Here is my two cents:

Are bid bots necessary for real growth?

No, in fact I never touched a bid bot until I did my experiment. This is how growth happens:

1. Pick a niche and focus on it
2. Get a schedule and stick to it
3. Write the best content you can
4. Join Discord chat groups and network
5. Be patient

How do you keep track of everything?

All the tracking that I do is in my journal. One example is my end of 2018 Steem Power goal tracker. I am a nerd and love computers but learned that I do better writing that kind of stuff down.

What one thing has made the most impact on your Steemit experience?

Networking in Discord chat groups like P.A.L. by the @minnowsupport project and @thewritersblock. It is because of these groups that I am as far along as I am even though I only began to take Steemit seriously back in September of 2017. It is because I joined P.A.L that I met @heymattsokol and in turn was invited to join @sndbox.

Thanks for the shout out and linking my post! Happy to meet you and if you ever need anything please feel free to ask me. I am most reachable on Discord (username: jrswab#3134).

Hard work always pays off in the long run and real growth never happens over night.

<3
J. R.