This is my life.

I’ve been keeping a content schedule, as I’ve written about in a previous post: Why I started a content schedule. A quick look at it today has shown me that I’ve written approximately 73 posts/pages for my websites since May 8th.

That seems amazing to me when I think about it. Being aware of what content I’m posting has made a huge difference to me.

I don’t consider myself prolific, and I’m not sure what prolific would be for most people. But that amounts to any of the following.

73 posts/pages in 50 days on 31 sites

1.46 posts per day every day [m-tu-w-th-f-sa-su]

2.02 posts per day every weekday [m-tu-w-th-f] (36 days)

3.3 posts per day every day I have off my day job [m-th-f]  (22 days)

.04 posts per day per site

See the problem I’ve been having with 31 sites?

That comes to .04 of 1 post per day on each site, or about 1.2 posts on one site each month. This mathematical way of looking at the situation shows just how far 73 posts in 50 days doesn’t go when you have 31 websites among which to divide those posts. Ugh!

This makes me feel overwhelmed but happy that I decided to discard some websites.

On another note, I’ll admit to finding it tedious to record each piece of content I create on my spreadsheet.

The reason I calculated up the number of pages/posts I’ve done is so that I can decide if I want to keep using the content schedule.

I’m also keeping up with my content in my calendar because it’s more visual. However, it’s a lot harder to know how many I’ve done, since the only way to know that in the calendar is to actually count each entry–every time I want to know. The spreadsheet schedule lets me filter rows by site, so I can easily tell how long it’s been between posts….

Ugh!

I love making decisions, but I hate deciding.

#1 reason? I don’t do any market research and I don’t make much money from any of these sites. So, it wouldn’t make much sense for anyone to care what I’m doing, unless they just happen to love the subject. In which case it makes no sense for me to worry about it, because I too pick topics simply because I love them!

#2 reason? … "Why I’m not afraid to share my domain names" continues >

I don’t mind sharing these. They’re gone now, and I’m still trying to decide which other of my original 31 domains to let go. It’s hard! I am truly addicted.

• writersblocksolutions.com
• thewritepurchase.com
• sexpotsandsixpacks.com
• introductiontofaith.com
• posterthewalls.com
• thesecretandgod.com

Do not ask me why I bought some of these, because I can’t answer that. Some of them never had more than a one page website on them!

Anyway, just so you know, they’re available. Frankly, you would be doing me a favor to snap them up. That way I can’t be lured into repurchasing any of them! —Although I’m not sure why I would be!

If you’re looking to buy one, try dreamhost.com. They’re a nice place to register domains and get inexpensive hosting. (You don’t have to purchase hosting to use their domain registration service.)

Here’s the truth of the matter. Content schedule: good. Facing reality: bad better.

If you count the number of words I write when I’m trying to work something out in my head, you could say I’m a prolific author. I write and write and write, and usually I come to a conclusion or two, then go right back to doing what I was doing before I decided I needed to make a change.

That’s been the case time and again when it comes to my websites. I love them each dearly and have yet been able to break the cord tying me to them. … "Facing facts: I love my websites, but I do not have enough time to run them all" continues >

I read an interesting report on the topic of outsourcing a few weeks ago. It brought up many good points about the benefits and drawbacks of outsourcing one’s work.

I’ve actually been doing some careful outsourcing for about six months now, ever since I listened to Tim Ferris’s The 4 Hour Work Week. I’m having some luck with outsourcing in certain areas, and not so much in others. I found several points in the book misleading, based on my own experiences, and many points spot on. Here’s how outsourcing has and has not worked for me. … "Outsourcing Success, and Failure" continues >

Alrighty! I recently started a Content Schedule to help me stay on top of posting on my websites. I want to enjoy my sites, but I’m tired of the self-inflicted guilt I feel whenever I let one site go too long without new or updated content.

What I hope this will allow is a quick way to see which sites have recent posts and the pattern of those posts.

I’ve decided not to impose a posting or updating schedule on myself, even though some might think that’s the logical next step. I’m afraid a posting schedule would just turn posting and updating into nothing more than drudgery. I’m far from ready to commit myself to something like that. … "Why I started a content schedule" continues >

This weekend, I began playing around with Safari. I’ve had it installed on both my computers for months but I’ve never used it for anything more than to check the usability of my websites in the browser. Friday, I decided to really give it a test run, and I was very surprised to find that I really liked the way it made websites and fonts look.

I’ve been using Firefox for years and for a while, I was using a lot of plugins. That isn’t the case these days, though, so there isn’t really much I’m missing from just the basic install of the Safari browser as compared to Firefox. 

Now, I admit, my decision to keep using Safari is at the moment based entirely on how things look. :) Maybe that’s not the best reason to switch browsers, but it works for me right now.

Have you used Safari lately? What do you think of it? Is there anything I should know about it?

Update: One problem I’ve discovered is the inability to right-click on an image and see the properties for it. Is there some other way easy way to find that info in Safari?I actually use this quite a lot with bookcovers I get from publishers!

After a month of thought and consideration, I finally came up with the plan I hope will get me on track and keep me focused in 2009. It’s my new strategy, built on my successes of 2008. 

I’ve been seeing some steady, albeit slow, growth with several of my websites and I’ve been putting a bit of effort into leveraging my strengths and outsourcing my weaknesses.

I’m also very carefully re-partnering with someone I’ve been in business with before on a few projects. I’m handling things in a way that I think will prevent all of the past issues I’ve had working with others. I don’t really like working with others. :) I’m a loner and I definitely have control issues. … "Learning is out, Action is in, in 2009" continues >

I think it’s fair use to quote a few paragraphs from a 54 page ebook that’s pretty much free if you don’t count supplying your email address as payment. I do. But then again, I call it fair use to quote a few paragraphs from a novel I’ve just paid $24.99 to buy in hardback. Reviews are like that. You can get away with a lot of quoting there. :-)

So let’s call this a review where I’m not really doing any kind of review. Maybe you can call it commentary.

Yeah, that works. This is commentary.

I work and work and work, but I don’t get anything done. Am I lazy? Nah. I’m very misdirected though. However, I don’t think he’s wrong.

People will understand my argument – if you put more effort into something you earn greater rewards – yet will go back and spend their time on activities that have less impact because they are easier.

People…will understand how important…articles are, will learn all kinds of great marketing ideas, and will be inspired and energized…. Yet, even with this new awareness they will spend their time reading other blogs and websites, watching television and lamenting how much they hate their job.

These people, as much as they like to complain, have no one but themselves to blame for their current situation. How they currently live is a product of the choices they have made leading up to today….

He goes on to encourage action as the way to keep from becoming one of these people. Yaro Starak wrote this in his Blog Profits Blueprint, which is a great little ebook and something you should definitely read if you’re as addicted to websites as I am or if you’re interested in making some money from your website/blog. Click here to download the Blog Profits Blueprint.

This is a fundamental problem with me and my websites. I’ve discussed before how shallow I am about choosing domains and deciding on what I’ll make of a site (worded somewhat differently, but the meaning was there). I actually went looking for the post so I could link it, but the truth is, I couldn’t find it. So it’s either buried in this site somewhere, or it’s one of those posts I thought about writing but never did get around to getting it down on the computer. In case it’s the latter, I’ll say it here so you know what I’m talking about. I like to buy cool domain names—let’s not obsess over whose definition of cool I’m talking about here—and then never really do anything with the sites because I didn’t think that far ahead when I came up with that oh, so cool domain name.

I spend a lot of time reading about websites, thinking about websites, but not doing the kinds of things that really move things forward. I wouldn’t say I’m lazy, in the traditional sense of the word, because I work hard on my websites, just never on the things that matter for forward momentum and growth.

It’s a lot of hard work reading voraciously and learning about website creation and monetization, but I guess it must be even harder work to actually do something about it. You know…you actually have to make decisions.

That’s the kicker. The decision-making process uses skills most of us haven’t ever really developed that well. Making a decision, sticking to it, and then following up to make sure your progress stays aligned with the outcome you decided you wanted.

So yes, I am lazy, not with work but with decisions. I don’t want to make them, and I don’t want to stick with them. And that’s something I’m working frantically to change.

I can’t say for sure why I signed up to the Thirty Day Challenge Plus program, other than that I am planning to do some of my own product creation and the tools and methods they discuss seem to be the tools and techniques I need to learn.

I’m generally a cheapo when it comes to giving away any of my money for stuff I could probably learn/teach myself through the internet, but lately I’ve started to wonder if all the time I’m sinking into the research phase of learning is doing more harm than good. I needed a shortcut straight to the learning/doing phase and I found it with Thirty Day Challenge Plus. They teach website content creation and that’s the thing I’ve always been the slacker about. (See many of my other posts.) Of course, it doesn’t hurt that I actually liked the guys hosting the 30DC program. I’ve never met them, but they come across as earnest and fun.

And that’s what my website habit is to me, fun. And that’s the way I want to keep it. :-)

I’ve also been thinking of signing up to the Blog Mastermind coaching program.  Since it costs more up front though, I need to find someone who is using the program who would be willing to talk candidly with me about it, ’cause I’m just not sure if it offers the kind of learning environment I want.

If you’ve tried either of these programs, or if you want to try the Thirty Day Challenge Plus program and want to talk to someone who has joined, comment here or email me (or catch me on Google Talk @s perpetualized). I’m up for a chat about either.