It’s now been 3 years, 5 months since I started writing online (January 1st, 2015). And it feels like I’m just getting started.
I haven’t kept track of how much time I’ve invested but I’ll estimate around 150 hours, mostly on weekends. A long way to go to reach 10,000 hours of mastery. During that time I’ve authored hundreds of articles, and twice I’ve entirely quit. Brutal!
After three years a small group of fans reads what I write. Very cool :).
When you are the only one pushing yourself forward, it takes a long time to overcome self-doubt. This is what the inner voice says: Who am I to give advice to anyone? What have I accomplished? What will my friends think? Family think? Coworkers think? I’m no good at this, what’s the point? Some people never silence that voice. They live their entire lives with that voice, always putting the brakes on, holding back. Like James Altucher says, you have to choose yourself.
This month was a killer month. I found some dirty tricks to boost traffic, and I learned a lot. I also received some amazing feedback from readers which I took to heart. Shout out to Makrand Patil!
Torrey.blog overall stats May, 2018
- 210 visitors
- 301 views
- 1.43 views per visitor
- 30 likes
Stats for each post visited in May, 2018
| Title | Views |
Reading Time
|
|
|
1
|
117 | 5 min | |
|
2
|
What I learned from buying too many books | 30 | 2 min |
|
3
|
What I learned from getting hit by a car | 24 | 1 min |
|
4
|
What I learned from So Good They Can’t Ignore You | 21 | 3 min |
|
5
|
What I learned about Work/Life Balance from Jeff Bezos | 14 | 2 min |
|
6
|
14 | 2 min | |
|
7
|
Why has experience helped some and not others? | 10 | N/A |
|
8
|
9 | 3 min | |
|
9
|
What I learned about leadership from Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella | 9 | 2 min |
|
10
|
What I learned from The Three Laws of Performance | 8 | 3 min |
|
11
|
8 | 2 min | |
|
12
|
What I learned about Trust | 8 | 3 min |
|
13
|
6 | 2 min | |
|
14
|
What I learned from Simon Sinek | 6 | 1 min |
|
15
|
What I learned about Urgency from Les Brown (motivational speaker) | 5 | 1 min |
|
16
|
How to Waste your Summer Internship without getting Fired | 3 | 3 min |
|
17
|
What I learned about Behavior from Sway | 3 | 2 min |
|
19
|
What I learned about Manhood from Sir Richard Branson’s father | 3 | 1 min |
|
20
|
What I learned from asking companies for money | 2 | 2 min |
|
21
|
What I learned about writing from sharing my work with a writer | 2 | 5 min |
Themes
- 7 posts about books I’ve read
- 3 posts sharing personal stories
- 4 posts inspired by YouTube videos
- 1 post inspired by a podcast
Takeaways
Longer posts get more exposure. They are also better search engine optimized (SEO). One analysis concluded 8 minutes reading time is the optimal length.
Traffic redirect trick. Tesla Motors restructuring was a hot news topic on the LinkedIn social network. I commented on several articles and included a link to my post about the recently leaked Tesla memo. This proved an effective way to attract dozens of visitors.
Posts about popular topics get more attention (duh). Writing about Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, their companies, or other big names attracts more visitors.
Conclusion
When it comes to writing, if you’re aiming for quick fame and glory, good luck! Remember
The best way to succeed in writing is to write.
