Last month I met a blogger and we had a long chat about trends in blogsphere. Although he was quite adept in his field and had an extremely polished vocabulary, he was facing few problems with his blog.

He had started a blog just a month ago. He was, however, out of topics. He felt there was nothing more to write about. Everything he knew was written by him in just 17 posts. There was definitely a problem which he failed to notice. Hence, I promised him to check his blog and provide necessary solutions within a week.

After reading all his posts, I derived my conclusion instantly. He was a very skilled writer and had enough knowledge about the topic. His problem, however, was not end of topic. But he had taken his level of knowledge for granted. Explaining basic things in his niche didn’t make sense to him. He thought it was too obvious, and people would definitely know all these things.

I explained him the importance of starting from the basic and writing a separate post about every possible topic he had learned over years. He was not quite happy with my solution as he wanted his every post to be unique; something that was never written about before.

I faced a similar problem when I started this blog. I thought blogging tips are available all over the web, what difference I could possibly make. I wanted my every post to have some piece of information nowhere to be found on the web. I soon realized this strategy wouldn’t work if I want to have a long term blog.

Instead, I focused on the importance of simplicity. Breaking down things into many posts and explaining each point in-depth is the key. There may be many people smarter than you around the world. However, a major part of world’s population is still looking for simple information, with essential elements.

And it’s completely okay to be out of ideas. Instead of trying to hard to think about new topics, here is what you can do to post simple topics.

• Mention some experiences you had
• Write about the problem you faced recently and how did you overcome it
• Write about how you learned a significant lesson
• Think like an expert, write like a beginner

Remember, it is not necessary to write everything you know in a single post. Break it down into small topic and cover the depth of each of them.

Doubting your own capabilities and hesitating to write an effective content is a problem faced by numerous bloggers these days, which has led many careers to end.

Many bloggers, trust me on this, have given up blogging because they don’t trust their capabilities. Yep, it’s definitely good to quit if you don’t think you are capable of handling a task, but throwing off the towel much before the game start wouldn’t help.

I must admit, and am not bragging, I faced similar problem during initial years of my blogging career, but I have now overcome it. And it is not difficult. Here is what you can do to eliminate this hesitation.

Face it – There are no shortcuts

We start doubting our capabilities when we don’t receive desired results. You cannot attract many readers on the day you launch your blog unless you are a celebrity. Understand, it takes time; at least 8-12 months to get results. By results I mean attracting traffic, making money, receiving comments, etc. Every job demands hard work. You don’t get a promotion on the first day of your new job, do you?

Act Before You Doubt Yourself

People start doubting their abilities and hesitate to blog because they aren’t able to attract any readers. This happens probably because they do not take appropriate action. I would like to share a very short story with you. Recently, I met a guy who asked me about affiliate marketing. Out of everyone I have interacted in my blogging career, I must confess, this guy pissed my off terribly. I explained him hundred times that it’s impossible to earn money unless you work on it, but he refused to understand and opposed my views constantly. At last, I gave up explaining him, and few days later, he gave up affiliating marketing.

The logic is simple. If you want results, take action. If you think you are weak at something, learn about it. Doubting yourself wouldn’t help. It would kill your morale. Spare some time to work on your blog and give it some time to grow. Short cut, in any case, is just a myth.

There was a guy who provided free content to his readers for approximately 11 years. He worked hard and watched his readers list grow. Later, he launched a paid website and as expected, thousands of readers followed him. People say he succeeded immediately. What about the 11 years of unpaid hard work he had put? What if he too would have doubted hi abilities and quit?

The secret is to keep going and never give up.

You will agree with me when I say it’s not possible to be at our blog all the time. However, you will find it little difficult to concur when I declare that not being at our blog doesn’t mean we can’t improve the blog. We definitely can, that is, if we want to.

And you probably wouldn’t believe if I say that being away from your blog is actually the best you could do to improve it.

If you are among those who are always thinking about their blog, its performance, its traffic, etc. then probably these tips a re tailor-made to suit your needs. Sometimes, I just sit against my computer and stare at the blank word document because I don’t know what to write. My mind is as blank as the word document. Perhaps, it might have happened to you as well.

That’s the time you need to be away from your blog. Here is how it helps:

1. Coming up with Fresh Ideas
   This is something that even the best blogger of the world might not be consistent in. It requires a calm and clear mind to generate new ideas. And do you really think sitting in front of your computer for hours would help? It wouldn’t.One possible option is to get away from your PC and relax for a while. Then, take a pen and paper and start jotting down all the topics that you have written about. Select any topic among them and try to look at it from a very different perspective, from all the possible angles.

   Ask yourself: have you covered all the sub-topics that could possibly be created from this topic? What else people would need to know about this topic? For instance, ‘Blogging Content’ is a topic or an idea. However, there can be numerous sub-topics or sub-ideas created from this topic like ‘How to write good content?’, ‘What is bad content?’, and so on.

   This is a very good exercise that promises consistent flow of ideas. You would never have to stare at the blank screen and keep thinking for hours.

2. Relate with the real world
   The real, refreshing outside world probably has much to offer. It can help you to come up with something that the internet wouldn’t. How do you think a new idea is generated? It is generated when we look at various things and think about it differently. Look at everything around you, everything in the outside world, each or any of them could be your next topic, or a new blog.Let’s look at something concrete for now. Pick up any magazine and you will find hundreds of article, which is no different from a blog. Magazine itself is a big blog.

   Next, a business. Any business. My father owns a departmental store. His business, in many ways, can help me to improve my blog. No, I cannot start writing about shopping habits or prices of groceries, if my blog is about improving the way your blog. But I definitely can learn  lot from the smart business models, new ideas applied in the store, how advertising affects the business, or just the way people act, and apply it in my blog someway or the other.

   If I can’t apply it, at least I would know how to operate a business. However, that’s not what we are focusing on right now. According to me, you will get something out of it. Remember, it all depends on how we look at something.

3. Use the technology
   If it’s really urgent to update something on your blog, or replying a comment, and your are traveling, or just far from accessing a computer, don’t fret. Just relax and enjoy the benefits of the improvement in technology. You can access your blog or edit it through your mobile, iPod, blackberry, PSP, or many other devices.An application called WordPress for iPhones can allow you to type and post your article on your blog. You can also edit blog pages, upload images, or reply to a comment. So, you aren’t actually away from your blog, are you?
4. Offline Advertising
   It is the most effective way to utilize your time improving your blog while you are away from it. Unfortunately, very less percentage of the bloggers today use offline advertising as a source of promotion. This can be very effective if your blog discusses something about the real outside world. Offline blogging can be done by distributing t-shirts, car stickers, posters etc. I will be soon writing about the various ways to advertise offline because I rally think it’s quite effective and least used.
5. Just Relax
   Here is another point on which you won’t agree with me, but relaxing does help to improve your blog.
   I have seen many bloggers face something known as ‘Blogger’s Block’ i.e. a time when they are not able to write, not even a word. Relaxing, then, is the best solution. Even if you are a bit overworked, relaxing will help you to soothe you mind and body, which is quite important to come up with new ideas regularly.Being relaxed is a way to calm your mind.
   Being relaxed is a way to be creative.
   Being relaxed is a way to be in a proper state of mind.
   Being relaxed is a way to improve your blog.

Okay. These were my suggestions on how can you make optimum utilization of the time you are away from your blog. Some people have the habit of carrying a pen and paper along with them, wherever they go. I do believe it’s a great idea because it helps you to jot down every idea you come up with.

I would really appreciate if you can discuss how you can utilize you “non-blogging” time. Would love to read your inputs.

Suggestions Please!

Posting great blogs regularly is difficult and quite exhausting sometimes. I guess it perfectly okay to say that some days we don’t feel quite motivated to post an article. And if we do, it turns out to be bad post. It happens with everyone. It has happened with me many times. There are days when I don’t feel like opening my blog site.

Now, it isn’t that I don’t love my blogs. I love them as much as you do. And you know what, I have a secret that helps me to keep going and love my blogs, always. This secret can be used by you as well, when you feel low or uninterested.

Happiness

No, I am not a psychologist or a spiritual teacher. But I have learned one thing for sure that if you are happy, you are a good blogger. Don’t believe me? Try this. Write an article when you are very happy and post it. Keep writing and keep a note of which articles you wrote while you were happy. There will come a time when you aren’t quite happy or simply sad due to some reasons. Write an article and post it. You don’t really have to keep of note of this article because you will be reminded constantly by your readers through comments about the awfulness.

Yippee! It’s work time

In my opinion, blogging is a pretty cool work to do. Actually, I wouldn’t term it as ‘work’. It’s all about sharing, interacting, appreciating, and learning. And these things are best done when you are happy. Generally, except those sad days, I am quite excited to blog even before I switch on my desktop. It’s not work, it’s fun.

Future Envision

I left my job to take up blogging as my career. I hate the idea of working in an office or anywhere else to earn money. I didn’t want to sit a glass cabin and tally the balance sheet for the rest of my life. It was possible for me to quit because I saw the future. I asked myself how I would like to see my blog six months from now. I smiled. What about a year? I smiled again. That was my goal. And since that day, I haven’t stopped thinking about my aim and targets.

Everyday, before switching on my PC, I think about my goal, I think about my career. And guess what? I don’t need any other motivation to keep myself going. I work harder and happier.

However, I am talking about times, when you don’t feel like working because you aren’t happy. Here are some tips you can apply then. Or may be everyday.

Get ready to work

1. Pumping Music:
   For me, this is the best motivator, especially when I am a bit low. I listen to a couple of numbers that helps me get pumped up. Without this daily dose of music, I don’t feel quite ready to get started.
2. Boost your ego:
   I am not asking you to be very egoist one. However, you need to boost your ego when things aren’t going in the right direction. When I need it, I read the emails sent by readers or some very good comments that make me feel better about my work. This is necessary when you are down.
3. Celebrate every small success:
   The best way to keep going is celebrate and enjoy everything. If 4 readers subscribed for your blog overnight, rejoice and congratulate yourself. If your post receives 19 comments, jump and dance. Make a big deal about every small pleasure. If you won’t do it, slowly but surely, you become greedy. After some months, even 100 comments won’t satisfy you. Be content, be happy.
4. A Daily To-Do List:
   Make a to-do list for each day. Put down all the things that needs to be done, on paper. Include every small detail. I make a list every night for the coming day. And trust me, nothing is as motivating as check off something as done in your list. This will ensure that you are going in the right direction and working toward achieving your goal.
5. Your Role Model:
   Sometimes, when a pumping track or an ego boost doesn’t seem to work, I think about the person whom I admire. There are numerous such people in the world who are known for their success achievement. Pick any one of them and strive to be as successful as him.

What if you aren’t still happy?

How do you feel when you start working? Are you happy? Do you fell excited about your work or feel frustrated? If you don’t feel much good about your work, try these tips which I just mentioned.

Even after trying these things you can’t get interested, try a comprehensive self analysis and find out whether it’s blogging that you like or something else. It’s better to quit rather than doing something uninterestingly. In most of the cases, blogging isn’t the problem. It’s just the wrong topic.

What about you?

The whole article is my experience and my ways to get ready for work. It’s your turn now. How do you get ready for work? Do you get excited before starting your work or is it just a routine? Or do you have any better ways to get motivated and happy? We all work so differently, I am sure you have ample of ideas.