Experiments Archive:
Blog Post Frequency Experiment Results
Back on March 18th, I wrote a post about blog post frequency and an experiment I was conducting. Now that it has been a few weeks, I thought I would go back and take a look at my traffic stats ever since I started writing a little less frequently.
Here are my stats starting two weeks before the experiment through April 12th:
Not Much Change
As you can see from the graph, not a whole lot of changes took place. If anything, my traffic started increasing a little…
My Plan To Pack On Some Pounds
Creative Commons – photo credit: jontunn
About a week and a half ago, I decided to go on a bulking diet. If you are not sure what that is, it’s basically a diet where you eat more calories than you burn and lift weights in order to gain some weight. I have been in to weightlifting for about 6 years now but have really slacked off over the last year (more like not lifted at all).
I managed to go from 185 all the way down to 168 without even trying. I do eat as healthy as I can and avoid all boxed foods as well as junk food (chips, McDonalds, etc). The only time I “cheat” and eat less healthy foods is when I go out to eat sometimes. So that might have a lot to do with losing a little weight since it’s hard for me to get a lot of calories in when I am eating nothing but healthy foods.
Anyways, I’ve started to look like starvin’ Marvin from South park so I made the decision to bulk up.
Below you will find a breakdown of what I am doing in the gym as well as what I am eating. I’ve been documenting my weight everyday and once I hit my goal I am going to do a post with before and after pictures to show everyone what is possible.
An Experiment In Blog Post Frequency
One of the most common questions I receive from fellow bloggers is “how many times should I post on my blog?” I usually respond with a simple and honest answer…I don’t know.
I have been blogging on and off for over 5 years now and still have no idea what the best blog post frequency is. Here on this blog, I typically try to post Monday through Friday. I’m usually too busy on the weekends to post and I expect my readers are as well. However, I do miss some…
Are You A Night Owl?
It’s midnight and your brain is more fired up than ever. Should you go to bed?
I’ve been trying to answer this question for at least 10 years. As far back as I can remember I have stayed up late, often past 1 AM. I even moved to Hawaii, which is 5 or 6 hours behind. What happened? My sleep schedule caught up with me and I still slept during the day. Weird…
I can still remember when I had an early morning shift at a factory. I would often stay up until 1 and then sleep for a few hours before having to go to work all day. It was brutal…
It seems like all my life I have been in a constant struggle against society. Just about everything we do is setup on a typical 8 – 5 schedule. In college my classes often started at 8 and every job I ever had started before 9. Heck, even some stores open early and close before 7 PM. It makes it pretty difficult for night owls like myself.
The Power Of A Notebook
If I were to tell you about a cutting edge tool that will make your blog (and life) better, you would probably want to learn more about it. Am I right? I thought so. However, if I told you that this cutting edge tool was a notebook, you would probably call me crazy. That’s right, a plain ol’ spiral notebook with real paper in it.
It’s true that of all the tools I have utilized in my life, nothing has been more beneficial than a notebook. It’s the once place I can write down whatever I want, whenever I want. I constantly write down thoughts and ideas that I want to remember later on.
Carrying around a notebook started as an experiment but I have now made it a habit to take a notebook with me everywhere I go. Especially when traveling.
7 Things I Learned About Mustaches
It’s official, I had the awesomest mustache of all last night! And we managed to raise $875 for schools here in phoenix. Not bad. Now it’s time to reflect and get rid of this fricken thing.
So here is what I learned from having a mustache:
1. Chicks Don’t Dig Them
This had be the first thing on the list. From the time I started growing my mustache, I could tell my girlfriends attraction to me was plummeting. Even girls in the store looked at my weird, probably because I looked like their dad or some random pedophile…
2. They Look/Feel Creepy
The thing that annoyed me the most, was feeling creep everywhere I went. Just walking around Wal-Mart looking at the toys section made me feel weird. Probably because old guys with mustaches don’t belong near children…
Even going out to the bar was less fun. I could tell people were looking at me and judging me on the fact that my mustache kicked ass. They no longer judged me as a person.
Mustaches For Kids in Phoenix
Today I have some big news. I mentioned last Thursday that I started growing a mustache and now is the time to explain it. That’s right, from last Thursday until December 18th, I will by growing what will no doubt be a creepy looking mustache. It’s only been five days and it already looks creepy…
Why The Mustache?
The holiday season is here and there is no better way to start it off than by giving to those in need. Therefore, I decided to join Mustaches for Kids to help support schools around the Phoenix area. Schools are in need of money to provide students with the education experiences they deserve. By giving a donation, you help us fund one of the projects that we have selected to raise money for.
In order to justify this endeavor I need your support. I am asking for you to sponsor my mustache by making a contribution to DonorsChoose.org for $1 per day of my mustache growth (or a one time donation of your choosing). This donation will go directly to local low-income classroom projects here in Phoenix.
What I learned From Not Spending Money
My experiment to not spend money for 7 days has officially come to an end today. And guess what, I made it! It was not easy, but it was totally worth it. It made me realize a few things that I wanted to share.
The Things We Take For Granted
When you do not have any money to spend, you quickly realize the things we take for granted. I can’t believe how much I missed going out to the bar and eating once in awhile. I also missed buying the little things like beer and soda when I ran out. Things like this we consider small in our everyday lives, but when we don’t have this option they feel a lot bigger. I felt like I was missing out on a lot of things.
The Things We Forget
However, not spending money also makes us realize the things we already have and enjoy doing. For example, not renting movies made me realize how many movies I already own that I haven’t looked at in ages. It’s easy to overlook our belongings when it is so easy to go out and get new things all the time.
I also realized how many free things there are to do. Going for walks, rollerblading, and hanging out at the park are just a few. Taking pictures and hiking were two other things I enjoyed doing during the 7 days.
Day 7: 7 Days Without Spending A Dime
Day 7… phew! I can’t believe I actually made it. It has been a long and tough journey but the end is almost here. I now have less than 24 hours to go until I can call this experiment a success.
Almost Failed Today…
My girlfriend dragged me to the grocery store this morning so she could pick up some eggs and we had to walk past the beer section while there. As it turns out, we only had 1 beer in the fridge and I had two games to watch. I tried to hint to her that we needed beer, but she caught on and told me no. I was really tempted to just spend the 13 bucks so I could watch the game and drink some beer. I figure I’ve already suffered enough. Instead of going to the bar and watching Sunday football, I’m stuck at home watching it on our 13 inch TV with rabbit ears.
Day 6: 7 Days Without Spending A Dime
Day 6 is here and I have some news to share from last night. I managed to make it through the night without spending any money and had a great time at the show. Here is how it went:
The Doug Stanhope Show
The show was awesome and one of the best I have seen. It started out with a local comedian that lives here in Tempe. Following him, one of Doug’s completely shitfaced friends took the stage and then it got interesting. The crowd turned on him half way through his skit and there was no way he could of gotten them back on his side.
After listening to that guy get booed for awhile, Doug Stanhope finally came out and the crowd did a complete 180. Doug’s show was awesome and I never stopped laughing. It was definitely explicit which is what made the show so damm funny.
During the show, my girlfriend bought me 2 rum and cokes. I wasn’t going to sit there and make her drink by herself so I gratefully accepted 
. Even if I would have bought the drinks, it would of been a lot less than I spend at the bar on other occasions.
