Kirsty
Tue 22 Aug 2006
I think the best way to stay motivated is to set myself a bunch of short-term goals to aim for that are within reach. I think you can still think big while taking baby steps towards a larger goal. Setting those baby steps is a great way to positively procrastinate and keeping to them is a good way to track progress.
About 6 weeks ago my goals were all based around how much money I expected to be earning. My initial goal was to be earning $100/month by the end of the summer and $300/month by the end of the year but I might as well have pulled these figures out of my ass because they’re not really based on anything concrete.
Instead I’ve decided to set goals like ‘Finish section A of website B’, ‘Add a photo gallery and message board to site C’ and ‘Write 5 new articles for site A’ etc. with the expectation that improving and adding new content will boost my traffic which will in turn boost my earnings. I’ve decided to concentrate on my main site and have finally introduced Server Side Includes to the entire thing to make future updates a lot easier. Next I’m aiming to finish my ‘Places’ section including adding links to books affiliated through Amazon.com. For some reason I never expect much from Amazon but it can’t hurt! I also plan to add a country-specific Hostelworld.com booking menu. So far it seems like I’ve been working totally on finishing pages of my sites so I’m anxious to see if the addition of affiliate links in more logical places will have any sort of impact.
I find I can sometimes get overwhelmed when I sit down and think of all the things I want to do with my sites. Having a list is one way to avoid that overwhelming feeling. Setting the goals in the easy bit… now I’d better actually stop being lazy and get something done!
August 22nd, 2006 at 1:19 pm
Hi Kirsty another great post! I’m having to do exactly the same. Check this site out http://www.43things.com/search/query?q=finish+my+website you will be amazed just how many other people have the same difficulty doing things
It’s huge fun, with a bias towards goals & travel if used correctly it will provide you with some powerfull IBLs
Have a great day
August 23rd, 2006 at 2:07 am
Does a website ever get “finished”? I would just be concentrating on increasing content on your sites, whether it you that is creating it or other people.
I have also not been very good at finishing things. I tend to go and start something new before I have fully finished my previous project.
Since I know now that this is the way I work, I try to use it in my favour rather than trying to fight it and feel bad because it didn’t fully finish what I planned.
I have created my own “circular” approach, get a site started and indexed, put a couple of ads on it. Then I go back and do some maintenance on my other sites. Then after a while I go back to the newly created site.
Always let people know that you accept articles, and have some way of visitors to create content for you. ie. forums, hotel reviews, comments etc. This way your sites grow without you having to do all of the work.
Every now and then hunt around for some affiliate programs to try. Sign up for at a new one each week and give it a try. Keep all of your log in details in the one place.
Try, try, try. If you have just a minor success with an affiliate program, think of new and different ways you can sell their products.