Are you struggling to keep up with your blog? You know blogging is important for growing your business, but can’t seem to find the time or the willpower to blog consistently. If that sounds familiar then this blog post is for you.

For the longest time blogging would always fall to the bottom of my to-do list as I was busy running my business. But because I wasn’t being consistent, it wasn’t really helping me to grow my business. I’ll share some strategies with you that have helped me to blog more consistently and will help you to be more consistent too.

Why is consistency important?

Blogging takes time to get results and consistency is an essential component to building and growing an audience. Posting regular content helps to keep you fresh in your readers’ minds, so the next time they are looking for someone with your products or skills, they’ll be more likely to think of you.

Your customers are depending on you for consistently useful information. By regularly posting helpful blog posts, you become a reliable source of information, which helps build trust with your audience.

Additionally, keeping your website up to date with regular content indicates to search engines that your site is still relevant and active, which in turn helps with ranking better in search results.

What’s stopping you?

Like with any habit, you need to make the writing process as easy as possible. Identify what’s stopping you and try to remove any roadblocks. Some of my stumbling blocks were:

• Procrastination. Do you find yourself making excuses not to sit down and write? Are those excuses real or is your brain giving you an easy way out? I find most excuses I make sound totally reasonable in the moment, but in the long term they scupper my goals. Try out some of these productivity tips to help you write more and fight procrastination.
• Imposter syndrome. Do you feel like you’re going to get caught out for not knowing enough? Or maybe you worry that what you say isn’t accurate. You could be suffering from imposter syndrome, when a person doubts their own skills and achievements. It’s something even seasoned writers and professionals can struggle with, so know you’re not alone.
• Feeling like you have nothing new to say. Remember that even if what you’re saying isn’t new or original, only you can say it in your unique way to your audience.
• Worried about what people will think. You don’t need to please everyone – only your target audience.

Make a list of the things stopping you from being consistent and think of ways you can remove those obstacles. I found that taking a step back and looking at things objectively really helped me. I don’t have to please everyone and I’m writing to help my readers who may not have heard it all before.

And if you catch yourself wondering why bother blogging if nobody is going to read it anyway, read this.

Find your ‘Why?’

Having a clear idea of why you want to write a blog will go a long way towards making you feel motivated to keep it up. If you’re just doing it because you feel like you should, you’re not really going to feel like doing it.

Are you writing because you are passionate about your topic? Is it to build an audience who will become your future customers? Or is there another reason?

What are the goals for your blog? Physically writing down your goals will help you to clarify them and make you more likely to work towards them.

Make a plan

I find that unless I have a plan in place, things just aren’t going to happen. A plan is your strategy of how, when and where you’re going to get it done.

➡ How frequently will you post?

You may have heard you need to publish something every week, twice a week or even every day. But is this something you can actually realistically do? It’s better to come up with a realistic plan that you can stick to in the long run, otherwise, you may find yourself giving up when it becomes too much.

My advice is to start small; you can always adjust your schedule later. I found that one blog post a month was a good goal in the beginning. I now aim for two per month, which seems about right for me; I can blog while still having time to work on my client projects and other business tasks.

➡ What will you write about?

Have a brainstorming session and choose which ideas you want to write about for the next three months. Slot them into your schedule or content calendar. I organise mine by two deadlines: first draft and publishing deadlines. Having an earlier deadline for the first draft allows me plenty of time to edit and refine (and get my lovely editor husband to have a look at it).

➡ When will you write?

Decide when you will write, what date and time, and put it in the calendar and stick to it, which brings me to my next two points…

Stick to your deadlines

I set deadlines according to my goals (two blogs per month) and treat them as if they were client deadlines (i.e. not to be missed). Before I started treating my blog the same way I would a client project, it would always fall to the bottom of my priority list. The result was that I was constantly pushing back and ignoring my own deadlines, and not publishing nearly as often as I wanted to.

Find your optimal writing time

Writing at the same time each day, week, or month will help you to build a consistent writing habit.  However, you most likely have a busy schedule and finding the perfect time to write might take some experimentation.

You might find that (like me) you like writing first thing in the morning with a cup of tea. Or maybe you are most creative in the evenings. Perhaps you have a free hour on a Tuesday afternoon. Try different times and see what works best for you and your schedule. When you find something that works, make it a part of your routine.

Pro tip: We all have quiet and busy periods. Take advantage of the quiet times to get ahead on your blog. I like to create a batch of blog posts during quiet periods which are then ready to go when things get a bit hectic work-wise.

Plan what you are going to write about ahead of time

Often we get stuck because we don’t know what to write about. Luckily there are some strategies you can use to come up with endless blog post ideas. Here are some that work for me:

➡ Have a brainstorming session

Get all the ideas that pop into your head down on paper. It doesn’t matter if they seem daft (a lot of them will be) – just get it all down. You can pick out the best ideas later.

➡ Use a keyword research tool to expand on an idea

Want to write about agile workflows but aren’t sure what angle to go for? Try using a keyword research tool like Answer the Public, which shows you what people have been searching for in relation to a keyword. This is how I came up with my last blog post Why Blog if Nobody Reads It?

➡ Pay attention to what your customers ask about

Keep note of the questions your customers frequently ask. By answering them in blog posts, you’ll be providing them with the information they want while also having something to write about. That’s a win-win!

➡ Keep a running list of ideas

Ideas come to us at the most random times. Keep a list of ideas that you can add to whenever inspiration strikes. Make sure it is easily accessible so you don’t lose any of those golden ideas. Also, don’t forget to add the best ideas from your brainstorming session to this list.

Keep track

Having a system to keep track of your content will help make things easier. There are lots of ways you can do this from writing it down in a notebook, or using a digital or paper calendar, to using a spreadsheet or database. How you track your content will depend on your own preferences. I like to use a combination of Notion and a paper calendar.

I use Notion to record ideas, make notes, and keep track of deadlines. It’s also great for keeping track of what I’m working on and what stage it’s at, and as a place to park my research notes, useful links, and image ideas.

I use a paper wall calendar to keep track of upcoming deadlines, so I can see these at a glance without having to check Notion or open my laptop.

Bonus tip for nerdy people: If like me, you like ticking things off on a check-list, try keeping a goal tracker in a spot where you can easily see it. Every time I publish a blog post or LinkedIn article, I tick it off on a chart next to my calendar. I find the growing collection of ticks quite motivating.

Work in batches

Doing similar work in one session can help you save time and be more efficient, which will also help with consistency. For example, when I’m in ‘editing’ mode, I find it easier to edit a few posts instead of switching between writing and editing.

Tasks you can batch include:

• Brainstorming
• Creating outlines
• Writing
• Editing
• Promotion (e.g. creating a batch of social media posts linking to your blog posts)

Make blog writing a habit

You’re more likely to stick to something if it’s a habit. Make writing a habit by doing it regularly. Pick a time and show up every day. I like to write first thing in the morning, so that’s my writing time. I’ve been doing it so long now that it’s almost automatic.

If you want to learn more about habit building, I highly recommend reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. Also, check out my blog post with 10 productivity tips to help you write more.

Celebrate your wins

Blogging is hard work, and if you’re like me, you probably forget to take a moment to celebrate it. Celebrating your wins helps you to stay motivated. So, the next time you hit publish, take a moment to acknowledge that happy feeling from a job well done. Or go for that coffee, have slice of cake, or take a 15 minute break with a good book. However you choose to celebrate, you’ve earned it!

I hope these tips were helpful. What do you struggle with the most? Do you have any tips you would add?

About the author

Hi, I’m Anita, a freelance copywriter based in the West Midlands, UK.

I write blog posts for business owners who want to connect with customers through helpful content, but don’t have the time to make it happen without a little help.

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