I often find myself reading interesting articles I want to share with others and save for myself for later reference. I share a lot on my LinkedIn and Twitter walls, but keep my favorites here. Enjoy.
Creating a WordPress Child Theme
When building a new WordPress website, no matter what theme you use, you should ALWAYS create a child theme. The child theme is where you add all your customizations for the theme, among other things. If you don't have a child theme, have made changes to...
101+ Step WordPress Checklist Copy
This is going to be one of my favorite posts to reference. It's not one I would sit through and read the entire thing at once, but as these different steps come up while developing a website, it is an excellent guide to follow. A blog post by WPMU DEV: The Most...
The Ultimate Guide to DNS for WordPress
I have had to deal a lot with DNS settings, website transfers, domain transfers, A record changes, MX record changes, and more. I 'lived and learned' when it comes to this area; made a lot of mistakes and learned from them all. This next post is a nice rundown of all...
Taking Over a WordPress Website: The Ultimate Checklist
Often have I been asked to 'take over' a website for a client. Getting all the passwords for hosting, domain registrars, CMS, etc. always seems to be the most difficult part. Here's a list of everything to keep track of from Elegant Themes to help keep you organized...
8 Best Practices for Perfect CSS Documentation
CSS is a very large part of what I do everyday. Sometimes I'm working on client's existing sites, sometimes I'm building a new site and writing it from scratch. One thing I've gotten a lot better at is adding comments. I didn't do this a lot at first, and when I had...
8 Part Series from Yoast SEO – Ranking Your Local Business
Yoast put together this 8 part series encompassing a lot of applicable information about optimizing local business websites with links, keywords, search practices, and so much more. This is an excellent reference for anybody working with a local business. An...
How People Make Decisions That Are Bad For Them
A good article about making decisions by Lifehack. Go with your gut, and find a profession that you're passionate about, not just what is considered the 'highest paying job.' You won't be happy with that, it takes too long for people to figure this out. “Move out of...
The Power of Deep Thinking: Essence of Creativity
A unique article about thinking deeper, which leads to your brain thinking more creatively, by Lifehack. “When the root is Deep… There is no reason to fear the wind.” A blog post by Lifehack: The Power of Deep Thinking: Essence of Creativity Lifehack’s daily...
20 Photoshop Tricks for Web Designers
Love this list for web designing in Photoshop, wish someone would have told me these things a long time ago. Hope you find these useful. A blog post from Elegant Themes: 20 Photoshop Tricks for Web Designers Elegant Themes continue to make knowledgeable posts, and...
It Is Not About How Fast You Can Build A Habit, It Is What You Build That Matters
Part of becoming a healthier person involves getting rid of bad habits. Now I've tried doing this, but learned that it can't happen all at once. I can't wake up one day, and start running every morning, reading for 30mins, make a protein shake, and all these goals I...
How to Build Resilience to Survive in This Difficult World
This is an intriguing article about staying resilient throughout all aspects of life, by Lifehack. There are a number of good quotes and ideas from this to keep in mind, especially when going through difficult times. "It’s not how many challenges we’ve been through...
101+ Step WordPress Checklist
This is going to be one of my favorite posts to reference. It's not one I would sit through and read the entire thing at once, but as these different steps come up while developing a website, it is an excellent guide to follow. A blog post by WPMU DEV: The Most...
The 15 Most Important Productivity Tips
I love this list that Leon Ho, who is the Founder and CEO of Lifehack:, has put together. I printed my own version of this and have it as a reference that I look at every day in the first page of my bullet journal. I hope you will find it as useful as I do. Enjoy. A...
The Best Secret Spots in America’s National Parks
When I can step away from the web design world, I've always loved traveling, camping, and spending time outdoors. This is a list of places I plan to reference and hope I can one day have visited each of them. Hope you enjoy too. A blog post from the Thrillist: The...
Typography for Web Designers: 5 Things You Need to Know
Being a web designer, I found this post on web typography quite insightful, and a good tool to reference for examples of quality uses of typography on the web. Hope you enjoy as well. A blog post from iThemes: Typography for Web Designers: 5 Things You Need to Know...
How to Stay Motivated Even Though You Can’t See Yourself Moving Forward
I have had a number of goals that I've set for myself in the past that I never reached. I also have goals that I've set and attainted successfully. The more difficult goals that were hard to stick with seem to be the long term goals. I came across this article that...
What to Keep and What to Toss? Asking These 15 Questions Can Make Decluttering Easier
I have moved many times going through college and the early years after and each time realized I had so much stuff that I just didn't need or use anymore. I needed to declutter somehow, so the 2 main questions I began asking myself were: Do I use this? and Does it...
The Best Rooftop Bars in the Twin Cities
Here's a good list I like to reference time and time again when I'm around the twin cities area in Minnesota, which tends to be somewhat frequently. Check these places out for yourselves, particularly in the summer months. A blog post from Thrillist: The Best Rooftop...
How to Safely Update Your WordPress Plugins Every Time
Working so much with WordPress, I've learned some of these tips from my own experience. I think the most important two here are to test your plugin updates on a staging site and always update your plugins one at a time. I hope this guide helps you manage your website...
Successul People Seldom Worry Too Much Because They Master This Thinking Skill
More often than not, I find myself getting all caught up in the moment and not looking at the big picture of how things are going to play out. A big part of this is forgetting my logical thinking. This is a good article explaining why logical thinking is so important,...
Best Practices for Long Scrolling
As scrolling becomes more and more popular, with a large part of a that being thanks to the mobile industry, here are some good tips about the most efficient scroll methods when designing your website. A blog post from Adobe: Best Practices for Long Scrolling...
Don’t Focus on Happiness. Focus on Self Actualization
These are good life lessons to remember whether life is going great or especially if it isn't. Remember, YOU are the important one. What other people think really doesn't matter, as difficult as it can be. The focus must be on YOU. A blog post by Lifehack: Don't Focus...
50 Soft Skills for Lifelong Happiness and Success
I'm always looking for inspiration and good advice. This is a great list of things to remember. I wouldn't expect to remember everything all the time, but it is still a solid list to reference from time to time. A blog post from Lifehack: 50 Soft Skills for Lifelong...
The Best Things To Eat, Drink, and Do in Duluth, MN
This post summarizes a lot of what I've been up to since moving to Duluth, MN 9 years ago. I've watched Bent Paddle grow from the start, and visited all the spots on the list. Love this city from the food, beer, and people, to all the parks, wildlife, and outdoor...
Should Your Website Have Sidebars? What the Research Says
This is a good post on sidebars and whether or not you should include it on your website. In my opinion, it seems like you should only when absolutely necessary, and more often than not, include it on your blog. Don't put a sidebar on your site just to have a sidebar....
The World’s Cheapest Beach Cities To Live In
It's always fun to dream... A blog post from Thrillist: THE WORLD'S MOST BEAUTIFUL BEACH CITIES WHERE YOU CAN LIVE FOR DIRT CHEAP I recommend signing up for the Thrillist newsletter if you like...
10 Ways Highly Successful People Fuel Up in the Morning
A good list of tips to help you begin your day with a positive mindset. A blog post from Success.com: 10 Ways Highly Successful People Fuel Up in the...
How Many WordPress Plugins is Too Many? The Answer Might Surprise You
Ever wonder if you're using too many plugins? I always did, and then found this article which helped me answer some of my questions. A blog post from wplift: How Many WordPress Plugins is Too Many? The Answer Might Surprise...
3 Ways to Optimize Your Meta Descriptions for Search Engines
This is a great article defining meta descriptions and how to best utilize them. A blog post from Elegant Themes: 3 Ways to Optimize Your Meta Descriptions for Search...
20 SEO Steps to Check Off Before Launching a New Website
This is a great checklist to keep in mind when launching a new website. A blog post from WPMU DEV: 20 SEO Steps to Check Off Before Launching a New Website...