Time Time Time

You know, I have qualifications coming out of my ears. I have GCSEs, A-Levels and degrees all to my credit.

Learning how to write on-line feels just like studying for any of them. The crash course in everything from SEO tips to publicity, through how to write and what about, is making my brain throb!  (And in that, I'm eternally grateful to all of those amazing authors, who have stepped up to share their knowledge. The kindness of (nearly) strangers is wonderful and never more so than on Wizzley.)

Yet one big thing keeps flashing neon out of the miasma here - time!

I'm not talking about time to write and time to research. That is a given. I'm talking about needing to be six months/a year/ ten years down the line. Someone on Suite101 once said to me that the best time to have started this was 25 years old. The second best time is now.

I'm so looking forward to the moment when I have a back catalogue which rivals Humagaia and Terri's. I'm also reaching for the instant, when my instinctive SEO knowledge is akin to that of Lissie and Sam.

It'll come. I know it'll come. Time, time, time...

Well, you've got the right perspective. And that's a big part of the formula for success.

I started writing online about five years ago. Most of that time, it has been a part-time hobby. (I've only in the recent year been taking it more seriously.) But those little contributions to my online portfolio are really snowballing! I am so glad for every lens, hub, and blog post I've written. It all adds up.

So keep writing! (I know you will.) 

To quote the wisdom of the Bible, "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9)

The principle remains true. Just replace doing good with WRITING. 

Time flies Jo. You're not far behind me time-wise. I've only been writing online for 20 months and I had a full-time job (plus two little kids) for a year of that. 

It is good to see the effort I put in in the past paying off. It balances the hard work for little immediate reward on new content. You definitely have to think about the lifetime potential of your content. And of course that's easier to do once you're a bit further down the line. 

I do sometimes think about how I'd be doing if I'd started years ago. But I enjoyed what I was doing for those years so I don't regret it. (Actually knowing me, if I'd started years ago I'd be doing something completely different by now!)

My mindset when I started out was that I was getting free training and any money I made was a bonus. 

You've got the bit that most people are missing - capacity to put the time in. 

My congratulations go to all those mentioned and their great accomplishments.  

Jo, we can’t think of what-ifs. We can only do what we need to do now. You have shown yourself to have good momentum on this site, and that’s something of which you can be proud. 

The people you have mentioned really do have something special and so do the others who have left you encouragement here. I think I’m reading between the lines and hear you say, yes, but when does the income kick in? I think income has a lot more to do with a certain knack of picking topics as well as having the SEO knowledge and a whole lot of promotion skills. We all have our timelines for acquiring these, some people seem to “click” faster than others. Some of us seem to lag behind. 

If you continue the way you’ve been going, you’ll soon be a Terri or Jimmie, making your way. You’re doing great!

Time limits are true for everyone, and life always gets in the way, but if you keep on chugging away, you will see results. 

Jo, I too have only been at this for just under 2 years. And for the first 6 months I had no idea how to earn money at this lark. It was only the fact that great people took pity on me and showed me the way. The likes of Sunforged made a huge difference to me. I have since wanted to pay back in the same way that I was 'paid', by helping others wherever I could.

What I have found is that helping others actually helped me. If I give time, then time is returned. If I tweet or retweet others, then they do the same for me. 

Those that succeed seem to do so through being willing to share.

You are at the beginning. You too are learning. But once it clicks.......

My view on the earnings that I gain from all this is that it is my pension when I get to that age. The amount I now earn per month would have cost me about £100,000 in pension contributions. I therefore look at it as that amount of earnings, not what I actually put in the bank each month.

Thank you all for your lovely comments! I want to be you all, when I grow up. :D

Time is your best friend in this business.   The great thing is that once you build the foundation, you can sit back and relax a bit and enjoy the rewards.  

I started this gig about 5 years ago and I can happily say that I have not only met, but surpassed, any earnings goals I could have ever imagined.   The first few years, I was working like crazy, many hours a day, many late nights.  Now, I am able to work at a much slower pace since the pages I have built over the last 5 years continue to earn money for me. 

However, I am not one to churn out tons of pages.   For instance, I have been on Squidoo for 5 years and only have 153 pages which is not a lot compared to many others who have been there as long.   But, those 153 pages earn me thousands of dollars a month.   So, depending on the types of pages you create, you don't necessarily need to have hundreds of them to create a nice income for yourself.    My point is don't get bogged down trying to catch up with how many pages others have.   Work at your own pace. 

The jam tomorrow testimonies are where I'm placing all of my faith, so it is wonderful to have that confirmed by people to whom it has happened.  Thank you. :)

And best of luck in all of your endeavours too.