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ProBlogger: New Year Reboot: Make This Your Most Productive Year Yet

ProBlogger: New Year Reboot: Make This Your Most Productive Year Yet

Link to ProBlogger

New Year Reboot: Make This Your Most Productive Year Yet

Posted: 04 Jan 2017 05:00 AM PST

2017 is your year! If you’re thinking of starting a blog, levelling up on your blog, or are looking to take your blog in a new direction, we are deep-diving into our content archives this week for the best posts to help you do just that.

Nothing stops a blog faster than running out of time to create and market it, but if we take a look at our working style (and *ahem* bad habits), we can easily see where we can cut out what isn’t working and how we can make good habits as automatic as brushing our teeth. 

If you are working on your productivity for the new year, feel free to look through our Be Productive portal.

5 Ways I Use Habits to Stay Creative and Productive When Working From Home by Gretchen Rubin first appeared on December 13, 2015.

5 Ways I Use Habits to Stay Creative and Productive When Working From Home: by Gretchen Rubin on ProBlogger.net

If you're a blogger, and you work from home, it can be tough to stay productive and creative. You can always knock off some household chore – or take a nap on the sofa!

5 Ways I Use Habits to Stay Creative and Productive When Working From Home

In Better Than Before, my book about how to master habits, I identify the 21 strategies we can use to make or break our habits. I use many of these strategies on myself, to keep myself on track as a blogger.

1. I use the Strategy of Safeguards to put myself out of the reach of temptation.

To do the serious work of original writing—my most challenging kind of work—I take my laptop to a library that's a block from my apartment, and there, I don't connect to the internet. It's easier physically to remove myself from the lure of my three monitors than to use self-control. Many people accomplish the same thing by using software to shut down the internet for certain intervals every day. Look for stumbling blocks, plan for failure!

2. I use the Strategy of Scheduling to do certain tasks at certain times.

It turns out that working is one of the most dangerous forms of procrastination. So when I tell myself, "at 10:00 a.m., I'm going to write that blog post," at 10:00 I don't allow myself to think that while I'm writing, I can also clean my desk, check email, post on Twitter, go over my calendar, or indulge in my personal favorite, do "research." At the designated time, I do the task that I've identified, or I stare at the ceiling. Even when I don't feel like working, I soon buckle down, out of sheer boredom.

3. I use the Strategy of Foundation to make sure that I move around a lot during the day.

Some days I go to the gym, or take a yoga class, or have a strength-training session. We also just got a new puppy, so I'm going for many more short walks during the day. Research shows that exercise helps me stay energized and focused—and for me, it also helps me keep my rear in the chair when I'm working, because otherwise I get very restless. Plus, as Nietzsche wrote, "All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking." I often find that I get a big insight or make an important connection when I'm out for a walk.

4. I use the Strategy of Monitoring to keep track of how much I'm posting.

How many posts am I really doing each week? We do a better job with just about everything (exercise, diet, spending, etc.) when we keep close track of what we're doing.

Weirdly, I've found, it's easier to post just about every day than to post somedays. I usually post 5-6 times a week, so it's part of my ordinary day. I don't agonize, "Should I write something? I wrote yesterday and the day befofre, shouldn't I get today off? I have a good idea for tomorrow, so should I take today off? I didn't sleep well last night, I'll write better tomorrow", etc. But if I posted, say, three times a week, I'd go through that every time, I'm sure.

As it is, I just have to post. If you want a daily time log, to help you monitor how you're spending your time each day, download it here.

5. I use the Strategy of Treats to make plenty of time to read.

The Strategy of Treats is the most fun We should load ourselves with healthy treats, because when we give more to ourselves, we can ask more from ourselves. Reading is my favorite thing to do, and when I give myself plenty of time to read for fun, I feel energized and cared for. Also, my reading gives me new ideas, illustrations, and insights, so it makes blogging easier, too. But I spend a good amount of time each week reading exactly what I want to read, not what I think I "should" read.

BONUS

Here's a strategy that I don't need, but many people do: the Strategy of Accountability. In Better Than Before, I divide people into four categories: Upholders, Questioners, Obligers, and Rebels. (Take the quiz here.) For people who are "Obligers" (which is the largest category, by the way), the Strategy of Accountability is crucial. Key. Essential!

If you're really good at meeting other people's expectations, but find it hard to meet your expectations for yourself, you must give yourself outer accountability.Start an accountability group (starter kit here, if you want to start one) where people hold each other accountable. Work with a coach. Find a client. Report to a buddy. Do whatever it takes—because for many people, writing regularly on a blog is something that just won't happen, no matter how much they want to do it, if there's no external accountability. Know yourself, and plan accordingly!

If you'd like to read more about how to use habits to make your life happier, healthier, and more productive, check out my book, Better Than Before. It turns out that it's not too hard to change your habits—when you know what to do.

The post New Year Reboot: Make This Your Most Productive Year Yet appeared first on ProBlogger.

      

ProBlogger: New Year Reboot: Advanced Techniques for Making Money on Your Blog

ProBlogger: New Year Reboot: Advanced Techniques for Making Money on Your Blog

Link to ProBlogger

New Year Reboot: Advanced Techniques for Making Money on Your Blog

Posted: 03 Jan 2017 05:00 AM PST

2017 is your year! If you’re thinking of starting a blog, levelling up on your blog, or are looking to take your blog in a new direction, we are deep-diving into our content archives this week for the best posts to help you do just that.

Making money on your blog is the goal for many ProBlogger readers, and as we’ve learned over the years, there isn’t only one way of doing it. Feel free to check out our Make Money Blogging portal for more ideas to suit your blog. You never know what you might find!

5 Advanced Techniques I Use To Make Money On My Blog from Erin Bender from Travel With Bender first appeared on March 11, 2015.

5 Advanced techniques to Monetize Your Blog on ProBlogger.net

Similar to the background story of many bloggers, my blog was born into this world because a friend asked me to write one.

In 2012 I commenced a worldwide open-ended nomadic adventure with my husband and two children, and blogging seemed like a great idea. A blog was the perfect vehicle to share our stories to everyone I cared about back at home without the need for endless repetition.

Have a blog and are thinking of earning an income with it? Erin Bender of Travel With Bender shares her 5 Advanced techniques to Monetize Your Blog on ProBlogger.net

It wasn't until I met another blogger a few months later that she revealed to me a secret. A secret so potent that I may be strung up for revealing it now. But I have to. I can't stay silent.

You can make money from your blog. Gasp!

And so for the past three years I have experimented with multiple strategies all stemming from this one spark. Today I want to share with you a taste of the wealth and knowledge I've gained.

So buckle up. This is one ride you are going to want to bookmark.

Before I get started: my blog is focused on travel, but these same strategies can work for most industries: technology, fashion, food, finance, kids and more.

These particular strategies I'm sharing are not the typical steps most newbies read about, such as monetizing with AdSense, or the Amazon affiliate program. You really need a lot of traffic to make a decent income from AdSense. I'm talking about making a full-time income without needing hundreds of thousands of visitors each month.

The starting point to monetizing your blog is your audience. Few people will give you money just because you're awesome (wouldn't that be cool!). They will do it because you have a decent sized (and relevant) audience and you know how to wield your influence. So once you have built your followers on social media, newsletters subscribers and regular visitors, how do you turn those into an income stream month after month?

5 Advanced Techniques I Use To Make Money On My Blog

1. Content Creation: When A Brand Asks You To Write For Them

Content creation takes place in many forms from freelance article writing, to video blogging, to expert guides, and more. Perhaps you didn't think about reaching out to those promotion partners you're working with. Take travel for example – a free press trip as a source of fresh new content on your own blog is great, but when you can also create valuable content for the brand's blog or magazine, then that's when you can ask for payment.

Sometimes the brand may be hard to convince up front. However once they see your own blog post, go back to them again. If they've loved your work and you've developed a strong rapport, often they will be want you to write for their publication.

2. Photography: Offering A Brand Your Images

So this may not be for everyone, but if you are taking killer shots then you should be working it. Offer the brand you're working a fixed package upfront, which includes 5 or 10 royalty-free images. If you have examples of photos other people have already purchased from you then the sales pitch is much easier.

Most brands are in constant need of high quality photography of their product, service or destination, and your offer can make their life easier. If your forte is in video, then this same approach applies to video editing too.

3. Product Reviews: When A Brand Wants You To Be Honest

Payment for product reviews is not about buying a good review.

So let me start with a few cautions – to make your life easier, choose products you already know or think you will love. Keep reviews honest. Let the brand know of any complications or negatives upfront to see if they have a response and offer to publish those responses alongside the negatives you're highlighting. Then ask for payment.

You are not being paid for your gushing assessment; you are asking payment for the exposure you are providing to their product or service.

We generally maintain a minimum value threshold for product reviews, and if there is an item value under that amount then we require payment. Think about all the work it took to grow your social media following and now you are receiving delayed payment for that hard work.

Have a blog and are thinking of earning an income with it? Erin Bender of Travel With Bender shares her 5 Advanced techniques to Monetize Your Blog on ProBlogger.net

4. Competitions: When A Brand Wants To Give Stuff Away

Running a competition is a smart technique for generating new social followers and making your readers feel great, but it takes a lot of time. Time to set it up, promote it each day, and pick a winner. Time you could be paid for.

Similar to the product reviews, there may be a minimum payment threshold of items to give away, but if that is not met, ask for payment. The brand has approached you, because they want to reach your audience that you have worked so hard to build. Don't feel like it's worth anything less than what you are asking.

If you're not sure where to start, take a look at Gleam, it makes setting up a competition a breeze.

5. Brand Ambassador: When Long Term Relationships Take The Next Step

When we started our nomadic journey I purchased travel insurance. I then reached out to them after a year and suggested writing for their website. We worked like that for another year. After two years they approached me to expand the relationship, which we built into a brand ambassadorship.

A brand ambassador role can encompass many tasks, but the main task is to promote the brand you've partnered with so you want to make sure it's a product or service you believe in, and one that is a tight fit for your audience.

Tasks might include writing about them occasionally within your regular blog posts, writing for their blog, social media promotion, competitions, event attendance and more. Some ambassadorships are in exchange for products, others may generate a monetary compensation. Each arrangement is unique and requires negotiation to achieve a win-win situation.

I sincerely hope I am still alive after revealing these secrets of the trade. If you dare to share, what ways are you make money from your blog?

Erin has been travelling with her husband and two children since May 2012. It's an open-ended, unplanned, round-the-world trip discovering amazing places for families. They have stayed in hostels and 5 star luxury resorts, travelled on scooters and cruise liners, danced with leprechauns and cuddled tigers. Nothing is out of bounds or out of reach for this remarkable Australian family. You can find unique family travel insights at her award-winning travel blog, follow her on Facebook, Pinterest or catch her tweeting on Twitter.

The post New Year Reboot: Advanced Techniques for Making Money on Your Blog appeared first on ProBlogger.