Legend says that lack of time is the number one cause for headaches. So if you’re feeling this pressure too, rest assured that you’re not alone.
But lack of time does not have to be an excuse for a lack of progress on your blog.
You Say “I Don’t Have Enough Time” I Hear…
Truth be told, most of us experience this feeling of scarcity when it comes to time. There’s so much too do, and only twenty four hours in a day.
But if you’d be honest with yourself, you’d also admit that you do not spend every hour of your time wisely.
How much time do you waste on social media every day? Netflix and chill? Funny cat videos?
So what’s really going on? Is time enough or not?
In reality, “I don’t have enough time” is often just the label we give something else:
Uncertainty.
When you’re not sure whether pursuing an activity will be time well spent, that uncertainty manifests itself as a desire to avoid it by all means necessary.
Hence, procrastination.
Imagine someone would assure you that if you spent two hours a day on your blog, writing posts, engaging with your readers, optimizing their experience, enrolling in courses and programs, all that would lead to wild success.
Would you somehow make time? Would you find a way?
I guess we both know the answer to that question.
But since you do not have that kind of certainty, you ask yourself all sorts of silly questions:
Does anyone care about my topic?
Do I have the right strategy?
Will blogging ever work for me?
And these are all valid questions.
But here’s the mind blowing truth:
Nothing is certain.
People who become successful in any given field, who try new things, who challenge the status quo, they all had to embrace uncertainty.
Binge watching a TV show on Netflix is so damn easy because you know you’ll receive the expected result. The plot will thicken, characters will develop, and it will be an entertaining ride.
There’s not even much work on your part.
But in real life, there are few things worth doing that come with a guaranteed result.
For example, I could give you the exact steps required to create a successful blog in your chosen niche, and you’d still feel uncertain.
You’d ask yourself if those are the truly correct steps to take, if you are capable of executing them. And lots and lots of other ifs.
As a rule of life, we’re very good at resisting useful knowledge.
Instead of certainty, you need clarity.
Many bloggers would benefit greatly if they could answer questions like these:
Who is my target audience?
What are their desires, goals, fears and frustrations?
How will I get them to visit my blog?
But clarity requires a lot of mental energy. You need to think, to do your research, to try different methods.
Hmmm…
Aren’t these the things that we never, ever have “enough time” for?
Writers procrastinate because the act of writing is inherently uncertain. Especially if you do not know the entire plot of a story or novel.
There’s also a curious paradox here: if you, somehow, managed to be certain of any given outcome, odds are about 50-50 that you’ll actually act.
If you are absolutely certain you’ll be successful, what’s stopping you for postponing the actions that will bring you success?
If you knew you could live forever, you’d still try to make the most out of your days? Would it matter?
So, instead of clarity, it’s something else that motivates people enough to make time for what they want to do.
A WHY.
A motive.
What is your why?
Why do you do what you do?
Why do you want to blog? What are you trying to achieve?
A powerful why sets your soul on fire and helps you push through your uncertainty to emerge on the other side triumphant.
Know Your “Why”
Why do you blog?
For the traffic? To earn the respect and admiration of others? To inspire? To make money? To become a full-time creative? To use it as a platform to sell books?
You need to know why you do what you do, because when the going gets tough, which it often does, this is what keeps you going.
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 Know Your Why
If someone asks you why you blog (or why you want to), what do you answer?
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 just an awkward shrug?
Yeah, the issue is that most people don’t know their why. It’s all fuzzy, which inevitably leads to not being able to fully commit.
Until you know with absolute clarity why you’re blogging, you’ll never find enough time to blog.
So how can you find clarity?
The first step is to define what a successful blog looks like to you. Now it’s the time to use your imagination and be as specific as possible.
How many readers do you have?
What kind of relationships have you developed with your readers?
Build the most vivid picture you can. Imagine that glorious number of followers, opening fan mail for breakfast. Imagine how people from half a world away become your friends.
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 become the platform you needed to sell your books.
That’s your why. That’s your motive. That’s the reason you can find time where previously you thought there was none.
Know your why, and you’ll overcome uncertainty.
“Not Enough Time”
Figure out your why. Do it now. Ask yourself the serious question.
Why do you want o blog?
If you cannot come up with a strong enough why, then you should probably accept that to you blogging is just a casual interest, not a serious pursuit, which means you should also stop beating yourself up and wishing you had more time to blog.
If you cannot see your blog changing your life in a major way, then it will be difficult to make time for it.
Get to work on figuring out your why. Right now. Don’t worry, Netflix isn’t going anywhere…
I’m sure you’re curious as to what’s my why when it comes to blogging. I have several of them.
I love writing. I do. I love writing words, stories, to share my thoughts, experiences, ideas.
I love to inspire and motivate people. And this is something I discovered after a couple years of blogging, when my posts became a lot more personal, and more motivational in nature.
It’s my main online platform, which means that it is also my primary source of income. Money is a good enough motivator, especially if you don’t want to starve to death.
Another example is related to writing fiction, which is something I rarely do anymore. I got discouraged because of the work it took to write, edit, and properly format books, and the uncertainty of whether or not the books will sell. My why wasn’t strong enough to overcome this fear, and thus I’d give up even before sitting down at my desk to write.
This is what a weak why does to you: you give up before you even start. You pretend to be working hard, when you’re not. There’s no reason for you to do so, if there are no rewards for you in the future.
No person is crazy enough to invest time and energy into something without expecting anything in return, be it appreciation, respect, or money.
That’s why 95% of bloggers quit after a few months of never receiving any kind of feedback, positive or negative. Their why isn’t strong enough to help them overcome the lack of rewards.
Apparently it’s easy to get zillions of subscribers to your blog – Just follow a few simple steps, work hard, and write good stuff.
It is said that it’s not the strongest fighter who wins the fight. Nor is it the one who trained the most or has the most experience.
When I started my 