No matter where I go these days, when folks find out I write a blog for beginning bloggers they want to know if I have a magical tip to help them blog better. Up until now, I’ve had to shake my head and say, “Sorry, but no. There is no magical blogging tip.”
Turns out, I was wrong. There really is a magical tip that lets us grow our blogs without shrinking our sanity.
What is it, you ask?
Wait for it . . .
Get ready . . .
The free magical blogging tip is to focus on the blogging process instead of the desired outcome.
Well, that was a bit of a letdown, wasn’t it? :)
Sorry about that, but this truly is magical stuff.
See, the truth is, most of us blog backwards. Our blogging looks something like this:
- We focus on our desire to have 100K subscribers by next Tuesday.
- We sit down to write a post worthy of being Stumbled, Tweeted, and hung in the Blog Post Hall of Fame.
- As we wrestle with our headline, that shiny post idea we had loses a bit of its sheen.
- The pressure of our big goal squeezes in on us.
- Our inner critic drops in to tell us our post is destined for the Blog Post Hall of Shame.
- We feel stuck and stymied, unable to move beyond that headline that needs to be just right.
- Fear and self-doubt waltz through the front door as our creative energy slips out back.
- Time drags as we stare at the still-blank page.
- Deflated, we turn to chocolate, Cheetos, and a few games of Facebook Farkle.
- Hours later, the post still isn’t written, and we feel miserable inside and out.
- We dread our next blogging session.
Yikes! That’s enough to make me want to write an ebook called, “Confessions of a Zero-Figure Blogger.”
Lucky for us, we don’t have to work that way. Instead, we can use our magical blogging tip. Here’s how it looks in action:
- We schedule a time where we can write distraction-free for 30 minutes.
- As we sit down to write, our mind is occupied with possible ways to structure the post.
- We set a timer for 30 minutes to help maintain focus.
- We begin writing, letting the words flow, even if they don’t follow our preconceived plan or look pretty.
- We connect with the feel of the keys moving under our fingers and get lost in watching the words appear on the page.
- Our inner critic drops in, and we say hello but keep our fingers moving.
- Fear and doubt knock at the door, but our creative energy has locked it tight.
- Bored stiff, our inner critic curls up in the corner for a nap.
- We’re ‘in the zone’ now–not so much ‘doing’ the writing as ‘being’ the writing.
- The timer goes off. Wow, that time sped by!
- We go on about our day, fired up by doing work we love.
- We can’t wait til our next process-oriented blogging session.
And, really, it’s just that simple.
But it’s also hard. Process-oriented blogging is a career-long practice, just like meditation is a life-long practice. And we humans tend to get frustrated and fall away from even the most magical tips and techniques if we don’t feel we’re doing things right.
Truly, there is no one right way to practice process-oriented blogging. But there are a few ways to make it easier:
- Start small. Keep your focus sessions to one, 30-minute period per day at first. Then, add on 5-10 minutes per session as you feel ready. Remember to take regular breaks to keep yourself fresh and firing on all cylinders.
- Be gentle. Your mind will drift to thoughts of the 10 other posts you still need to write or whether or not this post will really be any good. Be okay with that. Notice when your mind drifts to these thoughts, but don’t follow them down a path that leads to nowhere. Just keep working and let the party in your head go on without you.
- Plan. Process-oriented blogging doesn’t mean letting go of your goals and plans. No, there’s a time for plans, stats, and goals. Use these things as guidelines and tools to give direction to the projects you work on in your focus periods.
- Diversify. Process-oriented blogging isn’t just for writing posts. You can use it when responding to comments, reading other blogs, and networking. Immerse yourself fully in the activity, without thoughts of what you might get from the experience or how you might mess things up. Just dive in and swim!
The true magic in this tip is that as you engage fully with the work you do, you’ll eventually craft more powerful posts and build stronger, more authentic relationships. And it’s through those things that all you desire will move closer to you without stress and struggle on your part.
Not to mention, regardless of what happens with traffic or income, you’ll always be a winner because you’re unwrapping and enjoying your earthly gifts and talents to the fullest.
And that, is magical indeed.
Your turn: Have you experienced the magic of process-oriented blogging? Ready to give it a try?
Jean Sarauer
Evelyn
Tia Peterson
Josh Garcia
Gurl
Blog Angel a.k.a....
Wayne Howard
Justin Germino
John Soares
Mike Roosa
Hey Jean,
Another great post here and some awesome tips.
Process-oriented blogging – takes hard work and patience…!! ;).
Really awesome magical blogging tip Jean.
Thanks for sharing this great Post.
~Dev
Dev – Technshare.com´s last blog ..5 Reasons Why Most Bloggers Fail
Hi Dev. I didn’t recognize you without the cartoon avatar :) Good to see you!
Jean Sarauer´s last blog ..9 Ways to Get Your Creative Groove Back
I’ll add to that: forget about counting “visitors” when you first start out, and don’t look at PR or Alexa rankings. FOCUS on your content, your target audience or niche, and GO! WRITE! The feedback and link love will come as you find your way in the blogosphere, and six months out you can start looking at all the ratings & rankings! Great piece, Jean!
You are so right, Dave. Checking out stats and reports doesn’t fill our blogs with what they need to succeed–great content. I take a peek now and again to make sure I’m putting my promotional efforts in the right places, but that’s the extent of it. Otherwise, I just keep writing and getting out and connecting with folks. That’s where the true joy of blogging lies for me.
Jean Sarauer´s last blog ..9 Ways to Get Your Creative Groove Back
Hi Jean,
The points that you have mentioned about what our blogging actually looks like, they are just …. (I don’t have any word for that). When I was reading them, I was wondering whether you have read my mind (atleast it gives me the satisfaction that I am not the only one who fears before writing a post that whether the post will be worthy or not).
Btw, the points that you have mentioned for process-oriented blogging are really magical tips. And I used a part of that to post this comment. :)
Sourav´s last blog ..Redchery Mobile Mail App – Taking On Blackberry
Hi Sourav. I’m glad you were already able to put the magical blogging tip to good use :) Isn’t it funny how we can all get so far off track and make things harder on ourselves? That’s why I think blogging is such a great teacher. We learn so much about ourselves as we blog!
Jean Sarauer´s last blog ..9 Ways to Get Your Creative Groove Back
WHAT?! No magical blogging tip!!!!?
LOL I totally get it. Your process list is awesome. Some things I am doing and others I am not. I have to admit that I don’t set out to write in a distraction-free zone for 30 minutes at a time, but I should.
Darn it I was really looking forward to learning the magical blogging tip. LOL Just kidding.
Cheers,
Tia
Tia Peterson´s last blog ..How to Get More Local Business Using Blogging and Social Media
If I uncover any of those shiny magical blogging tips, I’ll be sure to pass them your way Tia ;) After I apply their magic to my own blogging of course!
Jean Sarauer´s last blog ..9 Ways to Get Your Creative Groove Back
Hi Jean,
You got me with the headline. :)I was so looking for the tip, but I got it. Patience is truly a virtue.
The key is to keep blogging and publishng useful content. All the other things will come.
Thanks for the reminder, I needed it!
Evelyn´s last blog ..Top 5 Fats that Every Raw Vegan Should Eat
Patience is a virtue I tend to misplace a lot :) Ah well, more things to write about that way.
Jean Sarauer´s last blog ..9 Ways to Get Your Creative Groove Back
Hi Jean
Thanks for the perspective, I think when looking at other blogs you gain so many different as you say magical ideas and tips. Just make it your own unique subject and your never run out of ideas for your blog.
Arlene´s last blog ..Seattle University 2010 Social Media Presentation
That’s true, Arlene. I especially like going to visit blogs in other niches and see how they lay out their articles, what sorts of photos they use, etc. Thanks for stopping by!
Jean Sarauer´s last blog ..9 Ways to Get Your Creative Groove Back
Hey Jean,
I must say that you just put together a simple plan for anyone to follow. The biggest challenge for new bloggers is to sit down and start that 30 minute timer. I tell you, that is how I got started. Today, I still use the same game plan when I doing videos and creating videos in a 30 minute window does go very fast.
Chat with you later…
Josh
Josh Garcia´s last blog ..What Everybody Ought to Know About DoFollow Blogs
Hi Josh. That’s cool that you started out with using a timer. I fought it for a long time. And wasted a lot of time! Now that my focus has improved, there are days I can work well without it. If I notice myself drifting off course though, I set the timer immediately and it brings me right back to center.
Jean Sarauer´s last blog ..10 Plugins to Boost Your Blogging
Good post Jean. A lot of bloggers (myself included) get discouraged when their blog doesn’t become and instant hit. It takes a lot of time and determination, but starting small is a good start as long as you don’t let yourself get disappointed quickly.
Aaron´s last blog ..blogReaction Introduces Revenue Sharing on Free Blogging Platform
Thanks Aaron. Starting small really is a good thing. There are new challenges that appear when our blogs do start to grow . . . new opportunities bring new demands on our time and new responsibilities. If we don’t have a firm foundation of who we are, what we want, and a consistent method of producing content, we can topple right over when we reach the next level. So, it’s best to make the most of our slow growth, knowing that it is making us stronger and preparing us for what lies ahead.
Jean Sarauer´s last blog ..10 Plugins to Boost Your Blogging
Hey Jean, interesting way to turn the process on its head. This can explain the fact that you need to enjoy the process of blogging to be succesful at it…
James Tayo´s last blog ..Which of these products failed to get one buyer
Yes, James, I do think longterm we need to enjoy the process or we’ll just burn out or lose interest. When we really immerse ourselves in the process, we’ll soon find out if this is something we wish to continue to pursue.
Jean Sarauer´s last blog ..10 Plugins to Boost Your Blogging
Good article Jean!!
Process-oriented blogging — Amazing magical tip :)
thanks for sharing it!!
Sandeep´s last blog ..What If you accidentally click your Adsense ads
Thank you, Sandeep. This tip was simply too good to keep to myself!
Jean Sarauer´s last blog ..10 Plugins to Boost Your Blogging
Great post Jean… cuts right to the meat, and offers a lot of great advice. Reminds me of a saying they used to have ‘back in the day’; “A writer writes… always” Focus on the writing and the rest will take care of itself.
I’m not sure that’s entirely true, but it sounds good!
Doug´s last blog ..The New Generation of Auto Racing
Thanks, Doug. I tell myself that ‘writers write,’ on a regular basis. It helps me not just in terms of not getting sidetracked on outcomes but in focusing on doing the writing vs. just talking or thinking about doing the writing.
Jean Sarauer´s last blog ..10 Plugins to Boost Your Blogging
A very well written post .Its my first time i am visiting your blog,but it feels very comfortable after viewing the things.the article is awesome and going to be the very helpful to the newbiz in this market.
Glad you stopped by, Robert. Good luck with your online endeavors.
Jean Sarauer´s last blog ..A Virgin Blogger Takes the 7-Link Challenge
Jean, thanks for this – I have to say though that some of us started blogging as our creative outlet, so interesting, engaging content was our goal – making money from it didn’t enter our heads. Of course, now am I thinking about monetising things get a lot more complex – thanks for reminding me that I should be concentrating on what I do best – blog!
Pete Stean´s last blog ..Saturday Knight Fever
You’re welcome, Pete. Yes, I think if you keep letting your creativity flow and focusing on creating engaging content, the right avenues for income streams will also be revealed. Maybe even things you haven’t thought of. Thanks for stopping by.
Jean´s last blog ..A Virgin Blogger Takes the 7-Link Challenge
A very informative article Jean! What I would also add is that for a blogger it is very important to be consistent and add posts on a periodic basis. Blogging is pretty much like exercising…i.e. you will only see the results if you do it every day. This way your public will want to get back and read your new articles every day. I know that sometimes you can’t be bothered with writing new stuff but if you want to succeed in the immense online world then consistency is what pays off.
Once again, thanks for the post!
James @ Free Hosting Tips.
Thanks, James. I’m pretty consistent about posting three times a week :) Truly, if I posted every day I would probably end up in a crumbly little pile on the ground and then a big wind would come and blow me to the four corners of the earth. Come to think of it, I have been wanting to travel more . . .
Jean Sarauer´s last blog ..How to Grow Your Blog With Kindness
Hey, thanks for the tip! I do believe it is magical! It is always amazing when magical resides in the supposedly mundane…
Since my blog is really about authenticity, I’m all over this tip…and I’m going to incorporate it as much as I can. :)
Kara
Kara´s last blog ..Showgirls and Scorpions
Hi Kara. Yes – just focus on the process of writing itself and you’ll have a truly authentic post!
Jean Saruaer´s last blog ..How to Get Off the Meltdown City Express