After blogging for a year, have I learned a lot?
Of course I did learn a lot. Here is the problem – learning from a mountainous pile of information is certainly daunting and not easy. Imagine trying to sift through the immense garbage scattered across the internet with random articles to read which somehow seems disjointed if you try to piece the puzzles together.
I think the problem becomes worse when there are heaps of people claiming to be experts and I can’t help but pity the newbie who stumbles across an “expert” website who claims to know everything.
What I do realize after being online for a year is this. You really don’t need to know everything. What you need to know is the right thing. But trying to know the right thing is equally difficult.
So this is what I think everyone should do. Before you launch into a frenzy of commenting, blog hopping, social bookmarking, article writing, link building…..etc STOP and think!
Embrace the silence of not doing anything and just reflect if what you are doing is actually yielding results.
Over the past couple of days, a number of pretty good posts have caught my attention. It’s ok to learn but it’s important to focus your efforts on the most important thing. And that is the 80/20 rule which I’m sure most of you have heard about. It’s spending 20% of your time doing the right things to yield 80% results from it. But it’s easier to say this then to identify what this 20% is.
Another post has also made me wonder about something. It is much more important to seek understanding and not more information. It’s time to weed out the bad stuff and get my head around things I just haven’t got it yet.
So over the next couple of days, I plan to reduce the time spend on other blogs, spend more time trying to figure out things that I can improve on, for example using Twitter and Facebook to diversify my traffic sources. Seek websites or bloggers who can help me with my business. I really do need a mentor. Check out Fiverr!
What do you think? Are you going through the monotonous cycle again or are you going to do something different?
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: danalingga
February 18, 2011 at 1:03 am
Yeah, we surely need our alone time to focus on needed improvement. Indeed, online world is very distracted so we need avoid it to improve our own blogs/sites.
Dana @ Tablet PC Info recently posted..Motorola Atrix- The AT&T’s Android Powered 4G Cell Phone With Dual Core Processor
Hey Dana,
i think everyone should have their “alone” time from the internet. I hope you’ve done yours too
Thanks for stopping by again!
Hi Bryan,
Nice blog your have.
I just read your post, it seems we are on the same wavelength about seeking more understanding than to seek more information. To stop is a wise thing: like if we keep doing the same thing we are doing we are going to get the same result. Or stop climbing the ladder to think if the ladder is against the right or wrong wall.
You see, there are so many so-called expert, because some marketers are teaching that everybody has to show themselves as an expert online and to be seen as the expert. And often it’s just like the piano teacher who is just 1 week ahead of their student.
That’s why you need a mentor with real experience who is willing to invest in you, instead of the so called mentor who only called themselves so because they want your money.
So yeah, if you find the right people to team up… you’ve found what it takes to grow and excel in your online business or any business actually.
Ben Wan
Ben Wan @ Wordpress Help recently posted..The 3 Biggest Mistakes Online Business Owners Should Avoid Making
Welcome Ben!
I’m glad we are thinking at the same wavelength in this area. You have a great post there too. Realized that its time to sit back and re-evaluate again.
I like your piano teacher analogy
It’s so true, you need someone with real expertise and real experience and not just someone with a little bit more experience from you. Just received your email. Will look into it.
Bryan
Twitter: alexanderthegry
February 19, 2011 at 8:45 am
Hello Bryan,
I think this is the exact dilemma that people which tend to do their research in depth and really exaggerate while they forget to put all their information into practice. Having the information is good but after a while you have to stop and digest it, think about it and try to figure out how you can apply all those stuff that you learned.
Also, analyzing what are the factors that help you the most and focusing on those, can make that 20/80 rule true. If you stop wasting time with unnecessary actions and focus on what really works, makes you more efficient.
Unfortunately, I have to maintain my monotonous cycle for now, at least until July when I will try to diversify the traffic I am getting and figure out a new solution to drive traffic to my websites without using search engines (well, search engines can bring traffic, but just as a residual effect).
Alex@Jocuri recently posted..Tamponari 3D
Hey Alex,
I must admit I’m still trying to get all the things aligned although I do see it much clearer now than I first started. I think a lot of people are faced with this dilemma. Like you said, whatever the big internet marketers are doing to people who’ve just started isn’t helping them for the “real” thing. It’s really hard.
Right now I think I might slow down a bit with this blog and try to see what can work for me. I’ve created a few Youtube videos these past week and I hope to see some results from it. I believe there are too many people writing stuff but much less people making videos. I’m trying to move away from doing the same ol’ same ol cycle of things. But that is not to say I will completely abandon it, though.
Thx for your opinion!
Twitter: stevescott1
February 19, 2011 at 11:56 pm
Bryan,
Congrats on one year, first off. That is an accomplishment. I think many many people quit long before that.
As to your “taking time”. that is a good thing. I have always belived that between 20-30% of your work time should be setting up plans/goals and thinking in general about where you want to be and how you are going to get there.
There is a lot of information out there, some of it contradictory, so learning more is not always the thing to do. Once your baseline is high enough it is time to “learn as you do”
Steve@Internet Lifestyle recently posted..Get More Blog Traffic Blueprint Week 14
Steve,
A mega big thanks for the compliment!
It is definitely an accomplishment but I’m still not seeing the results I anticipate. But thanks to bloggers like you, I’ve always something to look forward to. Right now I’m just digesting information that is more specific and more relevant to what I wanna achieve, bearing in mind the right 20% of effort to put in. I’m looking for people to help and learn from especially those who have many years more experience than me ( like you).
Cheers buddy.
I share a slightly different perspective. I don’t think it is about alone time as such. If you are working a ton then surely take time off. But when it comes to information overload it’s more likely that you are reading more than you are implementing. My business really started to grow once I realised this. Now if I read something that I find has merit, I actually implement it by taking massive action and then letting the results decide how effective that information is. Theory without practice is just that – theory. It coyld be fiction or fact.
I find that this strategy really helps me avoid information overload as it limits my information intake. I have now assigned no more than 1 hour a day for browsing, reading, etc.
Regards
Naji@InfinityDownline recently posted..InfinityDownline- Best residual income business opportunity
Hi Bryan,
I like your perspective and I love the Pareto principle (80/20 rule). Information overload and a steep learning curve is what plagues most new bloggers. I do build into my schedule time for experimentation and testing because because I’m not sure what works or whose advice to follow. I also believe that you have to continue refining your methodologies and discontinue that which doesn’t work which is what you are saying. Thanks and have a good day.
Riley
Riley Harrison recently posted..GOAL SETTING THAT WORKS part 1
Spot on Riley,
I think that problem plagues everyone at some stage. The challenge is to move away from the distractions and start focusing on what works. You’re right about constantly refining your methodologies. Split testing, weeding out things that doesn’t work is all part of the process. In addition to that, what may work for you might not work for me.
See you again!
Twitter: glynisj
March 12, 2011 at 8:02 am
That’s pretty good advise except for going to Fiverr. You probably already know someone that you respect, admire, and is doing similar things in business. Why find someone you know nothing about?