It is exactly one week until Santa climbs down our chimneys with bags full of goodies from Amazon.
This is always a difficult week to get any serious work done. There are always nights out planned with friends and the inevitable last minute dash to the shops to buy a gift for a loved one that they probably do not even need.
Even the most motivated internet marketer can lose interest over the last two weeks of the year. Do not feel guilty about this. You deserve a few weeks off if you have worked hard all year.
Here is something you can do over the next two weeks: Start planning for 2014.
It is the perfect time of the year to reflect on whether your previous goals were met and what still needs to be achieved. Let me put your mind at rest. This does not have to take up a huge amount of time. You should already have a general idea of how your websites are performing if you review them month by month.
All you need to do is think about where you are and where you want to be. Then think about what you need to do to achieve that goal.
My goal for 2014 is simple: I want to take this blog to the next level.
To be more precise, I want to greatly increase traffic to this blog and increase the revenue it generates (directly and indirectly).
In my opinion, an extensive todo list of tasks to complete is not necessary. All I need is a broad outline of what I need to do.
For example, to increase traffic to this blog, I need to:
- Increase posting frequency.
- Write more high quality articles such as reviews and tutorials.
- Network with more influential people in my field (via Twitter, email, Skype etc).
I plan on bringing in some bloggers and/or a virtual assistant to help me increase posting frequency. This will free up some of my time to help manage everything effectively. I also plan on changing the design of KevinMuldoon.com and recording more videos for YouTube. Both of these will help increase readership.
You may have noticed that I have not mentioned my latest project Rise Forums so far. This is because the success of Rise Forums will be closely tied to the success of this blog.
Long term, I want to develop the Rise Forums blog more and make it self-sustainable. Whilst the forum does have an affiliate program, in the short term, most new members will come through this blog. Therefore, it is imperative that I make this blog a success.
Start Making Some Plans for 2014
I encourage you all to think about what you want to achieve in 2014. This does not need to be a long list of of tasks that will overwhelm you.
Start with a general plan such as “I want to make my blog a success”. Next, work backwards and look at what you need to do to achieve your main goal. For example, to make your blog a success you may add general goals such as “Post longer articles” or “Guest post once a week”. That is all there is to it. You do not need to over complicate things.
Additionally, you do not have to be sitting at the computer to plan ahead. Whenever you get a good idea, make a note of it on your phone or a piece of paper.
Remember that good ideas and organisation mean nothing if you do not implement the goals you set yourself. Once you know what you need to do, you need to make those good ideas a reality by working hard and working smart.
Good luck,
Kevin