Productivity Hacks

Landing A Guest Post by Top Blog Sites seems like a daunting task. To be honest with you, there is no denying that it takes a certain degree of skill to be accepted as a ProBlogger.

However, with that being said, getting your guest post at top blogs is not a invincible challenge. You don’t have to be the best writer in the world to be accepted. You don’t have to resort to black magic, bribes, twisting of the arms or any other unfair means. All you need is preparation and focus.

That is what works for me as a blogger, and if you put your heart, soul and mind to it, it will work for you as well.

Preparing to produce a high quality guest post that is worthy of approval is not only about working hard. It is about working smart. You need to know the right techniques to create valuable content.

Your guest posts will be judged, assessed and evaluated on the basis of certain criteria. It is up to you to make sure that you fulfill the criteria every single time. The following tips can help you achieve that.

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Should you keep your blog active while on vacation?

Its the question on everyone’s mind these days. Bloggers tend to wonder if they should be actively blogging all the time even when they are on vacation or travel.

Some of us have taken up blogging because of its nature. It offers us free time and the liberty to work at our convenience, but are we pushing it too far to work even while we are not working.

The answer entirely depends on who is blogging and what their intentions are. I personally feel that depending on the topic or focus at the moment of travel you can choose to blog or not to blog.

I certainly will not want to leave my readers hanging in the middle of an interesting topic.

All this has come up simply because recently I had to travel to the US, Plano, TX to be exact. It was an amazing 16 hour long flight with a switch over at Dubai. I will leave it at that and not get into the details of the flight.

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Living in the 21^st century, we take some technology and luxuries of life for granted. But when the finances are limited and we really need to save up as much as possible, being a cheapskate is the way to go. As the saying goes, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” So why not save some money by cutting down on some luxuries of life, and rather saving that up? Let’s check out a list of easy to achieve frugal living tips for you.

#1. Use the old “drying on a line” instead of dryer.

Drying on a line is the age-old way of drying clothes. Most people use dryers these days, of course. But if you give up on dryers and start drying on a line, you can save in excess of $100 a year. For those living in an apartment, hang the clothes on a line inside the apartment – just make sure to remove them before bringing in any guests!

#2. Do the dishes by hand.

Doing the dishes may be more laborious than just using the dishwasher. But it’s much cheaper, specially if you just use one sink-full of water. Get your hands dirty, and save some money.

#3. Avail the public transports.

Those who own a car and use it on a daily basis know how much money you have to spend every day on your gas prices and parking lot charges. To avoid such expenses, avail the public transports like buses and subway. Yes, it can be a little crowded, but you’ll get over it.

#4. Carpool or ride a cycle.

If you are still not convinced about public transports, you can share a carpool with a bunch of trusted people. But if your route is different than your friends’, then just get an inexpensive bicycle. It’s a one-time investment that can help you save thousands in the long run. Besides, you’ll stay healthy too!

#5. Stick close to home while travelling.

You may wish to go overseas or do distant parts of the country, but you must keep the expenses in mind. However, to satiate your inner traveler, we suggest that you go on trips within your state, where expenses will be lower for you. Better still, plan trips that just take a day, so that you can come home at night and spare the hotel expenses.

#6. Use coupons!

TV shows often show how miserly people use coupons all the time. In reality, coupons are actually quite helpful for frugal living. Learning about coupons and how to use them won’t take you much time, so do so now and use coupons the next time you go grocery shopping.

#7. Did you consider getting a roommate?

If you live alone in your apartment or house, you must be paying a huge rent all by yourself. Why don’t you get a roommate? That way, you can split the rent and the utility bills like electricity, gas, water, etc. Bonus point: you can make a new friend out of your roomie.

#8. Buy from the local thrift shops.

Of course we don’t want second-hand products. But when your finances are tight, you might have to rethink your stance on second-hand clothes or furnitures. So go to the nearby thrift shop and buy what you need. If your thrift shop offers 50% sales on particular days, be the first to know about it, and take advantage of that.

#9. Use vinegar as a cleaner.

Vinegar is not only for cooking purposes; it can also be used for cleaning just about anything. So spare yourself the expenses of buying expensive cleaning products. Rather, mix some vinegar with water and start scrapping – stains will vanish so easily, you’ll be awed.

#10. Hone up your cooking skills.

Many of us have to eat outside, at least during the daytime. However, that snatches a lot of money from you every month. So start cooking more at home. In case you are not that good a cook, get some help from the internet, and hone your cooking skills in the process. Pack yourself a lunch every day to save money, and stay away from restaurants.

#11. Rent a movie with your friends.

Planning to go out with your friends for a movie? That will cost you way too much. Instead, stay indoors and rent a movie with your friends. You can split the rent too. That way, you get entertained and hang out with friends, but for really low expenses. Who says you can’t have fun while leading a frugal life?

#12. Cut down on your internet usage.

In order to save money, cut down on your internet usage. You can migrate to a plan that charges you less, if need be. We would suggest disconnecting internet from your home, but we do know that it would be difficult for you, specially in emergency cases in the middle of the night. But yes, it is very much possible to use less internet from your phone or home. Instead use public or office Wi-Fi whenever possible.

#13. For gifts, DIY.

Be it a birthday or anything else, while gifting something to a loved one, make the gift yourself. Even if you aren’t all that crafty, there are lots of DIY gift idea resources on the internet, so take your pick. Moreover, the fact that you took some time and effort to make a gift makes it all that special, and will definitely be appreciated.

#14. Unplug electronics before leaving home.

Some electronics, if not unplugged, can raise your electricity bills. Cut down on those by unplugging them completely before leaving home.

#15. Quit smoking and drinking.

Smoking and drinking, though very common, are both expensive habits. Quitting them will help you save quite a substantial amount of money. Yes it is easier said than done, but it is possible, so just do it.

When your personal finances are stressed, it is important that you save. In order to do that, frugal living is a necessity. So comply by the tips given above, and help yourself gain back financial stability by saving money.

Blogging has been really hard for me over the last few weeks. I’ve been restless and sometimes feel my OCD is taking over me and my blog. I’ve been struggling to be honest with you. I’ve been on the look out for new ideas and concepts so that I can keep writing awesome blog posts and help my readers grow their business online.

Life sometimes can throw a curve ball and knock you off your feet. I’m at the cross roads where I don’t know what to do any more. Do I need some rest and time off from blogging? A fresh perspective may be. I’m not sure entirely. I am hoping that I will be able to figure something out real soon, else I will need to part ways with a blog that I built so dearly.

I’m giving this blogging thing one last try and I hope I’m able to nail it and if I don’t I’m sure that you will let me know so that I can decide accordingly. On a regular basis I hear from several bloggers – my friends, peers and even blogs that I simply follow that blogging takes too much time and the ROI is so long away I just prefer to quit blogging.

I even wrote a post on why one should quit blogging and now I’m at the exact same cross roads trying to figure things out. I know that If I am able to pass this phase I will be able to transform my blog into something big. Time is all I need and some peace and quiet in my head.

This is one of those posts where there is no strategy but experience being shared. I’m talking to you about the difficulty that I’m going through. If it was you who was going through this hardship what would you do?

Right now I’m contemplating whats the best thing to do.

Give It Some Time It Will All Work Out

I’m just going to take it slow with my blog. I’ve written some badass reviews of some of the most interesting products that I’ve purchased, used and tested.

• SemRush Review
• BlueHost Review
• AdSense Niche Site Course Review
• Long Tail Pro Review
• Thrive Leads Review
• Thrive Content Builder Review
• Social Warfare Review
• SiteGround Review
• Thrive Landing Pages Review

I believe that these reviews will drive in some traffic and also bring in some revenue while I’m taking some personal time off. May be invest in some backlink strategy that will boost my search rankings and contribute to the growth of my blog. Just like how rankings take time, blogging also takes time and I should not push my self nor my blog to the tip of the cliff. Because if I do that, it will be the end of my career as a blogger.

Work On Some Creative Project

I’m working on a fun project called Parody Bay. This site is a bookmarking site where readers can view and upvote parody videos that they like the most. I’m using a ready made theme with some slight modifications. I think if I focus on this project that is already in its pilot phase it will re kindle the creative nature in me and inspire me to be a better blogger.

Its all about breaking the jinx and getting back to the blogging rhythm. The creative project I believe has excellent potential to make some serious money and I will be sending out mailers and alerts to all my friends and those in my network. Watch out and be prepared to be bedazzled.

Read A Book

Reading a book can get you back on track to writing some amazing articles. Reading gives you ideas and also educates and relaxes the mind such that when you get back to work you are able to do a good job at it.

A good book is a great way to relax the mind. I enjoy a good book especially when I cannot write. This helps me learn something new and also learn how the writer conveys the message and how easy it is for me to understand. I have a handful of marketing books that I will start reading which will help me overcome writers block.

Connect With An Old Friend

I think I will use this time to connect with some of my old friends in the field of blogging. I’ve met and built relationships over the past 8 years as a blogger. These relationships matter a lot to me and I like to stay in touch with those whom I’ve engaged with and worked with in the past.

Its a great way for me to clear my head and talk about those happy times and some of the crazy things we did in the name of marketing. Many of the marketing techniques we implemented back in the day have changed so much that we no longer use them or follow them.

SEO has changed, Google has changed the way it indexes backlinks and even ranks new sites. Authority sites perform better than niche blogs. Long tail keywords are the key focus when it comes to keywords and much much more.

Take Up Some Refresher Training

A few weeks ago I took up the AdSense Niche Site Course and was amazed by how much had changed since I started blogging. I was able to realise why my AdSense revenue had dropped so much and why I was not able to make as much money as I did in the past. Taking up courses like these from time to time reminds us what we have learned and what has changed.

I think by taking up some courses again in the field of online marketing I will be able to re-energize my passion towards blogging. Udemy (Save 65% on almost any course! Limited time offer!) has a load of courses at affordable prices and I plan to do something there to bring me upto speed on what I should be doing in 2015 and beyond.

I think that is all I had planned for myself this month and not to get burned out again and lose interest in blogging which I so dearly love.