Finding Motivation: How to Adapt a Routine

While browsing Google Reader, I came across an article called Finding the Rhythm by Trent Hamm, author of the finance blog The Simple Dollar. This article discusses key methods on how to know when your work rhythm is failing and how to pick it back up again to become more productive. While reading the article, I thought about past activities I’ve done and how they’ve affected my productivity.

Photo by Julie Jordan Scott (flickr)

For example, this morning I took a nice long shower before beginning my day, when usually I would take a shower later in the evening. After the shower, I proceeded to drink my daily cup of organic coffee and then got to work. What a difference! Drinking coffee didn’t exactly make a noticeable difference, since that was something I was already doing anyway. But the shower, without a doubt, increased my productivity a great deal. Having a shower in the morning by itself probably wouldn’t have done much. But combining the shower with the cup of coffee made a complete difference in how well I worked throughout the day. I was no longer drowsy, my damp hair emitted a nice pleasant smell of violets and blueberries, and my skin just felt incredibly soft and clean. (more…)

Using Your Own Name to Title Your Blog: Pros & Cons

Thinking about using your own name to title your blog? Or maybe you’re unsure of a blog title, so figured your own name would be the best way to go? Choosing a blog title isn’t easy, that’s for sure. However, choosing a blog title is also one of the most important steps of blogging. In years to come, people will associate your blog with your blog title. So, you want your blog title to be the best it can be.

Photo by Brian Burger (flickr)

Should you use your own name to title your blog? Well, it depends on your own personal preferences and what you want your blog to offer. Many top bloggers will advise against using your own name, though there have been some successful bloggers who have made it to the top using their own names as their blog titles. For example, Chris Garrett made a blog with the domain name of Chrisg.com and it’s doing quite well. That doesn’t exactly mean that your blog will have the same result. Let’s take a look at why you should and shouldn’t use your own name to title your blog. (more…)

6 Major Benefits of Blogging and How to Incorporate Them on Your Blog

Why create a blog? If you’re asking this question, most likely you don’t know the benefits of blogging. There are many reasons why people blog. Some just do it to pass time. Others do it for money. Still others do it to teach.

Take a look at the most essential benefits of blogging. As you read each one, ask yourself if your blog makes use of the benefit. If it doesn’t, find ways you can incorporate it into your blog. If you do all these steps on a regular basis, I guarantee that you’ll have a successful blog within the next 6 months.

Don’t have a blog yet? You don’t have to make one now, but you should (even if it’s just to try). You can create a free blog on Blogger or WordPress for now, but consider moving your blog to your own hosting as the blog grows. (more…)

7 More Practical Ways to Make a Living Online

In a previous post 10 Practical Ways to Make a Living Online, I discussed 10 of the most common ways to make online income. However, we’ve gotten some really good feedback, so I’ve decided to expand on the topic a little further by listing 7 more ways you can make a living online. I hope you enjoy!

1. Making eBooks

eBooks have become increasingly popular on the Internet, mainly because buyers are able to read the eBook immediately after purchasing it. Creating an eBook also doesn’t require as much hassle as publishing an actual book. Most writing applications, like Microsoft Word or Microsoft Office allows you to convert regular text files into PDF format for eBook publishing. You will need the full version of Adobe Acrobat installed, though, before you can convert the file.

Bloggers and freelance writers everywhere are creating quality eBooks and making thousands of dollars in eBook sales. If you have a unique writing style or know a topic very well, creating an eBook might be right for you. Read Ed Zivkovic’s guide on how to create an eBook for more details. (more…)

What is a Blog?

Have you ever asked yourself what a blog actually is or, more precisely, what the meaning behind a blog is supposed to be? If I chose 20 random people and told them to describe what a blog is to them, how would they respond? More importantly, would their responses be the same?

Let’s look at what famous bloggers have to say:

‘A blog is a type of website that is usually arranged in chronological order from the most recent ‘post’ (or entry) at the top of the main page to the older entries towards the bottom.’

- Darren Rowse, author of ProBlogger

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Choosing a Blog Title Isn’t Easy: The Process I Went Through

One of the hardest tasks of creating a blog is choosing the blog title. You want your blog title to be creative, relate to your niche and, at the same time, attract traffic to your website. In fact, choosing a blog title can be just as difficult as launching your blog for the first time and increasing your subscriber count. On eHow, I touched on this topic briefly with my How to Choose a Personal Blog Title article.

It takes time to craft a blog title that will turn heads and make visitors on your website want to stay. At the same time, you also want a blog title that goes with your theme and overall brand. A blog on simplicity, for example, wouldn’t have a long or complex title, since the blog deals with simplifying your life. Just like a blog about peace and calm wouldn’t have a logo displaying loud, bright colors, since this would have the opposite effect of peacefulness. (more…)

Beginner’s Guide to Anything4Free: Method 2

If you have a trade rating (TR) of 4 or higher and you think you’re ready to move on to Method 2 of freebie trading and recruit your own referrals, buckle your seat belts. It’s going to be a long and entertaining ride. But, if you’re new to freebie trading or think you can still benefit from Method 1, I suggest reading my Beginner’s Guide to Anything4Free: Method 1 post to familiarize yourself with the process. For a more detailed overview on Method 1 and Method 2, read my Project Payday review.

First, you’ll need to master the art of patience before freebie trading can become a rewarding hobby. There are so many factors of freebie trading that is beyond your control when diving into Method 2. Referrals will go on hold, offers will take centuries to credit and questions will pile up in your in-box, among the few. It will become your duty to help your referrals go off that hold, explain how to submit missing credit requests to speed up the process of offer crediting and answer all questions in your in-box, one by one.

You’ll also need to be flexible. Some days will be hectic, and you’ll have to bustle about answering questions, initiating trades and responding to trade thread inquiries. Other days you’ll find yourself refreshing the Anything4Free forums tab a hundred times, just to see if you have any new messages. (more…)