If you are constantly battling to start a new blog and you keep being stuck at developing the plan to your professional blog, you need to take drastic steps to overcome this situation. However, you cannot effectively find a solution unless you are aware of the cause of the problem. Professional blogging is a huge step; it requires methodical planning for each of its aspects and estimated evolution.
To understand the obstacles to pro-blog planning, you have to analyze your state of mind as well as the motives that encourage your forward path. Some of these stumbling blocks are easy to figure out while some are not, but the following tips will definitely help you take vital steps towards finalizing the solution.
Fear of taking the first step
The first step is always the most difficult. When starting a blog plan, your research will be the foundation of everything related to your blog. Professional blogging has many target-oriented details that need the background information to push through the outcome. Specific and effective research needs boundaries; so, ask yourself the following questions to setup the limits to your blogging area.
- What is your reference of standard for quality for your blog posts?
- What is the motive of your blog?
- What are the revenue aspects of your blog?
- What is your selected niche and in that what are the hot zones specific to your blog?
The answers to these questions will give you the directions necessary to not only start your research but to effectively weed out unnecessary details and concentrate your time and effort to aim at collecting efficient information.
Procrastination
This is probably the most likely cause of your pulling back every time you start planning your blog. Yet, this one cause accommodates a host of reasons that might be leading to the (non) result. To overcome procrastination, regardless its related area, self-assessment and disciplining yourself has to take precedence.
Prepare a blog schedule, allot small targets related to your blogging plan for each day, and at the end of the day record your accomplishment. The size of the task is irrelevant; the priority should be to accomplish your fixed task by the end of your slotted time.
Especially if you have more than one project like me, it needs a lot more commitment to stick to things. I schedule my blogging day/week and hence I'm able to write for my own blogs and a discount coupon blog that features photos.com and pr web discount deals.
Blocked creativity flow – get blog ideas
Inspiration can strike at any time. Unfortunately, sometimes your creativity can run dry and no ideas strike the mind. Incidentally, this kind of ‘dry' spell is normal. Dealing with this problem with patience and a strict method can help you overcome the situation quicker. Start carrying around a notebook or a pad to jot down simple thoughts and critical ideas.
Making this a routine gives you time to jot down ample amount of ideas during your inspired stage, which will help you bridge the no-ideas stage too. You can also create a checklist related to your blog planning steps. This will clear your mind off the stress of remembering every small detail; you can just refer to your checklist to move on to the next course of action.
Fear of technology
Blogging is essentially a procedure that is as much tied up with technology as with the creativity. Most bloggers (maybe including you) fear the technological aspect of creating and publishing a professional blog. However, it is a fact that the evolution of technology is always towards simplifying tasks for the users.
You have many different technological options available, for the creation, publishing and promotion of your professional blog, which have evolved over time and continue to progress. To overcome your fear of new technology, you need to research about the software programs, SEO/SEM techniques, blog designs, and web hosts for your blog.
The more you habituate yourself with these elements, the more you will find yourself at ease with using them for your blog. In addition, the information gathered during this process, can be a part of your experience that you might share with your readers at some point during your blogging tenure.
Blog on – Do not wait for some sign
The fear of unknown is one of the most common obstacles for any new project. A very common coping mechanism for this kind of fear is to set a target, which might be a sign to start the project. You might decide to start planning your blog when you have a certain amount of time on your hands, or when you have the perfect amount of concentration.
However, the truth is this just delays your project when you find ways to ascertain that the sign is not enough and push the project for some other date. Rather, beak your complete project in to smaller tasks. It will reduce the enormity of the task for you and boost your confidence enough to get you started.
Remember, your professional blog is your identity. When you focus on the aspects of blogging that interest you, you will be more motivated to push on the parts that seem hard. Finally, remember to enjoy every small success and treat as a motivation for the next one.
I enjoy writing, but hate planning with a passion. Hmm… I think I am going to write something about it. Thanks!
LOL more power to you Jim 🙂
I’m full agree with jim
Great post
Regards…
Good article Jane, very good advice for anyone thinking of starting to blog. Procrastination has to be the number one reason many do not start blogging, thinking and talking about it rather than doing it.
Actions speak louder than words unless those words are written articles on your blog.
With the abundance of information, people are more likely to watch what others are doing rather than do it themselves!
Really great tips and points here, Jane. Really wish someone gave me these insights years ago when I was jumping back and forth whether or not I should start blogging. Nevertheless, these pointers are really useful. Great reference to use to plan out my blogging activities next year. Thanks for sharing this!
I’m so glad that I could be of help Adeline. Its never too late to rock. Good luck!
Great article…I am a regular reader of this awesome blog……..It sounds good that this blog have many contributers, especially from India
I find Procrastination as my major stumbling block. I tried to overcome it many time and fail a lot, but recently I stand firm to what I believe is the write thing to do and start making some plan for the day and stick to it. I was very happy with the result since I accomplish much and have more time for myself.
Procrastination – Ha, My problem exactly. You hit the nail on the head. As the old Spanish proverb goes – Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week!
Great post jane.
I’ totally agree with you. Planing is important. But knowing how much time to spending on blogging is very important, As a new blogger I’m still confused about how i should take over and work it out for my blogs.
Too true. My biggest obstacle to maintaining a regular blog has always been getting ideas. And when it comes to my personal blog, I had ridiculous expectations that every blog article be “inspired.” Blogging for my job with deadlines was what finally broke me of that. When I first started, I was worried every week about coming up with enough to write about on my topic and keywords. But, every time I found that doing a little research and pushing through my blocks, I always was able to deliver. I know treat my own blog the same as I treat the blogs I write for work.
Its such a brilliant article and a good tips are advised. I refer this article a useful one.
Planning is definitely the most critical step to achieving more with your blog. otherwise you waste a lot of time on unnecessary tasks that aren’t doing you any good. Thanks for sharing Jane.
That first step is always the hardest. But once you realize that and resolve to take that first step, then everything starts to fall into place. You’ve got momentum on your side. So it’s important not to let fear hold you back from taking that first step and you’ll be ok.
Hi Jane,
I’ve discovered lately, that if I spend more time in the creative process (as in the womb), and put less pressure on myself to write; I give birth easier.
Ivin, WOW that’s some cool analogy! Thanks for putting it much better 🙂
You should go for a single blog. As your niche of blog are same it will be better to go for single blog. Multiple blogs will not help getting a good rank but will affect negatively. SEO will be lot better in a single blog and you can concentrate on only one. Just put the articles in different categories and sub-categories if required.
Bethany, I don’t understand what you mean by “multiple blogs will affect rankings negatively”!
Hi Jane,
I definitely agree with your thoughts. Professional Blogging is all about Passion. There are challenges that you will encounter but because you Love to do it, You will do it!
Lyka you’re right. Although I must add that passion is not the only factor, it is indeed an essential factor!
I have a blog on ‘ice’ now for several months for all the reasons you listed. The theme has an issue I can’t seem to resolve, haven’t found time to write for it, etc. At this point, I realize how ridiculous it is. Hopefully, I can find some time to launch it over the holiday break.
Fear of taking the first steps is the most common dilemma of procrastination..
I personally experience this when I started my online work.. but the good thing is I continue.
I enjoy again reading your post!
I think the first thing about problogging is that people should forget about being a pro. Just starting the blog without any pressure should be a good thing. Once the blog proves to be a reasonable success and shows signs of generating sustained revenue, one can then consider turning pro.
Amanda, that’s a wonderful point. Due to this pressure of being a problogger, most bloggers fake it until they make it. It is so much unwanted stress and certainly not healthy for blogging success.
Comfort may also be the cause of procrastination. there’s a saying that success lays right outside your comfort zone. It’s true that it takes discipline to get there.
When you focus on the aspects of blogging that interest you, you will be more motivated to push on the parts that seem hard. Finally, remember to enjoy every small success and treat as a motivation for the next one.
Very nice tips Jane 😀
I agree with you that procrastination is a huge destructing factor when it comes to doing anything not just starting a new blog. And you’re right, a detail plan to a new blog is like a blueprint to a “gonna be” new house. Very important!
Thanks for sharing!
This is a great inspiring article to those who are planning to start their own blog but do not know how to start with it. I agree that the fear of taking the first step in blogging is the biggest problem that a new blogger faces. But without taking those baby steps you will never learn how to do it.
It pays not to be too hard on yourself when you begin blogging. If you stick with it — and many don’t — you will be producing a lot of content. Plenty of time to get better at it. And your first articles won’t get that many readers in any case. 🙂
Hi Jane,
This has been a great post for me as I can identify with several points you made especially about procrastination. I must learn to focus and keep on keeping on! Probably something a lot of us suffer with I guess. Anyway this has given me the motivation to work harder and plough much more effort into blogging.
Thanks,
Aron
Hey Jane,
You are right. We need to overcome our fear, laziness and bad practices of procrastination to succeed in blogging (or in any kind of job).
For me it was more about being lazy and procrastinating all sorts of stuff (and getting busy with college). But, now I have decided to overcome all those things through my new blog 😀
This is certainly a good reminder for me 😀 Thanks for post, Jane!
Jeevan Jacob John
There will be a lot of learning when you start, and a long time into the journey.
Making good research, while the start, is the best option you can take.