My last post was in January and before that in December, then in September. you get the point. I am inconsistent with my posts. I have been such for a while. when I started my blogging in late November 2020, I knew exactly what I want to talk about and I was super excited about designing and the themes. It wouldn’t be a lie to say that I was obsessed with maintaining the color palette of the site. Blogging for me was and still is to venture into different platforms and talk about what I love the most, books. I was aware that I have to connect with different bloggers and be consistent with putting up my posts. Blogging is a learning curve for me where I need to learn about keywords and their placements, connect with like-minded people, understand SEO… so on.
During that time I was already on Instagram and made friends with fellow influencers, what I didn’t realize or thought was that here I have to start from scratch.
I felt lost in the sea somehow.
Anyways, the reasons for not keeping up with posts are much more than that.
Lack of time a.k.a. ZERO time management
Let's just say it's easy to say “I don’t have time”. blogging just like posting on any social media demands regularity. Now on Instagram or Twitter, there’s a limited space, which helps you in many ways. On days when I know “I have to put up something out there,” I can anytime share photos of books and write “current reads, monthly tbr” and that’s it. Instagram especially being primarily a visual platform gives you certain leniency, unlike blogging where I can't put up such posts. The blogging world is much beyond aesthetics or feed.
Lack of traffic
In 2020, I participated in blogchatterA2Z and I wrote a review of this book which to date garnered the highest traffic. I remember how happy I was that day. I thought yeah finally things are moving. Then joy turned into an obsession with anxiety. I started comparing all of my posts with one single post. The creative me suddenly became very managerial. Rather than looking into the quality of content, I am putting forward, I was more focused on scores and ranking. It's saddening when you put effort into a post and nobody is reading.
Pressure to churn out content regularly
Before, making my site go live I wrote around 10 articles and scheduled them at regular intervals. As things took up speed I found myself struggling to read, write, edit, and upload regularly. I won't be exaggerating if I say I am kinda jealous to see bloggers who post every other day.
In my defense, I find it very difficult to read and write every day. Along with that working on photography, every single day becomes cumbersome.
Not every day is the same
Think about it, if every day we get the same level of dopamine rush and excitement, won't it be a bit bland and boring? Reading every day, no matter how much I love it, can be difficult when life serves you, bouncers! Partly it's also the kind of book I am reading (at the moment) that influences the number of pages I read. Some books (genres from mystery, thrillers, young adult, etc.,) are fast-moving while books on trauma, and dystopian can reduce reading speed. Some books ask for a pause. Along with that, there are personal commitments, family, and creative blocks to face.
Aiming for perfection
I remember reading this book which talked about how perfection is unachievable and therefore one of the biggest tools used by veteran procrastinators. Urge for that perfect writing, perfect lighting, props, and angles for photography reduced my speed. Even if I dint want to do it, unconsciously I was comparing myself with a blogger who was at level 70 when I am just a newbie.
I got married
Yeah! You read it right!!!. I got married early this year which means the preparation started 8-9 months before that. shopping, meeting caterers, and venue managers, tailoring, sending out invitations, and finally shifting to a new city, put me into a whirlwind of beautiful chaos. Settling into a new home and adjusting oneself to new members takes time. honestly, I am still working on that. Being newly married gave me new commitments and responsibilities.
There are days when I think about how much I have invested both financially and emotionally on this, and how with each day I am losing my grip on it. Certainly, that’s not how I envisioned it on 14th November 2020.
Now what? There are a few things I have realized after looking at the dire condition of my blog (reading insights and statistics), and going through fellow bloggers (yes yes I stalk them). one being, the need to diversify while remaining in my niche, time management, and working long hours regularly, just how we treat our day job or studies. Along with that, there’s a need for setting up short goals and not entering into the cycle of self-loathing. Along with that, I need to learn different ways to market my blog and generate views.
Is it difficult? I don’t think so. There are scores of very disciplined bloggers who handle day jobs and blogging and acing it. They inspire me and motivate me to actually restart blogging again. I want to think of it like this, it's difficult initially and find motivation when stats are not in your favor, but every night gives way to a beautiful sunrise.
We are our choices. Build yourself a great story. -Jeff Bezos, Amazon Founder