Hiya! Right, so I have been blogging for 7 years now and would consider myself to have run the blogging cycle. Through GCSEs, A-Levels, Uni, Full-time work, grief, lockdown – blogging has been there. I can’t even say I remember life without blogging. All I know is that there are many things I wish I knew before I started blogging – especially that constant content did not need to be at the forefront of my mind. Here is why:
Blogging isn’t what it used to be
In this digital age, content is everywhere. Whether it is on phones, laptops, TV – even interactive billboards, the exposure we receive daily has increased 10fold. When I started blogging many moons ago I would set a rigorous schedule; with a day by day plan of everything that NEEDED to be done. I highlight the word needed because did it really need doing? Of course not. But did I want it done? Of course, I did. Next thing you know your life becomes a series of days of list filling, actioning and ticking. Hopefully, at this point, you would realise that all the fun has been taken out of it.
The point I am making – life is so busy nowadays that people are simply not sitting around for you to post. Most will not get updates. Almost everyone will see your post as they are scrolling, rather than actively seeking new written content from your site. For this reason, we all have to edge away from the “must post must post”. More chances than not, it is not really required.
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Quality
With impending deadlines and a desk full of work, how realistic is it that your quality of work is going to be top-notch? This reminds me of school, where we were swamped and working on multiple essays at the same time. When your sole job is to put word after word down onto paper, the quality will almost always be compromised, even just a little. After blogging for years, this is the first thing I realised when I started to read my posts a year on, some of them didn’t even make sense! Now, before every post, I storyboard it paragraph by paragraph to ensure that all my ideas are mentioned, and in-depth, they should be. Constant content can be productive, but only if the quality of what you produce is nailed on every time.
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Life
I’m going to get deep and meaningful for a sec, don’t mind me. When all you do is write, you can easily be drawn to words and ideas, without them holding any meaning. I can say, pretty much anything I want to do on my blog because I own it, and freedom of speech obviously comes into play. However, without knowing the facts, and without living life, I could be spouting absolute rubbish. Maybe I already am (feel free to let me know). As the years have gone on, I have found that living life changes a person, and it means they can say things with a lot more emphasis and passion.
If you suddenly come up with a blog post about 50 baking recipes for example but have never baked in your life – how can you prove the validity of your work? A niche is always about being an expert in your field, and this comes from knowledge and experience. So instead of writing constant content, consider finding out more about the subjects beforehand, chances are that it will probably work in your favour.
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Writing from the heart
I may only be 22 but sometimes I really do think that I am mentally beyond that. I have tried to please on my blog, I have tried to follow trends, and obeyed every algorithm going. However, nothing worked better than writing from the heart. A sponsored post will never show as much emotion as something that is a labour of love, trust me. The feelings and emotions always die down when you are writing constant content, but the biggest emotion and driver coming your way is the one to just get the post done. Any post that is written like that, in my opinion, shouldn’t be written at all. Write what is on your mind, and from the heart. And looking away and being able to review your work is just as valuable.
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Unnecessary Pressure
For most bloggers, writing is a pastime, and pretty much always will be. Therefore you are your own boss, and you work on your own terms. Yes, if you don’t write, content doesn’t come out. But similarly, if your work is not up to scratch, there is no one stopping you from publishing it. All I have between the keyboard and the publish button is Grammarly, to make sure I haven’t made any spelling or grammar mistakes, especially when I am typing a million words a minute (slight exaggeration I promise). Once it is out there, you have no idea who could be reading your post. Therefore, take your time, and get it right – instead of trying to backtrack on a published post. Not only will it reduce the stress and bad mental health, but it will remind you that you work on your terms, and only your terms.
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You are prone to writer’s block
Writing a post after post can seem like a great idea in theory, but trust me, it only leads to writer’s block.
Writer’s block explained simply, is when a writer lacks a desire to write. This can impact articles, blog posts, stories and novels! A cycle of unproductive writing can occur when a writer does not believe in their own creative skills, and time becomes a hindrance.
“I think writer’s block is simply the dread that you are going to write something horrible.” (Roy Blount, Jr.)
Once you force yourself to sit down and write, the words will never flow as nicely and simply as if they were rolling off the tongue. Constant content, post after post is a cycle of expectations, and if you fail – a devastation. If you have expected one period of time to get all of your posts done, and have not managed it, it can be awful for your mental health. Consider breaking projects up, as and when you have excess time, and if not, then don’t worry about it!
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Seasonal Content
Creating constant content is becoming an ever-growing issue because of changes in society. If you have written 10 blog posts to go sporadically over 6 months, in half a year’s time, your opinion, or situation could have changed. Therefore you are trusting that your content has not already gone out of date. Try to write just before it is published, and the information will be relevant, and up to date. Wait some time, and it may not be. To save time in the long run, I never schedule a post more than a month in advance, to ensure that my content is fresh and up to date. I created a lot of content during the lockdown, and as the situation was ever-changing, the content within my posts evolved. This is a great way to stay “on it” with readers.
