2023 Resolution Check-In
Welcome to April. Now that a quarter of the year has gone by, I thought it would be ‘fun’ to reflect on 2023’s resolutions and check on my progress. That isn’t the only reason, of course. I did not publish any content last Friday, a first since starting my site 35 weeks ago. This is my attempt to hold myself accountable.
Resolution: Ride More
Status: On Track
Total mileage added to motorcycle odometers to date in 2023 is 330-ish. I took both bikes out on Presidents’ Day Weekend and I’m glad I did. Winter hit hard just a few days later and it doesn’t want to let up. Snow was still falling this week. While the Ural saved me from having to walk forever, it hasn’t moved since I rescued my truck from a massive amount of the white stuff.
More than half of my moto-miles were logged before April 1st of last year. Perhaps my progress is behind. I look at it differently. Yes, I don’t have as many miles logged yet this year but getting out there at all with the unfortunate weather is an accomplishment. When the good riding weather finally arrives, I am prepared to take full advantage. Fresh rubber is on standby in anticipation of high odometer numbers.
Resolution: Write More
Status: Behind
Weekly word count is up, from an average of 814 per post in 2022 to 892 in 2023, so far. That’s not exactly what I meant in my resolution but it is a positive trend.
As previously mentioned, I wrote nothing last week. While I was on vacation, I didn’t go anywhere or do anything. Eating junk food and listening to records on my new turntable don’t count. So, vacation isn’t a valid excuse. I could have written an article or two (or five) but I didn’t. My laptop was upstairs in my office, a distance too far, apparently. To close that distance, I ordered a refurbished last-generation MacBook to keep downstairs. That makes total sense, right? The wisest use of greenbacks I’ve ever seen.
The new (to me) Macbook arrived on Tuesday. I haven’t used a Mac computer since an Apple IIe. By Wednesday, I was a convert.
Distance from my laptop was only part of the reason for nothing being published last week.
This site is a personal hobby but a modest amount of traffic would be nice. I was maintaining my weekly publishing cadence to appease the Google gods and show up on search results. Unfortunately, this strategy alone isn’t viable.
As of March 20th, only 8 of the pages here had been indexed (visible in search results) and the rest of the site was basically invisible on the internet. I thought submitting the sitemap to Google Search Console would be enough. It wasn’t. Each page must be manually submitted through the Console if you don’t want to wait for Google to eventually maybe getting around to indexing your site someday. You can only submit a few pages to Search Console each day. It can still take a couple weeks for it to happen but you should definitely submit if you start a website.
You can see from the graph that the number of indexed pages has increased significantly since I started manually submitting pages to Google Search Console.
We’re up to half of the site being indexed and potentially visible in search results now. Let the floodgates of traffic open.
Resolution: Write Better
Status: Undetermined
Better is subjective. I have taken action to better my writing. Earlier this year, I purchased and read a book called ‘Everybody Writes’ by Ann Handley. It is an interesting read and I recommend it. I also started using ProWritingAid to help with editing. Flashbacks of high school English class. Errors and red ink everywhere. Don’t get me started on the oxford comma.
Every bit of help…helps
While shopping is my solution for most problems, you cannot shop your way to better writing.
The time I spend on each article has increased dramatically even if the word count hasn’t. Investing additional time in individual articles is also part of the reason I had nothing to publish last week. Early content was complete and ready to publish in a couple of hours. My recent DEI post spent a month in draft form before I felt it was ready for publishing.
Is the extra time invested paying off? You tell me.
Resolution: Produce YouTube Content
Status: On Track
No one will ever accuse me of being a graphic designer but the YouTube thumbnail works
Two videos have been posted on YouTube this year. YouTube is weird, though. Three hours of video I edited down to 11 minutes of content has received just over 120 views. Sixteen seconds of security camera footage capturing my accidental slippery trip to the bottom of my driveway has received over 1800 views. Effort does not equal views.
I’m still sitting on 10 hours of Goldwing footage in need of editing. Mic/audio problems may cause me to scrap it all. Two is already twice as many uploads in 2023. Ignore that it is easy to double something when the initial count is one.
Resolution: Only Buy One More Bike
Status: On Track
I haven’t purchased another motorcycle this year (yet). Prices are still outrageous. If I stay indecisive or mad at bike prices, I can easily stick to this resolution.
My mind is still set on a Trail125 but the snow we got has me leaning towards a TeeDub as the next acquisition. A little fat-tired scoot with studs would have come in handy in the escape from snowmageddon and perfect for the type of off-road riding I do (in my mind).
I really thought I would win a 90s Goldwing from Uncle Bogator and scratch that new-bike itch. He thought I would win it, too. I didn’t.
Bonus Resolution: Banjo
Status: Failed
My banjo hangs on my office wall by my desk to remind me to practice. It hasn’t worked yet.
I have not touched my banjo in 2023. Good for Mrs. Bald Rider. Not great for my skills or my future as a country superstar. I thought about picking it up yesterday. I didn’t.
Time to get my butt in gear and knock these resolutions out before three more months pass.
