It’s been a week of my 30-day blogging challenge, and it’s been going well. While there have been a couple of days when I wasn’t sure what to write about, this week of blogging has actually been beneficial. Though, I should be working on my novel.
However, I know me. I know that if I cut it short now and switch my focus, very little will get done in terms of blogging or writing VII.
And looking back at the past seven days, it’s actually been quite helpful. Not just because this blog is seeing a bit more traffic, but because I am changing my overall mindset about writing in general.
What Has a Week of Blogging Brought?
Nope, I am not raking in the dough. Though, I already knew that wasn’t going to be an end goal. Then again, I don’t monetize this blog at the moment.
But, the site has been instrumental in how I go about my day.
A Bit of Traffic
Over the past week of blogging, this site’s traffic has increased by 146.15%. While that might sound impressive, that’s only the difference between 32 visitors this week and 13 the week before.
What’s really funny to look at is the average on-page time of the site. It grew by 1,098.33%! Of course, that’s the difference between one minute and five seconds. Though, the bounce rate piques my interest at the moment.
Still, I suppose it’s growth no matter how you slice it up.
Most of the traffic is coming from social media. That’s because I share every post and don’t really have a lot on this blog that is high-search volume in Google.
Demonstrating to Myself I Can Do It
Perhaps the most important metric for the site is myself. I wasn’t sure if I was going to maintain 30 straight days of blogging. Between being ultra-busy nowadays with a touch of laziness, I was sure I would give up.
It’s nice to know that I can sustain something for longer than three days.
What I’m hoping for is the experience bleeding into my normal life routines. For example, will this help me stay focused on trying to lose the last of my weight by my birthday?
It’s kind of a stretch, I know. However, a lot of the habits you create are often linked to other things in your day-to-day lifestyle.
The important thing is that I am proving to myself that I can stay focused for the long haul. Which means the future 30-day blogging experiments shouldn’t be a problem to handle.
Creating a Morning Habit
Another vastly important factor is creating a morning habit for myself. It’s getting to the point where I think about writing as soon as I get up. And this is where I used to be back when I was pushing out tons of content on Textbroker.
I almost forgot how much I love to create content. In fact, yesterday was one of the most productive days for creating that I’ve had in a long time. Not only did I get my work done, but I uploaded a video and worked on my Ultimate Guide.
That’s a key to success, by the way; forming positive habits that keep you going and productive. And yes, I’m incredibly proud of myself for being able to handle things in this week of blogging.
Why a Week of Blogging Over My WIP
You’re probably wondering, “Why don’t you work on that novel that’s been sitting in Wattpad for four years?” To be honest, sometimes I think of that as well. But to correct my behavior, I need to take certain steps.
As I said earlier, I know myself well. If I switch now, I’ll get back into the mentality of bouncing back and forth to the point that nothing gets done.
It’s not like I am ignoring VII altogether. I work on it here and there. And somehow, I’ll figure out a way to incorporate it into my morning routine. But alas, I have important clients who need my skill.
Besides, doing this week of blogging is helping me with:
Instilling Motivation to Write
With all of the side projects I have going on right now, I often feel overwhelmed. Sometimes, I’ll sit at my desk and just mull over everything all at once. And it saps my motivation to write.
Lately, though, it’s been getting much easier. I’ve been using Asana to assign work to myself and focus on certain projects on specific days. For instance, today is Thursday. So, I am working on ColoradoPlays.com today.
Writing every morning seems to be boosting my motivation levels throughout the day, though. I feel accomplished first thing in the morning when I publish a new piece. And because I like that feeling, I want to see what else I can publish to get the feeling again.
It’s those little taps of dopamine that I’m looking for from being accomplished.
Improving the Quality of My Blogs
Several of my websites should be doing far better than they are in terms of traffic. But I just haven’t been motivated to work on them on a regular basis. This experiment is going to give all of my blogs a bit of a content boost.
The fun part is planning out all of the pieces for each site. You see, MichaelBrockbank.com is essentially my online portfolio of everything I am involved with on the Internet. This makes it far easier for me to write.
The other blogs are niche sites.
This means the content is more focused on specific industries and topics. Which is fine, really. After all, I am very good at researching information and finding good search terms.
What this week of blogging has made me realize is that I can still do the job. I can’t say for sure if the quality of each site is going to go up. But, at least I can say that any failings won’t be on the side of a lack of content.
I just need to make sure that I still write for the other sites as well.
Having the Possibility of Helping Someone
One of the biggest reasons why I built WriterSanctuary.com was to help others. I wanted to document my journey of becoming a freelance writer and what systems have worked for me. And from the comments I’ve received, especially on the YouTube channel, mission accomplished.
While I would love to put more effort into finishing VII and getting it published, I start to think about the people I help. Then, I start to feel like I am neglecting them in some way.
But, that’s what makes me who I am. I enjoy helping others, even if it’s something small or being an ear if someone needs to vent.
This is also the reason why I don’t create courses for sale. I’d rather show someone how to get where I am today without making them pay for some course. I know, it’s not very capitalist of me to think this way.
But money isn’t what drives me. My bills are paid, I have food, and I have a warm home. Everything else is an indulgence.
Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have the money to buy, say, a new computer if mine should crap out right now. However, I don’t need fancy cars, extensive bank accounts, or other riches.
Here’s to Another Week of Blogging
Aside from the astonishing numbers I mentioned above (lol), the week of blogging has helped me quite a bit. I am getting more excited, energized, and passionate about writing again. After the past 10 months, I needed this experiment.
I’ve gone through quite a bit; more than any parent should. And finding a way to get myself back on track only benefits my future.
So, let’s make this next week of blogging something that keeps the ball rolling. Let’s not lose sight of everything we’ve gained.