6 OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE PRODUCTIVITY HABITS FOR PASSIONATE BLOGGERS
Wanna’ take a guess at how many blogs there are in the world right now?
100 million? 200 million?
Try 440 million.
Yep, from craft blogs to parenting blogs, and fashion blogs to travel blogs, each generation is carving their own path when it comes to blogging.
There’s a blog about almost any topic these days and there are new up and coming bloggers appearing all the time, all with amazing talents. More and more people are realising how wonderful the blogging world is and they want to be a part of it.
It’s crazy to think how big the world of online marketing is right now. Web designers, social media managers, virtual assistants - there are so many job opportunities now which didn’t even exist ten years ago. I didn’t even know what blogging was until I was around 18 and even then, I didn’t actually start my own blog until I was 22.
It was only when I was 24 that I realised I could actually use blogging to my advantage and to turn my whole career around. Now here I am, running my own content marketing, social media management and coaching business. Pretty cool, right?
Yeah, it is cool. It’s more than cool. But it’s also hard work and really really tough.
People have a lot of misconceptions about bloggers in general. Some of them being that it’s not a real job, we’re all just in it for the freebies and, you know, social media and writing online content isn’t *challenging* work.
I call BS.
When you’re a blogger, no matter if you’re running it alongside a full-time job or not - it never stops. YOU are your blog. You have to show up every day. You have to put in the work every day. Even though I run my business full-time, I still never have a full weekend off. And during the week? Well my weeknights are usually spent catching up on blog work.
But don’t get me wrong - I love blogging. I love the content I write about and I love the people who read it. That’s what makes it worthwhile.
When you’re the only one in charge of your blog, it’s up to you to make things happen. So what do you do when you don’t want to show up? What do you do when you’ve lost all motivation?
Well, I’ve tried a lot of productivity hacks over the past few years and I’ve finally found the ones that work the best. So here are some of the most effective productivity habits for passionate bloggers...aka YOU.
#1 | HAVE A MORNING ROUTINE
Starting your day off in the right way, with the right mindset is what’s going to determine your productivity levels. The better your day begins, the more motivated you’ll be to get your work done.
The most important thing to remember is that your morning routine is YOURS. Create it in a way that’s best for you.
If you prefer to wake up at 6am and get an hour’s blog work in before you head off to your 9-5 that’s great. Or, if you prefer to get up later and do 15 minutes of meditation, that’s fine too. What’s important is that you’re filling your morning routine with things to motivate you and make you feel productive.
When I was at university, I knew people who worked right up until about 2am and then only got about six hours sleep per night. I would NOT recommend that.
If my to-do list has piled up then sure, I’ll work into the evening. But for me, getting 8 hours sleep is even more important than finishing that to-do list. Why? Because I know if I don’t get enough sleep, I won’t feel as productive the next day, which means not all my work will get done. Simple.
Learn what your body and your mind needs.
#2 | CREATE A SUPPORTIVE NETWORK OF PEOPLE
And I mean offline, not online.
Blogging can get lonely. There’ll be days when you feel like you’re writing to no one, no matter what stage of your blogging journey you’re at. There’ll be days when online interaction just won’t cut it. This is something I’ve definitely experience since I started working from home.
Whether it’s your family, friends or some local bloggers you can meet up with, having an offline support network is going to really help you.
You need to be able to talk to people about what you do. You need to share your wins, your struggles, your highs and your lows. Throw different ideas around, get inspiration from them, and if you can relate to them on a creative level? That’s even better.
An offline community helps improve your communication skills and keeps you balanced, which in turn, increases your productivity levels.
#3 | READ CONTENT UNRELATED TO BLOGGING
Passionate bloggers are productive, because they give themselves a break from their blog. And they’re not afraid to do so. I know that blogging and business books are all the rage right now, and it’s great if you’ve got some in your collection. But don’t let them be everything you read.
Reading different genres and topics of content not only expands your knowledge and inspiration, but it can also push you to think about content with a new perspective. Sometimes, I’ll read a fashion article in a magazine and it’ll prompt me to outline a blog post topic in a completely new way.
Whether your hobbies including baking, sewing or exercise, there’s magazines out there for everyone. Next time you’re at the shop, I encourage you to pick up a copy of a magazine and read some of the articles. This is a great way to keep testing your brain and keep you feeling inspired.
#4 | SET GOALS AND CONTROL YOUR MINDSET
This is something I covered in my Facebook group the other day, because I know a lot of you struggle with it.
If you don’t set goals for your blog then what are you working towards? What is your motivation? What is your direction?
Of course, it’s up to each of us as individuals whether we set goals for our blog. But I truly believe you’re much more productive when you have goals to work towards. Why? Because they keep you focused and they give you more motivation to succeed.
Plus, you can measure your progress to see how far you’ve come. That’s always a great feeling.
You’ll notice that I talk about how goals can help you be more focused and motivated - this is all to do with your mindset. Taking control of your mindset means you’re in control of your productivity. You’re in control of your ability, your improvement and your growth.
Testing, learning and growing are three ways that you’re going to be able to supercharge your productivity.
#5 | LISTEN TO THE RIGHT PODCASTS
I used to listen to music while I worked. Now I listen to podcasts and I can tell that my productivity, focus and motivation have all increased.
When you listen to a podcast while you’re working on your blog, it’s like there’s someone right there in the room with you. It’s the beauty of listening to a conversation about improving your online presence, while you’re actively working to improve it at the same time.
There are lots of podcasts out there, but here are some of my favourites:
If you listen to the right podcasts, you’ll feel pumped, motivated and productive. But most of all, they’ll help you to realise that you’re not alone. Podcasts are full of people talking about their personal stories. You’ll feel productive just listening to how some people got to where they are today.
You don’t just have to listen to podcasts while you work either. Put one on when you’re on your commute, when you’re doing some housework or when you go for a run. Just think how many episodes you can get through in a week!
#6 | ALWAYS BE CONSISTENT
Consistency. A word that a lot of passionate bloggers get fed up of hearing. But one that will completely transform your productivity and success.
Let’s say that your goal for the year is that you want to be able to touch your toes. Do you just try once a week for a whole year? Or do you do ten minutes of stretching each day to increase your flexibility?
People get the results they want because they consistently put strategies in place to help them get there. It’s not easy. But they do it anyway.
There’s a quote from Eddie Cantor that says: “It take 20 years to make an overnight success.” And it’s true.
We look at these bloggers with thousands upon thousands of followers and we instantly see success. But their success wasn’t isn’t. It didn’t happen overnight. It came from consistency and the productivity that comes with that consistency.
Some days you might not want to show up in your online presence. Some days you might think “what’s the point?” and want to pack it in altogether. Some bloggers do just that. Some bloggers don’t - and that’s the difference.
The most productive and successful bloggers are those that are consistent. It’s not about being smart or being an expert - it’s about being consistently consistent.
It’s about showing up even when you don’t feel like it. It’s about putting a post out there when you feel like you’re writing to no one. It’s about using social media to promote yourself, even when you think no brand will want to work with you.
Don’t give up. Because those bloggers aren’t in the majority. They’re actually in the minority. And that’s what makes them special. It make take some people longer than others, but it’s not about that. Each journey is unique.
If you keep putting the work in and stay passionate I promise you - you CAN make it happen.
So there you have it - some of the most effective productivity habits for passionate bloggers! Which one of these is your favourite? Which one of these will you start doing more of? Share your thoughts in the comments!