There are times in everyone’s life where it’s difficult to stay motivated, but for bloggers that can be deadly. In the blogging world it’s all about consistency. Consistently posting high-quality content, and posting it on a consistent schedule. Here are five motivation hacks for bloggers that will help keep your creative juices flowing.
Make It A Habit
Years ago I read an article that said it only takes 21 days to develop a habit. If you think about the habits you already have, whether they’re good or bad, they’re things you don’t mind doing. You’ve been doing them so long that most of the time you don’t even think about it. In fact, they’re generally enjoyable and you often put of other things – like blogging – so you can indulge in your habits.
For the next 21 days, focus on turning blogging into a habit. Set a specific time and place for writing and other tasks, and don’t stop until the time’s up. In the beginning you’ll find all kinds of reasons to get up from your desk. But as the days go by it gets easier, especially when you see how productive you’re being and the results you’re achieving from all that focused energy.
Make It Enjoyable
It’s easier to turn something into a habit if it’s something you enjoy doing. On the other hand, maybe the reason you’re feeling a lack of motivation is because you no longer enjoy what you’re doing. The answer is: Put the enjoyment back in your blog.
Maybe it’s time to add a new category so you have something different to write about. Or maybe it’s time to start a new blog, or branch out into videos, or create infographics, or join a new social network, or start guest blogging, or…
Make It Challenging
Personally, whenever I feel like I’m losing steam, I like to find a new challenge or set a new goal or start a new project. Take a look at your stats and challenge yourself to grow your inbound referral traffic. Write a really informative guide and use it to try to build subscribers. Take on a new challenge like Squidoo or HubPages to increase your reach into the Web. Join a new social network and build up a whole new audience. There are about a jillion different challenges you could use to get yourself back in the game.
Make It Public Knowledge
Tell somebody what you’re working on and tell them what your goals are. I’ve always had better success reaching my goals if I make it public knowledge. Then, you know people are watching you to see if you can do it. Tell a friend, tell a spouse, or tell your readers. But let someone know you’re working toward a goal and you’ll feel more motivated to reach it.
Reward Yourself
Did you make it to the end of the 21 days? Did you find a way to make blogging more enjoyable? Did you reach a new goal? Don’t just reward yourself when you reach major milestones. Reward yourself for the each small step. I sometimes reward myself just for being able to write a blog post, especially if it’s just one of those days when you don’t feel like writing.
Reward yourself, even if it’s just a Snickers bar or a walk in the park. Often, the best motivation is just having someone tell you you did a good job. Since most bloggers work alone all day long, that someone has to be you.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!