What Bloggers Fail To Tell You About Blogging Full-Time – The Harsh Truth
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If you want to know the harsh truth about how to blog fulltime that other bloggers fail to tell you, here is it!
Back in December 2017, when I started my first parenting blog Inspiring Life Dreams, I honestly did not know what to expect.
I did not expect that nine months later by August 2018 I would be hitting 155K+ pageviews for the month.
I did not expect that the next month in September I would officially leave my part-time job to become a full-time blogger because my blogging income exceeded my part-time income at the time.
I also did not expect that on December 31st, 2018 I would hit my goal for the year.
Can I repeat that again – ONE MILLION PAGEVIEWS – I cannot tell you how freakishly amazing those stats are for a newbie blogger!
RELATED POSTS:
> If you want to know how I got to 155,000 pageviews after nine months of blogging read this post.
> If you want to know how I got 1,000,000 pageviews in my first year of blogging read this post.
> If you want to know the six BEST courses/books that helped my blog explode with traffic read this post.
SO WHAT DOES NO-ONE TELL YOU ABOUT BLOGGING FULL-TIME?
As much as being a full-time blogger is an amazing gift and privilege, there are a few things successful bloggers fail to warn you about going full-time.
1 – HALF YOUR WARDROBE ISN’T NECESSARY ANYMORE
It’s funny to think this is even worth mentioning but I eliminated my need for half my wardrobe the moment I became a full-time blogger.
But it’s true!
The need to wear a pencil skirt?
No more need to anymore.
The need to wear a tailored shirt or work dress?
No more need to anymore.
As a blogger you can wear whatever you want when you work.
If you want to stay in your PJs all day you can.
If you want to live in an old sweatshirt and yoga pants, you can.
You can get away with no-one seeing you work so no-one cares.
I do glance at my wardrobe and sort of miss wearing the fancy clothes I used to wear to work when it was still important that I look “professional.”
I do miss doing my hair and makeup as if it was a special occasion, simply because I couldn’t get away with a messy top bun and a completely bare face at my old job.
But I miss it the way that I miss the idea of changing a baby’s diaper now that my kids are both almost teens.
With a fond sort of nostalgia, that I am still happy to see left in the past.
2 – YOU START TO MISS THE COMPANY
Working in a business with many employees means that you are never alone in your work-space.
When you work in an office, you get to reminisce about what you did on the weekend and the latest must-see show on Netflix.
You get to hear about other cool shows, books, gossip and current events that would otherwise fly straight over your head, purely because this stuff is explicitly shared with you – FACE TO FACE, usually by the water cooler, when you are sneaking in a quick break.
As a blogger with out any VAs or staff, you work alone most days and therefore depend on Facebook groups to keep you connected with other bloggers.
I do miss the daily live interactions with others.
I do miss the fact that there are no set breaks for me anymore because…
3 – THERE ARE NO BREAKS FOR YOU AS A BLOGGER
Well technically I can schedule a break whenever I want as a blogger because I now set my own work hours.
But let’s be real – there is some guilt associated with having time off.
Your mind is always spinning with things to do and my to-do list is a mile long – I feel like I honestly I can never get to everything I want to do each day.
4 – THE PRESSURE ALSO INCREASES FOR YOU TO SUCCEED WHEN YOU BECOME A FULL-TIME BLOGGER
When I blogged part-time, I could blame my capped income levels on the fact that I had this other job on the side – my real part-time job which ate up a lot of my time and energy.
Oh and let’s not forget the fact that I am also a mom, raising two kids, one with special needs.
Parenting is demanding stuff all on its own!
When you go full-time as a blogger, things immediately change.
You feel like the world is your oyster.
You have no excuses anymore not to succeed.
You now have all the time in the world – well that’s only technically part true.
What you have instead is all your work hours to devote to making your blog succeed.
The pressure to quickly get from $2000 a month to $5000 a month or $10000 a month feels enormous though.
And guess what?
You put this pressure on yourself.
It’s all self-created pressure, fired up by the fact that if other bloggers are doing it, then so too can you.
You can’t escape it.
5 – BLOGGING ISN’T EASIER TO DO JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE WORKING ON IT FULL-TIME
This is one of the biggest myths I busted when I went full-time as a blogger.
I thought it would be easier to do but it’s not. In fact it feels harder.
It changes what was originally a fun hobby to a serious business venture and that puts more responsibility and pressure (there’s that word again) on your shoulders.
Growing a successful blog still takes time.
Success doesn’t come overnight.
Writing blog posts, creating opt-in freebies, products and courses, social media and affiliate marketing, email list development, all of that stuff still requires a lot of effort, patience, determination, practice and good time-management skills.
But that doesn’t mean it isn’t fulfilling to master these things.
It is often hard work and time-consuming but it feels so incredibly fantastic when this hard work starts to pay off, both monetarily and professionally.
6 – BLOGGER BURNOUT IS REAL
Yes, I can vouch that blogger burnout is a very real thing.
I have felt it creeping up on me a few times since I started blogging and it honestly feels a little like you are start to go a little crazy.
All you can think about obsessively is the next blog post you need to write and the next blog task you should be working on RIGHT NOW.
Your mind starts to forget how to rest.
You go to bed too late and wake up too early to work and you put off exercise and going to the gym because that would mean sacrificing some precious time that you could be working on your blog.
You suddenly start to confuse being busy with being productive even if you aren’t working on tasks that have a good ROI (return on investment).
You start to feel overly exhausted and burned out which makes you lose sight of the bigger picture.
The one thing that has helped me the most from slipping deep into blogger burnout is having a break.
This is usually imposed on me forcefully when my kids have school holidays and I can no longer work so obsessively on my blog.
We go camping, organize all-day outings and go on holidays that clear my mind and reset my body again.
These breaks give me the much-needed opportunity to step back and look at the bigger picture.
What’s my ultimate goal as a blogger?
What’s the vision for my brand?
Do I even have a clear idea about what my brand is?
What is my “why”?
How can I serve my tribe in the best way possible?
These breaks have always led to turning points in my business – yes I now think of my blog as a business.
Of course I do! And I’m no longer see myself as just a blogger but a businesswoman, entrepreneur, author and course creator.
To succeed as a blogger, you need to know that you are more than just a blogger because you really are.
7 – IT IS ALL WORTH IT
Despite all the stress and challenges, I wouldn't trade blogging full-time for any other job in the world.
I love that I can earn money passively, even when I am not working on the business.
I love that I could go away for seven weeks last year and everything still functioned perfectly thanks to automation tools.
I love that I can stop and spend time with family and friends whenever I want to.
I love that I am growing my OWN business, and not just helping someone else grow theirs (which is what you are doing when you are an employee).
I love that I don't have to worry about who will take care of my kids at home when they are sick (once upon a time, I needed to make sure someone was there to mind them while I went out to work.)
I love that I can work from ANYWHERE in the world, with the work I do.
I love that the options and opportunities for bloggers are endless.
I love the world of blogging full-stop. It's the most exciting and creative job to have (especially for a born writer like me!)
SO IF YOU ARE A NEWBIE BLOGGER STILL GROWING YOUR BUSINESS I ENCOURAGE YOU TO KEEP AT IT.
And for those days when you are struggling with self-doubt or self-criticism (we have all been there before) here is some advice.
I WANT YOU TO KEEP THE FOLLOWING WORDS IN MIND:
DON'T.
GIVE.
UP.
EVER.
I heard the coolest analogy the other day by John Maxwell that I have applied to blogging.
It goes like this:
Dreams are for free.
Anyone can dream about making $20K a month or more from blogging.
Dreams are free and fun and so exciting.
Anyone can have a dream.
But it’s the journey that has a cost attached and a price to pay.
Growing and learning new stuff is an uphill battle.
It will be hard – don't be surprised when it is oh so hard – but it’s all part of the journey.
One year later and more than one million pageviews later I’m now a full time blogger.
However that does not make me a blogging expert.
Just the other day I messed up something again and inserted some incorrect code into my header for the world to see.
It took hours for me to work out how to remove it (the answer literally involved ASKING FOR HELP and my web host saving me because I couldn’t do it myself!)
I have gone from beginner to immediate to now possibly advanced blogging strategies BUT I am still far from an expert.
Every day I'm still learning something new.
The option for growth as a blogger is limitless.
Whenever I face a hurdle I always think:
What did I learn from this?
How can I avoid this happening again?
Who can I ask or refer to for help?
Is this another opportunity for me to show the world and prove to myself that nothing can stop me in the pursuit of my dreams?
I really encourage all newbie bloggers to get back up each time you fall, brush off your knees and climb back on that horse because you should never give up!
You can do it!
I promise you!
HERE ARE MY BEST MINDSET TIPS FOR BLOGGERS
* This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure for more information.
Stop caring what other people may think (sometimes it’s their voices and expectations in our head).
This self-defeating voice in our head usually stems from people in the past who told you you couldn’t do something. It's their own issues and fears, trying to keep you little.
Understand that, my gosh, we are all adults now. It’s time to take control – silence the naysayers especially if they are living inside your own head.
Create a new support crew to lift you higher.
Realise life is short, time is precious and one day it will all be over.
Aim for good enough instead of perfect if that is stalling you – just try your best!
Practice self-care and self-love – don’t be your own worst enemy.
Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle or end.
Actually don’t compare yourself and your journey to others at all – you have your own path to walk down. Do it with confidence and courage.
Find your why.
Be kind to yourself.
Once again, tell the negative voice to just shut it! Give it an imaginary middle finger. It’s not helping you at all.
Instead speak to yourself how you would speak to your best friend or own child.
Become your own cheerleader.
Read biographies where every successful person speaks about the struggles and hardships they had to go through to make it to the other end.
Do the work that needs to be done anyway – even if the voice is still there. Keep working hard anyway! You will only feel worse if you let that voice win!
If something isn’t working in your blog try something different! Study the best of the best and use them as your guide.
Embrace failure and the lessons it’s given you and keep moving forward.
Finally never give up on your dreams.
Think of all your blogging challenges as a test or hurdle you need to get over and research everything that can be done to get over these bumps. You can do it! I know you can.
