Month 1: Concentration on content
Back in July, I had signed up with WA not knowing what I wanted to do. It wasn't until March of this year that I had finally figured out what I wanted to write about and returned to study the lessons on a regular basis.
This post is for those of you who may also be at the beginning stages of development like me. I'll be outlining a few things that seem like it "slows down" progress but truth is, there is no such thing here as being "behind schedule."
Minimum quantity with maximum quality
Until today, I was at Course 2, Lesson 3 for a good part of March because I had committed myself to writing a minimum of five articles before submitting it to our peers for critique. In addition to writing, I also committed to meeting a minimum amount of illustrations, as people in general (not just artists) will always notice content that is accompanied by graphical content. We will be reminded by our top people that original content needs to be there if we want search engines to even give us the time of day.
If you haven't written anything, start making a list of topics and pick a minimum of five to start, 10 if you're feeling really ambitious. I currently have a master list that's probably around 30 articles worth now to cover me for the month of April!
TIP: A motivational practice I use for overcoming the challenge of task lists is to physically "cross off" your completed tasks. Science people say that it releases a chemical in your brain that pumps you up. Believe me when I say it works.
Fit the theme to the content, not vice versa
As your vision and ideas start taking shape, your WP theme will likely have to change with it. Don't feel committed to the first WP theme you pick, even if you have written content; but also don't become attached to a theme to the point where you might inadvertently be making your content to match the theme instead. I would know—I changed my theme more than 10 times.
Here are the final criteria I used to find my theme and finally take out the distraction of theme hunting, mainly accounting for emphasis on using featured images:
- Full width banner
- Slideshow options
- Feature page boxes
- In-theme social media insertion
- Dedicated editing interface
The last one probably being one of the most valuable features to look for. Depending on the theme, it can sometimes save time and headache.
Is my site complete? Not at all!
Because we can never truly "complete" a website. But, there will always be more work to be finished—everyday!
Instead of thinking on how to "complete" your site (which will never happen) think about a lesson, article or page that you can finish everyday—then you're making progress.
Recent Comments
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I really enjoyed your site! The artwork and layout jumped out at me immediately. I can definitely see the work that you put into it, and it has truly paid off. Also, I really enjoyed your post about the difference between pyramid schemes and affiliate sites. You were spot on.
You took a very sensible approach to your journey here. Good for you.
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Hi layrstini. The "To do today" list really works Ive been using it for years because I was always starting jobs but never finishing them before I moved on to another job I preferred..... RESULT ..Nothing got finished !!!! RESULT failure and chaos ! Well done for reminding me what succeeds. Thank you
Glad to help Suzanne, after all I learned the hard way myself—it's all about defeating our own impatience for instant gratification.