Congrats, we made it to April. I have no idea how three months have already gone by. I think it’s because I committed to running a ton of experiments at the beginning of the year. This kept me pretty busy, focused, and learning.
In last week’s issue of The UX Notebook, I talked to you about the power of experiments. I love experiments because when you try to do a focused set of things in a certain timeframe, you create momentum for you and your team.
My challenge to you last week was that you spend this week writing down all the ideas you have. Just get all the ideas out of your head.
Now today, you should choose one of those ideas to act on.
It doesn’t have to be related to UX. Look at your list and decide which idea you want to try and experiment with. Set a deadline for yourself, I recommend one week, and see how much you can experiment with that idea in a week.
Want to find others who are committing to experimenting with their ideas? Let’s use the hashtag #uxnotebook on Twitter. When you decide on the idea you’re going to experiment with, click here to tweet and tell me and other readers. Or, just reply to this email and tell me what idea you plan to experiment with.
So, what did I experiment with for the first three months of the year? One word. Content. I’ve been testing different types of content and how I can create better content so that you can learn more about UX from me.
I learned a ton, to say the least. Through setting up a few courses, webinars, and resource guides over the last three months, I feel like I just got an MBA in online marketing, a bunch of new software programs, and project management.
One other benefit to running all these experiments is that I discovered a few new and unexpected revenue lines for my business. I would never have dreamt up these revenue lines on my own. So overall, my three months of experimenting was a success.
However, I will say that I did work like crazy for the last 3 months. There were many nights when I was up until 2 and 3am debugging some issue with MailChimp or trying to figure out how to make a conversion pixel work with a new payment system (I won’t explain what all that means!).
So, since I refuse to subscribe to the hustle until you make it mentality, I’m heading to the beach for a few days to take a break. I’m all about working hard. But I’m also about working smart and celebrating your successes when you come out of a long period of focus, such as the last three months!
I bet you’re wondering what I’m going to experiment yet? Honestly, I don’t know. I need a break! But I’m sure my next experiment will come to me while I’m drinking a margarita in the sun!