Tuesday, November 29, 2016
How to Prioritize When You Have Too Much to Do
After we had made the move from Location 180 to Location Rebel, all of the little things that had been neglected with the site (or consciously put off until after the move) began to reveal themselves.
Old posts need optimizing; email sequences need refining, a content schedule and strategy need to be implementation. And these are just the tip of the iceberg in our quest to fully revamp the Location Rebel business.
So naturally, I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed times.
Because of this, I’m continually asking the question where do I need to focus? I mean, how do you decide where to spend your time when it seems like there are dozens of things that are important.
I’ve realized I need to simplify.
How to Prioritize When You Have a Giant To Do List
Often people email me and will tell me about all of the things they’re doing to get started on their business: a blog, YouTube account, SEO, guest posting, an e-commerce site, a digital product, etc.
I tell them: It’s better to focus on one thing and make 100% progress, than on ten things and make 10% progress on each.
My situation is no different.
Because there is so much to do, I’ve had a tendency to focus on trying to do all of it, and not make significant progress on anything as a result.
Not only does this lead to a lack of results, but it beats you down mentally when you don’t see the progress you want.
Lots of new entrepreneurs end up struggling with this too.
I’ve already built a solid platform, so things are still overall going well – but for someone just starting, spreading yourself too thin can be the difference between a successful business and a total failure.
So how do you figure out what the most important things are for your mindset and business?
Focus on Your Three Non-Negotiables.
All of your business activities and tasks might not fall into this, but when you’re struggling and trying to figure out how to prioritize your life, then always go back to one of these three tasks.
Two months ago I sat down and spent a couple of hours thinking about what three things are most critical to my business success. To figure this out I asked myself questions like:
- If you only did one thing every day that would still make you feel like the day was successful, what would that one thing be?
- What is the most important component to your business?
- What things have you seen success with in the past, but aren’t doing on a regular basis?
- What are the most successful people you know doing that you aren’t?
- What is your primary metric in your business? What are two or three secondary metrics?
- What habits or routines make you feel really good? Really bad?
Three is an important number.
It allows you to be broad enough to focus on different aspects of business growth while being specific enough that you can always go back and ask yourself:
Is what I’m doing right now one of my three non-negotiable business activities?
My Three Non-Negotiable Business Activities
After hours of thinking, analyzing, and asking the above questions to myself, I came up with my three non-negotiables. I’m including them as a reference to help you think about what yours are.
1) Exercise
You’re probably saying “that has nothing to do with business…”
But for me, it has everything to do with business. (And I’m not the only one).
I’m not a lazy or an overly sedentary person, but going to the gym or going on a run on a regular basis has always been hit and miss.
When I’m conquering that routine and exercising every day, I feel confident. It doesn’t matter what I do on a given day if I get a good, solid workout in, I feel good.
When I exercise I find myself more focused in the afternoons when my energy usually dips, I find myself sticking to better habits like waking up early, eating better, and drinking water.
All of this leads to feeling better, being more productive, and feeling more confident in myself, which translates to confidence in business.
This post on habits goes into more detail on this.
Exercise also doesn’t mean I have to be going to the gym every single day. Walking 6 miles on the golf course is something I enjoy and keeps me active.
2) Connect and Promote
I know a lot of people around the world. When I travel, I’m constantly talking to people, seeing friends, and connecting.
But for the other 8 or 9 months out of the year, I tend to be less proactive about connecting with others and promoting my content.
I talked in this video at the 6:30 mark about “actually promoting our stuff” and how important it is.
I recognize that for the business to grow I have to be actively getting to know others, telling people about some of the cool things we’ve been working on, and looking for that win win partnerships.
Most people spend 90% time creating content and 10% promoting it. In reality, it should be closer to 50/50 (or even higher on the promotion side) – and this has been an important realization for me.
3) Write
To put it simply, the more I write, the more successful my business is.
Whether it’s Location Rebel or Breaking Eighty, both businesses are fundamentally built on content.
The more content I produce, the more opportunities there are to connect with my readers.
But it goes a step farther than that.
While content is important, there are other forms of writing that help grow the business.
Emails to readers, email sequences, sales pages are all different kinds of writing that contribute to the growth of my businesses.
Journaling and reflection are fantastic ways to stay on track and keep things moving in the right direction.
So when all else fails? Write.
Here are two posts to help you write more:
What Are Your Non-Negotiables?
My challenge to you this week is to truly sit down and think about what the three most valuable activities are for your business, and understand the why behind them.
It doesn’t just help to know what they are but also why you have them that will help you revert to them anytime you feel like you’re trying to do too much or are unclear on what to do next.
It’s also worth noting that you can apply this same concept even if you don’t have a business of your own yet.
Rephrase the question and ask: “when it comes to my happiness what are my three non-negotiables?”
When you feel like you’re in a rut or aren’t making as much progress in life, go back to your answer here.
So, I’ve shared mine…what are your three non-negotiables in life and business?
The post How to Prioritize When You Have Too Much to Do appeared first on Location Rebel.
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How to Prioritize When You Have Too Much to Do
After we had made the move from Location 180 to Location Rebel, all of the little things that had been neglected with the site (or consciously put off until after the move) began to reveal themselves.
Old posts need optimizing; email sequences need refining, a content schedule and strategy need to be implementation. And these are just the tip of the iceberg in our quest to fully revamp the Location Rebel business.
So naturally, I've been feeling a little overwhelmed times.
Because of this, I'm continually asking the question where do I need to focus? I mean, how do you decide where to spend your time when it seems like there are dozens of things that are important.
I've realized I need to simplify.
How to Prioritize When You Have a Giant To Do List
Often people email me and will tell me about all of the things they're doing to get started on their business: a blog, YouTube account, SEO, guest posting, an e-commerce site, a digital product, etc.
I tell them: It's better to focus on one thing and make 100% progress, than on ten things and make 10% progress on each.
My situation is no different.
Because there is so much to do, I've had a tendency to focus on trying to do all of it, and not make significant progress on anything as a result.
Not only does this lead to a lack of results, but it beats you down mentally when you don't see the progress you want.
Lots of new entrepreneurs end up struggling with this too.
I've already built a solid platform, so things are still overall going well – but for someone just starting, spreading yourself too thin can be the difference between a successful business and a total failure.
So how do you figure out what the most important things are for your mindset and business?
Focus on Your Three Non-Negotiables.
All of your business activities and tasks might not fall into this, but when you're struggling and trying to figure out how to prioritize your life, then always go back to one of these three tasks.
Two months ago I sat down and spent a couple of hours thinking about what three things are most critical to my business success. To figure this out I asked myself questions like:
- If you only did one thing every day that would still make you feel like the day was successful, what would that one thing be?
- What is the most important component to your business?
- What things have you seen success with in the past, but aren't doing on a regular basis?
- What are the most successful people you know doing that you aren't?
- What is your primary metric in your business? What are two or three secondary metrics?
- What habits or routines make you feel really good? Really bad?
Three is an important number.
It allows you to be broad enough to focus on different aspects of business growth while being specific enough that you can always go back and ask yourself:
Is what I'm doing right now one of my three non-negotiable business activities?
My Three Non-Negotiable Business Activities
After hours of thinking, analyzing, and asking the above questions to myself, I came up with my three non-negotiables. I'm including them as a reference to help you think about what yours are.
1) Exercise
You're probably saying "that has nothing to do with business…"
But for me, it has everything to do with business. (And I'm not the only one).
I'm not a lazy or an overly sedentary person, but going to the gym or going on a run on a regular basis has always been hit and miss.
When I'm conquering that routine and exercising every day, I feel confident. It doesn't matter what I do on a given day if I get a good, solid workout in, I feel good.
When I exercise I find myself more focused in the afternoons when my energy usually dips, I find myself sticking to better habits like waking up early, eating better, and drinking water.
All of this leads to feeling better, being more productive, and feeling more confident in myself, which translates to confidence in business.
This post on habits goes into more detail on this.
Exercise also doesn't mean I have to be going to the gym every single day. Walking 6 miles on the golf course is something I enjoy and keeps me active.
2) Connect and Promote
I know a lot of people around the world. When I travel, I'm constantly talking to people, seeing friends, and connecting.
But for the other 8 or 9 months out of the year, I tend to be less proactive about connecting with others and promoting my content.
I talked in this video at the 6:30 mark about "actually promoting our stuff" and how important it is.
I recognize that for the business to grow I have to be actively getting to know others, telling people about some of the cool things we've been working on, and looking for that win win partnerships.
Most people spend 90% time creating content and 10% promoting it. In reality, it should be closer to 50/50 (or even higher on the promotion side) – and this has been an important realization for me.
3) Write
To put it simply, the more I write, the more successful my business is.
Whether it's Location Rebel or Breaking Eighty, both businesses are fundamentally built on content.
The more content I produce, the more opportunities there are to connect with my readers.
But it goes a step farther than that.
While content is important, there are other forms of writing that help grow the business.
Emails to readers, email sequences, sales pages are all different kinds of writing that contribute to the growth of my businesses.
Journaling and reflection are fantastic ways to stay on track and keep things moving in the right direction.
So when all else fails? Write.
Here are two posts to help you write more:
What Are Your Non-Negotiables?
My challenge to you this week is to truly sit down and think about what the three most valuable activities are for your business, and understand the why behind them.
It doesn't just help to know what they are but also why you have them that will help you revert to them anytime you feel like you're trying to do too much or are unclear on what to do next.
It's also worth noting that you can apply this same concept even if you don't have a business of your own yet.
Rephrase the question and ask: "when it comes to my happiness what are my three non-negotiables?"
When you feel like you're in a rut or aren't making as much progress in life, go back to your answer here.
So, I've shared mine…what are your three non-negotiables in life and business?
The post How to Prioritize When You Have Too Much to Do appeared first on Location Rebel.
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How to Choose the Best Hosting Service for Your New Blog
Ok cool, you've decided you're ready to build a blog or a lifestyle business.
Regardless of what kind of business that is, there's one constant: you're going to need a domain and you're going to need web hosting (at least eventually).
And obviously, you're going to want to the best hosting service for your blog and individual needs, right? Right.
If you're just getting started, this can be a scary, daunting process. Many of the hosting services look the same, and if you don't know what you should be looking for in a web hosting service, then it's easy to get overwhelmed and feel like everyone is out to get you.
Never fear, this post is the only one you'll need to make sure you get setup with the right blog hosting service, as quickly and easily as possible.
How to Choose the Best Hosting Service for Your Blog
In this post we're going to look at all of the following:
- The One Thing More Important than Hosting
- The difference between shared, VPS and dedicated web hosting
- What the pros and cons are of each of the most popular hosting companies
- What features you should be looking for from any hosting company you choose
- How and where to buy your first domain
Want some help setting up your new blog? Check out our step by step guide to starting a blog.
Why is Good Web Hosting Important?
If you're building a business online or online asset, there are very few upfront expenses that you have to make – at least for the type of businesses we're advocating on this site.
That said, there's one area where it's worth spending a little bit of money: hosting.
Your hosting is the foundation for your entire business. If your hosting goes down, your entire business goes down. If it's too slow, people will look elsewhere. If it doesn't have the features you want, you'll get stressed and frustrated.
Because of all of these reasons, it's generally worth spending a little bit of time really figuring out which hosting service is right for you.
If you truly have a very limited budget, then the shared hosting solutions we talk about in this post will be fine – after all, that is what I personally had for years.
But read on, and really think about where you're at and what's right for you.
The Only Thing More Important than Web Hosting
So it's clear hosting is a really important component to your online. That said, there's one thing that I dare say is more important.
If you're just getting started online, this is the most important word for you to understand.
WordPress is a blog/content management platform that makes it incredibly easy to build and manage a good looking website. There's a huge support community, plugins that can do anything you want, and thousands of beautiful themes and templates.
When I first started online I built a site on Drupal, and then Joomla thinking they were the best platforms. I was an idiot. (If you're new, just ignore those terms altogether – you don't need to know anything about them).
Start whatever you're doing on WordPress and you'll be glad you did. Most hosting companies have one click WordPress install, so it's even easier to get going.
Now that I got that out of my system, let's move onto the next step.
What Makes a Good Hosting Service?
There are so many factors that go into this, and things you can get confused by, so I'm going to make this as simple as I can for those of you who are just getting going.
Something you should realize is that most web hosting providers are all going to be relatively similar with the same features at the lower level.
Your natural inclination is going to be to go with the value option, something that is affordable, yet has some good features and offers plenty of customer service.
If that's what you want, go with Bluehost. It's affordable, and their customer service has always been fantastic (a very important thing if you're just starting out).
However, before we can look at exactly what hosting company to use, it's important to understand what the different types of hosting are. Let's take a look at your options.
Why You Don't Want Free Hosting
Let me tell you right now, you don't want free web hosting. Sites like Wix or Weebly, which offer "free online website builders", will give you zero flexibility, and pretty much make it impossible to actually run a business on your site.
Only use this if all you want to do is create a site that you'll never update about your uncontrollable love of poodles.
In other words don't even think about going this route, I promise you it's not worth it.
Free Hosting is Best for: People that don't know any better.
Shared Hosting
There's a good chance this is where you'll want to start if cost is an issue for you. Shared hosting means that your website is hosted on the same servers as hundreds if not thousands of other websites.
While inexpensive ($3-10/month), this can cause all sorts of other issues. Namely, it can cause your site to potentially be pretty slow, can cause issues with email deliverability if you're using email services through your hosting account, and security isn't as high due to so many sites on the same server.
That being said, there are quite a few benefits on top of price. Most shared hosting providers have one click WordPress installs, an easy to manage backend, good support, and limited database access.
Some of the most common shared hosting providers are: Bluehost, Dreamhost, Host Gator, Host Monster.
Best for: People with brand new sites with growing traffic, are on a budget, and need good customer support.
Dedicated Hosting
With shared hosting you have thousands of sites on one server, dedicated hosting essentially means you have an entire server just to yourself. It's fast, expensive, and if you're reading this article, it's not for you, so move along.
VPS (Virtual Private Server) Hosting
VPS hosting is a cross between shared hosting and dedicated hosting, and is the next logical step up from shared.
Think of VPS as your own little mini-server within a server. You don't have the whole thing to yourself, but you have a portion of it that's totally dedicated to you and your sites. So all of the downsides of shared, such as viruses and traffic slow down, don't effect you as much with a VPS solution.
This is going to be more expensive than shared (obviously) but still isn't outrageous.
A hosting bill for the year on Linode (which is where I used to have my site) is about $250.
Best for: People who want better speed and reliability from the the get-go.
Managed WordPress Hosting
So we've covered the most popular types of hosting, but there are a couple more that have become increasingly popular over the last couple years, so it's worth mentioning them.
The first is managed WordPress hosting.
Since millions of sites out there are on WordPress, there are a handful of companies that specialize specifically in hosting sites that are on the WordPress platform.
These are usually a little bit more expensive, but if you're using WordPress, and especially if you actually have significant traffic coming to your site, it can be worth it.
Some benefits of managed WordPress hosting:
- Automatic WordPress Updates – These services handle all of the updates to WordPress for you.
- Plugin Notifications – If you have plugins that won't cooperate with new versions of WordPress, they will tell you and make sure you don't have any site issues.
- Servers optimized for WordPress – Specifically this helps make your site faster and more secure
- Testing Platform – Most of these services all you to make a backup of your site in a testing environment. So if you want to make a big change, you can test it first to make sure it works, before implementing on the live site.
- Built in CDN – A CDN stands for Content Delivery Network. Basically it means it will speed up your site if you have a lot of media or images.
By far the most popular managed WordPress hosting option is WP Engine. I used to run this blog on WP Engine, and I still run my golf site Breaking Eighty with them as well. Overall it's been a really good solution and I highly recommend them.
Managed CMS Platform
Finally, the last big type of hosting you'll see is the managed CMS (content management system) platform.
Essentially platforms like this combine numerous services into one large service.
I recently combined my website for my products and my blog onto one domain and did it with a managed CMS called Rainmaker.
I chose this, because my site had gotten to the point where it was big. I was using a lot of different services to run my blog and membership site, and I wanted to streamline it.
So rather than having a different company or service for:
- My blog
- Hosting
- Landing Pages
- Membership Site Protection
- Affiliate Program
- A/B Testing
- Etc.
I have one service that does all of this for me.
There are definitely some big pros and big cons to this route, which I go into detail about here.
Rainmaker isn't the only solution like this, Kajabi and Click Funnels are also examples of similar services – but I don't have experience with them, so can't recommend them.
The Best Hosting for 95% of You
Ok, so that's a lot of information and you probably got a little bit overwhelmed reading through all of the different options there.
So let's get back down to business and make it simple for you.
If you're just starting your website, stick with shared hosting for now.
Most good shared hosting providers will give you:
- Unlimited domains
- Unlimited storage
- Unlimited file transfer
- A free domain
- Unlimited emails
And you should be able to get all of this for under $50 for your first year.
Note: It might be a little more for people outside the United States.
That's an incredible deal, and makes it a total no brainer for someone who is just getting going.
Then if your site grows quickly, or you find yourself needing other features down the road, you can always upgrade.
The Best Blog Hosting Service for Newbies
When it comes to shared hosting there is one company I always recommend over others: Bluehost.
Why do I think Bluehost is the best shared hosting out there?
Specifically, because I have experience with it. If I'm starting a new, unproven site, that's almost always where I start it out.
Most shared hosting companies are going to have very similar features, so to many it's almost like choosing a commodity.
However, I've found the Bluehost Support team to be invaluable. This is especially important if you're just starting out. You will break something at some point, so having competent and easy to access support is huge.
Bluehost does a phenomenal job with that, so I think they're great for those just starting out.
Get Started with Bluehost Today
Also, if you're just starting out with all of this and feeling a little overwhelmed, check out our latest course: The Complete Beginner's Guide to Lifestyle Entrepreneurship. We hold your hand and cover all the basics.
Best Web Hosting for More Established Websites
If you have a blog that is getting a decent amount of traffic (say more than 10k unique visitors a month), then I'd highly recommend WP Engine.
That's what I use for my more established websites, and if I weren't using Rainmaker that is 100% where I would be.
I have pretty unique needs for what I'm doing, which is why I'm on Rainmaker – but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it unless you have a similar business to mine.
Get Started with WP Engine Today
Where to Buy Your Domain
If you're going the shared hosting route, there's a very good chance you'll get a free domain when you get setup, so if you're just starting one new blog, then go with that and call it good.
I've also used Name Cheap which is one of the cheaper services, but the user interface is absolutely atrocious.
For a few extra bucks one of my favorite sites to pickup domains is Hover. Their user interface is super simple and sleek, and over time when you start piling up domains, you'll be really happy about this.
Best Web Hosting For…
- Best Hosting for Most People: Bluehost
- Best Hosting for Established Sites: WP Engine
- Best VPS (if you're technical): Linode
- Best Managed CMS: Rainmaker
Related Posts:
Want some more resources designed to help get your new blog up and running? Here are a few of our favorites:
- 56 Reasons to Start a Blog
- Step by Step: How to Setup Your First Blog
- How to Build Your First Online Asset in 48 Hours
- How to Change Your Domain Name: The Complete Guide
- The Complete Beginner's Guide to Starting a Lifestyle Business
The post How to Choose the Best Hosting Service for Your New Blog appeared first on Location Rebel.
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Monday, November 28, 2016
CAMP USA Minima SL 1 Tent Review
The CAMP USA Minima SL 1 (MSRP $249.95) is a compact double-walled tent that weighs 2.0 pounds. One step up from a bivy sack, it packs up impossibly small, making it an option when you need a waterproof shelter that doesn't require much space to set up and you care less about interior comfort.
How small? The packed tent is just 12″ long by 5″ in diameter so it disappears inside a backpack. That's about the size of a pair of mountaineering crampons or half the size of a compressed 20 degree sleeping bag.
The Minima 1 SL has an inner tent that is technically standalone, although you'll want to stake out the front and rear for maximum interior volume. It's pitched using two aluminum tent poles that slide into hoop-shaped sleeves and slot into grommets along the side of the tent.
While the inner tent measurements appear long at 86″ (see specs below), the usable space is considerably lower since the areas above the head and feet slope down. At 5′ 10″, the top of my face and toes touch the top of the inner tent when I lie down on my back on an inflatable sleeping pad. This tent is for sleeping, not hanging out in.
The tent pole segments fold up quite short, none longer than 12″, which contributes to the Minima 1's packability. I wish all tent manufacturers had poles that folded up this small. Unfortunately, the 1/2 sized aluminum tent stakes included with the Minima 1 SL are an impossibly short three and a half inches and have no holding power. I recommend swapping them out for six-inch MSR mini-ground hogs, MSR needle stakes or your favorite assortment of full size tent stakes, like those shown here.
The outer fly drapes over the inner tent and is connected to the side webbing straps (that hold the tent poles in place) with plastic mitten clips, making it nearly impossible to stretch the fly fully and get a taut pitch. The front and rear of the fly is staked out separately from the inner tent using stakes.
While there is a tiny rear vent, ventilation through the tent is compromised unless the front vestibule remains open. Otherwise, condensation quickly overwhelms the tent, dripping on to your face and sleeping bag or quilt, where the inner tent mesh hangs down and touches it.
While top of the front pole is 25 inches high, it is positioned over your torso and not your face, which is just inches below the front sloping mesh of the inner tent. Getting into the tent is difficult without crawling backwards and getting up to pee at night and back in again is a clown show when you're half conscious. Getting dressed and undressed in the tent is simply impossible and there's no extra space in the tent or vestibule for storing your backpack or most of its contents under cover at night.
Assessment
I've always had a very high regard for the mountaineering, climbing, and hiking products that CAMP USA makes which I've always found to be cutting edge and well-designed. But I've found the Minima 1 SL tent to be a challenge to use in anything except ideal weather conditions when you need to keep the front vestibule closed for warmth or to prevent rain from entering the inner tent.
While I can understand how having a highly compressible 2 pound tent is desirable for lightweight backpacking or climbing, there are numerous double-walled and single-walled tents available today that weigh far less and are vastly more comfortable and condensation resistant than the CAMP USA Minima 1 SL tent. I'd give the Minima 1 SL a pass and check out the Tarptent.com ProTrail, Six Moon Designs Skyscape Trekker, REI Quarter Dome 1, and the Eureka Spitfire instead. All of these tents are available at a comparable price to the CAMP USA Minima SL tent, but are far more livable in any weather.
Likes
- Fits into very narrow, tight campsites
- Packs very small and compactly
- Excellent waterproofing specs
Dislikes
- Inner tent hangs onto occupant transferring internal condensation
- Poor ventilation when vestibule is closed
- Stakes provided are to short and have no holding power
Manufacturer Specs
- Weight: 1.0 kg, 2 lb 2 oz
- Sleeps: 1
- Packed Size: 29 x 12 cm, 11.4 x 4.7 in
- External Dimensions (cm): 100 x 300 x h 70
- External Dimensions (in): 39.4 x 118.1 x h 27.6
- Internal Dimensions (cm): 80 x 220 x h 65
- Internal Dimensions (in): 31.5 x 86.6 x h 25.6
- Fly Sheet Material: Nylon Ripstop 30D
- Fly Sheet Water Column (mm): 2000
- Floor Materials: Nylon 190T/N
- Floor Water Column (mm): 3000
- Entrances: 1
- Poles: Alu 6063
Disclosure: CAMP USA provided the author with a sample tent for this review.
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