Why You Don’t Have Enough Time for Your Blog (and What to Do About It)

by Glen Long

on

We hear one complaint from our readers time and time again.

It appears in a variety of flavors:

“I’d like to start a blog, but I’m too busy.”

“I want to monetize my blog, but I just don’t have the time.”

“I wish I had more time to dedicate to my blog, but it seems impossible right now.”

In fact, lack of time was the number one frustration cited by respondents to our recent reader survey.

So if you’re feeling it too, take heart in the knowledge that you’re not alone.

But even though “lack of time” is often the excuse for a lack of progress on your blog,  it’s rarely the true cause.

To discover that, we need to dig beneath the surface.

What “I Don’t Have Enough Time” Really Means

Most of us experience this feeling of scarcity when it comes to time.

We all have a long list of things we’d love to do if only there were space in our busy days.

Learn a new language.

Take up yoga.

Create a daily writing habit.

But those activities almost never get to bask in the light of our undivided attention.

Equally, most of us would admit that we do not spend every hour of our time wisely. We’d grudgingly concede that less time on social media or one fewer series followed on Netflix, would free up valuable hours each week.

So what’s going on here? Is our time scarce or not?

In reality, “I don’t have enough time” is often just the label we give something else:

Uncertainty.

When you’re uncertain whether pursuing an activity will be time well spent, that uncertainty manifests itself as a lack of time.

So let’s try a quick thought experiment.

Imagine you were suddenly somehow 100% sure that two hours a day spent on your blog would lead to wild success.

Would you struggle to find those extra hours?

I seriously doubt it. Chances are, your calendar would miraculously open up, like the Red Sea parting for Moses’ staff.

But instead you pause and wonder:

Do I have the right topic?

Do I have the right strategy?

Will blogging even work for me?

And these are all valid questions.

But here’s the bad news:

When trying to create something from nothing, you’ll always face uncertainty.

Why Certainty is the Wrong Goal (and What You Should Target Instead)

Knowing the result of an action before you take it is an appealing notion.

The reason the next episode of your favorite Netflix series is so damned alluring is that you know you’ll receive the expected result. The plot will thicken, characters will develop, and it will be an entertaining ride.

But few things worth doing come with a guaranteed result.

For example, if I could give you the exact steps required to create a successful blog in your chosen niche, you’d still experience some degree of uncertainty.

You’d pause before acting and think:

  • Are these truly the correct steps?
  • Even if they work for others, will they work for me?
  • Am I really capable of executing them?

In the real world, certainty is rarely a reasonable expectation.

That said, most bloggers could benefit from a little more clarity.

Many, for instance, need better answers to questions like these:

  • Who is my target audience? (And where do they already hang out online?)
  • What are their desires, goals, fears and frustrations?
  • How will I get them to visit my blog?

But clarity on questions like these comes from committed thought, research and experimentation. Exactly the kinds of things that get neglected in the face of “not enough time.”

So instead of certainty, you need something else.

Motive.

A powerful motive puts fire in your belly and helps you to push through your uncertainty to emerge on the other side triumphant.

And a powerful motive comes from looking at why you want to blog in the first place.

The Importance of Knowing Your “Why”

In our popular guest blogging certification program, the very first question we get students to answer is: What’s your big prize?

What we really mean is, what reward awaits you at the end of your guest blogging journey?

Here are some typical answers our students give:

To get enough traffic to my blog that I will be able to secure two full-paying clients each month.
To earn respect and recognition within my niche, and wins lots of sales!
To be a paid author/writer via freelance writing assignments, e-books, books, and other paid opportunities.

When you place every step required to become a successful guest blogger in the context of a motivating outcome like one of these, finding time is not so challenging.

When the going gets tough, which it often does, the “prize” keeps students on track.

And that’s the reason you’ll find it tough to work out the who, where, what and how of your own blog until you’ve become clear on the why.

Because the clearer you get on your motive for blogging, and what success would actually look and feel like, the easier it is to find time to take action.

How to Get Clear on Your Blogging Motive

If a friend or family member asks you why you blog (or why you want to), what’s your response?

Is it a muttered explanation about wanting to help people, or being a writer, or making a little money on the side?

Or perhaps it’s an awkward shrug followed by a rapid change of topic?

Because if your reasons for blogging are still fuzzy, inevitably your commitment to it will be weak too.

You don’t need a power-packed elevator pitch for your blog (although you might learn a lot from creating one) but until you know with absolute clarity why you’re blogging, you’ll never find enough time for the how.

So how can you discover that clarity?

Start by defining what a successful blog looks like to you. Step into your mental time machine and leap, let’s say, three years into the future.

When you get there, what do you see?

  • How many visitors does your blog attract each month?
  • How many subscribers do you have on your email list?
  • Which popular bloggers are now some of your closest friends?

Keep asking questions and record the answers until you’ve built a vivid picture of your thriving future blog.

And when the picture is complete, you’re ready to ask the most important question of all.

What does your successful blog enable you to do?

Maybe it means you can quit a job you hate and gain more freedom.

Maybe you can visit new countries while running a virtual business.

Maybe you can finally write full-time because your blog has given you the platform to launch your first book.

That’s your why. That’s your motive. That’s the reason you can find time where previously you thought there was none.

And whether you share your reason with others is up to you. But keeping it in mind when you think about your blog will give you the fuel you need to power through uncertainty.

Say Goodbye to “Not Enough Time”

If you feel you don’t have enough time for your blog, realize that uncertainty might be the actual cause.

And, the best solution to overcoming uncertainty is a stronger, clearer why.

Do this: commit to spending one hour (that’s just a single Netflix episode) exploring the question using the method above.

And you know what? If you can’t find a powerfully motivating reason for blogging, that’s fine too. Some things are destined to stay on your mental “Maybe/Someday” list. Stop beating yourself up about it and accept that blogging is just a casual interest, not a serious pursuit.

But if something tells you that having a successful blog could change your life, you must bring your why to life.

So block out an hour on your calendar right now to work out your motive for blogging.

Don’t worry – Netflix will still be there when you get back.

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Glen Long

Glen Long was Managing Editor and Product Director at Smart Blogger before starting his own business helping people create kick-ass online courses. To discover if courses are right for you, take his rather nifty quiz.

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Written by Glen Long

Glen Long was Managing Editor and Product Director at Smart Blogger before starting his own business helping people create kick-ass online courses. To discover if courses are right for you, take his rather nifty quiz.

87 thoughts on “Why You Don’t Have Enough Time for Your Blog (and What to Do About It)”

  1. Glen, darn Netflix has cost me several wasted hours! Actually a good part of my twenties (gasp!)

    I think you can read as many time management books and take as many blogging courses as possible but you’ve got to reach that ‘critical’ point yourself. That trench you have no choice but to cross….that ‘you’ve got nothing else to lose’ phase…

    And when that does happen, like you said, your calendar miraculously does open up. Without that leap and the internal drive towards a strong ‘why’ netflix still rules I guess.

    Thought provoking post. Off to share this!

    Reply
    • Thanks Meera. Very true. I think finding the right “why” can help you reach that psychological point of no return much quicker. Thanks for dropping by and thanks for sharing!

      Reply
  2. I love the point about when we try to create something from nothing, there will always be uncertainty. Isn’t this always the case! However, the insight into creating a clear motive is a genius idea to overcome the fear of uncertainty. I once read that we make excuses because of cognitive dissonance. In other words, making excuses helps us to feel less discomfort for not doing something. “I don’t have time” might be a valid excuse but it shouldn’t be an acceptable one. Love this Glen! Great work!

    Reply
    • Hey Joshua. The “cognitive dissonance” idea makes a lot of sense. On the one hand we tell ourselves that growing a blog is important. On the other hand our behavior isn’t consistent with that. So tell ourselves it’s due to a lack of time. Thanks for the comment!

      Reply
  3. Hi Glen,

    I notice that sometimes bloggers are so desperate to get more traffic and to attract new readers and clients that they are neglecting their existent customers.

    As you said, knowing what is the reason and the goal, for which you blog, is very important. So many bloggers start writing just for hobby and months, even years later they are wondering why they don’t earn money from their blog.

    Thanks for this post, Glen!

    Best,
    Minuca

    Reply
    • Hi Minuca. Yes, it’s easy to focus on the wrong thing, particularly if it’s new and shiny. I remember reading a story about a manager in a big retail chain who was incentivised to open new stores one year – in fact, he received a bonus for each one. So he opened dozens and dozens of stores, paying no regard to whether they were in good locations and would be profitable, and many of them closed the following year. We tend to focus on what we can measure and as bloggers it’s more difficult to measure retention of existing readers. Thanks for the insight. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Hey Glen 🙂

    Awesome stuff!!

    This is something that I’ve been personally struggling with – getting things done!!!

    I feel like I have to lots of stuff to do and I don’t have time!

    What happens is that I don’t do anything at all!!!

    Thanks for sharing this I gotta figure out my WHY!!

    Awesome article – I’ll share this right away 🙂

    Reply
  5. Hi Glen,
    You have certainly called me out – and I am grateful!
    I am well aware that I need to reboot myself and can now see that I do require a brief, firm but fair reassessment of my motives and my ultimate goal(s). I am going back to basics now but will emerge, like a butterfly from its cocoon, to eventually seduce you all with the beauty of my essence. Maybe.
    In the meantime, thank you.

    Reply
    • Hi Zarayna,

      Sorry for calling you out. 😉

      Have fun in your cocoon. Hope you emerge with a beautiful, perfectly-formed motive for growing your blog.

      Many thanks for dropping by.

      Cheers,

      Glen.

      Reply
  6. On spot Glen! I really needed to hear this. But sometimes I think the reason I push it aside is because of fear too. What should I do when that strikes? Fear of writing- while being a freelancer, blogger and a writer. You cannot afford that. But thank you! This did solve one of my problems xD Thanks!

    Reply
    • Hi Jade,

      Yes I think you’re right about fear being a factor. But isn’t fear often caused by uncertainty too – not knowing what might or might not happen if you take action?

      Perhaps the other side of having a big enough “why” is getting clear on what will happen (or what will stay the same) if you don’t push forward. You could use fear to push you forward rather than keep you stuck.

      Anyway, glad to have solved a problem for you. 🙂

      Cheers,

      Glen.

      Reply
    • Hey Mark,

      That’s a drastic course of action but I can see how it might be very effective. Mine’s leather so it might be tough to ignite. 😉

      For me cancelling the Netflix subscription would probably be as effective.

      Cheers,

      Glen.

      Reply
    • Hi Janice,

      Glad you like the post. You seem to be super-prolific in your blogging so you’ve obviously nailed your “why”. 🙂

      Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.

      Cheers,

      Glen.

      Reply
  7. excellent! I love the overall vision, the driving WHY? – the best fuel for forward motion. Personally, your post was a great validation after a 2-week hell of overload, in the midst of which I had this awesome opportunity to write a piece – on a due-line (aka deadline). How can I find the time? was the constant refrain. Tuning into the WHY, as you describe it (perfect name!) – everything opened up. I found the time (was it ever really lost?) … everything got done, and the process was enjoyable. THANK YOU!!!! You put into words what I was stammering out these past weeks!

    Reply
    • Hi Therese,

      Sounds like you managed to push through the overload. Glad to have been able to put into words what you found to be true from experience.

      Good luck with the piece you were working on!

      Cheers,

      Glen.

      Reply
  8. Perfect timing! I’m at the “why am I doing this?” point. Trying to write part-time and beating myself up for not putting enough time into it, I’m having to re-think my goals. This will help me to re-focus. It’s amazing how we drift away from these reasons.

    Reply
    • Hi Jayne. Delighted to hear that my post will help you to re-focus. Sometimes shifting your goals doesn’t mean changing where you spend your time, just the reason for doing it. It’s so easy to lose sight of the reason in when you’re in the thick of the “doing”.

      Reply
  9. I’m a mother of three kids, only me in the bussines at the moment, having five clients, one of them extremly difficult and demanding. Internet marketing is what I do for six, seven months now. I’ve done my own WP site and wrote three blogs so far. Would really, really like to write a blog more often, cause I’m good at it and after the first blog post don’t have no more uncertainty. But I really lack time. Maybe the reason is that my kids are still small, maybe I will have more time for blog later in life, when they grow up. Maybe I ‘ll have more time later when I’ll be able to hire someone to work with me. I think the lack of time is very serious problem for most of the people and it’s not just an excuse. You have to write a lots of blog posts untill you become savvy in it, untill it become sort of automatisation for you…These three blogs I wrote took me a week every time untill they weren’t finished, I have to do researches, have to do lot of things before I start even write and I have to work at the same time almost 10 hours a day, every day. I’m not complaining, don’t get me wrong, but to write a blog you have to have time. 🙂 It’s timetaker and – don’t forget inspiration – one of a key factors to even start writing.
    Of course, I’m far for being an expert in this field for now, this is just my opinion and my situation right now, considering writing blog.

    Sending you all warm regards from Croatia 🙂

    Reply
    • Hi Morana,

      Greetings from London! (I recently visited Dubrovnik – what a beautiful city!)

      With three kids and a business to run you’ll have more challenges with time than most, but it sounds like you’re still managing to make good progress. Kudos to you.

      You’re right that inspiration is important too – and the right “why” can be a constant source of that.

      Thanks for dropping by!

      Cheers,

      Glen.

      Reply
  10. Great points Glen!
    Like Socrates, once told, when you need something as badly as air, you will be able
    to do it no matter what!

    While the lack of motivation can come to anyone, the only people who say I don’t have time actually have a second backup plan cooking inside and hence the loss of dedication.

    I have a big poster of my goal and where I want to see at the end of 1 year, 5 years etc that motivates me enough to keep the show going. 🙂

    Thanks for these awesome tips. Sharing it with my Twitter followers. 🙂
    -Swadhin

    Reply
    • Hi Swadhin,

      Thanks for the great Socrates quote – I’d not heard it before.

      I agree that having a Plan B (and maybe even a Plan C) can reduce your determination to follow through with Plan A.

      I like your poster idea. It reminded me a little of this post:

      http://waitbutwhy.com/2014/05/life-weeks.html

      It’s not quite the same idea but it’s certainly motivating!

      Cheers,

      Glen.

      Reply
  11. Love this argument. I didn’t recognize it at the time, but I’ve definitely seen a lot of this over the years, both in myself and others. The only thing I would add is that so many bloggers invest their time on all the wrong things (like social media).

    If you only have two hours per day, you can get a lot done, but not if you’re spending 30+ of those minutes farting around on Facebook or Twitter. I fell into this trap for YEARS and am just now doing productive work. It wasn’t until I found clarity and confidence in my plan that I really started working with consistency and purpose, so I totally know what you’re talking about.

    Thanks for sharing, Glen!

    Reply
    • Hi Marcus,

      Good to see you hear. Yes – focus is critical too. Once you’ve have a strong “why” you need to make sure you’re spending that time in the right places.

      I was trying to get at that when I spoke about uncertainty. People spend a lot of time on social media without really have a good reason to think it’s going to pay off. That’s where measurement comes in I think. Try little experiments and measure the results. If it’s not working, move on. Don’t throw more time at something blindly.

      Glad that you’ve found clarity. I’m a big fan of clarity. 🙂

      Cheers,

      Glen.

      Reply
  12. Loved this Glen – so true. When I started reading your first few paragraphs, I thought it was going to be about setting goals and prioritizing tasks around them – which is important of course – but I was pleasantly surprised with where you went with the post.

    I watched Simon Sinek’s TED talk a few years ago on defining your “why”, and it had a huge impact on how I moved forward with the things I was doing in my life (though it wasn’t a strong focus on blogging back then).

    My day often gets cluttered with to-dos and checking items off lists, but coming back to my “why” often is what always grounds me and motivates me to keep moving forward.

    Reply
    • HI Candis,

      I’m glad that the post didn’t go exactly as you were expecting. Always nice to keep people guessing. 🙂

      I need to go back and watch that TED talk. This certainly seems to be Simon’s area of expertise.

      Checking items off a to-do list can certainly be satisfying – more so if you can easily see how they connect to a wider purpose.

      Thanks for your comment!

      Glen.

      Reply
  13. What a wonderful post Glen. Thank you. You’re so right that when you have a clear, meaningful, objective like the number of clients you want to win the all of a sudden finding time makes so much more sense. Your time travel machine to work out the sub steps is great too. I always find when im working with clients that finding what really inspires them makes them 10x more focused. Thanks again. Jane

    Reply
    • Thank you Jane. Yes it interesting how inspiration and focus go hand in hand. Sometimes it can work against us – e.g. shiny object syndrome when we’re inspired by something new and switch focus – but if you can harness it there’s real power there. Thanks for the insights. Glen.

      Reply
  14. Awesome post Glen.

    Personally I’m still finding my “why” of blogging. Though many of my blogger friends admire my work a lot, I still feel that I haven’t arrived yet. I still feel that there are so many things to be done.

    Blogging to me is living. The connection I’ve made over the time keeps telling me “go for more”.

    I have resolved to quit my day job and focus entirely on my blog because of the great feedback I get from friends and readers…

    In conclusion, no matter what you do in life, know your why because that can be the only motivation you’d need to pull through during the hard times.

    Thanks Glen for such a timely post!

    Reply
  15. Great stuff. You’ve hit the nail on the head. The reason I struggle to find the time to write a post for my blog is I’m uncertain. I don’t have a clear why and I need to define it. Thanks for sharing this wisdom with us. Time for me to do somebrainstorming…

    Reply
  16. Hey Glen. Man, you nailed it. Uncertainty is one of those “Dragons” Steven Pressfield warns us about in “Do the Work.” (Wonderful book for any creative)

    Anyway – spot on and as usual, expertly explained. Great resources in the internal links, too. Thanks for the reminder and friendly nudge in the right direction.

    Reply
    • Thanks Gary. Always great to see you on the blog. 🙂

      I need to re-read Do the Work. I vaguely recall it was one of the books published via Seth Godin’s Domino project.

      Glad you enjoyed the internal links – you can thank our editorial assistant Heather for those. 🙂

      Cheers,

      Glen.

      Reply
  17. Thanks you encouraged me to do a 3 part big Why
    1. To get a steady stream of Midlife women joining my mailing list from seeing my blog posts
    2. To build trust among our following that we can help them find Love and Fulfilment in the second=d half of their lives.
    3. To be invited to guest blog, JV and speak on my topics covered in my book Love Sex and the Midlife Woman
    Thanks again love Jean

    Reply
    • So glad to have inspired you to make your list. 🙂 It looks great. With number two I wonder how you could make that more concrete. How would you know if you’d successfully built trust. What would that look like?

      Reply
  18. Oh dear me! You’re in my head. Thank you so much for clearing up my mental roadblock Glen. I did indeed fall into the uncertainty trap but this is simisimilarKevin from Close.io had to say about sales too. Ficus on outcome and results and even the most herculean effort seems like a no-brainer.

    Reply
    • Hi Harshit,

      Sorry for getting inside your head! Hope it wasn’t too painful!

      So true. That Kevin sounds like a smart guy. 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by.

      Cheers,

      Glen.

      Reply
  19. “Doing a blog” is so general, because there isn’t enough time to do everything myself. Successful blogging is much more than writing: it includes marketing, designing, networking, researching, thinking, and many more other facets. The temptation to do it all alone leads to doing everything piecemeal, in a mediocre fashion, with the whole being less than sum of its parts. Bartering or paying to make blog a successful team effort leads to uncertainty on how accomplish that goal. Writing is only a small part of blogging. Getting others share in the lifting can free time for the one aspect that brings the tree bearing fruit.

    Reply
    • Hi Leonard,

      Yes, you’re right. There are a lot of different activities under the blogging umbrella.

      I do find thought that a lot of uncertainty comes from people not knowing the best thing to do at their current stage of growth. For instance beginning bloggers often spend a lot of time writing content for their blogs before they even have an audience. We recommend building a small email list first (e.g. via guest blogging) then launching when you have, say, 1,000 subscribers.

      Thanks for your insights,

      Glen.

      Reply
  20. My problem seems to be not the starting of a project, but the completion of it! I read this (scanned through this in reality) today and have taken a copy to read on the plane the next time I travel so I can take more time to absorb the content as I also find it hard, at times, to find enough time to allocate the necessary openings for blog post creation. I read these articles, see my problem and try to change, but I find it hard. Thanks for the sense!

    Reply
    • Hi Dave,

      Yes I can certainly sympathize. I too find starting much easier than finishing.

      Sometimes though I think that’s a symptom of having a “why” at the outset but then losing sight of it as the task moves on.

      We need a mechanism to bring the motive back into sharp focus.

      Thanks for your comment,

      Glen.

      Reply
  21. Glen,

    Love how you gently brush off the infamous “I don’t have time” dilemma with a refreshing look. We do have limited amount of time, however I’m pretty sure a lot of us could use it more wisely.

    Something I’d like to add is that some bloggers tend to do everything at once from creating content, networking not to growing their social media following. At this point, it does seem like they don’t have enough time for everything and need to reprioritize. I learnt this the hard way. 😛

    Thanks for sharing!

    Cheers,
    Anh

    Reply
    • Hi Anh,

      Yes prioritization is crucial too. In fact that’s really about tackling the uncertainty of “what should I do next?”

      As I mentioned in my reply to Leonard above, the best thing to be doing right now often depends on what stage you’re at.

      Thanks for your comment!

      Glen.

      Reply
      • Glen,

        I just read your answer to Leonard. Prioritization certainly depends a lot on what stage you are at (with or without an audience, for example) and what is your goal (are you blogging to spread an idea, as a hobby or to make money).

        It really boils down to having a clear strategy in mind.

        I notice a lot of us fall into that gap of doing the wrong things at the wrong time.

        Cheers,
        Anh

  22. Thanks for this, Glen!
    I find that it is actually the uncertainty that I wish to keep and that’s why I am procrastinating by re-re-designing my blog, re-re-writing my first posts and growing my Twitter network while watching Game of Thromes instead. I want to cling to the uncertainty…because once I get myself out there properly, once I start with no way back, I may discover that I don’t have what it takes. I may find that nobody is interested in what I have to say and my dreams would be just that. Dreams…no more. Uncertainty has hope…but it is not going to get me anywhere in the long term. I realise this now.

    Reply
    • Hi Berni,

      May I just add something? I hope it’s useful but if it isn’t, please ignore it!
      Perhaps one thing to consider is that we are very seldom left with just ‘nothing’. Even if we fail, we’ll not be stripped naked and thrown into the street hungry and cold. Even when we endure a ‘failure’ we often learn something. Often that lesson is more valuable and has more potential than the thing we failed in. Unless we are totally demented, we can’t really fail!

      Reply
  23. Yes Berni! Uncertainty is comforting in a way because it protects us from failure. The dull ache of not knowing is easier to suffer than the sharp pain of failure.

    The great philosopher Homer Simpson once said: “You tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is ‘never try’.” 🙂

    Thanks for your comment,

    Glen.

    Reply
  24. Absolutely right on, Glen! We all have the time, but this laziness doesn’t let us work. And, we keep on making excuses but in the end, we feel bad since we also know the importance of working hours. Thank you for all the tips. Keep the great work up!

    Reply
    • Hi Deepak. Thanks for your comment. I don’t know that it’s always laziness – we simply may be too busy with other things. But if blogging is to have a chance to compete for that time, you must have a motivating “why”. Cheers, Glen.

      Reply
  25. Hey Glen,

    I use to be in network marketing, and one of the golden nuggets the company I was in taught us is to have a strong “why”. I can definitely see how this can overshadow uncertainty and coming up with the excuse of “I don’t have enough time”.

    As a matter of fact, I’m one of those people who don’t have a lot of time, but I manage to find time to put into blogging. Why? Well that’s the reason, my “Why” 😉 … The more I focus on this, the more clear I become about my blog and what I want to achieve. As a matter of fact, I’m about to change my “About Me” page because of this.

    Thanks for sharing Glen! Have a good one!

    Reply
  26. Great post on the underlying issues with “no time.” Loved the focus on uncertainty, knowing your “Why?” and especially the centrality on goals.

    I teach a Crucial Conversations course (SPE215) at the college … and I always stress just how foundational knowing what you want — the “Why” — is to progress on tough interpersonal issues, whether personal or professional.

    The overlap here is stellar!

    Reply
    • Hey Aaron,

      Thanks for insightful comment – I agree the overlap is really interesting. I suppose in a way my post is really about having a “crucial conversation” with yourself about your reasons for blogging. 🙂

      Cheers,

      Glen.

      Reply
  27. Hi Glen,

    Great post. I know from experience that if people want to blog badly, they’ll find the time. They’ll wake up thinking about blogging and go to bed thinking about blogging. But as you said, it all starts with the big Why. When they have found their big “why”, blogging becomes their number one priority.

    Reply
    • Hi Stefany,

      Yes I think some people just wake up with that motivation. They already know their why. Of course, that doesn’t mean they’re spending their time on the right things to reach their goal, but they have that motivation. Other people need to deliberately create an incentive for themselves and keep it alive while working out what to spend their time on.

      Really appreciate your comment – thanks for taking the time.

      Cheers,

      Glen.

      Reply
  28. Hi Glen ,

    This is what most of bloggers faced that is time problem Even I do not find much time to write content so i do it on my weekend.Sometime I think that I should i have proper strategy for blogging so that i can publish contents regularly if possible. But again same prob

    Reply
  29. The effort to look at a blank page, fill it with a blog post, edit it, proofread it and get ready to publish not knowing what will happen (uncertainty) once clicking that button that makes your post available to anyone with internet access is what scares many bloggers.
    And so rather than go through the excruciating pain (which is bearable with a strong WHY – and also a source of great strength to trust the process and keep blogging) of creating, publishing, promoting and telling readers to take a certain action – after consuming the content – many would rather resign to their comfort (activities with less uncertainties) with all the hours they could have spent taking their blog to what Darren Rowse calls the elusive next level.
    Great read Long.

    Reply
    • Thanks Philos. Yes, blogging can make you feel vulnerable. As you say, you’re putting yourself out there at the mercy of anyone with a broadband connection. And I guess that’s the payoff of inaction – the feeling of safety. Glad you enjoyed the post. 🙂

      Reply
  30. All true – even us veterans can face self-doubt before a big launch. The only way to truly know if it will work or not is to put yourself out there. I forget who said it first, but “fail fast”.

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    • Ah yes, launches take the anxiety to a whole new level. There’s usually so much more on the line than there is with a single blog post. “Fail fast” sounds like something from the Lean movement. If you accept that some failure is inevitable, the quicker you discover if an idea will fly, the better. Thanks for your comment Kyle.

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  31. You are bringing greats points. I don’t like to hear from people that they don’t have “Not Enough Time”. Tell me anything else…but that. Love when you say: ”If you feel you don’t have enough time for your blog, realize that uncertainty might be the actual cause”. It’s right on!

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  32. I loved this post, one of my biggest problem is that i still do not which direction i am going with my blog. I also feel less motivation because nobody is engaging in it, maybe it is boring I do not know. I must admit that i am still finding my since I just started the blog and images are also horrible. This blog post was really a nice read.

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  33. Those are some really great points you have. Maybe motivation is really what we need to keep going, to keep pushing through our blogging journey. Great read!

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  34. My motivation, boiled down to its most tangible essence, is a safe house in Vermont, so that with two houses in two different parts of the country, chances are I’ll always have someplace that I can go. (For those of you who, unlike Glen, have no idea what I’m talking about, the operative words are “multiple chemical sensitivity.”

    P.S. I don’t own a TV anymore, and I’ve never used Netflix.

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  35. I only started trusting myself this year. And it turns out I didn’t really trust myself completely because that trust didn’t flow through to my blogging. Now it does. Brilliant.

    My work as a human rights activist is my motive. Why wasn’t I able to find time before???

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  36. One thing bloggers have to do to improve SEO and everything else is commit to writing at least once a day 1,000 words or better. They key is post everyday.

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  37. I like the point where you said that if we had two hours that we know could lead to success, you will definitely do it. I run with this as I create time to blog everyday. Thank you.

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  38. A strong motive for your blog can only motivate you in other areas as well. What I would take away from this is that a motive is always present, finding clarity within that motive may be the biggest hurdle. I appreciate the article Glen, great read and I look forward to reading through your other posts as well as future ones.

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  39. publishing blog regularly is not possible when you’re managing more than two three blog. Even you do not get time to work one blog properly. having best strategy may be work good for that situation.

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  40. Hey Glen 🙂

    Awesome stuff!!

    This is something that I’ve been personally struggling with – getting things done!!!
    Thanks for sharing this I gotta figure out my WHY!!

    Awesome article – I’ll share this right away 🙂

    Reply

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