Starting a blog can be tough for beginners. Besides dealing with the technical and visibility aspects of blogging, there are challenges related to figuring out your focus, content, research, and getting readers.
You work hard every day, but you might not see much success at first. How do you stay motivated during this challenging period? Here are some techniques to help you stay on track.
Do what you love.
Staying motivated becomes much simpler when your mind is always focused on your blog topic. If you’re passionate about your subject, it’s easier to come up with content ideas, connect with your readers, and create a friendly and inviting tone that fosters a strong relationship and grows your readership.
Take it one step at a time.
When you begin blogging, it’s common to feel overwhelmed by all the tasks you think are necessary for its growth. From the start, it’s essential to understand that your blog probably won’t become a huge success overnight, so take things at your own pace, instead of stressing about what you haven’t accomplished yet, set aside time each week to review your achievements and think about how to build on them.
To prevent burnout, it’s important to be gentle with yourself. Otherwise, you might convince yourself that it’s too difficult, you lack the time, and ultimately give up.
Plan, plan, plan.
If you haven’t already, create a flexible but well-defined plan for growing your blog’s content and reach. A clear plan will help you manage your expectations and evaluate the results of your efforts.
Regularly reviewing your progress provides insights that can improve your future promotional strategies and prevents you from trying to do everything at once, which can quickly drain even the most motivated blogger.
While planning, you’ll likely discover some quick wins—tasks that are expected to be satisfying or enjoyable in some way. These could be activities that attract a lot of readers or ones you simply find pleasure in. Space out these tasks so that when things get tough, you know you have a favorite task just around the corner. This can significantly boost your motivation in the long run.
Allow for downtime.
After creating a plan, be sure to include some downtime in it. Avoid constantly working at an exhausting pace; if you do, make it only for short, manageable periods. Allow yourself breaks to spend time with family and friends, and be open to adjusting your schedule.
Most importantly, truly savor your time off—don’t spend it feeling guilty about all the blogging tasks you should be doing.
Realize that everyone has bad days.
It’s a fact that some of us have bad weeks and even months. However, that doesn’t mean you should give up or doubt your abilities. You have what it takes, but you need to learn how to manage it effectively. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you have a tough day. Understand that it’s a part of life.
If you ever feel like quitting, allow yourself to feel that way. Confront your discomfort and see if there’s a way to overcome it or find an alternative solution that can make your blog better. Remember, necessity often leads to innovation. Sometimes, it’s the initial challenges that motivate us to discover solutions that ultimately make our blogs—and our work on them—much more enjoyable.
