Make Time Not Excuses

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Updated 5 years ago

When I was in Secondary School (kinda like middle school/high school), I was studying nine subjects. YES, NINE. Finding time to study each subject was more than challenge, it was a nightmare!

In the middle of my final year, my grades were so bad my parents were called in to find out if I had issues with my disciplinary record or if I was struggling in class.

I had none of those problems. I was simply strapped for time. Some subjects I neglected because I couldn't find the time to study. "Physics needs more work" or "I need to memorise my music score" were the reasons I gave.

But I was just making excuses.

I often just gave a brief outline of my study schedule and not commit to it. I never made plans or anything like that, I just went with the flow. Of course, people can study really effectively this way but not me. I needed to make time, not give a halfhearted plan that I may not even follow through.

Making time, I realised brought out the best of my commitment to my studies.

So I made a huge wall plan with dates, times, subjects, and everything. It was big and really detailed but I wasn't pressed for time for once in my life. My grades improved and since then, "make time not excuses" has been the number one tip I gave to my juniors.

So why am I mentioning this?

Well, let's say your website is your studies. The components of your website (eg. posts, design, plugins, etc.) being the subjects that your have to study.

If your just work on the number of posts, your neglect the other "subjects" because your only have time to just post.

But what your don't realise is that technology moves faster than anything your've ever seen before: Wordpress updates frequently, your old plugins become obsolete. Your theme might even become "wonky".

You need to frequently see what programmes are new and trending so that your site is up-to-date. Who wants a site that is obsolete?

For instance, I have changed my site at least 10 times since I launched it — my site is only 2 months old.

It's not "I hate the theme therefore it must go!" mentality. NO. It's "I need to improve the interface of the site". I've changed the theme because it wasn't responsive, I've changed the font because my writing style changed, I've added so-and-so plugin because it helps enhance the reading process, etc.

But it's not just the programmes your have to worry about.

Some older posts may need changes. Perhaps the product your're reviewing is no longer in the market or something scandalous has happened to the company that made the product. You need to do a lot of quality check on your site.

For instance, I did a review on Nana, a manga that has been on hiatus for 10 years. I have to keep an eye on any news from the manga community as any changes will affect the content on that particular post. If the mangaka (the author) decided to start up the manga again, I have to be aware of it or else, my post becomes useless to the public.

Make time not excuses

A lot of people here are holding full-time/part-time jobs, raising kids or studying while maintaining their website.

It's not easy to commit to both at the same time, just like how its difficult to commit to my nine subjects that I have to study for.

However, the success of your website is directly proportional to how much time your put into maintaining post frequency, updating layout and programmes, and being active on social media.

Because like I said above, just posting isn't enough to say that your site is up-to-date.

Posting frequently is the best way to get your site noticed but it isn't the only thing your can do. While your are not posting, make some improvements on your site or make some changes. An up-to-date site shows your presence, even if your're not posting.

If your are studying or holding just a part-time job, making time is a lot easier but if your have a family to raise or working full-time or even both, making time becomes almost impossible.

However, I don't believe that your cannot find some way to make time. Even if that time is only just to post, to change a theme, or to engage on social media, I think it is more worthwhile to use the time your have to work on whatever aspect of your site you can work on than just focusing on just one thing every time your're free.

What do I mean by this?

Perhaps your only have a few minutes of free time today — you can engage on social media.You don't need to panic over not posting today because your are engaging, your presence is still there. Don't use that free time to post because who can write a post in just a few minutes?

Having said that though, posting IS the number one thing your should do in order for your site to be successful. But if your know that your are so pressed for time that your can only post once in a while, be prepared that your site will be a side-gig for a while.

Making time is all about being productive. It's not about moving all your stuff to another day because your need today to post and improve your site. If your can actually dedicate a whole day to your site, then great! But if your can't, take a few minutes to engage or do research because if your're not doing anything related to your site, your site is as good as dead.

Don't give halfhearted reasons not to look at the data or check out the new plugins. If your are committed to making your site work, your would block some time out in your day no matter how small to do something, not just post.

But if your disagree with me and say "A few minutes is not even enough", then just be prepared for the long haul.

To end off my post, I would like to give your some food for thought.

Some people actually need that extra push to start something new because they're afraid of what lies ahead. Are your one of those people?

If making time involves a drastic move on your part because your want that passive income, are your prepared for the challenges that lie ahead?

Thank your and I hope your enjoy reading this post as I did writing it :)