One Month of Blogging and What Have I Learned?
Last week, I dove into why I started this whole thing, (you can read it here). And this week I want to talk about what I've learned... you know, 'cause I'm a seasoned vet and all 💁♀️.
Here's what I've learned... and am still learning: Doing the whole blog thing, full out, is a huge commitment. It means being active on Instagram and Pinterest, posting something thoughtful everyday, keeping up with stories throughout the day, keeping up with the home projects that I'm working on, consistently blogging every week - this is a full time job. And I have a job. So organization is everything! I have learned that my weekends are precious. They are spent creating and planning my week of content. It's a lot. But I'm not complaining! I kind of LOVE it. And while I have zero children and a nonexistent social life (thanks COVID), why not!? It's fun and it's filling up my "creative bucket" so much!
I've learned that Wordpress, while a total bitch for web design dummies like myself, is the best platform if you are hoping to actually turn your blog into something bigger - like a business. (yep, I got big dreams, people). While it's way less "easy" than say SquareSpace (which I love and have used for other sites), it does offer more functionality and flexibility... unfortunately this comes with a steep learning curve. But I wanted to do what would be best for me in the long run, not what is easiest for me now.
Consistency is key. I've started listening to Jenna Kutcher's podcast Goal Digger and I've read everything I can in ways of advice from successful bloggers like Chris Loves Julia and designers like Studio McGee and they all say the same thing: Stay consistent with your posting. Consistency equals trust. If you post on your blog sporadically then no one knows when they should check your site to see if you've written anything new. And let's be honest, we are all busy people! Committing to reading someone's blog post at all is an effort! So making sure your readers don't have to do any extra work, other than clicking on the link in your bio, exactly when they know they're supposed to, will really help grow your readership... Now, I barely have a following but I totally get this from a consumer standpoint and I think there's a lot of truth to it.
And lastly, let's talk about judgment. I touched on this last week - that a huge reason I held myself back from blogging was because I was afraid of what people would think. Well, my dad has this saying: "What other people think of you is none of your business". So simple. And it took about 27 years for it to sink in... But now I get it. I have zero control over someone else's opinion of me. All I can do is be the best version of myself and live my life... the rest is out of my hands. Judgment is unavoidable. I have to release the burden of caring about other people's opinions if I'm going to keep showing up here, authentically, the way that I want to. Let me also add, based on my one month experience, people are generally really nice! I know I'm small time right now but I've already become friends with some truly sweet and supportive people through this process!
Moral of the story: When I decided to jump into the blogging pool, I wasn't kidding around. I am pouring my heart and soul into this and I'm learning as much as I can in hopes to make this something real. Every single one of you guys reading this blog and following my Instagram are on the receiving end of my heart's passion! Thank you for being here. I mean it. I am giving this all I've got and I am overjoyed to know that I'm not just speaking into the abyss - that there are people out there listening. I do not take that lightly.