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I’m writing this post about eighteen hours before the first polls open on Election Day, and it feels tense out there. The New York Times, for example, just posted an article headlined: “How Americans Feel About the Election: Anxious and Scared.” Based on extensive interviews conducted over this past weekend, the Times concludes: “Americans across the political spectrum reported heading to the polls in battleground states with a sense that their nation was coming undone. While some expressed relief that the long election season was finally nearing an end, it was hard to escape the undercurrent of uneasiness about Election Day.” These results probably come as no surprise. The question then becomes what to do with this anxiety. The first step, of course, is to vote — and not just vote, but to approach your decision honestly and dispassionately. By the time you read this, you’ve likely already completed this step. But then what? Here I have a suggestion that I think could be healing for all points of the political spectrum: use the stress of this election to be the final push needed to step away from the exhausting digital chatter that’s been dominating your brain. Take a break from social media. Stop listening to news podcasts. Unsubscribe, at least for a while, from those political newsletters clogging your inbox with their hot takes and tired in-fighting. I suggest you switch to a slower pace of media consumption. Don’t laugh at this suggestion, because I’m actually serious: consider picking up the occasional old-fashioned printed newspaper (free from algorithmic optimization and click-bait curation) at your local coffee shop or library to check in, all at once, on anything major going on in the world. I think I might setup a Sunday-only paper subscription as my main source of news this winter. Equally important is how you redirect your newly liberated attention. Consider aiming it toward real community, with real people who actually live near you, to retrain your brain to stop thinking of the world as hopelessly fractured into vicious tribes. (If right now you’re scouring this post to seek evidence as to whether I’m friend or foe, then you’re already severely suffering from this malady. ) Consider reading books again. There’s a pleasure in the conquest of deep ideas that’s been lost as we thrashed in a digital sea of churning distraction. Spend more time in nature to discover that despite the apocalyptic tenor of the online world, its analog counterpart persists, and is beautiful. The Republic will still stand without our constant digital vigilance. But it’s unclear if our mental health can survive the status quo. ##### Two announcements to share… For the past twelve years, my longtime friend Joshua Fields Millburn, of The Minimalists fame, has been teaching a fantastic online course called How to Write Better. It’s open this week for a new session, so if you’re interested in improving your writing ability (which you should be), please check it out! If you’re still on the fence about whether or not to read my new book, Slow Productivity, check out this insightful new review from Real Clear Books that was published last week. The post After You Vote: Unplug appeared first on Cal Newport. View the full article

November 4, 2024 Happy Monday, folks! Ready for your bi-weekly dose of remote work insights? I'll leave you with a phrase by Argentinian artist Federico Manuel Peralta Ramos: Solamente consiguen un oasis aquellos que se bancan el desierto Only those who can endure the desert find an oasis. Vic Our Favorite Articles 💯How I Got My Remote Job at Buffer (LinkedIn)Tamilore Oladipo, content writer at Buffer, shares her journey in this short video. ​Watch it here​. Software Engineer Titles Have (Almost) Lost All Their Meaning (Trevor's Blog)Software engineer titles have become so inflated that "Senior Ninja Rockstar Engineer III" might just mean “knows how to Google bugs really well.” ​Check it out​. Empowering Remote Teams: Building Trust and Managing Challenges Effectively (Remotive)Rodolphe writes about the foundations of successful remote teams. ​Read on​. Getty imagesAustralia is the latest country to give workers the 'right to disconnect' after hours (NPR)Australia just gave workers the ultimate ‘out of office’ pass: now, if your boss texts after hours, you’re legally allowed to leave them on read. ​Learn more​. This Week's Sponsor 🙌Too many emails? Declutter your inbox with Meco, your home for reading newsletters.Try it for free ↗️ Remotive Jobs 💼Is this job for you? 👉 ​​Senior Next.js Developer​ at Proxify​ (CET +/- 3 hours) 👉 ​Paralegal/Legal Operations Professional​ at Discourse (USA, UK) 👉 ​Full Stack Engineer​ at Hoop (USA) 👉 ​Senior Blockchain Developer - Web3 and Smart Contract experts​ at Playmate (Worldwide) 👉 ​Graphic Designer​ at Contra (Worldwide) 👉 ​Video Editor​ at Contra (Worldwide) 👉 ​Social Media Manager​ at Contra (Worldwide) 👉 ​Product Designer​ at Contra (Worldwide) 👉 ​Webflow Developer​ at Contra (Worldwide) Free Guides & Tools​Public Job Board​We curate 2,000 remote jobs so you don't have to! ​Find your remote job →​ ​Exclusive Webinar​3 Mistakes to Avoid When Looking For A Remote Startup Job (And What To Do Instead) ​Register for free →​ ​Job Search Tips​Looking for a remote job? Here are our tips to help you work remotely ​Check it out → Join the Remotive newsletter Subscribe to get our latest content by email. Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription. There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again. Email address Subscribe Powered by ConvertKit View the full article

Using the right keywords is essential in SEO. Because using the words your audience searches with will help your posts and pages rank. That’s why we always tell you to try to find the perfect keywords for optimizing your articles. So, after finding the perfect keyword, why shouldn’t you use it repeatedly? Why would you use synonyms and related keywords? It might seem contradictory, but correctly using synonyms and related keywords can improve your rankings. Table of contents What is the difference between synonyms and related keyphrases? Variation is key What about keyword density? Find related keyphrases using our Semrush integration How often should you use synonyms and related keywords? Make those related keyphrases and synonyms work for you Conclusion What is the difference between synonyms and related keyphrases? It’s important to know the difference between synonyms and related keyphrases. Synonyms are words or phrases that mean the same thing or are very similar. Using them in SEO can help diversify your content and capture different variations of a keyword that people might use in searches. For example, “car” and “automobile” mean the same thing, so they are synonyms. On the other hand, related keyphrases are terms that aren’t necessarily synonyms but are still connected to the main keyword in context. They help capture broader search intent by covering topics and ideas related to your primary keyword. For instance, if your main keyword is “puppy training,” related keyphrases might include “puppy behavior classes” or “puppy command basics.” Incorporating synonyms and related keyphrases into your content can make it more relevant. This approach increases your chances of ranking for various search queries. Variation is key The main reason to use synonyms and related keywords in your text is to make it much easier to read. If you write a text about ‘candy’ and use the word ‘candy’ in every other sentence, your text will not flow naturally and become unreadable. Your readers will most likely stop reading and leave your page or post. You’ll lose your audience. That’s why you should aim for variation in your writing. For example, ‘sweets’ and ‘delicacy’ could be synonyms for ‘candy’. Related keywords could be ‘chocolate’ and ‘sugar,’ which aren’t synonyms for ‘candy’ but are related to it and can, therefore, still be relevant for your text. We’ll get into that later on in this post. So, for your text to be attractive and engaging, it should be varied. This can be done in different ways. For instance, you can try to alternate long sentences with shorter ones. Longer sentences are often more difficult to process, and using shorter sentences makes your text easier to read. You can also try to alternate the sequence of words to avoid too much repetition in your sentences. But the most important thing is to vary with the exact words you use. Especially if you’re trying to rank for a long-tail keyphrase consisting of several words, such as ‘candy store New York’. Using that exact keyphrase in many of your sentences will make your text awful to read. Using synonyms and related keywords, on the other hand, allows you to make a text much more attractive while still being able to focus on your chosen keyphrase. What about keyword density? Of course, it’s important to regularly use your focus keyword and be aware of your keyword density. But you shouldn’t overdo it. In the old days, SEOs tended to stuff their texts with their keyword as much as possible. That way, Google would understand the text and rank it accordingly. But Google has come a long way since then. It can read and understand texts perfectly well and is getting smarter daily. We’ll give you an example. If you type in ‘best candy store New York’ on Google, the results will show pages about ‘candy stores’ and ‘candy shops’. Google understands that ‘store’ and ‘shop’ are synonyms and treats them as such. Snippets from the search result page for the search ‘best candy store New York’ This doesn’t take away from the fact that you should still use your focus keyword a few times throughout your post. After all, the focus keyword is still the word or phrase your audience was searching for. These are the words your audience uses and will expect to find in your text. That exact match remains important. But, to avoid using your keyword too many times – also called keyword stuffing – you can use synonyms and related keywords. That way, you can rank on these keywords while keeping your text attractive and readable. Find related keyphrases using our Semrush integration Yoast SEO can help you find related keyphrases based on your focus keyword, saving you time and hassle. All you need to do is click the button to ‘Get related keyphrases’; you’ll find it right underneath your focus keyword in the Yoast sidebar. You’ll see a list of related keywords and search trend data when you click that button. This is how the related keyphrases feature looks in Yoast SEO As a Yoast SEO Premium or Yoast SEO for Shopify users, you can add up to five related keyphrases to your SEO analysis. This lets you optimize your text for these additional terms similarly to your focus keyphrase. As always, you’ll see our familiar feedback bullets to guide you. If you’re a Yoast SEO Free user, you can explore related keyphrases using the tool, but you won’t be able to add these to your SEO analysis. Yoast SEO can help you balance the use of your keyword, synonyms, and related keywords by recognizing word forms in different languages. If you want to know more, you can read about the related keywords feature in Yoast SEO for WordPress and the related keywords featured in Yoast SEO for Shopify. How often should you use synonyms and related keywords? The usage of synonyms versus the use of focus keywords is no exact science. The most important criterion is the way readers will experience your text. So, read and re-read it. Is it engaging and easy to read? Or are you getting annoyed by the constant use of a certain term? Be critical of your writing and ask others for feedback on your text. As mentioned earlier, you can add your related keywords to the analysis in Yoast SEO Premium and Yoast SEO for Shopify. By adding these, the plugin can check whether you’re using them in your text. Your focus keyword remains the most important keyword, though, and that’s why the plugin is less strict in its analysis of your related keyphrases. You can add keyphrases that are related to your focus keyphrase in Yoast SEO Premium and Yoast SEO for Shopify You’ll also be able to add synonyms of your focus and related keywords when you use our Premium SEO analysis or Yoast SEO for Shopify. These analyses include checks to ensure you’ve used these synonyms in your text and your meta description, introduction, subheadings, or image alt text. Moreover, our keyphrase distribution check will reward you for alternately using your keyphrase and its synonyms throughout your text. You can add multiple synonyms for your focus keyphrase in Yoast SEO Premium and Yoast SEO for Shopify Make those related keyphrases and synonyms work for you As we said earlier, Google has come a long way since the early days of SEO. It can understand texts, consider related concepts and synonyms, and recognize related entities. All this allows it to serve its users the best results. And part of being the best result is ensuring your texts are easy to read. Google wants to serve readable texts. So make sure you deliver! Think of synonyms for your keyword or keyphrase and use them to your advantage. Take a moment to come up with a few alternatives for your keyword. But also think of topics that are strongly related to your keyword. You’ll notice that writing a naturally flowing text becomes much easier when you don’t have to use your focus keyword in every other sentence. Using synonyms and related keyphrases helps Google understand the context of your text, which increases your chances of ranking! Conclusion Focus keywords remain essential. These are the words your audience is searching for. People searching for ‘candy’ will probably not click on a result with ‘delicacy’ in the text. If you search for ‘candy’, you’ll expect to see the exact word in the search results. So, matching the keywords of your audience remains important. Using synonyms and related concepts helps you write a text on topic and full of the proper entities. Repeating the same keyword over and over again hurts the readability of your text, especially if you’re optimizing for a long-tail keyword. Furthermore, using synonyms and related keywords may create ranking opportunities you’d otherwise have missed. If you need help with that, Yoast SEO Premium and Yoast SEO for Shopify offer extra features to ensure your content is readable and rankable. Read on: Does readability rank? On ease of reading and SEO » The post Why you should use synonyms and related keywords appeared first on Yoast. View the full article

Companies today know that hybrid work and letting employees choose where to work is the key to employee satisfaction and productivity. In fact, 40% of employees feel so strongly about hybrid/remote work that they said they’d look for a new job if the ability to work from home was taken away - and nearly one in five (19%) said they’d take a pay cut of 10% or more. View the full article

In the last decade, remote work has grown exponentially, and as more companies adopt flexible work setups, it’s become clear that managing remote workers requires a shift in mindset. For nearly ten years, I’ve run Remotive, a company dedicated to helping remote workers connect with remote companies. Before that, I worked at Buffer, a remote-first company that hired remote workers across 12 different time zones. I was the Director of Operations and briefly the Director of Finance. It was within my scope to help hire, engage, and retain remote talent, as well as, at times, let them go. Through these experiences, I’ve learned that the key to successful remote work management lies in one word: trust. Trust: The Foundation of Remote WorkThe foundation of effective remote work is trust. Remote workers need to be trusted to perform their tasks and deliver results, regardless of whether they are being supervised in person. A shift from traditional management styles—where hours logged are measured—to an output-based approach is crucial. In this model, the focus is on the scope and quality of the work completed, not the number of hours worked. By embracing this approach, you allow remote employees to work with flexibility, minimize friction, and reduce the pressure of being present at all times. In doing so, you create an environment where employees can thrive and produce their best work. The Challenges of Hybrid WorkWhile fully remote setups provide an equal playing field for all employees, hybrid work environments (where some employees are in the office and others work remotely) present unique challenges. Remote workers often find themselves with less access to leadership and fewer opportunities for visibility, and, as a result, are sometimes overlooked for promotions. In hybrid setups, the people in the office may have more face time with upper management, which can lead to a perception that they are more engaged or valuable. This creates a divide where remote workers may feel like second-class citizens within their own company. To overcome these challenges, equal treatment is essential. Leadership and top management should also work remotely to ensure that everyone shares the same experience. When everyone, including management, works remotely, it promotes fairness and inclusivity. Without this, remote workers risk being sidelined, which can lead to disengagement and turnover. Documentation and Asynchronous CommunicationRemote teams require a different approach to communication. In an office, it's easy to walk over to a colleague's desk and ask a quick question. However, in a remote setup, these spontaneous interactions are more difficult. That’s why documentation becomes critical. By documenting processes, decisions, and communications, remote workers can easily refer back to important information. Asynchronous communication is another key factor in making remote work successful. Tools like Slack should not be treated as platforms that require immediate responses. Instead, they should function more like an answering machine, where workers can leave messages and colleagues can respond when available. This flexibility prevents unnecessary pressure and respects remote team members' different time zones and schedules. Avoiding Burnout in Remote TeamsOne of the most common problems among remote workers is burnout. Many remote employees feel the need to be constantly available to prove their worth. This constant availability can lead to exhaustion and burnout. It’s important for managers to encourage healthy work boundaries and to emphasize that success is measured by output, not by the number of hours logged online. The Role of People Management in Remote WorkDuring the COVID era, many managers worried their roles would become redundant in a remote-first world. However, people management is more important than ever for remote teams. Managers play a critical role in checking in on employees, ensuring they are engaged, and understanding their career goals. Without regular in-person interactions, it’s easy for remote workers to feel disconnected. Regular check-ins, career development conversations, and offering support through tools like employee surveys or wellness programs help maintain engagement and keep remote workers feeling connected to the company's larger goals. Leveraging Technology to Support Remote TeamsWhen managing remote workers, technology plays an important role in facilitating communication and collaboration. Tools like TextExpander can help remote teams avoid repetitive tasks by using pre-recorded snippets of text. Additionally, Loom allows teams to leave asynchronous video messages, which is particularly helpful for teams spread across multiple time zones. These tools, combined with solid documentation, help reduce friction and improve efficiency. They enable remote teams to communicate more clearly and ensure that everyone is aligned, even when working asynchronously. The Importance of In-Person MeetupsWhile remote work offers many advantages, one thing that’s difficult to replicate is the human connection you get from face-to-face interactions. For this reason, even fully remote teams should consider scheduling occasional in-person meetups. These gatherings help strengthen relationships and foster deeper connections between team members, which can positively impact collaboration and company culture. Trust Over ToysAt the core of successful remote work is trust. When companies trust their employees and create environments that support flexible, output-based work, remote teams can thrive. It’s not about offering fancy perks or distractions; it’s about building trust, fostering engagement, and using the right tools to support the team’s success. Ultimately, remote work is about empowering people to do their best work, wherever they are, and ensuring that they feel connected and valued along the way. View the full article

Favicons are those little icons you see in your browser tabs. When you have many open tabs in your browser, they help you recognize and find the page you were looking for. They are important for your branding because Google shows them in the mobile and desktop search results. So, let’s take a closer look at those little icons and your branding here! What is a favicon? A favicon is a tiny, square image that represents a website. You see it in your browser’s address bar, open tabs, and bookmarks. Its main job is to help users quickly identify and find a site among many open tabs or results. Often, these match a website’s logo or theme, making it instantly recognizable. For consistency, favicons follow certain size and format rules to look good on different devices and platforms. Favicon in your browser bar The above example is in a browser bar, but we also see these in the search results. For some time, Google has shown them in its search results. The Yoast logo is an example of a favicon in Google search If your favicon represents a trustworthy brand, it can help people recognize your brand through this little icon, boosting your site’s click-through rate. After all, a picture says more than a thousand words! Make your favicon stand out You should make sure your favicon stands out, whether from that long list of tabs or the search results. Check if it matches your logo and website well. Especially when you are not one of the big brands and want people to recognize this little icon. Some tips directly related to that are: Avoid too many details in your icon; Please use the right colors so the favicon doesn’t blend in with the gray of your browser tab; Test it at various sizes to ensure it remains clear and recognizable. Everything is about branding. Your brand should be recognizable. Proper branding ensures that people will immediately relate your favicon to your website. Follow Google’s guidelines regarding which format and size to use for your favicon. Google’s latest guidelines require favicons to maintain a 1:1 aspect ratio and a minimum size of 8×8 pixels. While the minimum size offers a baseline, Google strongly recommends using a resolution of at least 48×48 pixels to ensure clarity and visual appeal across various devices. You should review and adjust your favicons to align with these guidelines. Make sure that your brand remains effectively represented in search results. Yoast SEO shows your favicon in the Search Appearance section Do these have SEO benefits? Are there real SEO benefits? The importance of these icons certainly increased since they are present in the search results. While adding a favicon won’t directly make your page rank higher, it might increase the click-through rate to your page when it is shown next to your URL in the search results. It adds professionalism to your site, enhancing user perception and trust. This might indirectly contribute to better engagement metrics. Of course, this only works if people feel positively about your brand or website. In practice, you should invest time in holistic SEO: making your website (and product/service) awesome in every way! Favicons in WordPress If you use WordPress, you might know that there’s a favicon functionality in WordPress. You can use this default functionality without hassle. It’s located in the General Settings and is called Site Icon. Here, you can read step-by-step instructions on how to change your site’s favicon in WordPress. Set your favicon in the WordPress General Settings These icons are small powerhouses Favicons might be small, but they impact how people see your website. Your favicon can represent your brand by keeping your design simple and following the latest guidelines. It helps attract attention and makes your site look more professional. While they don’t directly boost search rankings, they can lead to higher click-through rates and better brand recognition. These benefits can support your overall SEO strategy. Spending a little time on a great icon can strengthen your connection with visitors. Read more: 5 tips on branding » The post Favicons and your online brand: Make sure you stand out! appeared first on Yoast. View the full article

With the U.S. elections just a handful of days away, it’s too easy to get caught up in all things political. You might opt for a quick check on your favorite news site and then realize you spent an hour looking through the most recent poll results or watching town hall meetings. For some people, The post Balancing Work and Civic Duty: How to Stay Productive During Voting Season appeared first on RescueTime Blog. View the full article

Ecommerce businesses always look for ways to improve their online presence to drive sales. Google Merchant Center (GMC) is an essential tool for achieving this, as it helps businesses showcase their products across Google’s ecosystem. This guide aims to provide retailers with an understanding of GMC. It offers useful insights on optimizing product listings and enhancing visibility on Google Shopping. Table of contents What is Google Merchant Center? Setting up Google Merchant Center Merchant Center product data feeds Strategies for performance improvement All about Google Merchant Center What is Google Merchant Center? Google Merchant Center (GMC) is a free-to-use platform for ecommerce businesses that want to use Google’s extensive reach. It is a centralized hub where retailers can upload and manage product data. With this, business owners can make their products visible across various services such as Search, Maps, YouTube, and Google Shopping. Merchant Center is an important part of the ecommerce SEO puzzle. The homepage of Google Merchant Center Google Merchant Center Next is now live With the recent upgrade to Merchant Center Next, the platform offers a more streamlined and intuitive experience. Now, it’s much easier to manage products and improve their performance. After signing up and logging in, retailers get access to features like Product Studio, an AI-powered tool for creating product images and videos. This tool generates tailored product assets, improves image quality, and removes backgrounds. Plus, the unified product list also allows omnichannel merchants to manage online and local inventory seamlessly. The new analytics tab provides comprehensive insights into market trends and pricing strategies. For instance, the Pricing tab in Merchant Center Analytics provides retailers with valuable insights into how their product prices compare to those seen by customers on Google. The Google Merchant Center Next is much easier to use and comes with great new features This tool allows merchants to evaluate their pricing strategies by seeing if their products are more expensive, cheaper, or comparable to those competitors offer. The tab offers a breakdown across various brands and products, identifying those with significant price differences. In addition, it also provides sale price suggestions designed to make you more competitive. Merchant Center Next also has a much better design, with intuitive navigation and easy website verification options. Finally, merchants have an easy-to-understand interface to manage their product information and optimize their presence on Google. The platform’s advanced analytics tools offer a better view of business performance. The benefits of using Merchant Center Google Merchant Center offers significant advantages for ecommerce businesses that focus on sales growth. It increases visibility by allowing products to appear in Google Shopping results and ads, reaching millions of potential customers. This broader audience increases conversion chances. The platform enhances the shopping experience by providing detailed product listings with high-quality images and descriptions. This helps customers make quick, informed decisions, boosting conversion rates. GMC also provides data-driven insights through its analytics tools. These tools help businesses optimize product listings by analyzing metrics like pricing, clicks, and conversions, improving their ecommerce strategy. Additionally, GMC supports both free and paid listings. Free listings enhance visibility for smaller businesses without extra costs, while paid ads more effectively target specific customer segments. Integration with Google’s ecosystem is seamless. It connects with Google Analytics and Google Ads, offering a comprehensive view of marketing efforts and improving ROI measurement. Lastly, GMC gives businesses flexibility and control over product presentation and placement. This ensures marketing efforts align with business goals. An AI-powered tool like the Product Studio also helps build robust product data, enhancing efficiency. Setting up Google Merchant Center You’ll need to set up a GMC account to use Google’s network to improve your ecommerce business. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you through the process: Sign up for Merchant Center: Visit the Google Merchant Center website and click “Sign Up for Free” to begin registering. Provide business information: Enter your business name, address, and contact details. This information will be used across the various features and tools in GMC. Specify your business model, whether you sell products online, in a physical store, or both. This flexibility allows GMC to tailor its features to suit your business needs. Verify and claim your website: Follow the instructions for the method you choose to complete the verification process. You can use an HTML file upload, an HTML tag, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, a code via a business email address, or an ecommerce platform (like Shopify, WooCommerce, or Wix). Configure shipping and tax settings: Set up shipping options and tax information. These settings are important as they affect how your products appear in listings and ads. Highlight any special offers like free shipping to attract more customers. Comply with Google’s shipping and tax information requirements to avoid disapprovals. Add product information: Once your account is set up, add your product information. This involves creating a product feed, which we will cover later. Integrating with third-party platforms Managing product data manually can be time-consuming and prone to errors. You can automate this process by integrating Google Merchant Center with third-party ecommerce platforms. Using this process helps your product listings be consistently updated and accurate. It’s easy to connect your ecommerce platform. In your Merchant Center account, navigate to the “Settings” menu and select “Data sources” and “Add product source” to link it. Follow the on-screen instructions to connect your platform (e.g., Shopify). This typically involves authorizing the connection and selecting the data you wish to sync. Adding product data sources or feeds is also easier in Google Merchant Center After integration, you can manage your products directly within Merchant Center. Make any necessary updates or modifications to ensure your listings remain competitive and compliant with Google’s policies. Benefits of integrating your ecommerce platform There are many benefits to integrating your ecommerce platform with Google Merchant Center. For one, you get automatic updates. So product information, including images, prices, and descriptions, is automatically synced from your ecommerce platform to GMC. This eliminates the need for manual data entry and reduces the risk of discrepancies. Integrating also leads to streamlined management, as you can manage product data directly from your ecommerce platform. As a result, you’ll free up time and resources to focus on other aspects of your business. It should also lead to fewer errors in your product data. Automated syncing minimizes human errors, so the product information displayed on Google is always accurate and up-to-date. Merchant Center product data feeds Product data feeds (or data sources as they are now called) are the backbone of your Google Merchant Center account. These serve as the primary source of information that Google uses to display your products across its platforms. You should optimize these feeds to represent your products accurately and reach the right audience. What is a product data feed/data source? A product data feed or data source is a structured file containing detailed information about your products. This file includes attributes such as product titles, descriptions, prices, and images. Google uses this data to create Shopping ads and listings, so keeping it accurate and complete is critical. Methods of adding products Google Merchant Center offers multiple methods for uploading product data, providing flexibility to fit your business’s unique needs. Automatic addition from your online store Google can automatically add products from your online store using the structured data markup (schema.org) on your product pages. This method ensures that any changes made on your website, such as price updates or product availability, are reflected in Merchant Center. Simply provide your store URL and implement structured data markup on all product pages to enable automatic updates. Connecting ecommerce platforms We’ve already mentioned this option before. Connect platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce to Google Merchant Center to sync product data automatically. This integration ensures product information is consistently updated without manual intervention, reducing errors and saving time. File uploads Upload product data using a file (e.g., TSV, TXT, XML). This versatile method allows you to compile data from multiple sources into a single file. Make sure to use proper formatting to avoid errors. You can also host the file at a URL for daily syncing with Merchant Center. Google Sheets template You can also use a Google Sheets template to manage product data. Any changes made in the spreadsheet automatically sync with Merchant Center. This provides a user-friendly interface for managing data, with automatic updates ensuring consistency. Manual product entry You can manually enter product details one by one in Google Merchant Center. This is ideal for small inventories or specific product updates. It allows you to add, edit, or delete products as needed easily. Content API for Shopping The Content API for Shopping is a powerful tool that allows developers to programmatically manage their Google Merchant Center accounts. It offers a more dynamic and efficient way to handle large or complex product inventories. This interface lets you automate updates and maintain accurate product data across Google’s platforms. The elements of a product data feed Optimizing your product data source involves attention to several key elements: Product titles: To improve search visibility, use clear, descriptive titles with relevant keywords. Avoid using promotional text or excessive punctuation. Product descriptions: Provide detailed and accurate descriptions, highlighting unique features and specifications. Include relevant keywords naturally. Images: Use high-quality images with a plain background. Make sure images are clear, professional, and accurately represent the product. Prices: Keep pricing current and competitive. Keep consistency between the price on your website and in the data feed. Availability: Update product availability regularly to reflect current stock levels. Use attributes such as “in stock,” “out of stock,” or “available for pre-order.” Unique product identifiers: Include GTINs, MPNs, and brand information to help Google accurately categorize and display your products. Maintaining your Merchant Center account Regularly checking your GMC account is essential for identifying opportunities and fixing issues. It has various account monitoring tools, such as the overview page. This page provides a snapshot of your account’s performance. It highlights key metrics such as product status and performance trends. Use this page to identify items needing attention and assess the impact of recent changes. You can use Google Merchant Center’s Products tool to identify errors and issues within your product data feed. Regularly check the “Needs attention” section for warnings and errors. Here, you’ll find missing attributes or policy violations so you can fix them to avoid product disapprovals. The new version of Merchant Center includes a much-improved analytics section. You’ll find detailed performance reports to analyze pricing, clicks, impressions, and conversion rates here. Use these insights to understand customer behavior and make informed decisions to optimize your product listings and campaigns. Common issues and how to fix them Addressing issues in your Google Merchant Center account is crucial for keeping products visible and compliant. Common problems include data errors, policy violations, disapprovals, and performance issues. For data errors, update your product feed to meet Google’s specifications, correcting any missing attributes or pricing discrepancies. Comply with Google’s Shopping policies to prevent account suspension. Review disapproved products to identify and fix issues, then request a re-review. Optimize product titles, descriptions, and images to boost relevance. Adjust bids and targeting in Google Ads to improve visibility and reach. Strategies for performance improvement Implement effective strategies to boost your Google Merchant Center performance. Update your product data feed with accurate pricing and availability. Enhance product listings with detailed descriptions and high-quality images, and consider adding ratings to build trust. Use Merchant Promotions to highlight special offers and leverage Google Ads’ audience targeting to reach specific customer segments. Test and optimize campaigns with various ad formats and bidding strategies to refine your approach. You can sustain growth and maximize your ecommerce success by actively managing your GMC account. To maximize Google Merchant Center’s potential, leverage advanced features like Local Inventory Ads to enhance product visibility and attract local shoppers. Try out Product Studio for AI-powered content creation, streamlining the production of high-quality product assets. Enhance customer experience by providing clear return policies and ensuring secure data collection. Integrate with tools like Google Analytics and Google Ads for comprehensive insights and targeted marketing strategies. Google Product Studio uses AI to help you improve your product listings All about Google Merchant Center Google Merchant Center is an indispensable tool for ecommerce businesses that aim to boost their online visibility and sales. By following this guide, SEO experts can harness the full potential of GMC, driving growth and achieving ecommerce success. Login to your GMC account today, start optimizing and watch your business thrive. The post Google Merchant Center: A guide for ecommerce retailers appeared first on Yoast. View the full article

The rise of return-to-office mandates requiring employees to come back in person a certain number of days a week has caused many workers to adjust their commuting behavior. Coffee badging and other workplace trends have created new traffic patterns, commuting schedules, and expectations around office culture. View the full article

People nowadays are uninterested in cold and business-like pieces of content. They want something authentic. They want conversations with people. That’s partly why Reddit is grabbing top spots in the search results because people know they’ll be reading something authentic. Hence why it’s smart to create more conversational content. But how do you do that? Read this blog to find out! What is conversational content? Plain and simple, it’s writing like you’re talking with someone. Not to someone. You’re not lecturing. You’re having a conversation with your audience. Though I’d suggest that you leave out the ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’ and multiple uses of ‘like’ or other filler words, because those can be a bit, uh, distracting or annoying in a text. For language purists: That also means letting go of some of the more formal writing conventions, like never starting sentences with ‘and’ or ‘but’. Why conversational content? As mentioned in the intro, people don’t want to read cold and dry texts. You probably don’t want to read some textbook answer that goes: ‘Conversational content is the art of writing in the way one might talk to other humans’. You, and many others, want to feel like you’re reading something written by another person. And one way to achieve this feeling is to create conversational content. Because when you write like you’re holding a conversation, chances are that your audience will want to talk back. Or in beautiful marketing terms: engage with your content. How to start? You now know the what and the why. Let’s look at how to start writing conversational content. Easiest way? Write a new blog post. Pick a topic that you’re interested in and that fits with your company or content strategy, then write like you’re talking with your audience! I know, I know, it’s not as easy as that. So here are some tips. I’m writing this post… Let’s get a quick tip out of the way: write in the first person. So, use I-sentences, like I’ve been doing so far. Speaking generally might come across as more professional, sure, but that’s not what you want. If you want to sound authentic, like a human, then you should let go of the generalized statements. No more “Our Product is Great and A Life Saver”. Instead, you can write: “I’ve used Our Product for my own small business, and this is how it’s helped me”. … And you’re reading it Don’t forget to address the other side of the conversation. You. The reader. Address them like you would if you were having a conversation with someone. Don’t say “people” as much. Try to use “you” instead. For example, instead of writing “People want more connection”, write “You probably want more connection”. See? Way more personal when you’re getting addressed. Ask questions Do you like it when people ask you questions? Probably, right? As with any good conversation, it’s nice to ask questions. They make the other person feel heard and addressed. So use that in your content writing. Ask people questions, and you’ll see that they’ll feel more engaged already. Don’t use difficult words Unless! Ha, there’s always an unless. If you know your audience really well, and you’re sure they’ll understand this or that difficult word, then go ahead. Generally speaking, however, even experts like content that’s easy to understand. So, no difficult words. You will only equivocate your readers! Worse, some might see it as a diatribe, and accuse you of being dilatory (see how annoying it is when you don’t know half the words? If you do know them, kudos to you!). The short of it: if people lose focus or interest in your content, or simply don’t understand, there’s no way they’re going to engage with it. Keep it short, okay? Think about it: if you talk with someone, are you using sentences that are three paragraphs long? Probably not. Which means that as you write, you should keep your sentences short too. Plus, this will make your content easier to read, which is great for readability! Pssht, if you have the Yoast SEO plugin, it will check if your sentences are too long. If they are, the plugin highlights them for you. This makes it easier to rewrite them! Emphasize your words With italics! It sounds almost like a slogan. But yes, it can help with making your writing sound more natural. Why? Because you emphasize words when you speak too. Sometimes it can even change the meaning of your sentence. Example of emphasis For example (a very Dutch example, because if you live in the Netherlands, your bike will get stolen one day. It’s the circle of life): “I didn’t say he had stolen my bike,” means you really didn’t say that. But if you say, “I didn’t say he had stolen my bike,” you want to emphasize that it wasn’t him, but someone else. Do not write ‘do not’ I’m a big fan of contractions. Grammar contractions, that is. They make a text sound so much more natural. Because let’s be honest, do you say “I do not want another coffee” or do you say “I don’t want another coffee?” Probably the second one, right? Using don’t and I’m and you’re etc. will sound so much more natural to readers. Which means your content will sound more like a conversation too. You’re a person, so write like one Does that sound threatening? I do mean this in the nicest way possible! In order to write good conversational content, you have to ‘let go’ a little. The professional in you needs to take a step back and make space for your personality to shine through. Because if you can make your writing sound like you, it’ll sound so much more natural. It all comes back to the “people don’t want impersonal and business-like content anymore”. They want to read content made by people. So let your own personality shine through. Make a little joke. Heck, use silly words like ‘delulu’ instead of delusional every once in a while (just make sure your text is still readable to everyone). Just be you. Add examples and anecdotes Another great way that will help you write like a person is to add examples. Personal examples, to be exact. It doesn’t have to be long. You don’t have to let us know every detail about your life, but sharing about your personal experiences can help make a piece of writing feel more personal. Keep the conversation going Okay, you’ve written a post or piece of conversational content. People are engaging, maybe even commenting! Don’t let the conversation end there. Reply to them. Use their point of view, their insights and questions, and perhaps create another piece of content. Build on the conversation. Keep it going! What kind of content works for conversational content? Finally, before you pour your heart and soul (and personality) into your content, let’s look at what kind of content works. An easy one is opinionated pieces. Has something interesting happened in your area of expertise? Write content about it, and give your opinion. Add to the conversation with your voice. But really, any piece of content can become conversational if you write it like that—if you use your own voice and personality, and make it yours. Look at this post! Technically, it’s a how-to. Those can be very dry. You’re just giving information, after all. But I’ve used the conversational content tips to make it, well, interesting. I hope I did a good job. Let me know if I did :) And good luck with writing! The post How to write conversational content appeared first on Yoast. View the full article

October 21, 2024 Hey Remotive crew, Got a job offer to mull over? Wondering where all the remote jobs are hiding in 2024? Or just looking for a little leadership inspiration? We’ve got you covered! Dive into this week’s content and fuel up for success. Vic Our Favorite Articles 💯Illustration by Ana Moreno7 Questions to Ask When Weighing a Job Offer (HBR)Got the job offer? Ask these 7 key questions first—because no one wants to regret their decision after the first awkward Zoom meeting! ​Read more​. Photo by ​Alejandro Escamilla​ on ​Unsplash​Where Are All The Remote Jobs Going In 2024? (Forbes)Remote jobs are still around, but 2024 is seeing more hybrid setups and return-to-office policies. Fully remote roles? They’re out there—just a bit more competitive! ​Keep reading​. True People-Centric Leadership in Times of Crisis (LinkedIn)After a devastating hurricane, Chase Warrington, Doist's Head of Operations, experienced firsthand how his company’s proactive support during a difficult time highlighted the real meaning of being people-first. ​Read on​. This Week's Sponsor 🙌Too many emails? Declutter your inbox with Meco, your home for reading newsletters.Try it for free ↗️ Remotive Jobs 💼Is this job for you? 👉 ​Frontend Engineer at Contra​ (Worldwide) 👉 ​Senior DevOps Engineer (AWS) at Proxify​ (CET +/- 3 hours) 👉 ​Senior Fullstack Developer at Proxify​ (CET +/- 3 hours) 👉 ​Senior Symfony Developer at Proxify​ (CET +/- 3 hours) 👉 ​System Administrator at Discourse​ (Americas) 👉 ​Software Engineer - Customer Projects - Americas at Discourse​ (Americas) Free Guides & Tools​Public Job Board​We curate 2,000 remote jobs so you don't have to! ​Find your remote job →​ ​Exclusive Webinar​3 Mistakes to Avoid When Looking For A Remote Startup Job (And What To Do Instead) ​Register for free →​ ​Job Search Tips​Looking for a remote job? Here are our tips to help you work remotely ​Check it out →​ Join the Remotive newsletter Subscribe to get our latest content by email. Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription. There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again. Email address Subscribe Powered by ConvertKit View the full article

What could be the matter if your perfectly optimized post isn’t ranking? Is the problem that your site is not on Google, or is something else going wrong? What is keeping your content from reaching that coveted #1 position? In this post, we’ll discuss many possible reasons why your page is not ranking, even though it’s optimized. We’ve divided the possible issues you might be having into four sections: Indexing and crawl issues: How to check if your site is on Google, plus reasons why your site/page might not be on Google Technical issues with your website: Is Google disregarding it because it’s incorrectly set up? Linking issues: Is your internal linking structure and lack of quality backlinks limiting your success? Content and keyword issues: Is your content high quality and aligned with the right search intent? Are your keywords just too competitive? Pro tip Quick question: how’s your internal linking? If your content is optimized but not ranking, or Google is ranking the wrong pages from your site, it could be because you need to improve your site structure or fix your orphaned content. We’ve made some really neat SEO workouts to help you check and remedy these kinds of issues — check them out and fix those issues now! Indexing and crawl issues The first few points on the list all deal with indexing and crawl issues. Put simply, you can’t rank if your page or site is not on Google in the first place. If you find these topics confusing, you might want to read up on how Google works and how to start with SEO. 1. Your site/page is not on Google If you need help determining whether your site is on Google, you can use the site: search operator in Google. Type site:yoast.com, and you’ll see a list of pages for that domain. If you type in the full URL of a specific article, you should see only one search result return. If you see your pages, this means that Google knows about your site and has put — at least some of it — in its index. Once you discover that your page is in the index, but you think it is not performing well, you might want to dig deeper. The site: search operator helps you find your site in Google’s index How to fix it Check your WordPress Reading Settings. For the Search Visibility option, if you’ve ticked the box ‘Discourage search engines from indexing this site’, that’s the most likely reason your site is not on Google. If that’s the case, uncheck that box and click to save your changes. If the problem is that only some specific pages aren’t showing up on Google, then you might want to review your Search Appearance settings in Yoast SEO. Go to the ‘Content Types’ tab and ensure your settings are correct. 2. Your site/page is still too new If your site or page is new, it might simply be a matter of chilling out and checking back in a little while. There are many moving parts in getting your content crawled, indexed and ranked. Sometimes, it takes days or maybe even weeks for Google to finish its discovery process. How to fix it If you check and find your site is not on Google yet, you can install Yoast SEO and submit the generated XML sitemap to Google Search Console to help Google discover your website. You can also use the URL Inspection tool in Search Console to determine how specific pages are doing. It tells you exactly how Google crawls and views your site. 3. Your content is noindexed One of the most common reasons Google does not index your site or a specific page is that it has been noindexed inadvertently. Adding noindex meta robot tags to a page tells Googlebot that it can crawl the page but that the results can’t be added to the index. How can you check if your page is noindexed? That’s easy; simply open the page and view the source code. You’ll find the code below somewhere at the top of the page. This tells search engine crawlers that the page’s content shouldn’t be added to the index, thus keeping it from ranking. <meta name="robots" content="noindex"> How to fix it It happens! Even we occasionally make a mistake and inadvertently noindex a post. Luckily, it’s an easy fix. We wrote about how to set a piece of content back on the right track with Yoast SEO. 4. Your site/page is blocking Google with robots.txt You might have told Google not to index your content, but it’s also possible you’ve told Google not to crawl your site at all! Blocking crawlers in a so-called robots.txt file is a surefire way never to get any traffic. Blocking robots is easier than you might think. For instance, WordPress has a Search Engine Visibility setting that does its best to keep crawlers out once set to Discourage search engines from indexing this site. Uncheck this to make your site available again. See that this option isn’t inadvertently checked WordPress uses the noindex approach described above to handle the indexing of sites via the Search Engine Visibility setting. It does have a warning that it’s up to search engines to honor the request. Besides telling WordPress to block search engines, it might be that other technical issues generate crawl errors, preventing Google from crawling your site properly. Your site’s web server could be acting up and presenting server errors, or buggy bits of JavaScript in your code trip up the crawler. Make sure Google can crawl your site easily. How to fix it If your robots.txt file is blocking Google from crawling your website (or parts of it) and you want to change that, then you’ll need to edit the file. You can follow this guide to edit your robots.txt file. 5. You must enhance your index coverage Ensuring that Google indexes your web pages is essential to succeed. Index coverage refers to the number of your site’s URLs included in Google’s search index. Even the most optimized content may not appear in search results without comprehensive index coverage. To identify the issue, you must examine the Index Coverage report in Google Search Console. This tool categorizes your pages into various categories and explains why pages are not indexed. If you notice many pages falling under “Error” or “Excluded,” it’s time to investigate further. One of the most common errors is ‘Crawled – currently not indexed’ in Search Console. How to fix it Ensure your XML sitemap is current and accurately represents your site structure. Please submit it to Google Search Console to help Google find your pages. Review and resolve any crawl errors such as 404s, server errors, or redirect issues. These errors can prevent pages from being indexed. Pages with low-quality or duplicate content might be excluded from the index. Focus on creating unique, valuable content that provides genuine user engagement. Use the URL Inspection tool to request indexing for crucial pages not yet indexed. This tool also provides insights into how Google perceives your page. Google Search Console helps you understand why pages are not indexed Technical issues affecting ranking Is your page/website indexed but not ranking? Then, technical problems need to be checked. 6. You’re not ranking because your site has technical issues Your website needs to meet certain technical benchmarks if you’re going to rank on Google! Loading speed, or how quickly your pages load, is important. Security and hosting quality are important too, and that’s not all. You can read about all the essentials in our article: things everyone should know about technical SEO. If your post doesn’t appear in the search engines, technical issues could prevent it from appearing in the search results completely. You could have conflicting plugins causing problems, and we’ve also seen some themes that prevent Google from indexing your site. And, while Yoast SEO takes care of many technical issues under the hood, it should be set correctly to do that properly. How to fix it The fix you need will depend on the technical issues your website is having, and we can’t cover everything here. You might want to check the following points: Ensure all your Yoast plugin settings are correct Check that you’re doing things the right way to keep loading times down Make sure your site is set to https:// and your security certificates are up to date Upgrade your hosting plan Check your plugins and/or theme aren’t causing problems. If your technical SEO looks good and your site is indexed, you must dig deeper to discover the problem. Keep reading! 7. You’re being penalized for breaking SEO rules If Google catches you using shady SEO techniques that it doesn’t allow — e.g., sneaky tactics like buying links or stuffing keywords into hidden text — your page or site can be penalized. When you’re already putting in the effort to make a good website and quality content, it’s counterproductive to try. Even when everything else on your page is perfect, if you’re doing something that Google doesn’t allow, you will have problems ranking (or appearing in the Google search results). Most of these things are common sense, so you probably don’t need to worry if you’re not trying to trick Google or spam people. However, a few things used to be common SEO practices that can now lead to issues — check out our article about SEO myths for more examples of bad SEO practices to avoid. How to fix it You can check whether Google has flagged your page for these problems in the Manual Actions tab in Google Search Console (GSC). If you’re still new to using GSC, you might want to check out our introductory article. If you find an issue under the Manual Actions tab, read this help article to learn more about what it means and how to fix it. Linking issues that affect ranking A good internal linking structure and quality backlinks are important if you want to rank high. Google crawls the web, following each link it finds, so if your links are lacking, it can cause problems with ranking. 8. Your site doesn’t have a proper internal linking structure Another reason your content doesn’t appear in the search results is that a crucial part of your SEO strategy is not in order. Don’t underestimate the importance of site structure – the internal linking structure – for your SEO strategy. Having a clear site structure leads to a better understanding of your site by Google. If your internal linking structure is poor, chances to rank high are lower – even when your content is well-optimized and awesome. How to fix it Start adding those links! Make sure that your important posts and pages have the most internal links to them. But don’t randomly add links: make sure you add relevant, related links that add value for your users. You can use the Yoast SEO orphaned content filter to find posts without incoming internal links. Yoast SEO Premium will help you even more by offering helpful linking suggestions as you write. In addition, if you use Yoast SEO Premium, you get various other AI features, like Yoast AI Optimize, that help you do the hard work. And if you really want to improve your site structure, check out our site structure training — which is also included in Premium! Pro tip: Take care of your orphaned content and internal linking the easy way with our SEO workouts, available in Yoast SEO Premium. Read on: Site structure: the ultimate guide » 9. There are few backlinks to your site If you just started with your website, your content won’t instantly rank. Not even if you have optimized everything perfectly and every bullet in Yoast SEO is green. To rank, you’ll need some links from other websites. After all, Google has to know your website exists. How to fix it Creating incredible content is a good way to get links to your pages. High-quality content attracts clicks from readers who might share the content far and wide via social media. All this helps to get those links. Of course, you can do more to get links in a natural, non-spammy way: here are fifteen ways of getting high-quality backlinks. To get (more) backlinks, you can reach out to other websites. You’ll need to do some PR or link building. Ask them to mention your site or talk about your product and link to your site. You can also use social media to get the word out! Learn all about link-building strategies in our All-Around SEO training! Content and keyword issues affecting ranking If everything else is as it should be SEO-wise, then your page or site is not ranking might be related to your content or keywords. 10. Your page is great, but there’s too much competition Usually, a page doesn’t rank because there’s simply too much competition. If you optimize your content for competitive keywords and keyphrases, such as [cat behavior], [robot vacuum cleaner], or [real estate agent], chances are high that you won’t rank for that term. Check the results pages for your keyword to determine if this is the problem. Do high authority sites like Wikipedia or Amazon dominate the first page? Do you see many sites already firmly established themselves in this niche? Probably, your site doesn’t have the authority that these other sites have (yet). So you can optimize all you want, but unfortunately, that’s not enough to rank high in the search results if your niche is too competitive. How to fix it If you want to rank for highly competitive terms, try a long-tail keyword strategy. Write content that targets related long-tail keywords and phrases before tackling the competitive keywords. If these long-tail articles start ranking, you can also rank for more competitive terms. Such a strategy requires long-term efforts, but in the end, it will pay off. Read more: Why you should focus on long tail keywords » 11. Low-quality content or wrong type of intent Another reason your content isn’t ranking is that it doesn’t match the intent of people searching for your keyword. Search intent is important for search engines: do people want to buy something, go to a specific website, or seek information? Even if you’re targeting a more long-tail keyphrase, if your content doesn’t match the dominant intent of searchers, search engines won’t show it in the results because it won’t be what people are looking for. Let’s look at a few examples. Say you’re a dog trainer who wants to rank for puppy training services, so you optimize for [training your puppy], with transactional intent in mind. But if you look at the search results, you’ll see that there are informational videos, and all the results explain how to train a puppy yourself. So, searchers have informational intent. This can work the other way around, too. If you’ve written a step-by-step guide for your blog on making garden decorations, aiming to rank for [flower garland garden decoration], you may have trouble ranking for that term if people just want to buy that, not make it themselves. Remember that not every search term has one dominant type of intent. Also, it isn’t impossible to rank with content for differing intent. Still, it can be worthwhile to look into this if your optimized content doesn’t rank in the search engines. How to fix it Unfortunately, you don’t have the power to change the intent of search engine users. But you can adapt your content strategy. If your optimized content isn’t ranking, look at the search results (use private mode) and analyze what you see. Is one specific type of result dominant? Are there images or videos? Which related queries are shown? This is where your opportunities are. If you find primarily informational intent for a query, you can write content to get people to your site, establish your brand as a reliable source of information, and stay top of mind when people want to buy something. If you find a lot of images in the search results, you may need to focus more on image SEO. Consider what you see on the results pages when determining your SEO strategy. 12. Your content lacks uniqueness Even well-written and optimized content might struggle to rank if it doesn’t stand out. Search engines prioritize content that offers a unique perspective or provides additional value compared to existing articles on the same topic. Check the search results for your target keywords and examine the top-ranking pages. Does your content offer something different or more insightful? If your page presents similar information in a comparable format, you may find it difficult to climb the rankings. With the advent of generative AI, we’ll see a wave of mediocre sameness appear in the search results. If you publish the same stuff, search engines won’t bother with it. Generative AI can help create content but needs help maintaining quality and relevance. While AI can quickly produce large volumes of content, we should prioritize quality over quantity. You should make sure that the material is original and valuable to your audience. AI-generated content might be repetitive or lack diverse perspectives. It’s essential to refine it with your unique insights or expert opinions. Additionally, the content should always align with your audience’s needs and search intent, as AI may not fully capture human nuances. Always comply with search engine guidelines regarding AI-generated content to avoid potential penalties or indexing issues. You can enhance your content strategy while preserving its integrity by using AI as a supportive tool rather than a standalone solution. How to fix it Quit simply; add unique insights and views. Add your own voice and incorporate original research, case studies, or expert opinions to set your content apart. Keep your content fresh with the latest information, trends, or data to maintain relevance and uniqueness. Encourage comments and discussions to build a community around your content, making it more dynamic and engaging. Is your optimized content still not ranking? Multiple reasons could prevent a post from ranking. Have you optimized your post correctly with Yoast SEO? Then, the most common cause is likely to be that the competition in a niche is too fierce. Unfortunately, SEO is a long-term strategy. You need to work hard and be patient. In the meantime, you can tackle many other aspects of your SEO (site structure, link building). Try to focus on all website optimization aspects and be the best result. It will pay off eventually! Read on: Rank tracking: why you should monitor your keywords » The post 12 reasons your page won’t rank – even though it’s optimized appeared first on Yoast. View the full article

World Mental Health Day was last week, and this year’s theme probably resonates with most of us. It is time to prioritize mental health in the workplace. According to the World Health Organization, almost 1 in 5 adults experience a mental health condition each year. If you feel like your mental health has taken a The post Honoring World Mental Health Day: 6 Ways Time Management Supports Your Mental Health appeared first on RescueTime Blog. View the full article

Many predictions and concerns tumbled into the slipstream trailing ChatGPT’s dazzling, turbulent entrance onto the technology scene in late 2022. Few of these initial warnings felt more immediate than those of imminent disruptions to higher education. “Could the chatbot, which provides coherent, quirky, and conversational responses to simple language inquires, inspire more students to cheat?”, asked an NBC News article, published only a week after ChatGPT’s initial launch. Several months later, a professor in the Texas A&M system took this warning to heart and failed his entire class after convincing himself that every one of his students had used AI to write their final assignments. (It turns out that his method of detection—asking ChatGPT itself whether it produced the submissions—was unreliable. He later changed the grades.) “AI seems almost built for cheating,” explains Ethan Mollick, in his recent bestseller, Co-Intelligence. He predicted, in particular, that paper writing as a pedagogical tool might be on the way out, forcing institutions to adapt to other methods to teach composition: “In-school assignments on non-internet-enabled computers, combined with written exams, will ensure students learn basic writing skills.” It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost two years since we first started hearing these concerns about ChatGPT providing students the perfect cheating machine. As a professor and writer myself, these issues interest me, especially when it comes to academic compositions. So in my most recent article for The New Yorker, published earlier this month, and titled “What Kind of Writer is ChatGPT?,” I set out to understand how these tools are currently being put to work by students tackling writing assignments. My approach was to move beyond speculation and watch actual students use AI on actual assignments, with a particular focus on a graduate student I called Chris, who was using ChatGPT to write a significant anthropology paper. As I explain in the article, what I observed Chris doing was more complicated than you might have guessed: “He was not outsourcing his exam to ChatGPT; he rarely made use of the new text or revisions that the chatbot provided. He also didn’t seem to be streamlining or speeding up his writing process. If I had been Chris’s professor, I would have wanted him to disclose his use of the tool, but I don’t think I would have considered it cheating. So what was it?” I recommend that you read the full article to learn the full answer. But to preview what I discovered: students aren’t simply outsourcing their writing to tools like ChatGPT, but they’re also not using them in clearly harmless ways either. The reality is something different and new; less a method to speed up the task of writing and more an approach to reducing its cognitive burden. The bigger point to be made here, however, is about how we think about this new age of artificial intelligence in which we’ve been enveloped since late 2022. These tools are undeniably powerful. Accordingly, they will undeniably end up changing some things about our lives in major ways. But predicting these changes has proven exceedingly difficult. If you’re interested in these trends, spend less time listening to people explaining how the next version of some model is going to change everything all at once, and instead directly observe what people are doing with the versions of the technology they have access to right now. The stories are less flashy, but as you look deeper you’ll find interesting things going on. ##### In the latest episode of my podcast, Deep Questions, released earlier today, I take an unconventional look at the idea of discipline and how to improve it (listen | watch) Have you read my new book, Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment without Burnout? If not, here’s yet another reason to consider doing so: Goodreads just listed Slow Productivity as #1 on their recently released list of the “Most Popular Self Help Books of 2024.” The post The Perfect Cheating Machine? appeared first on Cal Newport. View the full article

Many predictions and concerns tumbled into the slipstream trailing ChatGPT’s dazzling, turbulent entrance onto the technology scene in late 2022. Few of these initial warnings felt more immediate than those of imminent disruptions to higher education. “Could the chatbot, which provides coherent, quirky, and conversational responses to simple language inquires, inspire more students to cheat?”, asked an NBC News article, published only a week after ChatGPT’s initial launch. Several months later, a professor in the Texas A&M system took this warning to heart and failed his entire class after convincing himself that every one of his students had used AI to write their final assignments. (It turns out that his method of detection—asking ChatGPT itself whether it produced the submissions—was unreliable. He later changed the grades.) “AI seems almost built for cheating,” explains Ethan Mollick, in his recent bestseller, Co-Intelligence. He predicted, in particular, that paper writing as a pedagogical tool might be on the way out, forcing institutions to adapt to other methods to teach composition: “In-school assignments on non-internet-enabled computers, combined with written exams, will ensure students learn basic writing skills.” It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost two years since we first started hearing these concerns about ChatGPT providing students the perfect cheating machine. As a professor and writer myself, these issues interest me, especially when it comes to academic compositions. So in my most recent article for The New Yorker, published earlier this month, and titled “What Kind of Writer is ChatGPT?,” I set out to understand how these tools are currently being put to work by students tackling writing assignments. My approach was to move beyond speculation and watch actual students use AI on actual assignments, with a particular focus on a graduate student I called Chris, who was using ChatGPT to write a significant anthropology paper. As I explain in the article, what I observed Chris doing was more complicated than you might have guessed: “He was not outsourcing his exam to ChatGPT; he rarely made use of the new text or revisions that the chatbot provided. He also didn’t seem to be streamlining or speeding up his writing process. If I had been Chris’s professor, I would have wanted him to disclose his use of the tool, but I don’t think I would have considered it cheating. So what was it?” I recommend that you read the full article to learn the full answer. But to preview what I discovered: students aren’t simply outsourcing their writing to tools like ChatGPT, but they’re also not using them in clearly harmless ways either. The reality is something different and new; less a method to speed up the task of writing and more an approach to reducing its cognitive burden. The bigger point to be made here, however, is about how we think about this new age of artificial intelligence in which we’ve been enveloped since late 2022. These tools are undeniably powerful. Accordingly, they will undeniably end up changing some things about our lives in major ways. But predicting these changes has proven exceedingly difficult. If you’re interested in these trends, spend less time listening to people explaining how the next version of some model is going to change everything all at once, and instead directly observe what people are doing with the versions of the technology they have access to right now. The stories are less flashy, but as you look deeper you’ll find interesting things going on. ##### In the latest episode of my podcast, Deep Questions, released earlier today, I take an unconventional look at the idea of discipline and how to improve it (listen | watch) Have you read my new book, Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment without Burnout? If not, here’s yet another reason to consider doing so: Goodreads just listed Slow Productivity as #1 on their recently released list of the “Most Popular Self Help Books of 2024.” The post The Perfect Cheating Machine? appeared first on Cal Newport. View the full article

A guide to the Soekarno–Hatta Line – the Jakarta airport train. Travel information, tickets, and which stations are best for visitors. The Soekarno–Hatta Airport Commuter Line (formerly the Soekarno–Hatta Airport Rail Link) is the airport railway connecting Soekarno–Hatta International Airport to Central Jakarta. The Soekarno–Hatta Line was built with the combination of a new railway connecting to an existing track. As such the railway has to weave its way around the airport and surrounding area to get to the old track. It’s not an express train, but it’s still a better option than a taxi in peak hour traffic. Here is all the information on how to get the Jakarta airport train, and if it’s worth getting for your trip. Soekarno–Hatta Line Map A map of all the stations on the Soekarno–Hatta Line, and useful travel landmarks that are mentioned in this guide. [Map of the Soekarno–Hatta Line.] Soekarno–Hatta Line route [A06] Soekarno–Hatta International Airport (SHIA) [A05] Batu Ceper [A04] Rawa Buaya [A03] Duri [A02] BNI City [A01] Manggarai For visitors the most useful stations are BNI City and Manggarai. Tickets Tickets were previously available at railink.co.id, but the tickets at now at reservation.kci.id. This is a not a user-friendly site for English speakers, so it’s easier to buy a ticket at the station. A regular ticket is Rp100,000 ($7.13 USD). At the time I travelled there was a promo rate of 70,000 IDR ($5 USD). SHIA Station SHIA Station (Soekarno–Hatta International Airport Station) is located between Skytrain station of Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 of Soekarno–Hatta International Airport. Unlike the airport train at KL and Hong Kong (as two examples), the airport train is not accessible from the terminals. Instead you have to get the Airport Skytrain, which connects Terminal 1, 2, 3 to the SHIA railway station. I arrived at Terminal 2 and saw this fancy train terminal, only to find out it’s the skytrain station. This skytrain to the main station adds another 10 minutes or so to your trip. At the SHIA Station there is a spacious ticketing hall where you can buy tickets from vending machines or in person. BNI City BNI City is a station built on top of the existing railway near Sudirman Station. This station is next to Jalan Jenderal Sudirman and near the Dukuh Atas BNI metro station. It takes 46 minutes to get here from the airport. [Dukuh Atas BNI metro station at BNI City.] At the station there is taxi rank where you can get the reliable Bluebird Taxis. If you already have a Grab account then you can also use that as an option. There is a dedicated Grab pick-up point at the station. [Bluebird Taxis at BNI City.] From here it’s a short taxi ride to the many hotels in this area. The Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta at the Selamat Datang Monument is the central point of the luxury hotel area, and that is 1.2 kilometres away. I was staying in Jalan Jaksa, which is a popular street for budget and mid-range hotels. Jalan Jaksa is 3km from BNI City and it took about 20 minutes in peak hour traffic. This is one of the best areas to stay in Jakarta. BNI City sits at the tip of Golden Triangle of Jakarta. This is the Central Business District that is bordered by Thamrin Avenue-Sudirman Boulevard, Rasuna Said Avenue, and Gatot Subroto Avenue. The Golden Triangle is the business and financial heart of Jakarta, so the train+taxi combo is a good option for business travel. With BNI City being a new station near the financial district, I was expecting it to be a grandiose integrated transit and shopping hub, but there is not much here apart from a few shops. [BNI City ticketed area.] The station is named after Bank Negara Indonesia, an Indonesian state-owned bank which has an office tower opposite the station on the other side of the Ciliwung River. [BNI Coffee at BNI City.] Manggarai In October 2019 the line was extended to Manggarai Station. This is a major junction for the commuter railway line, and the station is being redeveloped to become a major urban rail transport hub. In the future it will replace Gambir Station as the central station for long distance railways. [Jakarta train map showing where the airport line connects with commuter rail.] It takes 57 minutes to get from the airport to Manggarai. From Manggarai you can get the red and blue commuter lines to Gondangdia Station, which is a ten-minute walk to Jalan Jaksa. The airport train used to go to Bekasi, but it now terminates at Manggarai. Onboard The carriages have comfortable seating in 2×2 format, and there are luggage racks. The seats have USB charging outlets. And there are toilets onboard. Is it worth getting the airport link? Jakarta is an enormous city so for most Jakartans the rail link is not going to save time. For example I met some friends in the popular expat area of Kemang in South Jakarta. By the time they get from Kemang to BNI City, and then get the train, they could have got a taxi to the airport in less time. For visitors though, and especially those staying within range of BNI City, then the airport train will save you time and frustration. It depends on the time of day as well. I arrived in the evening peak hour so I was happy to get the train and then taxi. On the way out I had an early flight and I had contemplated getting the first train of the morning at 5.21. I ended up getting a Grab instead at 5am. The Grab taxi was 123,000 IDR, so about 150,000 IDR ($10.70 USD) to allow for tollway fees and rounding up. It took 35 minutes by taxi in the early morning. Soekarno–Hatta Line news / links Airport train to start operating from Manggarai Station on Saturday – [03/10/19] The airport train service is extended to Manggarai Station from October 5. Manggarai will eventually be the central station for all train traffic. Bekasi-Soekarno Hatta airport train stops operations – [09/09/19] The rail service now terminates at Manggarai Station, where you can transfer for commuter trains for services to Bekasi. After one year: Improving international airport train – [12/01/19] Is Soekarno–Hatta’s airport train (railink) failing? [03/01/19] Jakarta airport rail link opens, proves a hit with travellers – [31/12/17] Soekarno-Hatta Airport rail link to emulate Changi model – [03/01/13] More on Southeast Asia urban rail transit For more transit guides check out the urban rail transit, and a complete guide to airport railways in Southeast Asia. View the full article

A guide to the Padang Besar Railway Station border crossing between Malaysia and Thailand. Padang Besar is an international railway station in Malaysia on the Thailand border. There is also a separate Padang Besar station in Thailand in Tambon Padangbesa. If you are getting the train between Thailand and Malaysia, you will be going through Padang Besar in Malaysia. This a guide for crossing the border at Padang Besar, and what trains to get to travel between Malaysia and Thailand. Padang Besar station guide Padang Besar map Padang Besar Railway Station (Malaysia) Train travel from Malaysia to Thailand Train travel from Thailand to Malaysia Padang Besar Railway Station (Thailand) Padang Besar train services Kuala Lumpur to Padang Besar Gemas to Padang Besar Butterworth (Penang) to Padang Besar Hat Yai to Padang Besar Bangkok to Padang Besar Padang Besar map [Map of Padang Besar Malaysia and Thailand.] Padang Besar Railway Station (Malaysia) Padang Besar Railway Station in Malaysia is the border-crossing station for Malaysia-Thailand train travel. Train travel from Malaysia to Thailand [Passengers arriving at Padang Besar Malaysia.] KTM trains from Kuala Lumpur, Gemas, and Butterworth terminate at Padang Besar (Malaysia). If you are continuing to Thailand, there are SRT trains at this station. You can transfer to the Thailand section of the station without exiting the station, so don’t go through the exit gates. [Exit gates at Padang Besar Malaysia.] There is a cafe and some food available here, but there is nothing on the Thailand side of the station, so buy what you need here. [Cafe at Padang Besar.] There are ticket booths for minivan services inside the station. If you don’t have time to wait for the next train, then this is an alternative way to get to Hat Yai. [Padang Besar-Hat Yai van services.] There is a ticket area inside the station that has windows for Malaysia and Thailand trains. The ticket booths are clearly marked with flags. [Malaysia and Thailand ticket offices at Padang Besar.] For train travel in Thailand you will be issued a ticket from the SRT. Tickets can be bought in Malaysian Ringgit or Thai Baht. [Ticket from Padang Besar to Hat Yai.] There is also a 1 hour time difference to factor in. Malaysia is 1 hour ahead of Thailand, and the departure time for Thailand trains is shown in Thai time. [Thailand and Malaysia time zones.] When you are ready to leave, follow the signs to the immigration area. Border control for Malaysia and Thailand is done at Padang Besar Malaysia. You will need to check the visa status of your country to see if you can cross by land. Once you pass through immigration of both countries, you will be in the SRT section of the train station. [SRT platform at Padang Besar Malaysia.] As you are stamped out of Malaysia and stamped into Thailand, you are now technically in Thailand. The SRT platform is just the same platform as the Malaysia section with a small fence separating the two countries. [Thailand platform at Padang Besar.] Trains from Padang Besar into Thailand are operated by the SRT. [SRT train arriving at Padang Besar.] Train travel from Thailand to Malaysia SRT trains from Bangkok and Hat Yai to Padang Besar terminate at the Malaysia Padang Besar. [Thailand platforms at Padang Besar Malaysia.] Padang Besar Railway Station (Thailand) [Padang Besar Railway Station Thailand.] After departing Padang Besar (Malaysia) the train crosses the border. This is visible by a security fence, and also marked on your Google Map. [Malaysia-Thailand border crossing.] The train to Hat Yai stops at Padang Besar in Thailand. The station is clearly marked as Padang Besar Station (Thai) and there is no border control here. [Padang Besar Station (Thai).] If you are coming from Hat Yai to go to Malaysia, then don’t get off here. If you get off here, you will have to walk to border crossing. Padang Besar train services Padang Besar (on both sides) is a typical border town that is bustling with international trucks and not much to do for the average tourist. If you are in Padang Besar, then you are most likely on the way to somewhere else. [Trucks at Padang Besar.] There are no through-trains that go via Padang Besar (for example a Bangkok-KL service). There is talk of reviving the Bangkok-Butterworth service, so I will add that to this list when it restarts. There are also some chartered tourist trains that run from KL to Hat Yai, but I haven’t added those services in this list. Kuala Lumpur to Padang Besar KTM operate Kuala Lumpur to Padang Besar services on the ETS railway. This is an electric train service (ETS) on modern trains that travel up to 140 km/h. Unfortunately this is a metre-gauge railway, so there is no prospect of there being a faster service on this line. The KL-Padang Besar service doesn’t stop at Butterworth (Penang). If you are doing the KL-Penang-Padang Besar overland trip, you need to get the KL-Butterworth train, and then Butterworth-Padang Besar train. Gemas to Padang Besar [ETS train at Gemas.] Gemas is about halfway between Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru. This is as far as the electric railway reaches in the south. Passengers going further south have to transfer to a diesel train at Gemas to continue to Johor Bahru. This section will eventually be upgraded to electric, so there will be trains from Johor Bahru to Padang Besar (but not Singapore unfortunately). Butterworth (Penang) to Padang Besar KTM operate commuter trains from Butterworth to Padang Besar. This is a useful service if you are coming from Penang and slowly making your way up the coast by train. [Commuter train at Butterworth.] There are seats on the side of the carriage and the rest is standing-room only. If you travel during the peak hour it becomes apparent why it is a commuter train. Hat Yai to Padang Besar [Hatyai-Padang Besar.] The SRT operate a shuttle train from Hat Yai to Padang Besar. The carriages are 3rd class padded bench seats, and there is no need to book in advance. [SRT 3rd Class carriage with ceiling fans.] Hat Yai is a major travel hub for Southern Thailand. From Hat Yai you can join other train services further north, or get a bus or van to a coastal destination. [Padang Besar train at Hat Yai.] Hat Yai is also worth a visit in its own right, so stick around for a day and have a look around. Here is my trip report for Hat Yai. Bangkok to Padang Besar The International Express is a daily train service that operates between Bangkok and Padang Besar. Train 45: Bangkok to Padang Besar. Train 46: Padang Besar to Bangkok. It’s advisable to book this service in advance if you want a bed. [Directions for Bangkok train at Padang Besar Malaysia.] This article is part of the Nomadic Notes train travel series. Read more about Malaysia train travel and Southeast Asia train travel. View the full article

Commuting has always been a necessary part of an in-person work schedule, but workers are increasingly dissatisfied with the long trek in, and they have been adjusting their commute times and workday accordingly. Unfortunately, the trend of changing transit times has cut into actual time spent in the office, with more employees heading in later and leaving earlier. View the full article

October 7, 2024 Hey peeps, Is remote work on the way out, or is the Amazon return-to-office trend just a phase? 🙄 We’ve also got tips to help you stand out in your next job application, plus advice on working from anywhere. And don’t miss Buffer’s new take on transparent salaries—seriously cool stuff! Have a wonderful week, Vic Our Favorite Articles 💯Amazon Killed Remote Work. Is RTO The New Normal? (Forbes)Nope. Why? ​Dive in​. Looking to land that remote job? Here’s a proven way to stand out (Remotive LinkedIn)If you are overwhelmed by the job application process, going to the basics is always good. ​More details here​. AleksandarNakic/E+/Getty ImagesDo I Need to Tell My Employer I’m WFH… Somewhere Else? (Thrillist)Want to work from anywhere? 🌍 Pro tip: know your tax rules, local laws, and keep your boss happy despite the time difference! 😅 ​Read more​. Reflecting on a Decade of Transparent Salaries at BufferBuffer just leveled up salary transparency with their new Open Salary System—fair pay, no secrets, and no more guessing games. We love to see it :) ​Read on​. This Week's Sponsor 🙌Too many emails? Declutter your inbox with Meco, your home for reading newsletters.Try it for free ↗️ Remotive Jobs 💼Is this job for you? 👉 ​Senior Golang Developer at Proxify​ (CET +/- 3 hours) 👉 ​Customer Support [Weekdays] at Contra​ (Philippines) 👉 ​Sourcing Specialist at Contra​ (Philippines) Free Guides & Tools​Public Job Board​We curate 2,000 remote jobs so you don't have to! ​Find your remote job →​ ​Exclusive Webinar​3 Mistakes to Avoid When Looking For A Remote Startup Job (And What To Do Instead) ​Register for free →​ ​Job Search Tips​Looking for a remote job? Here are our tips to help you work remotely ​Check it out →​ Join the Remotive newsletter Subscribe to get our latest content by email. Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription. There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again. Email address Subscribe Powered by ConvertKit View the full article

As workplace culture continues to evolve, remote and hybrid work schedules are here to stay– and newly flexible schedules are shaping employee behavior and office culture in ways that demand new vocabulary. Every day, it feels like new terms pop up in the workplace lexicon to describe new trends that have emerged. From #Worktok to polyworking, here are 2024’s biggest workplace buzzwords, inspired by the 2024 State of Hybrid Work. You’ll notice that many of them are shaped by the popularity of hybrid and remote work. View the full article

You’re probably definitely not surprised to hear that we, as humans, are incredibly distractible. The average American picks up their phone 144 times each day. If you take away eight hours for sleeping, that’s approximately one pickup every seven minutes. Email, too, is out to distract us. We can’t forget the average 120 emails that The post 10 tips to maximize your time blocking efforts appeared first on RescueTime Blog. View the full article

A guide for getting the ferry from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau, including how to buy tickets, port locations, and what to expect onboard. Vung Tau is the closest beach to Ho Chi Minh City, so it’s a popular city escape for Saigonese. The easiest way to get there is by the fast ferry service. The ferry from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes. This used to be the quickest way before the Long Thanh expressway opened. Now getting a minivan takes about the same time, but the ferry remains as a more relaxed way to travel. Tickets for Ho Chi Minh City-Vung Tau ferry Ferries are operated by GreenlinesDP. The tickets can be bought online or at the ferry terminal. Seats are usually available mid-week, but its advisable to book in advance on the weekend. [GreenlinesDP Ferry ticket office in Ho Chi Minh City.] Ho Chi Minh City – Vung Tau ferry map [View map of Ho Chi Minh City – Vung Tau ferry.] Ho Chi Minh City ferry terminal Location: Bach Dang Speed Ferry Terminal. Address: 10B Ton Duc Thang St., Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. GreenlinesDP operates from the Bach Dang Speed Ferry Terminal on the District 1 riverfront. This is opposite the Riverside Hotel on Ton Duc Thang. There is a Highlands Cafe at the terminal, and another cafe serving beer and food. [Cafe at Bach Dang Speed Ferry Terminal.] Onboard GreenlinesDP Ferry The GreenlinesDP ferries are modern and in good condition. The ferries are wide, so they provide a smooth ride. I’ve been on many ferries in Southeast Asia with narrow and broken seats. The seats here are comfortable and provide enough leg room. The air conditioning is set at a reasonable level and not set to “freezing” (as is often the case with public transport in Southeast Asia). A bootle of water, a little snack, and refresher towelette is handed out onboard. Drinks and snacks are also available to purchase onboard. There is wi-fi onboard which doesn’t always work. They have video entertainment, which is usually a variety show on mute or Vietnamese music during the Tet holiday period. There are power outlets next to the window seats. There is a western toilet at the back of the ferry, and it is kept in a dry condition. Part of the appeal of this trip is putting Saigon in context to the surrounding waterways. [Phu My Bridge, connecting District 7 and Thu Duc City in Ho Chi Minh City.] The ferry travels through the waterways of Can Gio District. While the rivers in Can Gio aren’t part of the Mekong Delta, there are sections that feel like being in the Delta. Spending so much time in urban Saigon, it’s easy to forget about the waterways that are part of the city. There is a small deck out the back but it’s not really suitable for sitting. This a fast boat service and not a pleasure cruise, so I made do with looking at the scenery from the window. [View of the unfinished Phuoc Khanh Bridge from the back of the Ferry.] Most of the trip is smooth sailing (so to speak) along the rivers. It is only on the last section where the river meets the sea and the boat cuts across the bay that it sometimes gets a bit rough. Vung Tau ferry terminal Location: Ho May Tourism Area Pier. Address: 01A Tran Phu St., Ward 1, Vung Tau City. The GreenlinesDP Vung Tau ferry port is at the Ho May Tourism Area Pier. This is close to the Front Beach area, and close enough to walk if you are packing light. There are taxis waiting at the port, and Grab is also available in Vung Tau. Where to stay in Vung Tau There are two man areas to stay in Vung Tau: the Front Beach and Back Beach. Here is the Nomadic Notes guide on where to stay in Vung Tau. View the full article

“The whole of life is but a moment of time. It is our duty, therefore, to use it, not to misuse it.” —Plutarch “I could never become a minimalist.” This is a phrase I have heard countless times since starting this blog. Every time, two thoughts come to mind. First, I wonder what misconception they have about minimalism that would make it seem so difficult. But second, more importantly, I think to myself, “But you already are a minimalist—you just don’t know it yet.“ The truth is, we’re all minimizing something in our lives, whether we realize it or not. And once we understand that fact, everything about us begins to change. Every day, we make choices about where we spend our time, money, energy, and attention. By definition, these resources are limited. Even if we were the richest man or woman on earth, there is still only a finite amount of money and time available to us. It is impossible to do or have everything. All of life is a trade. Every minute of every day, we trade for something. And if we’re not minimizing our possessions, we’re minimizing something else. When I first embraced minimalism, I thought I was just motivated to declutter our home so I could spend more time with my kids. But I quickly realized minimalism was about more than that. Minimalism was about finding more intentionality with my resources. It wasn’t just about removing things from my home. It was about making better choices with my life. When we began to own less, we found more time for the things we love. More energy for pursuits that matter. More focus for what brings real meaning. More money for service and generosity. We even found more opportunity to focus on self-growth and personal development. When we began minimizing possessions, we began maximizing more important things. That is always the case! We are all trading something every day. We are spending money on something, we are spending time somewhere, we are focusing our energy and affections in a specific direction. And if we’re busy chasing and accumulating physical possessions we don’t need, we’re minimizing resources that could be spent elsewhere. But most of the time, we don’t even realize it. There is a direct correlation between the increase in our physical possessions and the decrease in our resources to be spent elsewhere. Make no mistake, everybody is living a version of minimalism. The question is, are we minimizing the right things? The post A Life-Changing Truth: We’re All Minimizing Something appeared first on Becoming Minimalist. View the full article

My desire with each Weekend Reads is to provide you with articles and posts that encourage simplicity and minimalist living. Below, you will find links to blog posts and news stories that I hand-picked over the last couple weeks. I hope you find inspiration and practical help inside them. That is my goal on Becoming Minimalist: to intentionally promote simplicity in a world that needs to hear it. An Ode To Simple Living: A Summer Spent With My Grandparents | Strike Magazine by Hannah King. I know what you’re thinking: You lived with your grandparents as a 21-year-old college student for 3 months?! Yes. And I can confidently say it was one of my best decisions this summer. 14 Qualities That Define a Minimalist Person | The Minimalist Vegan by Michael Ofei. Minimalists are frequently viewed as emotionless, privileged, dull, clinical and extreme. Yet some of the most exciting and dynamic individuals in history practised minimalism. The Weight of Less: Redefining Minimalism Beyond Things | Manu Sharma. To truly understand minimalism, we must shift the focus from material things to a much deeper inquiry: why do we keep accumulating in the first place? Stop Trying to Keep Up with the Joneses—They’re Broke | Simple Money by Richard James. Trying to match the lifestyle of others can quickly become a financial disaster. Becoming Minimalist’s Joshua Becker: 3 Benefits of Minimalist Budgeting for Your Wardrobe | Yahoo by Ellie Diamond. What would it be like to slow down? To find stillness in your day, moments of rest and quietude? 10 Things You Should Stop Buying Today for a Simpler Life | No Sidebar by No Sidebar. By letting go of some specific buying habits, we can create more space—both physically and mentally—and focus on what truly matters. Recently Released Inspiring Videos 20 Simple Ways to Find a Moment of Peace | YouTube by Joshua Becker. Even when life is chaotic, we always have small opportunities to make peace and quiet a part of our lives. Here are some easy ways to find peace daily and slow life down. The Zeigarnik Effect: The Hidden Reason Your Mind Feels Cluttered | YouTube by Joshua Becker. We all feel scatterbrained from time to time, but if you’re feeling it lately more than usual, you may be overlooking this common culprit. The post Inspiring Simplicity. Weekend Reads. appeared first on Becoming Minimalist. View the full article

In 1973, an author named Alan Lakein published a book titled How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life. It wasn’t the first book about professional time management — my library contains a first edition of James McCay’s 1959 classic, The Management of Time — but it’s arguably the first book to talk about the topic in a recognizably modern way, with a focus on personalized tools like daily to-do lists. It went on to reportedly sell more than three million copies, and was even shouted out by Bill Clinton, who cites its influence on his early career in his autobiography. Revisiting Lakein’s advice today provides a glimpse into office life fifty years ago. And the encounter is shocking. One of Lakein’s more famous suggestions is to write down everything you need to do on a single task list. He then says to label each task with one of three priorities: “A” for things that are important and urgent, such as those with impending deadlines; “B” is for tasks that are important but not urgent, and can therefore be postponed if necessary; “C” is for things that are small, easy, and don’t require attention at the moment. You start by completing the A tasks, crossing them off your list as you go. Then you move on to the B category. If you finish the B tasks, you can tackle some of the C. Lakein notes that these task priorities might evolve. An important obligation with a distant deadline, for example, might start at B, but then, as the deadline approaches, upgrade to A. Lakein’s intention is to help you make sure that you make progress on the things that most require your attention. Part of what’s shocking about this system is its finitude. In 2024, can you imagine fitting everything you need to do on a single list? Your email inbox alone could likely contribute several hundred items at any given moment. Also notable is Lakein’s assumption of task stability; that your list would more or less stay the same as you carefully worked your way through it during a full workday. Modern work is instead defined by constant new demands — chats, questions, meeting invitations, requests to “jump on a call” — that require timely answers. Here’s the question that began to fester as I revisited these older ideas: is what we’re doing today any better? The fact that our modern workflows would swamp Lakein’s quaint system of simple lists and priorities is perhaps more an indictment of us than him. To have more work, arriving with much more urgency, than we can possibly get our arms around is not a good recipe for getting useful effort out of human brains. It is, however, a good recipe for burnout. A point I often make on my podcast, as well as in my new book, Slow Productivity, is that in my own work on these topics, I describe more complicated time management strategies with reluctance. My bigger wish is to help reform office work to the point that they’re no longer needed, and something like Lakein’s basic ABC system is more than enough. We’re not there yet, but in the meantime, it helps to realize where we are now isn’t working. ##### If you want to learn more about what’s (regrettably) required to manage your time in our current moment, check out the latest episode of my podcast, Deep Questions, where I tackle three advanced time techniques (listen | watch). If you haven’t yet read my latest book, Slow Productivity, you should! Some more encouragement: (1) it was recently named an official selection of The Next Big Idea Club [meaning it was chosen by a panel consisting of Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Dan Pink, and Susan Cain as one of the two best idea books of the season]; and (2) it was selected for the shortlist for SABEW’s Best Business Book of 2024 award. The post When Time Management Was Easy appeared first on Cal Newport. View the full article