It’s time for another Inspire Me Monday link-up! Be sure to check out all of the inspiring links below and link-up your own inspiring posts if you are a blogger. I LOVE learning from everyone each week!
Happy Monday, friends! And happy June 1st!
As you read this, I’m in Nebraska (again).
No, I don’t live here yet, but I’m sure the Daddio is feeling like I do! We are actually back to attend an Emily Kinney concert…if anyone has ever seen The Walking Dead, Emily Kinney played Beth.
[Nerd alert: I created a Walking Dead Workout…it’s actually super fun to do while you watch the show!]
Emily is from Nebraska and she’s a singer, so she’s putting on a little show. It’s been sold out for MONTHS. I am kind of, sort of, REALLY excited to see her!! My goal is to get a picture with her, so cross your fingers for me!!
Taking Blogging More Seriously
So, we were back in Minnesota for a whole five days this past week. During that time I worked my last couple of shifts at the café! It was kind of sad and I got all sappy and nostalgic.
The thing is, my start date at the café in Nebraska isn’t until July 1st, so until that time, this here bloggy is our only source of income (unless Dave happens to get a job in that time). I’m not gonna lie…I’m kind of excited and very nervous.
I’m sure that raises more questions than it really answers (you can read this post about Dave quitting his job and our upcoming move), but basically, I’m using this time to take blogging a little more seriously and to continue to figure out how I personally can generate more income in this space (well, and pack and move to a different state).
I’ve read a million articles on making money blogging (even a couple of books!), but I know nothing works overnight and there are so many ways to go about it that it’s a tad overwhelming. It’s really just one giant experiment to find out what works as far as I can tell.
Since I will be solely working on the blog for a month, I want to be in the mindset that it is the only income generator. This is serious biz.
I don’t even want to call this a test…but it kind of is.
When a blog is a hobby, it’s super easy to push projects, posts, comment responses and social media interaction (unless you’re an Instagram addict like me) to the back burner. It’s way easier to pick up an extra shift of guaranteed income as opposed to working on projects or pursuing things that may never end up being profitable.
When blogging is a real source of income however, you tend to put a little more pressure on yourself. (But of course, you still want to try to have fun with it! I think I’m succeeding for the most part.)
[yep. that’s what my desk looks like right now…gah! moving is chaotic.]
Since I have been in this mindset for a month already (I think I only worked at the café twice in May?), I’ve gotten into a decent routine with making sure I focus on “work” x number of hours per day. And trying not to fall down a rabbit hole on the interwebs…one of the downfalls to having an internet based business.
I’d love to help others learn from my mistakes, and one of my biggest ones is wasting time. These awesome productivity tools have helped me actually get things done!
In the last month alone, I’ve increased readership by 50%! And that’s while traveling a crazy amount and working from different places (with possibly crappy internet).
I think this largely has to do with my focus, drive and productivity.
Other posts you may be interested in:
Why Would You Try to Make Money Blogging
How I Make Money Blogging with Ads
My Favorite Productivity Tools For Getting Stuff Done:
1. Toggl Timer. (available online and iPhone) This is a great way to track your time whether it’s for your own personal use or for a work project. I find that when I use this, I am more likely to work on the task I have selected for myself OR I will change the task if it turns out I actually ended up spending time on Twitter (and usually feel a little more guilty for getting off track).
Seeing the tracked information can help us to try to streamline our processes or notice areas where we are spending WAY too much time. I think a HUGE issue for bloggers is that social media is part of the game, but it’s also super easy to let something like social media or blog reading take over. To the point that we aren’t creating any relevant content ourselves. (<-gosh this has happened so often!)
When we track our time, we can see how bad it really is (and believe you me…I’ve had some very preoccupied days!)
If you are a freelancer, you can also notice if a project is taking up more time than you thought and you may consider charging more next time. You also might notice that certain work isn’t profitable when you think about an hourly wage. Our time is valuable so we have the right to know what we are really being paid!
(Toggl is a free app but also offers an upgrade for viewing more stats. I just use the free version at this time.)
[Tweet “The toggl timer is super handy for tracking your time. Time=money! “]
2. Wunderlist. (available online and iPhone) This has totally changed how I make lists and manage my time. It took me awhile to figure out just how cool it was…like you can have items on your list reoccur daily, weekly or monthly so when you check them off, they reappear with the new due date.
Mind = blown.
I honestly feel like I could write a whole post on this one app. I mean I even use it for a grocery list that Dave and I share.
Possibly one of my favorite parts is that when you check off an item, there’s an extremely satisfying “ding” to let you (and everyone around you) know that you are being awesome and checking things off of your list. 
(Wunderlist is free but does offer an upgraded account…which I jumped on when I found out you could share lists.)
[Tweet “Change the way you make lists with wunderlist! #productivity #lifechanger”]
3. Strict Workflow. (available for Google Chrome) This is an app for Google Chrome where you set it to increments of work and increments of break time (in minutes). You can even set it up to block certain sites during your work periods (but I haven’t figured out how to work that yet.) It’s really handy to have when you are working at home with other people around. Ex: “I would love to hear your funny story, but I am working for another 18 minutes.” It’s a little challenging to work when your office currently resides in the living room…but more on the solutions to that next week!
Right now, I have my timer set for 35 minutes of work and 10 minutes of break. It seems like not a whole lot of work, but I use the “work” portion to be for focused work like writing a post or editing images whereas I could get up and do some dishes or just check social media during the 10 minutes.
(Strict Workflow is a free app for Google Chrome.)
[Tweet “Get serious with your work schedule and productivity with strict workflow!”]
4. Evernote. (Available online, for desktop and iPhone) I have only just started using it (I downloaded it to my laptop and it took up wayyy too much space so I ended up deleting it only to find out I could just use it online.), but already it’s helped me file away bookmarks into specific categories to read later.
Do you ever feel like you read a post or article that gives you a bunch of ideas, but you can’t quite implement them right now? You can use Evernote’s webclipper app (on Google Chrome) to bookmark those pages! I suppose you could also use Pinterest, but there’s a lot more space to jot down notes about the articles or just write thoughts in each “notebook” where Pinterest would fall short.
(Evernote is a free app with a chance to upgrade, but I use the free app for now.)
[Tweet “4 awesome tools for productivity so you can get stuff done!!”]
I will have some more tips to share on being more productive next week, but I’m pretty sure you didn’t come here to read a book so I will save those for next week.
Now, onto the link-up stuff!
Favorite Posts Linked Up Last Week:
Patriotic Jello Cups via Moms Need to Know
Gosh the 4th of July is coming up so fast!!
DIY Painted Mason Jar Bathroom Organizer via A Cultivated Nest
So clever and cute!!
Most Clicked on Post from Last Week:
Tell me…do you have any tools you use for productivity? Tell me about them! Am I the only one that gets sidetracked on the internets??
Have a great week, friends and don’t forget to check out the links below and to add your own! 🙂
recipes, workouts, tips + exclusive content…right to your inbox!
PS I’m all about Pinterest this year, so I would LOVE IT if you could pin one (or two!) of these images!
Pin with me!Follow SemiHealthNut
Visit Diary of a Semi-Health Nut’s profile on Pinterest.
Linking up to: The Fit Switch, Let’s Get Real, Friday Favorites (All of the lovely link-ups I participate in here.)
Photo Editing Using Picmonkey
Yep I need to get more serious. I started out blogging just as a hobby. A modern day journal. I have followers, and I do giveaways, and I need to step up my game by moving to WordPress, and getting my own domain. I just don’t know where in the heck to start without breaking my pocket book! Technically it seems so overwhelming.
Oh I feel ya, friend! I started on Blogger, too! And I didn’t even do my first giveaway until two years after starting my blog!!
I hired a gal to help me with the switch. I also highly recommend Bluehost as a cost-efficient way to self-host. Shoot me an e-mail if you need help! semihealthnut@yahoo.com 🙂
When you figure out all that money generating thing, can you tell me? I love doing it for fun, but would love to give it a shot.
Also, I love Wunderlist but suck at using Evernote. I try to use those tools but um, I’m just no good at using them consistently.
haha I feel like I’m learning it…slowly but surely. Not enough for a full-time income yet though! :/
Awesome resources Amanda. A few of these I already use but I’m intrigued by Toggl Timer. Thanks!
#fitfamlove xoxo
Yes you will have to try it out and let me know how you like it! 🙂 Yay #fitfam!!
What an awesome link party. I’ll make sure I join it next week!
There is no life for me outside Evernote. It makes things really easy.
I use Rescue Time for checking my productivity. It can be confronting sometimes.
Awesome blog!
Thank you so much and I hope to see you next week! 🙂
I need to try some of these, like yesterday! Thanks for sharing your experiences – it’s nice to have some clue about something before trying it out.
You are so welcome! I hope you find these tools as useful as I have!