5 Months In: My Slow BUT Steady Model
If you've been following me, you will know that WA has been the 'side hustle' to my full-time job, and many other responsibilities.
If you haven't been following and this is your first time in my world, here's a quick update:
In Nov 2019 I joined WA and started with a hiss and a roar. I was sick of being time poor so wanted to change that.
In Jan 2020 I plateaued, and then stopped. Murphy's Law right?
I talk about this more in my Going Nowhere Fast Ends Today blog if you are interested in that slight detour :P
In Feb 2020 I realised I was a mile wide and an inch deep with all my responsibilities so I regrouped, culled a few things, and set a WA productivity goal which is detailed in my Let's Get Real blog. I also completed my Level 2 OEC training at this point.
Shortly after this blog I received GREAT advice from my buddy Mike to set a daily WA goal.
So, in March 2020, I calculated that I only had 1-2 hours per day to myself, and realised that if I wanted to get out of OEC alive and before retirement, I had better allocate all this time to WA. Short-term sacrifice, long-term gain I think they call it :D
So! My slow-but-steady model was created:
- 1-2 hours per day of WA time
- 1.5 hours content writing.
- 0.5 hours WA engagement.
- 1.5 hours content writing.
The end.
Ok, maybe not the end because I kid you not, since establishing this routine in my mind and on paper, I have actually found MORE time in my days! I think this one is called the Law of Attraction right?
One of my articles was also indexed on Google (I never actually shared this as I was super focused on my content but hey, there you have it :D ).
Reeeeemix...
As at April 2020, I am up to OEC Level 3 - Lesson 6, waiting for approval from Google Adsense, and writing my first review article.
Since developing slow-but-steady momentum, I have noticed small but sure wins from simply dedicating consistent time to WA.
If I am being honest, I was lucky enough to have a few days during our country's lock-down to dedicate almost 8 hours to WA. This my friends is called sacrifice and capitalising on my time, particularly when it is a rare occasion!
Anyway, here are just a few examples to date:
- I finally figured out the world of plug-ins!
- I finally figured out the world of widgets!
- I finally added affiliate links! I was super excited to finally reach this milestone.
- I threw myself into SEO training and optimised two of my articles.
- I hired a Virtual Assistant to help with my WA business and one other. This excellent decision has helped me to scale up both businesses already.
- I received constructive feedback on my website and made ALL the necessary and helpful changes. The best one involved separating two of my articles into four given the sheer amount of information I had provided in both. In doing so, these four articles where ALL INDEXED BY GOOGLE within two days! #winning
Just to name a few...
Foresight is Key
I will continue to keep my eye firmly on the prize - my WHY. I have accepted that the ups and downs will continue to come.
I will continue to give realistic amounts of time to all my responsibilities, including WA. I will captialise on my time with every opportunity.
I know that patience is key.
I know that my dreams won't work if I don't.
In The End...
My slow-but-steady WA model has been an absolute gem for my busy lifestyle.
I haven't plateaued or stopped, if anything, I have captialised and worked smarter.
If you have a busy life and feel that your WA commitments are too hard, or too much, think again. Regroup, refocus, and set some daily WA goals. Seriously.
Although I am far from finished, my slow-but-steady model has ensured I am connected, focused, achieving, and happy.
I would love to hear any tips on how you juggle all your responsibilities with WA in mind :)
All the best,
Recent Comments
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Gina, this was a recommended post via Mike, he being someone whom I have huge respect for, so when he said it’s worth a read then I listen.
He was right, it is a hugely impressive post, lots of bite sized nuggets in there, one of my favourites is about taking one step at a time, in fact that for me was the premise, small daily steps to your achievable goals which will eventually lead to the big hairy audacious goals we set ourselves in the beginning.
Gina I am watching your progress with interest, you appear to be a confident and eloquent writer, I am certain you will soon have a reliable and constant following...🤗👍
'big hairy audacious goals' is the best thing I have heard all day Cordelia :D It is also a lovely reminder of my WA goals I set yes!
I have no choice but to work smarter and harder as I will be time poor for as long as I am working full-time. At this stage and per my vision/goals, I plan to remain full-time in my job another 12 months, after which, I hope to reduce to part-time hours, and then eventually, resign because my WA efforts have paid off!
Thank you for your very kind words and upliftment Cordelia, I have followed you back :)
Talk again soon no doubt.
Gina
That is awesome you have found a groove you can roll with and it's totally working!
I have also been trying to set time aside everyday to work on my website. I am getting through my training, though I keep getting sidetracked with so many other things I find that I want to learn more about!
Slow, but steady is a great model to have and makes the impossible possible.
Best of luck moving forward!
Heidi
you and me both Heidi! I am easily distracted with all the online learning and detours.
Yes, totally working for me now! I didn't have WA as a priority so it simply did not feature in my routine/schedule. Now that it has, I am slowly but surely gaining traction. If I am being honest, I was lucky enough to have 6 hours today.
All the best to you too Heidi :D
Gina, I just discovered your post while reading Mike Beatty's most recent WA blog post.
Contrats on your slow but steady progress. Like you, I am a mile wide and an inch deep with my responsibilities. I'm at point that I realize something needs to change if I want to improve my time deprived lifestyle.
I think I shall try your model for the next 30 days.
I just replied to your comment on Mikes article :)
I completely understand! I still consider myself time poor as my average is still only 1-2 hours per day. Some days I only get 20 mins. However, I make sure I am super productive in that time so that I at least achieve something.
For example, I was only able to write two paraprahs yesterday, however, I logged off feeling very accomplished and happy.
Productivity in my opinion is something that simply produces a positive outcome.
I've followed you as I would LOVE to hear about your results in 30 days!
Gina
Congrats!
I too am on a similar journey of slow and steady progress.
Whether it is one paragraph or 3 articles, doing one WA lesson, or figuring out something new on WP...whatever is done in a day's work is a victory worth celebrating.
Keep it up and cheers to your future progress!
that's excellent, and exactly my life right now Glenn!
I particularly like how you say 'one paragraph' as yesterday was that kind of day for me. BUT, I logged off feeling super accomplished!
I appreciate your mindset and wish you all the very best :)
Gina
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Thanks Gina, This was exactly what I needed to read!
I've been working on a couple of sites, and spent several weeks on furlough with lots of time to spend on them. But back to work on Thursday through me for a loop - I shall adopt your 2 hours a day model from Monday and hopefully get back to where I was before the furlough started!
Thanks!
Lisa
excellent plan!
Don't worry too much, I only managed to do 30mins each day this past week due to my day job being quite up and down with COVID-19. However, I still progressed forward even though the steps were smaller ones in comparison to my leaps a few weeks ago!
It will always be fluid when WA is your 'side hustle'. Once it becomes your fulltime gig, planning with such finese will lessen!
All the best as you reach your goals :)