3 Biggest Blogging Struggles

Whether you are just starting your blog or have been blogging for a decade, blogging struggles will exist. Your struggles will change over the years as your blog develops, but don’t expect blogging to eventually be easy, perfect and smooth. Blogging is constantly changing, as is your life, so expect to come across various challenges throughout your journey.

Right now, my biggest blogging struggles are staying motivated and coming up with topic ideas, both of which I’ll hit on below.

I hope this provides some encouragement to you in your blogging journey.

Blogging Struggle #1: Getting Started

Have you been debating starting a blog for a year now? Five years?! I was totally there back when I started my blog. I started my first blog on blogspot.com after about a year of thinking about it, then started this blog about a year after starting my first one (and had again been thinking about starting this one for a while).

Why is it so hard to just get started?! This is separate from blogging, but another thing I’ve been wanting to do FOR A DECADE now is go back to school for nursing. Yes, I’ve been debating this for TEN YEARS!!!!! And…I’m happy to announce that I am officially going to do this and I’m not going to turn back. I’m taking some pre-req courses next semester and will start nursing school as soon as I’m done with those and accepted into a program. Ten years guys, but I’m doing it (and yes! I’ll still be blogging!).

If you’ve felt this way with starting a blog, now is the time!! In a year, you’ll be glad you did. In five years? Even more glad (is that a phrase, haha?) because you’ll most likely be making a substantial side income. Heck, you may even be able to quit your full-time job or allow your husband to quit his! And you’ll never know if you don’t start.

Here’s my guide on how to start a profitable blog. And here’s why now is the perfect time to start a blog.

Blogging Struggle #2: Staying Motivated

Here’s how blogging typically works for the average person, including me: Finally take the leap and start your blog, have tons of energy and momentum to get it up and running, have dozens of post ideas, have a to-do list that’s miles long, then reality hits and life gets busy. After a few months, you wonder if it’s worth it. Your traffic is low (as it should be after only a few months!), you don’t understand how to monetize your blog, and your motivation tanks.

Then, assuming you DO stick with it for a while (this is my biggest advice: STICK WITH IT even when you don’t feel motivated, especially for the first year!!!), you’ll have ebbs and flows. Some days you’ll have five new ideas come to you, and other times you’ll draw a blank for a week or so.

The key to staying motivated is to accept that you’re going to have doubts. That’s just life. Anything you do in life – especially career-wise – you’ll probably doubt at some point. That doesn’t mean you can’t get fired up about it again though!! And, if after a few years you decide that blogging isn’t for you, well, at least you can say you tried!!! You can close that chapter in your life and move on. I’d MUCH rather do that than wonder if I should have done something (for me, this includes moving across the country (best decision ever), starting a blog (another great decision), and deciding to go back to school for nursing (we’ll see on that one!)).

3 Tips for Staying Motivated When Blogging

Do less. For newbies, I recommend always doing one blogging-related task per day. I still stand by that advice and do it myself, actually! Even if I just comment on other blogs, I always do one thing that relates to my blog each day. If you’re feeling burnt out and unmotivated, take a step back. I don’t recommend doing NOTHING, per se, but do less! You don’t HAVE to post every single day or week. If you’re burnt out, take a break from posting and creating content and instead focus on marketing your current content.

Find a blogging friend. One incredible unexpected perk of blogging has been the community and best friends that I’ve gained. Outside of comments and emails, I have two friends/bloggers I chat with regularly. Their friendship means so much to me, and whenever I’m in a blog slump, they are a short phone call, text or email away to make me feel better and let me know I’m not alone.

Get out of your element. If you always blog at home, consider taking your laptop to Starbucks to work. A change of scenery could be exactly what you need to get inspired!

Blogging Struggle #3: Coming Up With New Ideas

Sometimes I feel like everything’s been done so why should I bother writing about something. Does anyone else feel like that at times?

But, that’s a bad way of thinking. Just because something’s been done doesn’t mean it’s been done by YOU! We all have something to offer, so don’t let the “it’s already been done” mentality stop you from achieving your goals.

I recommend carrying a pad of paper with you so you can jot down ideas as they come. I usually think of my blog post ideas when showering, before bed, or when driving (that’s always a hassle, haha).

And if you really are struggling coming up with ideas, see what your competition is writing about! I write about blogging and personal finance, so I’ll search for and read those types of blogs and try to come up with my own ideas based on what I’m reading. Usually I can come up with 3-5 ideas during this type of brainstorming session!

What is your biggest blogging struggle?