Have you ever had one of those days where you set aside time to blog and while you spend the whole time that you put aside busily doing ‘stuff’ – you don’t end up actually writing anything?
I had one of those days this last week. After what felt like a busy day of ‘work’ I realized I’d not actually produced a single blog post.
As I looked back over my day and the things that I’d done it struck me that there are a lot of tasks that bloggers do that are important – but that can at times become distracting from… well… writing posts… the core task of any blogger.
16 Important but Potentially Distracting Blogging Tasks
Following are 16 potentially distracting tasks for bloggers (note, I’m not saying that any of these are not important or worthwhile, just that they can actually become a distraction if we allow ourselves to become sidetracked by them):
- Social Messaging – Twitter, Plurk, Friendfeed, Pownce…. (add your favorite micro blogging/social messaging service here). Each can suck up your time if you don’t get focused and put some boundaries around them.
- Social Bookmarking – many bloggers become somewhat obsessed with writing posts for and then gathering votes on social media sites like Digg, StumbleUpon, Yahoo Buzz, Reddit etc
- Social Networking – building profiles and interacting upon Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace etc – all useful in building a brand and profile as a blogger, but potentially a distraction.
- Blog Design – blog design is important at creating a first impression but when you find yourself tweaking it, reworking it, planning your next one more than actually writing content for your blog you might be in trouble.
- SEO – like blog design there always seems to be something you could do a little better when it comes to optimizing a blog for search engines. It can be worth your time to do some of this, but one of the most effective ways of doing SEO is to write content that hits the spot with readers.
- Reading other Blogs in Your Niche – yet another great use of time, but many bloggers spend so much time on other people’s blogs connecting, leaving comments and even writing about them that they fail to write anything unique on their own.
- Reading about How to Blog – this might seem strange coming from a blogger who writes about blogging, but from time to time a blogger comes to me for advice on how to improve their blog who has done so much learning about blogging that my encouragement to them is simply to stop reading about it and start doing it.
- Guest Posting – I am a big fan about using guest posting on other peoples blogs to expand your profile and grow your readership – however the best way to utilize guest posting is to have great content on your own blog for the new readers you engage with to see when they come visit.
- Interacting with Readers – this is one that I hesitate to write about because I’m a firm believer in allocating time to spend one on one with readers – however as a blog grows it gets more and more difficult to do. There comes a time where most bloggers need to decide how to strike a balance on this front – boundaries and processes can really help.
- Networking with other bloggers – another great way to build brand and traffic to your own blog is to connect with other bloggers in your niche – however there are millions of blogs ‘out there’ and it can be an endless task.
- Monetization – finding and testing ad networks and affiliate programs can take a lot of time. Then optimizing them for your blog and tracking the results and extending your earning potential by finding private sponsorships and ad sales can really eat up even more of your time.
- Starting New Blogs – diversification is an important and worthwhile part of the journey of many bloggers development, however I come across some bloggers who start too many blogs too quickly and don’t give their early ones time to get going and develop before they branch out.
- Analyzing Stats – one of the biggest potential time suckers, that many bloggers become distracted with at different times, is analyzing your stats. Sure, you can learn a great deal from looking at who is coming to your blog, from where they come and what they do when they arrive – but at times, when you do it all day everyday, it can be a habit that takes you away from your blogging.
- Projects/Competitions/Memes – many bloggers wanting to run a competition or project on their blog don’t realize just how much work it can be to manage (or how hard it can be to get them working). They can bring a lot of life to a blog, but they can also be suck you (and your readers) attention away from your core blogging.
- Dealing with Trolls and Trouble makers – it is SO easy to get drawn into passionate (yet pointless) arguments with other bloggers and readers that can leave you emotionally drained and having wasted hours upon hours of your time. While at the time it seems to important to respond – many times it’s best just learn to hold it in.
- Tracking down copyright violations – unfortunately in the medium we operate there are people who scrape the content of others, whack ads on it and call it their own. While it can be important to track down these copyright violations down – the statement ‘how long is a piece of string’ comes to mind and some bloggers spend so much time tracking splogs down, issuing DMCA legal notices and attempting to get the content removed that they have little time for much else.
Let me reiterate – there’s nothing wrong with any of these activities…. BUT….
In fact I at different times I’ve recommended and given tips on all of them on this blog! However – this post is about balance and priorities.
While these are all great activities the danger is in those times when they sidetrack us from other core aspects of our blogging.
In my own blogging I try to guard against becoming distracted by:
- Having goals (both long term but also daily goals)
- Being aware how I’m spending time (periodically throughout each day I stop and ask myself if I’m on track
- Setting time aside for the most important tasks (I put aside three mornings a week specifically for content creation – I block out this time and remove other distractions for these times.
What distracts you most from blogging? How do you keep yourself on track?
I was allowing myself to get distracted way too often on all the little doodads. Now, I turn everything off, write my post, then turn it all back on. I don’t ever want my posts to be a shadow of what they could be.
If something has a deadline I turn off everything and focus on that one thing… priorities first.
Totally agree with the Social messaging and Blog design points.
Twitter wastes a lot of my time and also is a big distraction, but its beneficial too. So can’t go the either way!
Darren,
Finally something I agree with. It is very important to have proper balance and best to have a preplanned schedule in order to accomplish all of the tasks you have planned on all of the above listed potential distractions.
This post is a definite must read for every blogger new or seasoned.
What about the distraction of reading good posts about distractions?
I think the most evil temptation is to check one’s blog stats all day in a fever of writerly vanity. As you say, content creation matters the most.
I believe there are way too many things that are distracting bloggers these days. What we mainly need to focus on is just commenting on other blogs so that you can maintain a constant amount of traffic to your blog. All those other web sites will help but it always has been proven that if you comment on other blogs and show that you are part of the blogging community others will give back.
I am guilty of doing all 16 and yes, it can get out of hand. I found that it’s best, as you suggested, to allot x amount of time for all of that….
Hi Darren,
I agree with all your points. I spend a great deal of time with social networking (somewhat addicted to Twitter!) and analyzing stats. I also do quite a bit of reading as well…
I would add to your list: Checking email! I check my email at least four times a day.
I stay on track by writing out a To Do list every morning and keep it right beside my computer. Whenever I catch myself wandering in cyberspace too much, I go back to that list which helps get me back to my priorities.
This is so relevant to what I’ve been going through the past few weeks. I have written nothing. I’ve been busy reading other blogs or working — setting up other people’s blogs.
Now, I’ll be developing a schedule like you suggested to protect my time for writing. I desperately need to get back to it.
I almost didn’t visit your post – didn’t want to get distracted. I have seriously been looking at schedule, priorities, goals, how I should be using my time. Are all these activities part of my Greater Purpose in life?
Your article is timely and greatly appreciated. No more procrastination! We cannot replace time lost with social media distractions.
Wasn’t it Einstein who said that the definition of insanity was the ability to hold two opposing thoughts in the mind at one time? Email, IM, Twitter, social media…the overload feels like insanity. Blocking chunks of time starting today! Thanks!
Yes Darren, These steps are very important for Beginner Bloggers. But the way they do is very important. Specially Networking.
It isn’t only bloggers that get distracted! Your list rings true for me as well. Since I discovered social networking (including blogging) hours can literally fly by and the end of a day arrives with nothing tangible to show for it. I agree with the previous responses about the need to turn everything else off to do what needs doing.
A good tip I learned a long time ago is to set a timer for, say, 50 minutes and focus on the task you want to get done until the time is up. It’s amazing how much you can achieve doing this a few times.
Every necessary activity needs to be kept in its place!
Totally agreed on all points; I am guilty of all, yet see the necessity of all.
What I have found most helpful, although I still struggle everyday: I read an article by author Walter Mosley on writing. He said that he blocks out 9:00 – noon every workday to turn off and tune out everything else and write.
I am trying; on my calendar I have “return phone calls” from noon-1 p.m., then take a 30 minute walk with my dogs from 1 – 1:30 to clear my mind and re-focus.
With my elderly father totally incapacitated and my elderly mother as his primary caregiver, I used to answer the phone every time my mother called. But now I don’t, because it’s is rarely an emergency. If my mom really needed me, she’d call my husband (who has a “real” salaried job) who would then text me to call her. That way; I’ll know if it’s an emergency; otherwise, it can wait.
Ditto for everyone who calls me because I’m “home” anyway.
Same with Twitter. I only have a few that are on my phone for instant notification (including ProBlogger), the rest I check on my breaks on my desktop.
I work very hard to keep to my “editorial calendar” and self-imposed “time log”.
No 6 distracting me most of the time during my content creation. Sometimes I stray from the actual task just because I read to much blog.
I provide three day in a week for content creation and those day I must create 2-3 content and schedule it for the whole week. The remaining 4 day I do other things like No 2 and No 3.
Hello Darren,
When I had Lonely Designs I was constantly distracted by all of these. And that is what caused my downfall.
Dont let it happen to you guys!
Darren thanks for putting it all into perspective. Now that I see the list laid out in front of me like this, I can see what is happening. And just where I am spending my time.
Understanably we should have a plan laid out before we start. But when the acion begins, and the connections start to develop the time just seems irrelevant.
Appreciate the strategy at the end, we all need a stopping point. That will direct us back to our original intention. Writing some great content for our blog.
Which reminds me!
Gary McElwain
I completely agree, and in most of the points I can see myself reflected. Fortunately I have changed my workflow following exactly this points.
This is a must-read post. Congratulations.
Darren: My response got lengthy, so I published it on my journal : Distractions.
Hey – you are taking all the fun away from being a full-time blogger. ;)!
It sounds like you’re describing my day yesterday!
Your post hit me dead-on….as I was reading blog posts as “avoidance behavior,” distracting me from an unpleasant writing project. Thank you, again, for your insight and excellent reminders.
Since five years ago, when the company I worked for went bust, my wife and I have been running a meal delivery business from home. Ideally employing a live-in maid would really help free up time for me to concentrate on my websites, but taking on hired help would only add to our costs. Add to that rising fuel and food prices, a fluctuating customer base, and the fact that we are a very close and private family, we’ve decided that we will continue as a mom-and-pop business. So I try to work on my sites when the kids have gone to bed, like now.
And what happens? Doing what is supposed to be research, I land on Problogger.com and spend almost 10 minutes wording a post, adding content to HIS site instead of mine!!!
Darn… you’re a distraction Darren!!!
Numbers 6 & 7 are my downfall, but I have learned so much and made such good cyberfriends that I feel at least some of the time is well-worth it.
But when I know I’m “clicking around” as a way to procrastinate, I have to stop.
Distractions are one of the biggest downfalls to most bloggers.There are so many social sites,forums,and such we tend to spend to much time on instead of concentrating on our own sites.One should set a certain time each day to work on their site,and their site alone.
since i’m just starting my blogging i am finding this is definitely the case.
i have so many one-off tasks. Like this evening i have been setting up a number of email addys for differents parts of my blog and all the design stuff.
plus i need to work on making connections ie reading and commenting on other blogs.
Peope Im’ing me distracts me the most. But rest I have control over.
This weekend I wrote down a list of 16 tasks that I want to complete. I think I’ve completed 7 of them, but what distracted me was Twitter/Other blogs (like problogger)/looking at stats when i was stumbled heavily/online videos.
That said I have published blog posts over the weekend, so I can’t grumble too much.
Tip: To create a task list use rememberthemilk.com its’ free and great at helping organising yourself.
I put these activities in an editorial spreadsheet. My main focus is always content, but I do need to make sure that the other focus areas are getting reviewed and addressed appropriately. Having them framed in a grid is a good way of making sure that I don’t imbalance the whole array of tasks by overindulging in any one.
I waste a lot of time on my Blog Design. Earlier, I used to change my blog template frequently. Because of that I became a little expert in HTML now..!
I think part of this plays into the whole 80-20 paradigm. For me, it’s realizing that there are few things that I can do which will help me the most with my business, and those are the things I need to spend most of my time on.
In any given week, I am guilty of all 16 of these time-suckers, and on any given day at least half of them.
I’d like to add to the list, doing research for blog posts. Most of my posts require research, and I sometimes get so carried away researching that I have no more time left for writing!
Balance in blogging, as in life, is essential. Setting priorities and time limits to extraneous activities is required in both.
So easy to say, so hard to do!
Thank You Sensei!
Balance is the key word here. Learn how and what to prioritize in blogging and stick to it.
It’s so true….
And what about just reading other people’s blogs? I waste so much time doing that…
It’s amazing how time flies when your on the computer…I study on line as well. So I spend too much time on the computer than what I’d like. These days I actually force myself to have a bit more balance. I do gardening or go for a walk in the afternoons. Try and break it up a bit, otherwise it’s just unhealthy.
100% correct on all counts. Balance in these things and good content are what we should strive for.
Can I get an amen! This stuff is all so incredibly useful and so very distracting. As they say, everything in moderation.
Good posts Darren but the list could just as easily be called “16 Things you must do as a Blogger”
Thanks for the reminder Darren :)
I think I’ve focused a bit too much on that entire list for the last few months.. got to get back to the core, writing about the thing you love :)
I totally agree with the SEO and design part of it.. Time just gets sucked up while doing those.
http://projinfo.org
OK, sometimes I feel like you are like a little devil sitting on my shoulder watching me. I am GUILTY of spending to much time on all of these important things and letting the content slide. Especially on my older “better” blogs. Thanks again for a great post, I am getting back on track tomorrow.
http://tech-stock-investor.blogspot.com
Guilty as charged. It’s just so fun and rewarding–when it works. OK, balance is the key. Great post!
Since I often look for more time these days, I was in the process to set up a realistic schedule. I wish to better plan my time. People do not realize that being a blogger can require that many efforts. Like you said, it is a balancing act.
I will keep your 16 points in mind in building my own agenda. I used to be a statistician, so I passed too much time looking at stats. At least, I am good at fulfilling my daily objective of how many posts a day. Thanks for shedding some light on the matter.
Mine are definitely SEO, reading others blogs, and analyzing stats. See, I’m even doing it now by readying this blog :)
twitter is the most distractring tasks of all the above, i really recommend to try to disconect from any social media if you want to keep as a good blogger.
Yeah, I agree with this points, and about the reading about how to blog part… Yeah, I used to spend more time here reading about that topic, but after a while, I am not learning as much anymore, and that’s just a natural thing. I know that I already have a lot of the knowledge being given, and it’s just a matter of choosing what works for me and putting it to work. It’s like reading about losing fat… you can learn all about what diet is good for you but it’s a waste of time if you already know that stuff and just don’t do it.
I’ve definitely had those days, where you’ve been busy working all day, but then come to the end of it and can’t remember what you’ve achieve and whay tou have done.
I’ve started quickly jotting down the things I’m doing on a piece of paper, so that I can ook back at the end of the day and see what I actually did.
Pretty useful for getting a grip on not having too many of those
“What did I do”
days.
I’ve had many of those days myself…
This article simply goes to the heart of the matter. So far, my major source of distraction seems to be designing and redesign my blog site…
What distracts me from blogging is blogging too much. It sounds silly (at first) but sometimes I get ‘distracted’ on churning out posts rather than writing as a ‘blogger’ (meaning posting ‘value content’).
How do I keep myself on track? – I live life. I get outside the house, I play with my family and I have personal interactions and experiences that always seem to re-focus me on my blogging. I blog about life in Norway – so it would be silly of me to sit at the computer all day writing (I don’t want to be ‘a Lonely Planet writer’…lol ;)
This is a nice reminder.
I’ve just started to use some of the services online and found them to be quite useful. There are times when I have to take a break from posting since I have to set them up properly. I don’t just open a service then leave it blank. Things are easy to use when they are organized.
I can say one thing though. Twitter is addictive. I’m guilty beyond charge for that. :-P
Yes, I agree with you – priority and balance. Thanks!
Great post, i always seem to fall down that hole take for example now. I need to write articles but instead i find myself doing anything but writing articles.
Its quite hard to stay focused.