I realized this morning I was guilty of this mistake when I first started blogging.
Thankfully I am still here to write about it.
What am I talking about?
When you first start blogging there is a lot to learn; so you read a lot of different websites and blogs that teach you how to create great content, build your email list and the like.
You might also join a membership site to get help from the experts, buy several eBooks or sign up for a course (or two).
You end up getting an assortment of disjointed advice from all over the place.
While eBooks, courses and membership sites all have their merits, the problem comes when you try to do them all at once.
Most likely when you first start blogging, you will have a separate full time job. Working full time means you only have so many hours in the morning, evening and on the weekend to work on your blog.
During this time you have to write high quality content, promote your work, respond to comments and emails (hopefully you will have some), update plugins and do any design work that may be required.
All of these tasks, if done correctly, can take a lot of time, especially when you are first starting out and don’t really have a clue what you’re doing.
Throw in working through the actions on an eBook, trying to get the most out of your membership subscription (which you are paying for) and completing that six week course that you couldn’t resist and suddenly you are suffering from a huge case of overload. Not to mention feeling overwhelmed.
On top of that your stats are low (or flat lined), comments are few and far between and you start to wonder why you are bothering with a blog in the first place.
It’s no wonder so many blogs are abandoned.
As I mentioned, I was guilty of making this mistake. I would begin working through one eBook (a good eBook should have some sort of action plan) and then another one would catch my attention and I would jump over to work on it for a while.
I’d jump from one blogging expert to another (sometimes their advice conflicted with each other, which got even more confusing). I would start courses but not finish them.
You can see the problem here can’t you?
As a Personal Assistant working for a busy sales team I had to be brilliant at multitasking. The problem with multitasking is that sometimes tasks fall through the cracks.
I remember having a job performance review with my manager who happened to have laryngitis at the time. We somehow managed to do the whole review using his limited voice and a lot of furious hand waving. (It was hilarious but you kind of had to be there).
One point that came out of this review and the only thing he wanted me to improve on was:
DO ONE THING AT A TIME.
While multitasking was part of the job requirement, I still needed to be focused on the one thing I was doing at the time. I had to follow each project or task through to completion, despite having a dozen tasks on the go.
Blogging is no different.
My advice to new bloggers is focus on one project at a time.
By all means read great content by experienced bloggers and sign up for their newsletters. Decide on a couple of experts whose opinion you value and follow their relevant advice.
If you are going to work on a specific project that will utilize your valuable time, effort and money then pick one and see it through to completion.
If you buy an eBook on how to grow your blog, work through the entire book and action all of the items.
If you sign up for a course that lasts several weeks or months, make that your main area of focus (aside from the everyday running of your blog naturally).
If you join a membership group make the most of that opportunity. Participate in the forums, form relationships and collaborate with other bloggers. Get as involved as possible, instead of just reading the information and thinking ‘I’ll do that later’.
The truth is you probably won’t do it later. You will have moved onto something else or given up.
I know this seems like basic advice and fundamentally it is, but for new bloggers too many options mixed with a lack of action can be a dangerous combination.
If you enjoyed this post, please forward it onto your friends.
I am the queen of multitasking. I joke all of the time that I have ADD, because I frequently jump from one thing to another, and somewhere in there forget what I’m doing. (Hell, I’m multitasking right now. I know, I know.) I desperately need to start doing one thing at a time. My To Do list — and my poor confused brain — will thank me for it.
Hi Liz
Great so see you here again. Ahh yes I do that too sometimes, jump around so much I can’t remember what I was originally doing!!! Thankfully I don’t do it often.
So true – your to do list will definitely thank you!
How do you find it when you are writing a short story? Do you tend to work on one story for a long time or jump from one to another? Just curious as everyone’s technique is different.
Talk to you again soon. Always appreciate your comments.
Cheers
Thea
It depends, as weird as that sounds. Some stories I’ll focus on and write straight through. Others I have to come back to. The ones I write straight through are usually more likely to get finished, though. I try to stay disciplined and finish everything, but you know how that goes.
Hi Liz
Thanks for writing back, interesting to hear how your process works.
Another quick question for you? Do you write up a plan for your short stories before you start writing. I make up a list of bullet points for the story before I start so that it keeps me on track and helps me cover all the parts of the story. I add things of course while I am writing, but mostly stick to the original plan. I was curious if other writers use the same technique or if they just wing it with the idea they have in their head.
Always great to see you here Liz.
Cheers
Thea
You nailed it! This is exactly what I have been doing. Joining here there and everywhere but just sitting back and not getting involved -then getting disheartened when I become a follower and make one comment on a blog and then they don’t join mine. I just need to relax, remember other people are mult-itaskng too and not to take it all too personally. I will keep commenting, make the most of the opportunities and create some traffic! Thanks for encouraging post.
Hi Marcie
Great to see you here again. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. So glad you enjoyed the post. I thought it might be something that a lot of new bloggers could relate to. Sometimes when I am thinking about a blogging issue I’m having or a mistake I’ve made, I totally forget that so many other people are having the same problem. Then I remember and write a blog post about it. 🙂
I definitely made this mistake when I got started. I was all over the place ordering ebooks but not following through on the action in the book. Joining blogging courses but not really participating. Wondering why I wasn’t getting anywhere. I have definitely focused my attention now. Mind you I still have a lot to learn and tons to do but at least I am heading in the right direction!
Even though it can be hard, try not to take it personally. Hang in there, keep commenting or working on your particular strategy or plan and like you said make the most out of opportunities that come your way.
I look forward to chatting to you again soon Marcie. Until then all the best with your blog.
Cheers
Thea
Hi Thea,
I totally agree with you. I am a new blogger and I have lately discovered the relation between blogging and multitasking. Actually, I have already written an article about the same subject on my blog because I was feeling like falling in the trap of multitasking. Fortunately I managed to control it 🙂
Thank you for this post.
Hi Lenia
Lovely to see you here again. Appreciate you taking the time to comment. I will definitely pop over to your blog and read the article you wrote on this topic. That’s great that you got on top of the problem before it caused any productivity issues.
I look forward to chatting to you again soon.
I hope you are having a great weekend.
Cheers
Thea
It is my pleasure Thea.
I had a great weekend, thank you.
Have a good day and take care.
Lenia