days. I am joining you today for doing the same.
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    • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
      Originally Posted by salsym View Post

      Thanks for inspiring me with idea of 500 words blog post for 300 days. I am joining you today for doing the same.
      Awesome. I'm glad if my challenge can inspire others to write more!

      Are you also doing a long challenge like me or just 500 words today? I'd love to follow your journey if you are documenting your progress here in the Warrior Path section.

      Anyway, thanks for the reply.

      Mat
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      • Profile picture of the author Shana Walters
        @SuitUp, you have a very interesting challenge going here.

        Signature
        Write until my fingers fall off. LOL!!!
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      • Profile picture of the author Kay King
        I have only missed 1 day (due to a hangover).
        Valid excuse - might as well go ahead and write off Jan 1 also.


        Glad it's getting easier for you. You are creating a 'habit' and that's a really good thing.


        What will you do at the end of the goal? Will you quit? Give up the new habit? Or replace 'every day' with '5 times a week' - or start a new blog with the same goal and work on monetizing this one? Lots options.


        I agree that publicly stating your goal here has probably helped keep you on track. Will you stay on track once you stop posting about it? Hope so.
        Maybe start a new path that will be even more of a challenge?
        Signature
        Saving one dog will not change the world - but the world changes forever for that one dog
        ***
        One secret to happiness is to let every situation be
        what it is instead of what you think it should be.
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        • Profile picture of the author OptedIn
          Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

          Maybe start a new path that will be even more of a challenge?
          Or, more lucrative. Blogging is just another form of charity. :-)
          Signature

          "He not busy being born, is busy dying." - Bob Dylan • "I vibe with the light-dark point. Heavy." - Words that Bob Dylan wishes he had written.

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          • Profile picture of the author Shana Walters
            Originally Posted by OptedIn View Post

            Or, more lucrative. Blogging is just another form of charity. :-)
            What do you mean by blogging being a form of charity?
            Signature
            Write until my fingers fall off. LOL!!!
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            • Profile picture of the author OptedIn
              Originally Posted by Shana Walters View Post

              What do you mean by blogging being a form of charity?
              I mean that regardless of how many bloggers tell you that they are making a nice living blogging, I personally wouldn't believe that in any way, shape or form. Most bloggers don't make a penny. That's just a simple fact of life.

              So, in summation, if you're working for zero money - in my world - you're a charity.

              Save your breath. You'll never convince me otherwise. Yes, we can all name a dozen bloggers, doing very well, by selling crap. Beyond that dozen, it's very slim pickings.

              Now - if your idea of making a living means resorting to eating beanie-weenies out of a can - I stand corrected. All I can say to that, is, "Happy Blogging." :-)

              Cheers.
              Signature

              "He not busy being born, is busy dying." - Bob Dylan • "I vibe with the light-dark point. Heavy." - Words that Bob Dylan wishes he had written.

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              • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
                Originally Posted by OptedIn View Post

                Or, more lucrative. Blogging is just another form of charity. :-)
                Originally Posted by Shana Walters View Post

                What do you mean by blogging being a form of charity?
                Originally Posted by OptedIn View Post

                I mean that regardless of how many bloggers tell you that they are making a nice living blogging, I personally wouldn't believe that in any way, shape or form. Most bloggers don't make a penny. That's just a simple fact of life.

                So, in summation, if you're working for zero money - in my world - you're a charity.

                Save your breath. You'll never convince me otherwise. Yes, we can all name a dozen bloggers, doing very well, by selling crap. Beyond that dozen, it's very slim pickings.

                Now - if your idea of making a living means resorting to eating beanie-weenies out of a can - I stand corrected. All I can say to that, is, "Happy Blogging." :-)

                Cheers.
                The goal of the challenge wasn't to make money or become a famous blogger in just one year.

                So let's save this discussion for another thread where it is more relevant. I'm glad for the replies, but if we can keep it on topic that will be even better
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                • Profile picture of the author OptedIn
                  Originally Posted by SuitUp View Post

                  The goal of the challenge wasn't to make money or become a famous blogger in just one year.

                  So let's save this discussion for another thread where it is more relevant. I'm glad for the replies, but if we can keep it on topic that will be even better
                  Unfortunately, it's an open forum. You post and people get to respond as they see fit. You can't set the rules.
                  Signature

                  "He not busy being born, is busy dying." - Bob Dylan • "I vibe with the light-dark point. Heavy." - Words that Bob Dylan wishes he had written.

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                  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
                    Originally Posted by OptedIn View Post

                    Unfortunately, it's an open forum. You post and people get to respond as they see fit. You can't set the rules.
                    Indeed. I'm not trying to censor anyone. Just hope to keep the discussion on topic
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        • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
          Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

          Valid excuse - might as well go ahead and write off Jan 1 also.


          Glad it's getting easier for you. You are creating a 'habit' and that's a really good thing.


          What will you do at the end of the goal? Will you quit? Give up the new habit? Or replace 'every day' with '5 times a week' - or start a new blog with the same goal and work on monetizing this one? Lots options.


          I agree that publicly stating your goal here has probably helped keep you on track. Will you stay on track once you stop posting about it? Hope so.
          Maybe start a new path that will be even more of a challenge?
          Thank you for the reply Kay King.

          I'm not sure about 2019 yet. This challenge has been quite awesome. The results may not be amazing, but I have grown a lot and proven to myself that I can stick with something for a whole year (just a few days left).

          I won't continue the same challenge another year, but I'm considering a similar style challenge.

          I will also continue writing. Now that it is a daily habit I'll do my best to keep it.
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          • Profile picture of the author DWolfe
            First off Great Job reaching the 300 day mark. That was a lofty goal to begin with. Would yo consider doing another path with a shorter time line and some form of income in X number of Months or weeks?
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve B
    Hi Mat,


    I just found this thread and am curious:
    1. What is the marketplace (niche) of your writing?
    2. What is the purpose or mission of your blog?
    3. When do you plan to monetize your writing (or have you already)?
    4. Are you cross-linking and promoting individual posts (articles)?
    5. Is you blog like a diary (personal feelings, happenings, activities) or more like a "how to" or educational resource?
    The very best to you in this challenge.


    Steve
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    Steve Browne, online business strategies, tips, guidance, and resources
    SteveBrowneDirect

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    • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
      Originally Posted by Steve B View Post

      Hi Mat,


      I just found this thread and am curious:
      1. What is the marketplace (niche) of your writing?
      2. What is the purpose or mission of your blog?
      3. When do you plan to monetize your writing (or have you already)?
      4. Are you cross-linking and promoting individual posts (articles)?
      5. Is you blog like a diary (personal feelings, happenings, activities) or more like a "how to" or educational resource?
      The very best to you in this challenge.


      Steve
      Hello Steve,

      Thank you for visiting my thread - and for the encouragement. I'll do my best to answer your questions:

      1) I write about my internet marketing experiences and personal growth challenges that follow. This is really the only angle that has kept me hooked for a longer period of time.

      2) The purpose of my blog is to help other people make money from their websites. But I also write for myself. Writing down lessons, experiences and struggles can really help you deal with things.

      3) I haven't monetized the blog yet. I expect it will be a gradual process as I build out the website over time. I'm in it for the long term and it's not worth the effort to spend time monetizing yet as I need a bigger platform.

      4) Definitely cross-linking my posts. Whenever I refer to something I have already written about, I add a link to it. I link where it's natural. I've also done some guest posts on other sites linking back to my posts as I have written about earlier in the challenge.

      5) It's a mix. Posts should be educational and/or inspiring. But at the same time, I want to write about what interests me and from a personal standpoint. Writing general how-to guides bores me quickly. From a strictly marketing perspective, this may not be the ideal way to blog. However, I also want the personal benefits and joy of writing. I'm more focused on making money here and now through my marketing reports and other products.

      Thank you for the reply. I hope my answers satisfy some of your curiosity.

      Mat
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  • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
    Awesome challenge. Happy to see you are rocking it out.

    I was doing 20,000 words daily a few years ago when writing and self-publishing an eBook daily, in addition to client work and blog work. Now I am down to publishing 3 posts a day but do a bunch of writing via blog commenting. Best way to become a skilled blogger; write your booty off.
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    Ryan Biddulph helps you to be a successful blogger with his courses, manuals and blog at Blogging From Paradise
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    • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
      Originally Posted by ryanbiddulph View Post

      Awesome challenge. Happy to see you are rocking it out.

      I was doing 20,000 words daily a few years ago when writing and self-publishing an eBook daily, in addition to client work and blog work. Now I am down to publishing 3 posts a day but do a bunch of writing via blog commenting. Best way to become a skilled blogger; write your booty off.
      Hey Ryan,

      Thank you for checking out my thread.

      Man, that's a lot of daily words. At times I wish I had your drive

      But as you say yourself, write to become better. That's the plan.

      Mat
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  • Profile picture of the author wirriam
    Challenging yourself is so important. Keep us posted and let us know how it goes! We're all rooting for ya.
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    • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
      Originally Posted by wirriam View Post

      Challenging yourself is so important. Keep us posted and let us know how it goes! We're all rooting for ya.
      Hey wirriam,

      Thank you for rooting for me. I'll do my best to not let you down

      Mat
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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    Sunday Update (on a Wednesday)
    Day 164 | 150 Days Completed

    I wrote the following this Sunday but forgot to post it. So here it goes, a Sunday update on a Wednesday. BTW, halfway done!

    Time for another Sunday update.

    I've had some issues with motivation in the last week. I believe this is partially due to a stressing deadline that is unrelated to this challenge (but takes a lot of my focus and energy), and partially due to writing about something that either didn't interest me or something I didn't have a lot to say about.

    Lessons learned (hopefully).

    Anyway, I'm struggling on and I hope (and believe) this week will be better again.

    Till next time,

    Mat

    P.S. Thanks for the replies this week. For anyone sitting on the sidelines, I can only recommend that you join the writing/blogging struggle. It's great fun and you'll undoubtedly learn a lot.

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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    Sunday Update
    Day 168 | 153 Days Completed

    Another week, another 3000 or so words.

    Not the best of weeks as I skipped writing Wednesday and Friday due to an extremely busy (and draining) schedule.

    I took Friday off as I needed a break, and Wednesday I had spent so many hours in front of my monitor that my eyes were - literally - hurting.

    I also spent way too little time on 'getting proper input'. Reading, thinking, sleeping, etc. It just felt like I had nothing to give.

    Anyway, I did write something. So that's great. And I have had some time to recover over the weekend, ready for another round.

    Here's some reflection on my writing:

    Writing takes time

    One thing that I noted this last week was how I lacked patience some days. I just wanted to get it over with.

    But writing doesn't work like that (at least not for me).

    I can't hurry the process.

    Instead, I have to be patient. Especially when starting out. It's like my brain has to zero in on the writing task.

    At first, I may seem like I have nothing to write. I look at some blog headline or subheading and my brain goes _______ (blank).

    But then, after struggling for a bit, my brain starts waking up and I suddenly find myself having written 500 words about something that I didn't even know I had anything to say about.

    So, that's my reflection about writing for today: don't hurry to process, writing takes time - and you need to be prepared to give it that time.

    I'll try doing that more this week.

    Till next time,

    Mat

    P.S. Some days are more of a struggle than others. Today, I was well-rested and full of ideas. I'm writing this update after cranking out 800 words in no time.

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  • Profile picture of the author Eden A
    Hey,
    First I like to mention that your an inspiration!
    Way to go.
    I like your honesty that even when you have your
    days when you don't follow through you share it,
    that takes courage.

    I really appreciate you, man.

    About taking more ideas I have a couple of suggestion for you.
    1) you can find some good Podcats like the school of greatness,
    gray v and many more.
    (if you want you can pm me and I will send you a big list
    of people that I follow)

    2)You can use blinkist which is an app a unique app for an audiobook.
    they give you the summary of the book with the keynotes of the book
    in just ten to 15 minutes.

    3) You can listen to Tony Robbins courses it will give some more inspiration on what to write.

    I started a Youtube channel not long ago and it really helps me to always find some more inspiration.

    (because I prefer to make a video, as you can see my English is not perfect but still working on it )

    And don't you get discouraged when there days that you don't do a thing.
    Because it happened to all of us even the greatest people, mentors etc...

    Just keep on going, and when it does happen to you try to learn from it. Observe what made you not do it. most of the time is the pain, pain that we associate with the action we do. but remember this and maybe it would help you, what is more, painful: do it or not do it? what will make you feel worse?
    I'm doing it with my business and that's what I did with my weight (I was around 240 pounds).
    It helps me get up every time. (Won't lie I got those days as well, but this tool help me to see progress
    and to follow through)

    Hope that helps.
    To your success,
    Eden.
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    • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
      Originally Posted by Eden A View Post

      Hey,
      First I like to mention that your an inspiration!
      Way to go.
      I like your honesty that even when you have your
      days when you don't follow through you share it,
      that takes courage.

      I really appreciate you, man.

      About taking more ideas I have a couple of suggestion for you.
      1) you can find some good Podcats like the school of greatness,
      gray v and many more.
      (if you want you can pm me and I will send you a big list
      of people that I follow)

      2)You can use blinkist which is an app a unique app for an audiobook.
      they give you the summary of the book with the keynotes of the book
      in just ten to 15 minutes.

      3) You can listen to Tony Robbins courses it will give some more inspiration on what to write.

      I started a Youtube channel not long ago and it really helps me to always find some more inspiration.

      (because I prefer to make a video, as you can see my English is not perfect but still working on it )

      And don't you get discouraged when there days that you don't do a thing.
      Because it happened to all of us even the greatest people, mentors etc...

      Just keep on going, and when it does happen to you try to learn from it. Observe what made you not do it. most of the time is the pain, pain that we associate with the action we do. but remember this and maybe it would help you, what is more, painful: do it or not do it? what will make you feel worse?
      I'm doing it with my business and that's what I did with my weight (I was around 240 pounds).
      It helps me get up every time. (Won't lie I got those days as well, but this tool help me to see progress
      and to follow through)

      Hope that helps.
      To your success,
      Eden.
      Hello Eden,

      Thank you very much for the kind words and tips.

      1) I'll try listening to more podcasts. Thanks for the suggestions

      2) Yeah, blinkist is a nice app for brief book summaries. I use it from time to time. I've actually used it to find books too.

      Mistakes, failures, bad days, setbacks, etc., happen and we should learn from them. I completely agree. It doesn't help to feel bad or punish yourself. Ups and downs happen.

      I feel like you when it comes to doing vs not doing. Working may feel difficult at first, but when I complete a task I feel so much better that I ever could if I just avoided it.

      Doing meaningful work beats any Netflix series or computer game (although I make time for these things too. You can't work all the time).

      Best of luck with your channel,

      Mathias
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      • Profile picture of the author Eden A
        Originally Posted by SuitUp View Post

        Hello Eden,

        Thank you very much for the kind words and tips.

        1) I'll try listening to more podcasts. Thanks for the suggestions

        2) Yeah, blinkist is a nice app for brief book summaries. I use it from time to time. I've actually used it to find books too.

        Mistakes, failures, bad days, setbacks, etc., happen and we should learn from them. I completely agree. It doesn't help to feel bad or punish yourself. Ups and downs happen.

        I feel like you when it comes to doing vs not doing. Working may feel difficult at first, but when I complete a task I feel so much better that I ever could if I just avoided it.

        Doing meaningful work beats any Netflix series or computer game (although I make time for these things too. You can't work all the time).

        Best of luck with your channel,

        Mathias
        Gald that I could help,
        and nice to meet you.
        You dam right. sometimes and it's even important you get
        some time for yourself like playing some games or watch some show (it can
        even give you more inspiration depends on the show/game XD )
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  • Profile picture of the author patrickvfisher
    I wish you all the luck !
    Remember: Self-discipline = Success !
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    • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
      Originally Posted by Shana Walters View Post

      @SuitUp, you have a very interesting challenge going here.

      Thank you Shana!

      Originally Posted by patrickvfisher View Post

      I wish you all the luck !
      Remember: Self-discipline = Success !
      Thank you patrickvfisher!

      Funny you mention self-discipline. I've just been thinking about discipline for the last few days (and the idea that "discipline equals freedom" from the Extreme Ownership book).
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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    Update Long Overdue
    Day 183 | 165 Days Completed

    My last update was more than two weeks ago. Sorry. I have responded to replies in the meantime though.

    It's been a busy time as the overall result for June also shows: I wrote 22 of the 30 days which makes it the lowest month so far.

    As I also wrote in the last update, this was due to a busy schedule. Most damaging was the fact that many of my daily routines (like writing first thing in the morning) were put on hold.

    Luckily, most of it is over now and it's back to a more normal, stable schedule with time for writing. But only for a week, then I'll go on vacation.

    Vacation time was part of the plan from the start, and now I just hope I'll have enough room in my challenge to make up for this. (It's looking fine as we are halfway through the year and I'm well past the 150 halfway point in my challenge.)

    On the good news side of things, one of my recent guest posts just went live, and another one has received more than 36 comments in the 21 days it has been live.

    - Mat

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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    Update
    Day 187 | 168 Days Completed

    Not much to report on except that things have been running smoothly this past week (5 day streak and plan on making it 7 in a row for the first time in a while).

    I have also managed to catch up on some editing and have scheduled a post to go live next week. I'll schedule another one later today.

    I may not have much to update on in the upcoming two weeks so this thread may see some radio silence. But as soon as I'm back I'll keep the updates coming. I also plan on writing some more thoughtful updates soon (instead of just purely status updates).

    See ya,

    Mathias

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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    Back
    Day 203 | 172 Days Completed

    Hello internet friends,

    I'm back after 12 days of next to no internet. Some time off was great, but now I'm ready to start working again.

    Not much to report on otherwise as I haven't done much lately. Looks like July will be my least productive month this year (which was expected).

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  • Profile picture of the author affmarketer101
    Keep going and get successful by making the shit done.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jegor Nagel
    I'm on my 100 day motivation challenge to start writing 500 words a day for 1 year.



    To be serious, I highly appreciate you sharing your story here. That's what I'm planning to do for many years.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gary Pettit
    There's immense value in blogging given that, for years now, SEO practice has revolved around the saying, "Content is King." This means that what really gives a site authority, and what attracts viewership and generates leads, is frequently publishing content that viewers want to read. Blogs still serve as one of the most effective ways to communicate valuable content to viewers, but only if they're interesting, informative, and engaging. Consider: 140 million people read blogs in the United States alone.
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    • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
      Originally Posted by affmarketer101 View Post

      Keep going and get successful by making the shit done.
      Doing my best

      Originally Posted by Jegor Nagel View Post

      I'm on my 100 day motivation challenge to start writing 500 words a day for 1 year.



      To be serious, I highly appreciate you sharing your story here. That's what I'm planning to do for many years.
      Best of luck with your challenge Jegor. And thank you for checking out mine.

      Originally Posted by Gary Pettit View Post

      There's immense value in blogging given that, for years now, SEO practice has revolved around the saying, "Content is King." This means that what really gives a site authority, and what attracts viewership and generates leads, is frequently publishing content that viewers want to read. Blogs still serve as one of the most effective ways to communicate valuable content to viewers, but only if they're interesting, informative, and engaging. Consider: 140 million people read blogs in the United States alone.
      Indeed. Content is my first priority. Once I have learned how to consistently product it (with sufficient quality), I can start thinking about other things - like monetization, collecting leads, and getting more traffic through marketing.

      ---

      Thank you all for the feedback and thoughts. Really appreciate it.
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  • Profile picture of the author newton
    Setting a challenge and then declaring it in public is a great motivator - well done!


    Curious, how have you found it and are you still keeping up with the posts?
    Signature
    Check Out My Blog For Affiliate Marketing Tips => Click Here <=

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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    How to Stay Consistent
    Day 217 | 186 Days Completed

    Update on the past week: I have written a bit every day which means I'm now at 15 consecutive days of writing. There hasn't been much interfering with my daily routines which is why I've been this productive lately.

    I recently promised that I would share a bit more than just quick status updates. So, here comes a reflection:

    Use a Habit Trigger to Write Every Day

    The biggest help in staying consistent with my writing has been the idea of a habit trigger.

    A good way to establish a new habit is by having a trigger for it. Something that helps you remember the new routine early on and also enforces it later when your brain recognizes the trigger event.

    Like how brushing your teeth is part of a morning routine, and if you skip the routine you may also forget brushing (or is that just me?).

    Brushing your teeth every morning is a habit because it has a trigger. It has something that reminds your brain to perform the habit. The same idea can be used for all kinds of habits, writing included.

    My trigger has been to write every morning after breakfast. I get up, eat, and then write. Before I hit the shower, crank out ~ 500 words.

    The result? Well, I have always considered myself very inconsistent in new endeavors and this challenge is the first time I've truly stayed this consistent for this long. And I believe this idea of a habit trigger has been a major reason why. Without it, I would have neglected my writing way more than I have.
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  • Profile picture of the author brettb
    That sounds like the Jerry Seinfeld method of being consistent. He has a calendar on the wall and marks an X on each day when he has done some writing.


    Funnily enough he has said that he never invented this method, but it's still know as the Seinfeld method.


    Whoever invented it, it's very effective.
    Signature
    ÖŽ FindABlog: Find blogs to comment on, guest posting opportunities and more ÖŽ




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  • Profile picture of the author harvduck
    How much you have made out of blogs. I am really interested to listen more this.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jessicad0505
    thank you all for the valuable information
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    • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
      Originally Posted by brettb View Post

      That sounds like the Jerry Seinfeld method of being consistent. He has a calendar on the wall and marks an X on each day when he has done some writing.


      Funnily enough he has said that he never invented this method, but it's still know as the Seinfeld method.


      Whoever invented it, it's very effective.
      You are on point, that's exactly the method that inspired me. I even have monthly calendars with days marked and all!

      The method works wonderfully well. Once you reach a streak of a few days, you are much more motivated to not break the chain. (For anyone interested, search "Jerry Seinfeld method" on Google and you'll see what it's all about.)

      Originally Posted by harvduck View Post

      How much you have made out of blogs. I am really interested to listen more this.
      Thank you for your interest. I have not monetized this blog so the direct revenue number is at zero still.

      Originally Posted by Jessicad0505 View Post

      thank you all for the valuable information
      Thank you for reading and commenting!
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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    Update Before 2/3 Milestone
    Day 229 | 196 Days Completed

    Closing in on 200 days!

    I'll be busy this weekend, so I'll at least miss one day. Nonetheless, we'll most likely hit 200 days sometime next week 2/3!

    I'm again struggling behind on editing and proofreading, but that's just something I've learned to live with during this challenge. If it wasn't for the writing challenge, I would probably relax the content production a bit and spend more time on shipping it. However, it's still quite nice to always have rough content ready for new blog posts. The editing part just takes a lot of time.

    Until next time,

    Mat

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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    So... (Long Time No See)
    Day 252 | 208 Days Completed

    I've made it past the 200 days (yay!), but I've also been extremely busy. Sadly it hasn't been with writing content.

    In terms of the challenge, things aren't looking too good. I can't skip this much in the future. However, I still feel alright about my own effort. There were several days where I thought I wouldn't have the energy to write but managed to anyway.

    Time to get back to consistent writing,

    Mat

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  • Profile picture of the author amuro
    Thanks for your sharing.

    Great work and keep it up!
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  • Profile picture of the author amuro
    Thank you for your sharing.

    That is an inspiration to me and others.
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  • Profile picture of the author affmarketer101
    So inspirational journey. I am learning the patience from you.
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    • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
      Originally Posted by amuro View Post

      Thanks for your sharing.

      Great work and keep it up!
      Originally Posted by amuro View Post

      Thank you for your sharing.

      That is an inspiration to me and others.
      Originally Posted by affmarketer101 View Post

      So inspirational journey. I am learning the patience from you.
      I'm glad you enjoy the challenge. Thank you for the nice words
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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    Update
    Day 268 | 222 Days Completed

    I've been more consistent lately, although I haven't written the full 500 words some of the days. I still count the days as my goal is just to write every day, no matter how much or little.

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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    x10
    Day 275 | 229 Days Completed

    Currently on a 10-day streak even though I've been ill and had plenty of stuff to do. Satisfied with the progress although I still write less than the 500 words a day.
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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    Make Today Count!
    Day 282 | 234 Days Completed

    I don't have many 'cheat days' left if I want to hit the 300 days. Which is why I'm a bit down I missed yesterday. On the other hand, I can't believe I have written 234 days this year. Seems like a huge feat but really it's just about taking it one day at a time and making sure it counts.

    To anyone still reading and following my challenge: make today count! A few minutes prior to writing this very post I was feeling quite down and tired. But I sat down with an easy task, completed it and moved on. I've now crossed 3 things off my todo list and the tiredness has turned into joy.

    - Mat

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  • Profile picture of the author GiorgioGD
    Great Journey! I really want to know what this challenge has done for you traffic? Do you see a huge increase?
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  • Profile picture of the author affmarketer101
    How much have you spent so far?
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    • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
      Originally Posted by GiorgioGD View Post

      Great Journey! I really want to know what this challenge has done for you traffic? Do you see a huge increase?
      Thank you for following the journey GiorgioGD I have not really focused on traffic and as the challenge started with a completely new site, the traffic results are still quite low.

      So if your goal is mainly traffic, I would not recommend this challenge

      Originally Posted by affmarketer101 View Post

      How much have you spent so far?
      Very little. I already had hosting so I think I have only spent money on the domain name so far.
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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    Let's do this!
    Day 307 | 252 Days Completed

    48 days to go with 58 days left in this year. (Btw, only 58 days left in 2018? Time flies when you are having fun.)

    This week I was traveling so I missed quite a few days (5 to be exact). But I still managed to scribble down some words when I had time (and energy) to do so.

    I don't have anything major scheduled for the next two months so, for now, I don't see any big periods of inactivity. Which is good as every day counts now.

    Let's do this! 300 here we come.

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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    Update
    Day 318 | 261 Days Completed

    Time for another small update.

    It's been steady progress over the past 10 days. I did miss on Sunday, but otherwise, all is good.

    Writing on weekdays is very much a habit by now. I have a set time of day to write (first thing in the morning) and it works. By writing early in the day I make sure to get it done before anything can drain my energy or time.

    Weekends are a bit trickier as they don't always have the same routine structure. But that's just how it is I guess.

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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    Quick Update
    Day 323 | 266 Days Completed

    November looking good so far. With only two days skipped it looks to be better than September and October that both had 23 days of writing. I think the reason for this is twofold: I have good motivation as I'm nearing the end of the challenge and a good, stable routine that works for me.

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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    T-30
    Day 327 | 270 Days Completed

    30 days to go! I see a few people still following this challenge and I want to thank you for doing that.

    I'm quite sure this public accountability is a big part of why I have been able to stick with my challenge for 327 days now. And why I'll do my best to keep going for another 38 days.

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  • Profile picture of the author mspiky
    consistency is the key man even though you are not great at it in the beginning! Great job by the way
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    • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
      Originally Posted by mspiky View Post

      consistency is the key man even though you are not great at it in the beginning! Great job by the way
      Indeed. It's all about tiny steps and small wins every day.

      Thanks for the reply.
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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    Time Flies When You Are Having Fun!
    Day 341 | 283 Days Completed

    It's been 14 days since my last update and in that time I have only missed 1 day (due to a hangover).

    With the goal nearing, my motivation has definitely spiked again. September and October were tough months, but November flew by with only 2 missed days. November 5 to 30 were all green days. 25 in a row.

    I'm starting to believe I may actually hit my goal

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  • Profile picture of the author SuitUp
    I DID IT!
    Day 364 | 302 Days Completed

    I don't know how, but I managed to write 300 days this year. I officially completed my 2018 challenge.

    There have been a few ups and downs, but I'm surprised at how smooth most of the year has been. My goal was to become consistent, and as soon as writing became a daily habit, that consistency kicked in.

    Most of the time, I didn't have to watch myself. I just followed my daily routine where writing was now another habit. Like so many other things, shopping for groceries, going to work, cleaning, etc., writing was just another thing to do.

    I will, however, thank you guys here at the forum for keeping me honest. Without the public challenge I don't know if I would have made it. Thank you.

    Some lessons learned

    I leaned a lot this year. Much more than I can write in a single post here. But I'll mention just a few lessons off the top of my head.

    1) Challenge yourself!

    I never thought I would be able to write for a whole year. But I did. Thanks to this challenge. If you want to change something in your life, challenge yourself. It doesn't have to be 300 days. It can be 30. Or 10.

    But make the challenge. Then do your best to follow it.

    2) Sometimes you must force yourself

    I know that there would have been a lot of days where I would have given up if it wasn't for my writing habit. I often had to sit down and force myself to write. The first few paragraphs would be hard, then a little easier, and soon the words would come naturally.

    But none of that would happen if I didn't first force myself to start writing.

    I've found the same to be true with other things too.

    3) I wrote a lot of bad stuff

    Writing every day means writing even when you have nothing to write about. And that led to some poor posts.

    Generally, I'm not quite satisfied with the quality of my blog posts. But some of that is due to the nature of my challenge. In the future, I'll focus more on quality, even if that means writing less and researching, editing, promoting more.

    4) Writing makes you think

    Writing out your thoughts requires you to express them in a way that other people can understand. Much of my writing was as much for me as it was for my readers.

    Spelling out your thoughts is a great way to learn about yourself.

    5) Writing every day doesn't automatically make your blog popular

    I know some following this challenge have asked for traffic numbers. The conclusion after 300 days is that they are still low.

    I have only published half of my posts (49 of 89 posts published), but most of them have not received any significant traffic. And why would they? I have spent very little time promoting the content.

    You can argue that this challenge was a waste of time. Maybe it was. But I'd argue differently. This was a personal growth challenge. And I grew A LOT.

    The numbers aren't there yet. The visitors, the money, the followers, etc. But that's okay. I now have the foundation to build on.

    Challenge completed!

    These were some of my thoughts and lessons about my 300-day challenge. It feels a bit weird not having to post updates in this thread anymore. But I guess every good thing must come to an end. 2018 is soon over, and so is my challenge.

    However, I'm not sure I have posted all my final thoughts yet. So maybe I'll check in again with an epilogue.

    In any case, feel free to leave your comments in the thread. I'll still check it out and do my best to respond.

    And finally, please consider doing a personal challenge this year. This challenge has been a blast and it has given me so much. You can make your challenge public here on the forum, or you can keep it to yourself. Whatever you do, consider what you want to achive in 2019 and challenge yourself to do it!

    Happy New Year!

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    • Profile picture of the author Jeffery
      Originally Posted by SuitUp View Post

      I DID IT!
      Day 364 | 302 Days Completed

      I don't know how, but I managed to write 300 days this year. I officially completed my 2018 challenge.

      There have been a few ups and downs, but I'm surprised at how smooth most of the year has been. My goal was to become consistent, and as soon as writing became a daily habit, that consistency kicked in.

      Most of the time, I didn't have to watch myself. I just followed my daily routine where writing was now another habit. Like so many other things, shopping for groceries, going to work, cleaning, etc., writing was just another thing to do.

      I will, however, thank you guys here at the forum for keeping me honest. Without the public challenge I don't know if I would have made it. Thank you.

      Some lessons learned

      I leaned a lot this year. Much more than I can write in a single post here. But I'll mention just a few lessons off the top of my head.

      1) Challenge yourself!

      I never thought I would be able to write for a whole year. But I did. Thanks to this challenge. If you want to change something in your life, challenge yourself. It doesn't have to be 300 days. It can be 30. Or 10.

      But make the challenge. Then do your best to follow it.

      2) Sometimes you must force yourself

      I know that there would have been a lot of days where I would have given up if it wasn't for my writing habit. I often had to sit down and force myself to write. The first few paragraphs would be hard, then a little easier, and soon the words would come naturally.

      But none of that would happen if I didn't first force myself to start writing.

      I've found the same to be true with other things too.

      3) I wrote a lot of bad stuff

      Writing every day means writing even when you have nothing to write about. And that led to some poor posts.

      Generally, I'm not quite satisfied with the quality of my blog posts. But some of that is due to the nature of my challenge. In the future, I'll focus more on quality, even if that means writing less and researching, editing, promoting more.

      4) Writing makes you think

      Writing out your thoughts requires you to express them in a way that other people can understand. Much of my writing was as much for me as it was for my readers.

      Spelling out your thoughts is a great way to learn about yourself.

      5) Writing every day doesn't automatically make your blog popular

      I know some following this challenge have asked for traffic numbers. The conclusion after 300 days is that they are still low.

      I have only published half of my posts (49 of 89 posts published), but most of them have not received any significant traffic. And why would they? I have spent very little time promoting the content.

      You can argue that this challenge was a waste of time. Maybe it was. But I'd argue differently. This was a personal growth challenge. And I grew A LOT.

      The numbers aren't there yet. The visitors, the money, the followers, etc. But that's okay. I now have the foundation to build on.

      Challenge completed!

      These were some of my thoughts and lessons about my 300-day challenge. It feels a bit weird not having to post updates in this thread anymore. But I guess every good thing must come to an end. 2018 is soon over, and so is my challenge.

      However, I'm not sure I have posted all my final thoughts yet. So maybe I'll check in again with an epilogue.

      In any case, feel free to leave your comments in the thread. I'll still check it out and do my best to respond.

      And finally, please consider doing a personal challenge this year. This challenge has been a blast and it has given me so much. You can make your challenge public here on the forum, or you can keep it to yourself. Whatever you do, consider what you want to achive in 2019 and challenge yourself to do it!

      Happy New Year!

      Congrats. You're Awesome!!

      Happy New Year!
      Signature
      In the minute it took me to write this post.. someone died of Covid 19. RIP.
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  • Profile picture of the author Lisa Anderlander
    That's a rough mountain to climb so I'm going to climb it with you.

    I'm blogging everyday in 2019, NO MATTER WHAT!

    Even if I'm sick with the flu and in jail. I'll still going to, somehow get to the infirmary, then finesse the nurse, to get me into the library so I can post to my blog.

    No BS Mindset In 2019!
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