You ever have an idea or project sit on the back burner for so long that it just turns into a mushy slop of nothing in particular? I’ll get to it eventually, right after I take care of this other thing that’s clearly a higher priority. And then this other thing. And this other thing. I’m sure you have. We all have. And for me, one of those things is giving a fresh new look to this blog. It needs a makeover. It has needed a makeover for a while now.
This is yet another symptom (or victim?) of the so-called opportunity cost loop. I want to do all the things, but I have neither the time nor the energy to do all the things. So, I end up dedicating most of my time to tasks that feel productive and that usually becomes client work. Because freelancing is what pays the bills.
It should hardly be a shock that this blog isn’t exactly my “day job.” But it’s still important to me, even if it never makes another penny.
Mature, Let’s Call It Mature
I hesitated for some time about blogging about this publicly, because I’m still not entirely sure when I’ll get around to giving this blog a little freshening up in the form of a new theme. Maybe I’m blogging about this publicly because I want you, the reader, to hold me accountable. Now that it’s out there on the Internet, I have to do it, right? Right.
A big part of the reason why Beyond the Rhetoric is looking a little long in the tooth is that it is getting old. In blogging terms, it’s practically ready to collect its pension and move to Del Boca Vista in Florida. But I’m not retiring. Not any time soon, anyway.
I didn’t even realize how old the current design is until I started digging through the archives. This blog launched in 2006 and it got its current design two years later in 2008. The minor revision in 2010 notwithstanding, it still looks basically the same. This means I’ve been rocking the same theme for eight years. Many of my current blogging friends haven’t even been blogging that long.
The Real Cost of Free-Ninety-Nine
There really is no such thing as a truly “free” theme for WordPress. Many of the “free” themes are hardly ideal and they’d still take a lot of work to customize. And even then, I’m not entirely sure what I want this blog to look like.
Minimalist? Magazine? Modern? Some other “M” word?
There are many premium themes available for about $50 or so, but they need customization too. And I’m having a hard time justifying the expense of hiring someone else to do it. At the same time, it’s not like I have a lot of free time (or exceptional WordPress expertise) these days either.
The problem with chasing all the things is that oftentimes just end up with none of the things. What say you, valued reader? Any helpful suggestions for this humble blog in need of a makeover? What should I do?
While I have no suggestion, I just wanted to shout out that I hear you! I am going through the same myself, and have spent hours browsing through templates over the past week. Trying to narrow down the “best” choice of the bunch can be such a challenge. Good luck Michael! I’m sure that whatever you choose will look great. 🙂
Not to mention looking beyond the default configuration or live preview of a theme to envision what it could be with some modification… and then thinking about how much extra work that would be.
DOO ITTTT.
Now I just need to figure out what “it” is.
Well, the idea that I’ve thought about is making it over in a family type theme. You talk about a lot of things, but most are your interests or outings with family. You haven’t really done a lot of business travel things.
I’d make the theme more minimalist, more white space. The image background seems old, white space and maybe a few widgets down the sides.