Blogging; Baby Steps to a Breakthrough
Over the past few months I have started to develop a bit of a routine with this blog. Mondays have generally been my week in review and basically my day of discussing my fears and frustrations with everyone. I have come to enjoy my Mondays. I take stock as to what I have accomplished and what I need to work on. Most of the time, I feel pretty pleased with the week.
However, I never really know how I am going to feel until I start writing. Most of the time, I feel as if I haven’t done anything and then as I write about the week in review, I say to myself, “Well, that wasn’t so bad”
Unfortunately this week, as I begin to write this post I wonder…did I accomplish anything?
Am I getting any farther along with theplanetd? It is hard to tell.
We are leaving in less than two months for India, and there is so much to do.
Packing, moving and organizing life isn’t all that stressful to either of us. We have done it before and we know what we need to do before we step on the plane. Organizing the blog and keeping up to date with what needs to be done on the Internet? Well that is another story. And this week I feel that I fell desperately short of fulfilling my goals.
On one hand, I was happy with our posts. Our Giving Back Series is going over very well and we are inspired by our guest contributors each week. We are learning about many different ways that travelers can give back to the communities that they visit and we are finding new ideas for ourselves on how we too can hopefully make a difference like these wonderful writers.
We were also surprised to have the Marriott get in touch with us to host a $50 giveaway towards a night at one of their great hotels. I have seen several other bloggers host contests and we finally felt that wow, maybe we are doing something right if a company is asking us to help promote their product.
I even picked up my speed and wrote a couple of posts quite quickly and effortlessly. Revisiting Songkran Festival in Thailand and Surfing in Bali put a smile on my face, and I was happy to put up some videos that I didn’t have on the blog before. They are older videos so I didn’t have to do any editing, but at least I added some new content for all to see.
Speaking of video, I have edited a new video from our time in Alberta. Thanks to visiting NomadicMatts website regarding his first attempt at adding video to his blog…I found a great website for free non copyright music. It is a great find and finally, I won’t be using my beloved Itunes music anymore. We are going legit! Thanks to the music provided at music alley
You can see our Rocky Mountain Adventure in the sidebar to the right.
Now for other news…
Our views are down a couple of hundred hits a day these past couple of weeks. I remember reading an article in Problogger about this. He said not to become stuck on numbers. There are several different reasons why website views ebb and flow. It could be seasonal for all I know. Maybe in the autumn months people are busier. The kids are going back to school, summer is over and they aren’t thinking of vacations right now, so travel sites traffic could be down.
I don’t know really what the reason is, but I do know that things have dropped considerably. However, our subscribers are growing steadily which makes us happy since at least we have people interested in coming back to see what is new.
I feel that I may have bitten more than I can chew lately however. I have been trying to juggle articles for the Unique Article Wizard, I have signed up for MatadorU’s travel writing course, I am in the process of moving and taking things to storage, I am trying to plan our trip and visit friends and family before we leave. It has been difficult to keep up.
So much so that I have decided not to renew my Unique Article Wizard subscription. Luckily there is no obligation and when things slow down, I will probably sign back up. But for now, I just don’t have the time. We did manage to submit a lot of articles in the two months that we had it though at everyday articles were being accepted somewhere providing valuable link backs.
I get my new MatadorU chapter on Wednesdays. And I will be honest with you, so far I haven’t even looked at my second lesson. Things have just been crazy. I am having a little bit of difficulty prioritizing what needs to be done.
Travel writing has always been my goal…
So I am upset with myself that I have already let MatadorU slide so my goal today is to sit down and spend the time on my lesson.
I also have really let my visits to other blogs lapse. I just cannot comprehend how people do it with such ease. I stop by a website and see that everyone has already been there giving words of encouragement and support. It is amazing and something that I really need to work on.
Dave has worked hard as well on top of his 12 hour days on his TV Series. He comes home and works on all of our technical aspects. He has set up our podcast site, he has downloaded all of our apps for our iphone, he has fixed errors and problems on the site and he as started to work on his photography site as well. He amazes me. This blog wouldn’t be anything without him. He has designed it, fixed problems, changed the layout and a million other things that I can’t even think of because I am not qualified to even know what he has been up to. He just magically works on something and things get done!
So it is the beginning of another week and as I sum up the post, I see that yes we did make some steps forward this week. Not giant steps, but baby steps. Every week there is something that keeps me going. I recently read a post on a website that stated that most Bloggers give up too soon and probably just when they were about to have a breakthrough.
There is no way that we are going to quit writing and running this blog. We love it, but I must say, that I really hope that a breakthrough is on the horizon.
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Love this article! Nice to read your honest opinion and fears on here. Not everybody dares to put their fears and frustrations in writing. And I’m sure that breakthrough is on the horizon for you guys! Just keep doing what you’re doing. Because you’re doing great!!!
.-= IsabellesTravel´s last blog ..Portuguese phrases for travelers =-.
Thanks Isabelle. Sometimes I do tend to share a bit too much maybe. But what can you do? I sometimes say to myself…ooh, should I put that in? And then I say what have I got to lose and then most of the time people reply back stating that they feel the same way… So far anyway.
It is tough trying to juggle everything in the real world and the virtual world. We thought that we would have more time to work on the website once we hit the road but, in fact, the opposite has occurred. Last week, we honestly didn’t have a moment to go through photos, write, or really do anything other than check email and use Skype. We are trying to work out a balance between seeing sites and enjoying the amazing places we are visiting and keeping up our virtual life too.
.-= Akila´s last blog ..peach tart with pecan gingersnap crust + we’re off! =-.
Akila, thanks for sharing. We are going to be in your shoes soon and I am looking forward to seeing your progression. I am sure that it won’t be long until you have found a rhythm. It is a very real fear of ours that we are not going to be enjoying the sites and worrying too much about the blog, but I am determined to travel and live first. Writing and blogging will have to come second. (at least I hope)
Don’t let yourself get too snowed under Deb – the blog is great and the fluctuations are not anything that you have/haven’t done, your content is still compelling and informative.
Sending you lots of warm thoughts (literally too) and good luck on studying for your course
.-= Shannon OD´s last blog ..a little imagination…exploring skye through the rain =-.
Thanks Shannon. We do realize that views ebb and flow and really, the only thing that we can do as bloggers is stay true to our vision and honest in our writing. Like I said, we weren’t too unhappy about it, just an observation that our views had dipped quite a bit. But then again, we have had a huge increase over all since April. I think that we just had a very good August and things have just started to level out now in September.
Deb I totally understand what you’re going through. It may be small comfort, but it might help to know that you’re far from alone in much of what you’re going through – many of us struggle with the same problem of trying to balance the various commitments we have with what we would like to achieve – it’s a daily battle. Some days we win, some days we lose. The important thing is to not stress over it, at least not too much
.-= Trisha´s last blog ..Alleviate Pressure by Outsourcing Copywriting =-.
Thanks Trisha. I agree, a lot of people have the same problems. That is one of the reasons that I have actually decided to write these posts on Mondays. It is great to share and discuss how things are going and let people know that even if things look like they are together and organized, it can be exactly the opposite behind the scenes. It is funny, after I finish writing the posts, all of the stress goes away and I am free to go on with my day
it’s all about the baby steps. no one can do all the things that need to be done. i get mired in one thing, and everything else goes by the wayside (visiting blogs, twitter, fb, etc.)…prioritizing is a good thing, as is making time for yourself AWAY from all this crazy web stuff!
YAY you – getting closer! 2 months. wow!!
.-= jessiev´s last blog ..Update: MBT Shoes Reviews =-.
Jessie you are absolutely right. It is good to get away from the web once in a while. I cannot get over how much time I have spent behind the computer. One day, we will figure it all out I am sure of it:)
Hi Deb,
Your post on Monday is my favorite too.
I always look forward to reading your review. For what it’s worth, don’t get too caught up on doing it all. Just prioritize your goals and work on it. I have been busy myself. I just got back from my blogging conference for moms and it was eye opening and great learning for me. One thing I learned for sure is that your blog is what you make out of it. You can let it run your life or you can run your blog the way you like. 
Your blog is amazing!!! I think you have done a great job in setting up your blog for your long term travel.
.-= Amy @ The Q Family´s last blog ..5 Tips to Take Kids on Business Trip =-.
Amy, That is amazing that you were at a conference for blogging. Your site is really taking off and getting noticed. I do enjoy the discussion and advice that everyone gives on these posts. We all really can learn so much from each other.
I get so inspired by your dedication and how you share with your readers secrets to your success. I lack commitment but when I check out your site and see that if I want to make things happen in my life I have to do it.
Thanks so much
Thanks Teresa; Haha, well at least readers can learn a lot from the discussions that happen. We do find that on Mondays we receive some great advice from other amazing travel bloggers
You know, I have no idea how anyone has time to read blogs, write blogs and market them. it’s overwhelming and I feel if I miss one hour in a day, I’m behind!
My numbers have fallen as well. I don’t get stuck on it. as long as I’m working on bettering my blog:)
You guys are doing a great job and it will pick up again once you start your travels!
I used to be obsessed with numbers. While I still follow them closely it’s best to pull back to look for trends over a longer period of time. June is slow, Sept. slows down, there are patterns you begin to notice.
I’d highly recommend a daily, weekly, and monthly schedule. It’s something I do – a rough guide on how I’ll sort a day (RSS feeds, writing, social networking) and then a schedule for a week (1 Matador, one guest post, etc.) then for a month things I hope to accomplish (i.e. maybe a total of 3 guest posts).
Just some examples but it’s really easy to get overwhelmed especially as you start branching out. A schedule where you can check things off helps to keep motivated. Sorry for the long comment, but I can feel your pain. Keep writing, writing, and writing!
.-= Anil´s last blog ..Bidet Basics =-.
Anil, I love a long comment, you can leave one anytime. Especially when you always leave such great advice. A schedule is a must and I always try to stick by mine as well. Sometimes things just pile up and even though they get done, it can make for a pretty busy day. At the same time, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love writing. The more I do it the more I love it.
Good to hear that September slows down, we have only started following our stats a few months ago, so we haven’t been able to track stats yet.
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