Prominent among the reasons why bloggers fail is lack of self-discipline. Because one secret that lies behind every successful blog is the single-minded determination of the blogger involved to go the extra mile, if need be, until success is theirs.
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It is only self-discipline that will make you perform the needed blogging tasks even when you don’t feel like it. And, trust me, there are many blogging tasks that are not so easy to get up and execute. This is why bloggers fail just because they lack that inner passion for blogging.
Signs your blog may be failing
It is almost difficult saying exactly what blogging success is. Because, I believe success, in any form and field, is relative. What I consider to be my blogging success might not necessarily be part of your goals.
Yet still, we can at least talk about what blogging success is NOT. In other words, the following situations should begin to sound the alarm bells for any blogger. They are part of the reasons why most bloggers fail too early.
- Very low or stagnant blog traffic
- Lagging far, far behind in the search engine result pages (SERPs).
- Email subscribers are few; or none at all.
- No products or services to generate revenue for paying the bills, at least.
- Very little or no blog income years after getting started
- Gradual but steady reduction in your initial passion for your blogging venture.
The above are just a handful of the tell-tale signs one blogging venture is getting ready to come to an end.
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So how do you avoid falling into this rather disturbing situation?
I believe that self-discipline is the answer. It is the determination on the part of any blogger to keep going despite all the challenges. One must be willing to perform the needed tasks, no matter the discomfort they may experience. And, herein lies the best way to avoid the reasons why most bloggers fail.
I have seen my good friends at bloggingx.com and luckylovelife.com make mention of the central role self-discipline continues to play in the career of all successful bloggers.
And I agree with them 100%. You want to know why the personal quality of self-discipline is crucial for blogging success? Then keep reading.
In fact, when it comes to blogging, there are many tasks that are not so pleasant but which you cannot afford to ignore. That is, if you want to avoid becoming one more blogging casualty.
So, as a newbie blogger, it takes self-discipline to take you from one not-so-inspiring position to a greater one.
Following are what I consider the essential blogging tasks that demand self-discipline to get them done. And getting these done will go a long way in helping you avoid the reasons why too many blogs fail.
1. Commit enough time to your blogging career
You need to give enough time to your work as a career blogger – if that is truly what you, just like me, want to call yourself.
2. Produce content regularly
Blogging is about getting to the keyboard to type and publish content. Even if you don’t feel like it you still have got to create content. Because, without content, the search engines will quickly begin to forget about your website.
3. Adding multimedia elements
You’ve got to get the time to produce that video or audio content. Planning, creating, editing and publishing both visuals and audios could be a challenge for many but you have to get it done.
4. Lifelong learning
To avoid the reasons why bloggers fail, you need to dedicate yourself to lifelong learning. There is no way you can stop learning new (and sometimes challenging) skills if you really want to be a successful professional blogger.
Check out this list of learnable skills for all bloggers
- effective use of WordPress,
- online writing,
- inserting code in WordPress,
- email list building,
- newsletter writing,
- ad placement,
- plugin or software installation,
- website maintenance and security,
- using the WordPress customizer,
- backups,
- updates
- permalinks,
- branding,
- blog monetization,
- link building – both internal links and external links,
- publishing content with the new Gutenberg block editor,
- SEO,
- affiliate marketing,
- landing pages,
- website design and customization,
- ebook publishing,
- podcasting,
- video production/editing and a whole lot more.
While it is entirely possible to pay other people to perform some of these tasks for you (or get friends to do so for free), remember that you do not want to leave the fundamentals in the hands of people you hardly know.
Knowing a bit about each one of these skills will, at least, allow you to know it whenever you are being fooled.
5. A bit of multi-tasking
You must be willing to do more than one task at any given moment. Multi-tasking is part of blogging and you can’t avoid it and still go far. For example, while you’re typing a new blog post, you may have to also do a quick research on an idea you wish to include in that content.
6. Late nights
This another hard, cold reality of a blogger’s lifestyle. The majority of us sleep very late and wake up unusually early – especially during the early stages of our blogging careers.
7. Social distancing
No, I’m not referring to the one you’re thinking. Cutting down on your social engagements is a must. Because your time becomes more than gold the moment you choose to become a career blogger.
But I must warn you, you’re going to attract a lot of haters for your social aloofness. And this is a price you must be willing to pay in order to avoid the reasons why bloggers fail too often.
This is much easier for those of us who are introverted.
Are you a social butterfjly? Well, self-discipline here is what can save your professional blogging career.
Final thoughts
Most bloggers fail because they are not able to bite the bullet, sow in tears today, so as to reap in joy tomorrow. This is why becoming a failed blogger can, in some ways, be considered as a matter of personal choice. The reasons why bloggers fail can definitely be avoided with a positive attitude. It is all there in your will-power.
