Life Hacks, Productivity, and Blogging

I think I’ve developed a mild case of obsessive-compulsive disorder. I constantly check my blog traffic stats, emails, and discussion forums to the point where it became counter-productive. Does refreshing my browser repeatedly to see updated stats and new discussions in various forums help me reach my goals? No, not at all! I do not get any more traffic, subscribers, comments, or ads income. This is a huge time waster!

Photo from stock.xchng

Stop Wasting Time and Focus on Productive Tasks

So I will be checking my blog stats, discussion forums, and co.mments (comments tracking tool) only once per day…may be twice. Instead, each day I will be spending the time on activities that help me achieve my goals instead:

Write one good post
Answer comments on my blog
Read 5-10 blog posts and leave at least 5 thoughtful comments
Read a few business and finance articles
Identify opportunity to write guest posts — i.e., the one I did for BeingFrugal.net and Get Rich Slowly
Complete a few grammar lessons — English is my second language and I am trying to improve my writing skill.

What does this have anything to do with personal finance?

Well…

Do you check your investment portfolios and the stock market obsessively?
Do you spend too much time worrying about how to pay bills? May be you can use the time to doing things that save you money or make you money instead.
Do you spend hours doing something to save a few bucks when you could be doing something else that has greater value?

13 Comments

Flexo
September 29, 2007, 7:25

This sounds like a great plan. My time working on my blogs are completely inefficient. Every time I try to stick to some sort of productivity plan, I fail. Good luck with it… and if you ever want to write a post at Consumerism Commentary, let me know.
Lynnae @ Being Frugal
September 29, 2007, 8:43

What you write is so true. And I love the analogy to personal finance. I think it can apply to any area of life.
I think I’m going to start constantly asking myself if I’m doing things that bring me closer to achieving my goals. And if not, I’m going to change the way I do things!
mariam
September 29, 2007, 9:51

Yep, me as well. It’s not so much that I’m obsessed with the stats but more about the technology. I check under the hood of how it works when I should be reading more personal finances. Afterall, blogging might come and go, but I’m hoping to build my financial future.
Millionaire Mommy Next Door
September 29, 2007, 15:08

Nothing can sideswipe my attention and redirect my efforts quite like the world wide web. My favorite productivity tool for blogging is a digital kitchen timer. The timer keeps me focused, motivated and targeted on the individual task at hand. I posted instructions about how I use this simple tool (and Lifehacker linked it, btw!) at:
Productivity Tip: How to use a digital timer to get things done
Pinyo
September 29, 2007, 13:55

@Flexo – I am surprised because I always think of you as one of the most productive bloggers in our niche. Regarding your offer…are you kidding? I would love to do it. Please look for my email.
@Lynnae – that’s a great way to go about it — asking if what you’re doing bring you closer to your goals.
@Mariam – welcome to Moolanomy. I tend to do that too…tweaking my blog as opposed to writing good content. when it’s good content that really matters.
Eric
September 30, 2007, 7:31

Pinyo – I can completely relate! Being new to the blogging world, I find myself checking stats *far* too frequently. It’s very distracting. I thought the novelty would wear off after a bit, but it sounds like even seasoned bloggers can become “obsessed” checking their stats. I’m working on cutting back too, and those sound like great goals.
Pinyo
September 30, 2007, 7:38

@Eric – I wouldn’t call myself seasoned. But, yeah, it’s still a problem after 2 and a half months.
plonkee
September 30, 2007, 8:31

A lot of my blogging time is taken up with checking other people’s blogs and commenting. I think that’s ok because this is my hobby – I don’t need to be the best as long as I write good content.
mariam
September 30, 2007, 10:27

Whaaat? You’ve only been blogging two and a half months?! I thought you had been around a lot longer… The look and the content of your blog seems really professional. I’ve been blogging around the same amount of time but I take it a lot less seriously so not to put pressure on myself for deadlines and such.
Pinyo
September 30, 2007, 18:58

@Millionaire Mommy – I think that’s a simple and good idea. Also, congratulation about Lifehacker; that’s a big deal.
@Plonkee – doing what you love is the best. For me, I got too distracted with the numbers instead of focusing on the important stuff.
@Mariam – thank you for the compliment. It takes a lot of hard work
Patrick
October 5, 2007, 6:49

I agree Pinyo. I check my stats too often, constantly check the forums, and otherwise waste time that could be better spent being productive. I’m working on it though. I’ve even been using a digital timer for awhile (although I have read Millionaire Mommy’s post yet… I should though. I might just learn something new!)
Make Friends, Earn Money
May 26, 2008, 3:16

Brilliant goals here Pinyo. It’s so tempting to keep checking the stats, but they will come if we create good content like you have here on Moolanomy. Great work.
MoneyEnergy
April 22, 2009, 10:56

Yes, I’ve been through this process…. good to see how you’ve managed to get over this hump, too! And it’s funny how lessons learned in blogging start to apply to other areas of our lives, too.