As part of my effort to break out of the noob status (I'm not even sure when that happens), I've made a resolution to be more methodical when I do things. After reading some follow along campaigns I did a lot of thinking about what these people were doing that I wasn't...I was busting my ass, I was making campaigns, I was spending money, I'm smart, I have hot pics.... One of the main differences was that I wasn't doing a follow along campaign.
And I remembered reading somewhere that when you write about something you're doing, it helps you better understand what you're doing and why you're doing it. I don't know the science behind it, it just works.
So I started keeping a journal of what I was doing each day w/ my campaigns. Changes I was making, observations, to-do lists, good links I found, scripts, It especially helped when things became confusing. Having a plan in my head was one thing, but I when I put it down somewhere it freed up brain power to think more. I don't have to rely on my brain to remember everything AND come up with new ideas. AND when I have a campaign question, I know exactly what to ask because I've worked out all the details on my own. and most times, when I think I need to ask someone, I'll actually find out the answer on my own.
I should have been doing this months ago, but it's all about looking forward. Keeping notes/a journal and being more methodical has helped me optimize a set of campaigns from -$50/day to $40-90/day. And then create high ROI campaigns based on those things I've learned. This is a first for me. I've come up with stuff that just did hundreds/day without optimizing, but when that fizzles out I'm left with "what next? How did I even do that?" I felt like I was starting back at square 1 every time and that sucks ass. Now managing multiple campaigns isn't such a big deal because I don't have to remember all kinds of shit all the time. I'm taking notes about it, creating better processes and overall becoming more efficient and more effective.
tl;dr: If you don't keep some kind of journal system, start. It will make you better.(I use evernote, it is the shit)
kudos to you for doing that i'm sure you'll see a difference. I think part of keeping a journal is that when you write it even for yourself you need to better communicate your strategies and layout your ideas as if someone else was going to look at them. If you wouldn't be willing to support an idea or show it to somebody else why is it worth doing in the first place?
The whole reason I started my blog was to help keep my notes and ideas in one place and most of my posts are reminders to myself more than anything. I think the follow alongs on this forum are also pure gold for not just learning tips, but making people accountable for updating, improvements, etc.
Ya....its too easy to get distracted with all the stuff that get thrown at you in this biz.....I found that setting up a google calender helped me alot.....with just some basic guidelines of what I should be doing with my day....it makes it easy to review the previous day and ask yourself "did I achieve my daily goal"?
it kinda keeps you honest with yourself as well....