Ticket 2 Blog

How Do You Transition to Remote Work?

(timestamps below)

• How do you go from vacationer mode to living as a digital nomad?
• Should I just stay put for a little while to get a remote work routine established?
• Is it possible to work and travel when you're becoming a digital nomad?
• Why is it so exhausting to work and travel?
• Once I start to work remotely and travel, how do I avoid constant overwhelm and exhaustion?
• How do I deal with the lack of friends and social network when living the digital nomad life?
• Can digital nomads make friends?  How?
• What's the deal with co-working spaces?  Co-living spaces?

Links to references made in the podcast:

• How to Become a House Sitter - like Berna! (and Jema) 
• How to House Sit Your Way Around the World (and Other Free Accommodation) - the house sitting podcast episode from the Postcard Academy
• The Hidden Cost of Too Much Travel - identity loss
• How Bossy People Ruin Lives - also identity loss
• Facebook Ticket 2 Blog Support Crew - where we talk about co-working spaces & tons of other stuff
• Episode 5  - where we discuss - accountability partners & Warren Buffet's 5/25 exercise
• Places to talk to us online:
  • Ticket2Blog.com
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • New Blogger Support Crew (also Facebook)
• Where you can contact Jema if you're interested in an online business internship
• The Travel Website Jema's re-organizing 

Timestamp Listening:

• 2:14 . . . the dream work/rest/travel ratio
• 3:32 . . . why Berna sounds weird this ep
• 4:39 . . . why travel is exhausting 
• 7:30 . . . how travel affects your identity & why
• 10:16 . . . why people back home don't get it
• 11:01 . . . why travelers get blindsided by numbness
• 15:11 . . . Jema issues Berna a challenge
• 17:32 . . . the empowering thing you can do to feel good about your daily accomplishments
• 20:44 . . . how do you create and maintain a support network when traveling? 
• 22:46 . . . why you should stop saying "doing nothing"
• 24:43 . . . how to finally spend enough time with your friends
• 28:00 . . . how to connect with people who understand your crazy traveler life
• 29:25 . . . are co-working spaces a good option?
• 32:12 . . . the linchpin for building a village in your digital nomad life
• 33:33 . . . Berna's self-assigned homework
• 35:45 . . . how to get your Ticket 2 Blog fix between episodes
• 37:06 . . . what's the topic next week?
• 38:30 . . . what we're most dreading in our crazy nomad lives

How Do You Prioritize Multiple Projects?

(timestamp nav below)

• What are some good time management strategies?  Especially when faced with multiple projects with different audiences & intentions?

• What do you do to effectively manage your time so you have time to create (while juggling multiple projects)?
• How do I strike a balance between going with the flow vs planning?
• How do you know when it's time to stop and hit the reset button?
• How do you make time to stop and hit the reset button?
• How do you keep work from sneaking in and eating up your rest/reset time?

Links to references made in the podcast:

• Jema's project buckets
  • free SEO training for newbies
  • T2B support crew
  • Podcast Movement - a great FB group for podcasters where Jema runs a weekly activity. (NB - Jema's activity not available for summer)
  • Jema's Half the Clothes travel website about to deploy its life hacking section and five new articles
  • Where you can contact Jema if you're interested in an online business internship
  • Wanderlife.co - the coming-soon website to help people who want to hack their housing or financial life by living in a van, tiny house, or other creative structure.
  • Work exchanging - what Jema spends 10-15 hours of her week doing.  Her favorite travel and life hack!
    -
• A Depth Year - David Cain's hypothetical idea that his Raptitude readers were immediately desperate to make a reality.
  (And Raptitude's taglines are actually "a street level look at the human existence" and "getting better at being human."  If you're listening... sorry, David!)
  -
• Episode 5 where we talked about the "How to Have Time to Do Everything" exercise. And Warren Buffet's 5/25 advice response to "How do you prioritize multiple projects?"
  -
  (And How to Fit Creating and Marketing into a Busy Life… without Dependable WiFi.)

Timestamp Listening:

• 01:57 . . . How do you prioritize multiple projects?
• 04:05 . . . How Jema splits her time when stressed out
• 05:06 . . . How to know when to pull the brakes on multiple projects and hit the reset button
• 08:16 . . . How it feels for Berna (and most people!) to consider pulling the brakes on the stressed-out-too-much-to-do life.
• 10:40 . . . Berna recognizes which signs in her life have actually been pointing to the need for at least a break from juggling multiple projects.
• 12:35 . . . How to hit the reset button once you've taken a break from being stressed out with too much to do.
• 14:59 . . . How long you should rest once you've started wondering, "What do you do to effectively manage your time?"
• 15:32 . . . People who are good at resting. And why westerners aren't.
• 16:57 . . . The few westerners who are good at resting (as opposed to asking, "What are some good time management strategies?"), how they're doing it, and how you can, too.
• 17:21 . . . Why your break from life needs to be two weeks - not one.
• 17:56 . . . You know you're a westerner when...
• 18:27 . . . The mindset that will help you successfully take an important break from life
• 20:30 . . . What it means if something seems hard and scary.
• 20:50 . . . What rest and dehydration have in common
• 21:43 . . . How to design a routine that doesn't lead to overwhelming stress and anxiety. And that helps you get what you want out of life.
• 23:04 . . . What happens to your productivity compulsion when you rest. And why.
• 25:14 . . . The bright side of being constantly driven to hyper-productivity.
• 32:05 . . . What to do if you can't make yourself rest.
• 34:02 . . . How to strike a balance between going with the flow vs planning.
• 34:42 . . . Berna's homework (that you can do, too!)
• 36:00 . . . How to get your T2B fix between episodes
• 38:05 . . . What Berna is most dreading in her life
• 40:11 . . . Why Jema wants you to stop saying "doing nothing."
• 40:39 . . . What Jema is (ironically?) dreading in her life
• 42:41 . . . Outtakes. Come. Laugh with us!

(Jump below for timestamp navigation)

What are SEO keywords?  Where?  When?  Why?

• How do I do SEO?  When I put my fingers to the keyboard, what should I know about? 
  .
• I know I should be using keywords, but what words do the SEO Robots like? .
• How long will it take me to stop hating SEO?
  .
• Can I still be funny and have good SEO?
  .
• How do I know if my SEO is working?
  .
• How long does it take to SEO a piece of content?

Links to references made in the podcast:

• The "Why a Hard Working Perfectionist... Doesn't Want a Job" article Jema wrote that she hasn't SEO'd yet.  (So it's only getting eyeballs from established readers and people who come from pages that have been SEO'd.)
  .
• How to Have Time to Do Everything - the article Jema wrote for the ep5 shownotes that she then SEO'd.
  .
• Episode 1 - where Berna and Jema rank their weirdness on the scale of 1-10.  And where we talk about blogs vs. journals.
  .
• Google's 200 Ranking Factors that we talked about in episode 7... where you find out about a million (okay 200) little things that go into determining your SEO score.
  .
• Episode 3 where we talk about your sphere of influence... including why it's worth writing your version of on topics that have already been written about.
  .
• Episode 5 where Berna gave herself what-to-do-with-no-wifi homework.
  .
• The first video (but 3rd in the series!) Berna finished when she didn't have wifi.
  .
• One of the blog posts Berna wrote in her no wifi time.

Timestamp Listening:

• 2:15
  Where our sound quality comes from
• 3:05
  The two categories of SEO 
• 4:39
  How to figure out what keywords to use 
• 9:33
  When Jema puts keywords in as she writes... and when she doesn't.
• 10:37
  Jema's content creator life isn't just SEO successes (no one's life is!).  Here are some things she hasn't SEO'd or SEO'd well.
• 11:57
  How SEO (for Berna) went from being like "a scary monster" to "a kind dog."
• 13:22
  How long it usually takes new content creators to stop hating SEO
• 14:01 
  A sentence Berna thought she'd never say about SEO
• 14:28
  Where to actually put keywords and why
• 19:13
  The keyword quick list
• 21:11
  What to do with the great parts of your content that don't fit the SEO mold
• 22:11
  How to track if SEO is working for you
• 25:05
  How much time SEO takes Jema
• 26:59 
  How often you should practice SEO as a newbie
• 28:51
  A statistic to encourage you to do SEO
• 30:23
  Other SEO factors (outside of what you do with content) that really matter
• 34:29
  How you can join Berna in her SEO homework
• 35:07
  How to get your Ticket 2 Blog fix between episodes
• 36:25
  Question to look forward to next episode
• 36:52
  Berna's lack-of-wifi homework results from episode 5.
• 39:38
  Where to see the things Berna did when she (finally!) didn't have wifi.
   

(Jump below for timestamp navigation)

Today your no-bullsh*t podcast asks:

What is SEO?  Do I have to?

• Why is every online guru yelling at me about SEO?
  .
• Can you please explain it to me like I'm a five-year-old?
  .
• I wrote an article.  How do I make the robots happy about it?
  .
• What do SEO robots like?  What do they not like?.
  .
• How do I balance keyword-searchability with being creative?
  .
• If everyone's using the same keywords, how do you rise to the top?
  .
• Is it cheating to go back through your articles and SEO them?

Links to references made in the podcast:

• Google's 200 Ranking Factors that go into determining your SEO score.
  .
• Jema's packing list that rose to the top and has been at the top of Google for years because of the value it provides.
  .
• Episode 4 - where we talk at length at the importance of starting now, because no one is listening but the search engine robots!
  .
• The How to Milk a Sheep article Jema wrote that's still at the top of Google six years later because she was first.  Her article is the oldest, which causes it to outrank potentially better articles.  Word to new creators: publish now!
  .
• Jema's sheep milking experience happened at a work exchange, which is something everyone should do!
  .
• How to Have Time to Do Everything - the article Jema wrote for the ep5 shownotes that she then SEO'd.
  .
• Berna's well-received "Give a Shit List" that she wrote after doing her homework from episode 5 and episode 6.

Timestamp Listening:

• 1:40
  Jema explains SEO to Berna "like she's a five year old."
• 1:45
  Jema reveals the best thing about SEO... and it's going to make you feel great.
• 3:21
  "Dirty" SEO explained
• 4:39
  How your audience teaches search engines about your content
• 6:20
• The number of factors that search engine's use to determine your SEO score.
• 7:04
  I wrote an article. How do I make the robots happy?
• 8:16
  How to think about SEO in a way that makes you actually want to do it.
• 9:28
  The most important thing to know about SEO (so you stop feeling overwhelmed).
• 10:39
  The SEO features you need to care about when you write an article.
• 11:52
  Where all those bad search-engine results come from
• 14:11
  Why keywords are mattering less and less
• 14:57
  Jema's #1 SEO tip: the trick she thinks often lands her on the front page of Google
• 19:13
  A run down of which sections of your article to SEO-ify
• 19:31
  3 tips for rising to the top for competitive keywords
• 23:33
  The thing you most need to do with anything you've been waiting to create.
• 27:15
  Is it cheating to go back and SEO articles?
• 27:50
  How long it takes to learn SEO
• 28:35
  What robot-friendly moves Berna's learned in her two months of being a creator
• 31:00
  Berna's self-assigned homework from the episode
• 31:53
  How to get Ticket 2 Blog in your life between episodes
• 33:35
  Berna's question for next episode
• 34:08
  How Berna's homework went from last episode
• 35:32
  Where our sound quality comes from today
• 36:47
  Berna's biggest fail of the week
• 37:43
  Jema's biggest fail of the week
• 39:34
  Hilarious outtakes

 We're so grateful to Pitx for our music.  We grabbed a snippet of (modified) their work, which we get to use thanks to this legalese.

(Jump below for timestamp navigation)

Today your no-bullsh*t podcast asks:

How do you manage separate identities and projects as a content creator?

• What do I do when I get overwhelmed with projects?  Can I combine them?  Give up?  Something in between?
  .
• What happens to my audience when I change my mind?  Do they get mad?  Do they leave?
  .
• What happens when I do something I care about outside my usual content area?
  .
• How do I deal with all the crap that I’m trying to do for other people that’s driving me crazy?  How do I disappointing other people without crushing my own soul?

Links to references made in the podcast:

• Why Jema also didn’t run away with the circus, on top of never following through on her intention to blog about circus school.
• I Just Discovered – the website Jema made months ago, but has lingered in the “not as important as Ticket 2 Blog, or Wanderlife.co, or HalfTheClothes.com.
• Episode 4 – Which explains how long it takes to make “evergreen” content (info that’s good for years and years).  And why consistency isn’t really that important.
• Episode 3 – Where we talk about how your circle of influence is not super enormous (which applies to this episode… the pressure of “everyone” is going to be disappointed is 1- small, and 2- false!)
• The Accountability Partner concept – the secret to doing everything!
• Felicia’s Wallet – Berna’s YouTube series about personal finance and how to figure out the rules of money that nobody told us growing up.
• #YouthNotes – Berna’s big passion that she’s exploring everywhere she goes in her travels
• Episode 5 – where we talk about Warren Buffet’s 5/25 rule and why it’s a solution to de-stress your whole life.
• Wanderlife.co – the project Jema is doing instead of taking a break after Ticket 2 Blog launch madness.

Timestamp Listening:

• Locations in the world responsible for today’s sound quality
  2:06
• A super common pattern between male/female travel couples
  4:14
• Why so many of our/your projects fail (and why it’s okay!)
  5:30
• Jema’s answer to whether or not Berna should abandon ship
  6:20
• When Jema usually announces a new project and why
  7:14
• Why starting something doesn’t make you feel the way you think it will.
  7:58  
• Berna realizes what actually happens to your audience (and why) when you change projects
  9:07 
• Why beginner content producers get confused about content production so easily.
  11:17
• Why new content producers generally struggle to maintain multiple identities/brands/projects.
  11:40
• The barrier that many new content makers hit, (that we hit with this podcast!), and how to get over it.
  12:56
• What it feels like to work on something when you don’t know (or care about!) your why
  15:29 
• Jema’s (traumatic!) memories from baby blogger days & Berna’s identical experiences
  16:52
• How your audience feels when you show up.  And when you don’t.
  18:30
• What to do with the energy you have for a project that isn’t a fit for your audience.
  19:12
• Berna’s question about the travel blogger industry that Jema was afraid to answer.  But did.
  20:22
• Berna’s revelations about the consequences of being a people pleaser.
  23:17
• Why being a people pleaser cuts you off from your actual sense of purpose
  24:41
• What Berna’s going to do about her content-creator identity crisis
  25:38 
• Berna’s (self-assigned) homework for this episode
  27:38 
• what Berna wants to talk about next week
  29:10 
• How listeners can get their Ticket 2 Blog fix between episodes
  29:56 
• What Berna’s most dreading in her nomad life this week
  31:15 
• What Jema is dreading
  32:02 
• Hilarious out takes
  33:41  

Today your no-bullsh*t podcast asks:

Where do you get energy for creating and marketing when spending so much time on travel (and often not having WiFi)?

• How does one balance time for creativity with the need to market?
• How do you produce or promote when you don't have dependable wifi?
• Do you ever feel like marketing is taking over your life?
• How do you deal with the guilt when you don't take time for boring and stressful marketing?

Links to references made in the podcast:

• The Accountability Partner concept
• How to Inventory Your Life (and Have Time for Everything)
• How Bossy People Ruin Lives
• Why a Hard-Working Perfectionist Doesn't Want a Job
• Depression for the Un-Depressed
• Jema's Circus School past-life
• Warren Buffet's 5/25 rule (which it turns out is a teeny bit different than we thought, but just as useful)
  Berna's 5/25 rule results
• That podcast where an  Olympic sports psychologist talks about How a Life of Constant Challenges Improves You - an episode from Outside Magazine's excellent podcast.

We're so grateful to Pitx for our music.  We grabbed a snippet of (modified) their work, which we get to use thanks to this legalese.

Today your no-bullsh*t podcast about being a blogging nomad asks:

"How do I produce content consistently when travel (or life) takes up most my time?"

Ever get excited about a project, throw yourself behind it, build up a big idea of what it should be, get all perfectionist, and end up burning out?

Want to hear an answer you'll actually like about how often you should be publishing content?

This episode is for you!

Links to references made in the podcast:

• Lilly Singh and Grace Helbig - Berna's favorite YouTubers
• Lore (by Aaron Mahnke) - Berna's favorite podcast
• "Why I'm Quitting the Internet" - the article that led to Berna and Jema connecting
• The epic packing list - one of Jema's evergreen content centerpieces
• The Elizabeth Gilbert TED Talk about why you don't have to feel guilty about not producing on a schedule.

We're so grateful to Pitx for our music.  We grabbed a snippet of (modified) their work, which we get to use thanks to this legalese.

Today your no-bullsh*t podcast about being a blogging nomad asks:

"How Do I Document Without Being an A**hole?"

Ever come across shareable moments, reach for your camera, and suddenly get hit by a wave of "“UGH, obnoxious tourist” shame?

Can't stand the thought of being that person with a selfie-stick?

Ever ask yourself:

• What's the point?  There are a million photos of this on the internet.
• Am I giving up living in the moment?
• Am I missing a chance to capture good content?
• Can I enjoy an experience AND document it?
• Am I ruining things for people around me?
• Should I apologize for taking pictures?
• Is there a way to capture cultural performances without being a total a**hole? (spoiler alert: there is!)

This episode is for you!

Links to references made in the podcast:

• Berna's article about representation: Brown Girl You Belong

Timestamp Navigation:

• 1:38
  How Berna feels when attempting to document her travels
• 3:34
  Jema reveals why taking photos can feel icky (but doesn't have to!)
• 5:01
  What Jema does (and recommends you do!) if it feels weird taking photos or videos
• 6:32
  Berna reveals the worst case scenario she fears when she's nervous about taking photos.
• 7:38
  What Jema used to do when she felt weird about taking photos. what she does now, and how people react
• 9:13
  Why Jema hates selfie-sticks... it's probably not what you think.
• 9:46
  Why your photo matters, even though it's being captured by thousands of other people.
• 12:48
  A quote about your responsibility to do what you can to impact those around you
• 14:09
  Jema's answer to being in the moment vs. being distracted by thoughts about "production value."
• 15:56
  A homework recommendation for getting rid of worrying about what other people think
• 16:49
  How Berna couldn't bring herself to take photos of cultural performers - especially having been one.
• 18:44
  Jema's two stories - one she loved, one she hated - about people taking photos of her
• 20:48
  How you can take cultural photos... and feel good about it!
• 22:01
  What Berna gave herself for homework from the episode (You can do it with her!)
• 23:44
  What Berna wants to talk about next week
• 24:07
  Bern'a homework results from last week
• 25:43
  How listeners can get their Ticket 2 Blog fix between episodes
• 26:19
  What Berna is most dreading in her nomad life this week
• 26:44
  What Jema is most dreading in her life

We're so grateful to Pitx for our music.  We grabbed a snippet of (modified) their work, which we get to use thanks to this legalese.

Today your no-bullsh*t podcast about being a blogging nomad asks:

"Should I Become a Blogger?"

It seems cool, hip, and maybe financially beneficial. 

• Is it the right route for me?
• Do I have what it takes? 
• Am I asking myself the right questions?
• How can I understand what's involved before I decide to start?

Links to references made in the podcast:

• Berna's viral YouTube vids: Felicia's Wallet
• Jema's well-known packing list written in a Bangkok internet cafe with no air-con.
• Whether or not bloggers were writers first.  Jema's anecdata from polling fellow platform owners: 1 in 4 were not writers first, the rest were.

We're so grateful to Pitx for our music.  We grabbed a snippet of (modified) their work, which we get to use thanks to this legalese.

Today your no-bullsh*t podcast about being a blogging nomad asks:

"What's going on here?!"

• Who are these talking heads?
• Who is Ticket 2 Blog for?
• What can you expect from Ticket 2 Blog?
• How did your hosts meet?
• Why did we start this podcast?

We'll also introduce each other and wrap up by asking each other some of our favorite quirky interview questions.

Links to references made in the podcast:

• Berna's Travel Website: See What Else
• Jema's Travel Website: Half the Clothes
• Farofa!

We're so grateful to Pitx for our music.  We grabbed a snippet of (modified) their work, which we get to use thanks to this legalese.