Did you know this is NOT my first time to start a blog? I have started 3 and have had my fair share of blogging struggles!
Blogging has been a long time passion of mine, something I have aspired to do for many years. As a matter of fact, I started and failed at two blogs already.
The first one I started (paid for the domain) and then NEVER WROTE ONE POST! Nope, I spent all the time thinking of a name and making the site pretty and then it ended there.
The second blog that I created went a touch further. I secretly started it, paid for the domain, chose a beautiful background and wrote 2 or 3 posts. I DID NOT TELL ONE PERSON about my blog and never shared any of my content on social media. Time went on and I never returned to that platform.
Fast forward a couple years, I felt the Lord tugging at my heart (once again) to start blogging and that is what led me here. Perhaps third time’s a charm!
However, the beginning of this third endeavor has not been without its share of blogging struggles. I wish I could say that I started up and fell into a rhythm and have attracted thousands of subscribers whose lives are being changed for Christ every day.
But that’s not exactly what has happened. After lots of thought, podcast listening, rethinking, writing 712 to-do lists (I am a list addict), procrastinating and praying I think these are the 3 major areas that have hindered me most in my blogging journey thus far.
Blogging Struggle #1: Lack of “niche” clarity
I was not clear on my niche and my goal for this blog when I first began.
My goal in starting this blog was a bit fuzzy at first. I knew my end goal was to ultimately lead women to Christ by sharing my where I have struggled in my own life and how the Lord has shown his glory to me.
But I began with no idea how to get there. However, over the last few months of writing a series of pretty random posts, it has become more and more clear to me where my passion lies more specifically.
My passion is helping women create firm foundations in their lives by living intentionally in small daily habits that will ultimately lead them to a life that shines Christ light and glorifies God.
I have a special place in my heart for homeschooling moms, but I am confident that my content is valuable to any woman.
If you are starting a blog and experiencing this blogging struggle, I encourage you to just start writing. Don’t wait until you know exactly what your niche is going to be. As you write, you will naturally tend towards your passion. It will become more and more clear as you write… so just start!
Blogging Struggle #2: Desire for Perfection
I know blogging is what the Lord has been calling me to do for some time now. As I mentioned before, this is my 3rd time starting a blog. However, I have allowed the desire for perfection to paralyze me on this blogging endeavor.
Let me explain.
You see my husband doesn’t mind when I have side hustles going on AS LONG AS God, family, homeschool and household duties come first. It is just the way things are in our home and I am okay with that. Life flows smoother when Mom has her priorities straight.
With that being said, I blog in the cracks of my day. Here is the problem that I run into time after time. I desire for my post to be just “perfect” with perfectly edited graphics, perfect SEO, etc. This causes me to be reluctant to hit ‘publish’ very often because let’s be real… achieving “perfection” is extremely hard to do.
My solution? I have decided to lower my standards a bit so that I will be more consistent.
If you are starting out as a blogger, I encourage you to do the same. Yes, we want our posts to be nicely polished, however, if the desire for perfection is paralyzing you from publishing content, then lower your standards for the time being.
The more you post, the faster and more natural it will become for you. Writing is a muscle that needs to be exercised. Just like with physical exercise, if we wait for all the stars to align before we decide to workout, then we will never do it!
Just write, my friends! Your readers want to read the valuable content that you have for them! Don’t worry about perfection.
PRO TIP: Use Grammarly to edit your posts! It catches the errors that you might miss!
Blogging Struggle #3: Squirrel Brain!
Yes, this is a real thing!
Ha! What do I even mean by this?!
Well, let me explain. It is not uncommon for me to be in the middle of creating one post/idea and my mind is already onto the next 3! My mind seldom shuts off with this blog. I have list upon list of posting ideas. I also have a bunch of half-written content! I am working on myself big time in the area of finishing one task before moving on to the next.
I know the Lord is calling me to this because he is constantly pointing out areas of my life that I can share with others as an encouragement to them, I just need to get my act together and put forth the effort in the areas where He is nudging me.
I need to get out of my own way and let the Lord do what he desires with this blog. I simply need to commit to writing every day even though my mind is so super squirrely!
So my advice to you? Finish one task before moving on to the next. Have a notebook, google doc, or calendar available when you write, so that you can quickly jot down an idea when it pops in your head. That way you can keep working on your current task, with confidence that you won’t forget the next thing you would like to do. (I need to follow my own advice so very bad!)
So there you have it! My 3 biggest struggles with blogging and some quick tips! Do you blog? In what ways do you find yourself struggling OR what is one thing that has helped to minimize your blogging struggles?
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