Publishing my second blog feels a little surreal. If there’s one thing I’ve learned already, it’s this: writing the blog is easy — getting everything on WordPress to look the way I want is the real challenge. Especially when I’m doing half of it from the mobile app.
And yes… if you looked closely, you probably noticed I accidentally posted my first blog twice. By the time I realized what I’d done, both versions already had views, likes, and even a comment — which honestly shocked me. Someone out there actually read it and liked it? Once I saw that, the mistake didn’t feel like such a big deal anymore. I couldn’t decide which version to delete, so I ended up keeping both. Now I just look at them as my starting point and a reminder of how far I want to go.
Using WordPress on My Phone vs. On a PC
After doing more research on WordPress and Jetpack, I realized something obvious: the desktop version gives you way more freedom than the phone app. I do have an older HP Pavilion laptop, but since Microsoft ended support for Windows 10, I stopped using it much because of the security risks. I’m hoping to upgrade around Black Friday or Cyber Monday, but until then, the Pavilion is what I’ve got.
Since it was running painfully slow, I decided to clean it up.
My Crash Course in “Bloatware”
While trying to speed the laptop up, I discovered a new word: Basically, it’s unnecessary pre-installed software that slows everything down — and HP has plenty of it. A lot of the JumpStart programs fall into that category.
bloatware
If you’re like me and had no idea what that meant until today, here’s the simple version:
Bloatware wastes RAM, takes up storage, eats battery, and makes your device sluggish.
So I started uninstalling everything I didn’t need… literally while writing this blog. I’ll share the final results once I finish experimenting.
Cleaning Up Windows & Updating Drivers
After removing a bunch of pointless apps, I cleaned my disk, deleted old updates, removed temporary files, cleared system cache, and turned off background apps to get every bit of performance I could.
I also found out Windows 10 can still get virus protection through companies like McAfee, so ten bucks for basic security doesn’t sound bad at all.
Once I restarted the laptop, it booted noticeably faster — though I never timed it before, so I won’t pretend to know exactly how much faster. Still, it felt quicker.
Then came the real test: Would it run any games?
I tried launching Warhammer 40,000: Gladius.
Of course Steam needed an update (not surprising after a year of not touching it). But once it updated, the game actually loaded. The spinning icon gave me flashbacks, but then the intro music kicked in and I was smiling. This game has only run once before on this laptop.
Next I tried Gloomhaven.
Another success.
Another big smile.
My old HP Pavilion was finally usable again — thank God.
Returning to WordPress
With the laptop running normally again, I dove back into fixing my site and learning the Twenty Twenty-Four theme. Before this, I had no idea how much goes into themes. I honestly thought you just picked one, pasted your blog into it, and — boom — done.
Not quite.
My first blog technically posted, but the theme layout pushed it so far down the page that I didn’t even see it. That’s how I ended up posting it twice.
Editing from the phone made everything ten times harder. I was pasting headers and paragraphs individually one by one. Hopefully the laptop will make that easier.
When I opened my site — dougwrites.com — I realized my About Me page had become my homepage. Definitely not what I wanted. Luckily, Jetpack made it easy to rearrange things.
Running Into WordPress Plan Limits
While experimenting with the Twenty Twenty-Four theme, I discovered something frustrating: a lot of the customization options require upgrading to the $8/month plan. Since I already paid for the $4/year Personal plan, upgrading would mean paying for another full year. I’ve only been on WordPress for a few weeks and this is only my second blog, so I decided to wait before upgrading.
Still, I wanted to know what I could do with the $4 plan.
Turns out I can:
• change layouts
• adjust blocks
• add custom CSS for individual elements
I didn’t know what that meant either, so here’s the simple version:
Custom CSS = writing small bits of code to tell specific parts of your site how they should look.
Examples:
Make one heading bigger
Change the color of a single button
Adjust spacing on one block
Basically, it gives “style instructions” to individual pieces of the page.
Editing Templates in Twenty Twenty-Four
Surprisingly, the next thing I learned was the easiest.
Anyone who’s used the Twenty Twenty-Four theme probably recognizes the default homepage with the blue mountains and the “Welcome to your site” text. I always assumed these were locked into the theme.
But after watching a YouTube video, I learned that every section in this theme is built from editable templates.
All I had to do was go to my site, click “Edit site” at the top left, and then just click directly on the text I wanted to change.
That was it.
I deleted the default text above the main banner and changed “Welcome” to “Welcome to dougwrites.com.”
A few clicks, hit Save, and suddenly my homepage finally looked like my homepage.
Final Thoughts
I’m still figuring out WordPress one mistake at a time, but this second blog taught me way more than I expected — from removing bloatware to understanding themes to learning that plans come with limitations.
It feels good to see progress, even if it comes slowly. And honestly?
I’m just excited to keep improving my site, my writing, and this whole journey.
dougwrites.com 
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