One thing I notice: the slow approach tends to produce better outcomes than the volume one — your mileage may well differ. Is free dating online even possible anymore without hitting a paywall? Treating it as a numbers game is the fastest route to burning out — nobody tells you this at the start.
Honestly, patience is genuinely the differentiator, dull as that sounds — it is the single change that made the most difference.
One thing I notice: taking a break when it starts to feel like admin is sensible — it took me longer than it should have to work that out.