Copyright © 2005 Priya Shah
Blogging is a time consuming process. It involves the process of gathering, reading, digesting and compiling information into a nice, meaty post that gives your reader an insight into the unique way you see and understand issues.
Most serious business bloggers have at least two or three blogs that they write simultaneously. I have ten, but don’t update all regularly.
Bloggers are also extremely passionate about what they do. Their blogs are a labour of love and they often tend to lose track of time, reading, writing and updating their blogs.
But there’s only so much time in the day and only so much abuse a body can take. So how do you avoid becoming a burned-out business blogger?
Here are a few tips to help keep you and your blog(s) fuelled up and running for the long haul.
1. Get your priorities right
Is starting a new blog really going to help your business (or personal) objectives? If not, then don’t. Simple as that. Save your energy for the tasks that help you achieve your objectives.
2. Discard the chaff
Do you have blogs that are not “hot” anymore? If you have a blog that’s not getting much traffic or is about a topic that no one wants to read about anymore, give it a quiet burial.
3. Grow up
Are you continuing to blog (whether it serves your purpose or not) out of some misplaced emotional attachment to your blog? Then you probably need a 12-step program.
Lots of blogs are abandoned everyday because they stopped serving their purpose, or more often, because the bloggers just grew up and moved to greener pastures. Find more appropriate ways to spend your time or promote your business.
4. Get a life
Blogs are a poor substitute for family and friends. We bloggers tend to take our loved ones for granted because we work from home (and anywhere else we can). Its important to schedule our day to make time for family, especially when there are children around.
5. Get “un-wired”
In order to keep the ideas coming you need to do things that nurture your mind and body. Shut down your PC and get away from it for a while.
Go for a movie, take a walk in the park, workout in the gym. Get out of the house and get some fresh air. You’ll be amazed at how easy (and fun) it can be it to get your creative juices flowing again.
6. Give yourself a break
If you missed blogging about something important because you had something else equally pressing to attend to, don’t beat yourself up over it. Stick to a realistic blogging schedule.
Nothing is so important that it can’t wait a day or two. Sometimes procrastination is not a bad thing at all. If it helps, write a bunch of posts at a time, so you can take a break and attend to other matters when you need to.
7. Quality, not quantity
Blog frequently, but not too often. Most bloggers will agree that two or three posts a week is a pretty good frequency. I usually manage to make that grade, but never push myself more than I have to.
The key is to make your posts count. Don’t post about anything and everything in your field just because you have to.
Posts that are original, meaty and full of opinion are more likely to get read and linked to than posts that are just a few words with a link to the news source.
So if you’re beginning to forget what your family looks like, if you think blogging is taking over your life, and your sanity, step back a bit and get things in perspective. Stop letting your blogs rule your life.
As for me, when it’s a choice between the blog and the beach, the latter wins hands down.
Priya Shah is Editor of Naaree.com, an online magazine for the new Indian woman, and CEO of blog publishing firm, Connect10. Subscribe to her free Marketing With Blogs email course.
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