How To Be Productive
As A New Blogger
Posted By: Twenty Three & Ivy
-This post may contain affiliate links in which I would receive a small commission if you purchase through a link, at no cost to you-
As a new blogger, it’s easy to get overwhelmed when starting out.
You’re learning the steps as you go. Trying to do a million things at once. It can all seem like too much to fit into your daily routine.
Just remember, you’re teaching yourself a new skill and creating a wonderful online business from scratch all by yourself! Cut yourself some slack.
This is a long-term goal of creating a blogging business, not an overnight way to make money. That’s the first thing you’ll learn when starting your blog.
Luckily people are naturally adaptable. So take things slow, give it your best effort and you will see improvements.
Allow yourself time to learn.
Do not chase perfection
The idea of perfection is the quickest way to ruin a dream.
This is one thing I still struggle with.
Your blog will grow with you, so from the beginning just focus on building up your content.
Your website doesn’t need to look like someone else’s blog that’s 10 years old. You’re creating a new blog and need to figure out what your brand will look like as you go.
Don’t get hung up comparing your blog to someone else’s.
If you’re constantly trying to redesign your site or spend a week trying to perfect one blog post, you’re just holding yourself back from reaching your goals.
Things don’t have to be perfect from the start.
You just need to start in order to begin and watch your blogging business grow.
Tricks to stay focused
Create a schedule for your work week
No one is going to keep you on track or hold you accountable for growing your blog other than yourself.
So to make your goals and deadlines real by writing them down.
Whether you’re blogging full time or juggling this with your 9-5 job, visually seeing what you expect to accomplish during the week can help keep you productive.
Set a clear goal each day so when you sit down to work on your blog you know exactly what to do.
Be realistic in what you plan to accomplish each day. The more concise your daily goals are, the better off you’ll be. This brings us to our next point.
Set bite-sized goals
Writing ‘Create blog’ then ‘Make money blogging’ in your weekly planner is not going to help you one bit.
You want to set small achievable goals for each day that you plan to work on your online business.
The momentum of completing small steps will motivate you to continue with your work.
Instead, write down an idea for a blog post to write that week. If you’re just starting to blog take your time.
It’s okay to spend one day writing up a blog post, another day to edit, and another day to post it online.
The more you work on your blog the easier it’ll become and soon you’ll be able to write a blog post in a couple of hours instead.
A big mistake when starting out is expecting to be able to do everything all at once.
A blog is a growing creation of yours and isn’t something you can create and finish in a month and expect to make an income from.
So give yourself time to learn, start small, and appreciate the small goals you are already reaching.
Wake up earlier
Every day we’re given 24 hours to use as we wish. Unfortunately, some days may feel as though we only have a few hours before the day is up.
Balancing work life, with home life, PLUS a new blog can seem like a daunting task.
And let’s be real, who doesn’t love to spend the evenings with our feet up watching tv relaxing.
One way to make it feel like you have more time to work on your blog could be waking up an hour or two earlier.
Then you don’t have to necessarily give up any of the things you normally do in a day.
Tack on some extra time in the morning to sit down and be creative.
Remove distractions
Anytime you decide to spend working on your blog, make them count!
It’s hard to write a blog post if you’re thinking about 100 other things at the same time.
Remove any distractions you know will tempt you.
- Turn off the tv
- Charge your phone in another room
- Set up a comfy spot to work
- Bring some tea/coffee and snacks with you
- Set aside any chores for later
Dedicate this time solely for you to create.
Set a timer
If you know that even removing distractions you’ll still be restless trying to sit down and knock out a blog post maybe you’ve been putting off. Try using a timer.
Tell yourself that regardless of how lazy you feel, you’ll spend one hour right now to put in a bit of work before you go watch tv.
Maybe you’ll get a little work done and then run away after an hour.
OR maybe you’ll find that once you made yourself start, you got on a roll and are knocking out more work than you planned and you spend three hours working that day instead.
Sometimes the hardest part is just starting.
Use whatever little trick you need to for yourself to just open that computer and work.
Schedule days off
This may seem counterproductive, but trust me.
Plan ahead of time what days you’re going to work, and what days you’re going to take a break.
Just because blogging isn’t a typical 9-5 job doesn’t mean we don’t all need a weekend to look forward to.
It doesn’t matter what days you don’t work on your blog, just find a good balance that allows you to stay motivated.
You don’t want to work two days one week, then four the next etc.
Unless your schedule absolutely will not allow you, you want to create your own consistent work schedule.
That way you won’t have to think about it, you’ll just wake up knowing how you’re going to contribute to your blog that day.
Plan a self care routine around blogging
For many starting a blog is a way to create your own income and escape the normal 9-5 job lifestyle.
Don’t punish yourself by trying to think of your blog as another 9-5 job.
As I mentioned above blogging is not a get-rich-quick scheme. So enjoy the process of creating your blog from scratch.
Motivating yourself to work when no one is expecting anything from you is always going to be tough.
Even with the steps above it can be easy to think… no I need a relaxing day in front of the tv today, I don’t want to write a blog post or deal with pinning on Pinterest right now.
You can change this mindset though by making working on your blog as alluring as watching tv!
Create a little self-care routine for each time you plan to work on a part of your blog that you might be dragging your feet for.
Set up a cozy spot to work, maybe on the couch with some extra blankets and pillows.
Take a shower, wear some comfy clothes, put on a face mask, light a candle.
Make a cup of tea and a dish of chocolates.
Set up whatever adds to your dream/spa environment.
You’re creating an online business from scratch, pamper yourself a little!
Then next time you’re not in the mood to work on your blog think about your cozy routine and it’ll seem more like taking a break rather than work as you create.
Envision your end goal
Why are you starting your blogging business?
Are you little for a side hustle to earn a bit more money, or are you trying to replace your 9-5 job?
What do you want to achieve from your blog?
What would your life look like if your blog turned into everything you hoped for?
You can’t expect to stay motivated towards reaching your goals if you don’t know what your end goals are.
Having that goal in mind will keep you focused to put in that work every day.
Every little bit of work you put into your blog today will help you build your successful business.
Your mindset is everything
Everything you perceive in the world is altered by your mindset.
Just like the saying, waking up on the wrong side of the bed. If you wake up and have a bad mindset, the rest of the day you’re viewing your day through a negative lens.
Having a positive outlook will always draw in more positive feedback.
The most important thing as you go through your blogging journey is to fully believe in yourself.
So many bloggers give up before they make any money because they forget their end goal and they let that negative mindset sink in ruining their dreams.
You can’t half-heartedly create a blog and expect to profit from it if you don’t even believe that it’s possible.
Remember: It is possible to create your blogging business from scratch and create a full-time income.
Don’t doubt yourself.
If just one other person has accomplished this, so can you. and there are many many bloggers out there making more money than they ever could at a 9-5 job.
Don't give up!
Being productive in its basic form is just not giving up.
Every day that you work on your blog is better than putting it off for another day.
It’s a snowball effect, every little bit of work you do today builds on itself to create a larger framework to work with tomorrow.
Eventually, all these small steps will form to create your successful blogging business.
The only way to fail is to give up before you succeed.
If you need some encouragement, take a look at other bloggers. Read about their journies. Everyone starts at the bottom and needs to work their way up.
Look for the honest income reports from new time bloggers (not talking about the make 10K in your first month bloggers. chances are that’s not their first time creating a blog).
See how they received their first forms of income through their blogs.
Just know that if you put in the time and effort, you will slowly but surely see the rewards.
You’ve got this, keep putting in that hard work.
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