A Guest Post by Jennifer Blanchard of Procrastinating Writers
I read this blog daily. But it wasn’t until last week when I noticed the results of Darren’s poll on “How long have you been blogging?” that I decided it was time to submit a guest post.
According to that poll, more than 4,000 of this blog’s readers don’t actually have a blog.
I have to say, this fact stunned me a little. Why would 4,000-plus people want to read about blogging if they don’t actually have a blog?
Then the same answer that caused me to start my own blog popped up in my mind – Procrastination.
Procrastination is the continual habit of putting off – sometimes until the very last minute – tasks you need (and want) to accomplish.
Oftentimes people procrastinate on tasks they really don’t want to be doing, like household chores, writing a paper for school or making a phone call they’re dreading. But many times, people also procrastinate on tasks they actually want to be doing.
Why People Procrastinate
There are many reasons why people procrastinate. But the top reasons include:
- Fear – Fear of success, fear of failure, fear of not being good enough and fear of rejection are the most stand-out fears procrastinators often have. They fear starting a blog because it might not be as good as someone else’s blog. Or they fear starting a blog that no one will read. Or they fear they don’t know enough about a particular topic to start a blog. Or they fear their blog will actually be successful and that will cause them too much stress and anxiety. This list really could go on forever.
- The Phrases “Should” and “Have To” – Believe it or not, by telling yourself you “have to” do something (ie: start a blog) or that you “should” be doing something, it makes you not want to do it at all. This is when procrastinating behaviors creep in.
- Whole Project Thinking – When you think about starting a blog, you’re likely bombarded by all the things requiredto start a blog – you have to decide on a domain name, purchase it, then you have to choose a blogging platform, then you need to decide what you’re going to write about and you have to come up with topics and determine how often you’re going to post and then, and then, and then… Thinking of the project as a whole, rather than as small pieces, overwhelms you, which then causes you to procrastinate.
- Perfectionism – Other than fear, this is the main reason people procrastinate. They get so worried that the blog they create won’t be perfect from the get-go that they don’t even bother starting it. Perfectionism causes serious stress, which is always a recipe for disaster.
- Telling Yourself It’s “Too Much Work” and “Not Enough Fun” – When people think a project they want to complete is going to be more work than fun, it usually stops them in their tracks and keeps them from starting.
How To Stop Procrastinating and Start Your Blog
Now that you know what causes you to procrastinate, you can begin to take steps to overcome it.
Truth be told, starting a blog is not as difficult as you think it is. All it really requires is a domain name, a content plan and a platform.
So here are some steps you can take to begin overcoming your procrastinating behaviors and start your blog:
Feel the Fear and Do It Anyways
I’ve heard this phrase a lot lately, and it couldn’t ring more true. Yes, it’s scary to start a blog. It’s scary to put yourself out there and share your ideas with the world. Yes, people may reject you. Yes, your blog won’t be perfect.
What you have to do is understand this; accept it; and start your blog anyhow.
If you allow fear to hold you back, you’ll never really be happy in life because you’ll always be compromising (or avoiding) what you truly want.
Remove “Should” and “Have to” from Your Vocabulary
These phrases make starting a blog feel forced on you instead of being a conscious choice you’re making; resentment and rebellion are typically the next feelings that come up.
In reality, there’s nothing you should be doing or have to be doing. If starting a blog doesn’t inspire you or if you don’t have a topic that you’re passionate about, then by all means, don’t start a blog. But my guess is, starting a blog does inspire you and you do have a topic you’re passionate about, otherwise why would you be reading this blog?
“Should” and “Have to” take your power away and give the power to the task of starting a blog. But by changing your self-talk, you can easily change the way you feel.
Instead of telling yourself, “I should start a blog” or “I have to start a blog soon,” tell yourself, “I want to start a blog” or “I choose to start a blog.” Words like “want” and “choose” are powerful words. These words mean you’re making a conscious choice. You’re deciding to start a blog; it’s not being forced on you.
View the Project in Pieces
You can’t start a blog and have it all pieced together in one day. It just doesn’t work like that. It takes time to come up with a name and determine a content strategy and learn how to write headlines that are effective and find traffic, etc. Instead, view starting a blog like putting a puzzle together: One piece at a time.
The best way to do this is to break the process of starting a blog into steps. Start slowly. Spend some time thinking about what type of blog you want to start. Then choose a domain name. Research available platforms and choose the one that best fits you. Next work on developing a content strategy, which includes what you’re going to write about and how often. Then work on how you’re going to market it and get traffic. Then you can work on finding ways to make money from your blog, and so on.
If you learn to break larger projects into smaller, more manageable pieces, you’ll feel less overwhelmed, which will help keep you focused and not procrastinating.
Give Up Perfectionism
No matter how hard you work, you will never be perfect. Perfection is an idea, not a reality. Humans weren’t born to be perfect. They were born to make mistakes and to learn from them. So rather than berate yourself for not being perfect, remember that life – and blogging – is a journey. And the only way to reach the end goal of that journey is to take the first step: Start your blog!
As you work through the trials and errors of starting a blog, you’ll come to realize that mistakes are actually gifts in disguise. Because for each mistake you make, you learn how not to do something, which will help you do it better next time.
Make It Fun
As the saying goes, “If it’s not fun, don’t do it.” But if you never start a blog, you’ll never get to see how much fun it actually is. Writing about topics you’re passionate about and connecting with readers are twoof the most fun things on the planet. And there’s definitely nothing more fun than getting an e-mail or Twitter message from a reader telling you how much you’ve inspired them.
What blog project have you been procrastinating on? Why?
Jennifer Blanchard is the founder of Procrastinating Writers, a blog that offers advice, motivation and inspiration for writers who struggle to get started. If this sounds like you, be sure to subscribe to her blog and/or follow her on Twitter.
Great Post Jennifer Blanchard . Even I had the same fear years back but glad im out of it.. Im sure this post will help many people who are finding them in same situation
What a great post for those needing a kick in the butt!
I started my blog fast and furious and now with 500 unique visitors a day after my first month, I encourage those who read this blog but don’t blog to get out there and do it.
Another thing that could be stopping someone is although they want to blog, they are having trouble with their niche. I don’t blame them, because if they plan on writing about “making money blogging” there is massive competition out there.
Good luck to those about to start. I really liked the part about pieces! I get discouraged and sometimes don’t do anything because of feeling too overwhelmed by so many ideas! Pieces is a good way to approach your content!
Thanks Jennifer!
While I already have a blog (2 years) that list still fits me! Not really the last point, but all the others!! I even have a few posts about perfectionism holding you back.
I
m going to take your advice and try to remove “should” and “have to” from the equation. When I feel I “should” do more on the blog, all that ends up happening is that I fee bad when I’m unable to do it.
Hey Jennifer, this is a great post. It actually made me a laugh as I am so guilty of procrastinating when it comes to blogging. I’ve now decided to get the finger out and get cracking!
I’ve procrastinated because honestly I didn’t realize how hard this was going to be. I’m not afraid of putting my stuff out there or of rejection, but the fact is, blogging is a lot of work. I’m refocusing my efforts and some neat things are happening, but I definitely got overwhelmed early on.
Thanks Jennifer, this is just what I needed to hear this morning. I have been planning my blog for about six months for most of the reasons you mentioned above. I will make the leap today! :)
I do not know if it is called fear: The blogging is not able to bring enough money for me to live on, so sometimes I just do not want to blog and go to find something that maybe brings me some money, such as write an article to a newspaper.
You Are Absolutely right JENNIFER that it is the fear that stop us from that thought that let us start now…and then in the mind it come should i or have to start it now i will start it later and the later goes on becoming later and later…and we never start it and we always think what if i dont get reader’s…what if people dont like it and so on the thought go on and on …
It is the time one should start off and go on slowly and never think of the aftereffects(they will be positive only)…
Blogging Requires Thoughts And Time…select your niche of blogging the best one which you think suite you and you are comfortable with it…
Me Hoping That Many Will Start BLOGGING After Reading This Great Article…
Great post, Jennifer. Removing “should” and “have to” from your vocabulary is a powerful tool. It’s made a huge difference for me in all areas of life. Thanks for the reminder.
A very useful post, and quite an inspiration. I’m always getting ideas about projects to start and procrastination is one of the things that holds me back.
Great post Jennifer!
I know when I started my blog a year ago it was faaaarrrrrrr from perfect. Its still not perfect now and can be improved but I’ve come very far. It really doesn’t make sense that most people who read this blog wouldn’t have a blog…but procrastination is the assassin of greatness.
Great post by Jennifer Blanchard! I’m always thinking about ideas and starting a blog and all of the things Jennifer has discussed ring absolutely true!
I JUST started my blog and the “fear” is still here: not good enough, noone wants to read it, and so on.
I’ll never have enough time, it will never be perfect, but you know what? I’m not waiting for that anymore. Everything will happen in phases, and once you cope with that, you’re good to go.
Good stuff :)
I totally agree that procrastinating is something that avoids people from business ventures, but some months ago when I was repenting on why I started a blog so early, but just after that i went ahead with another blog and now its a super success.
“View the project in pieces”… is the key. It inspires. Give up perfectionism is also note worthy as I use to think everything should be perfect & fall in place before I start!
Right on the sweet spot – I’ve worked online for 10 years and always saw myself too busy, doing work for others, to start my own blog and there are not many more passionate than me about the web. Instead of just writing I have been too preoccupied with the perfect set-up, the whole project, committing to it once started etc.
In fact no more! You’ve inspired me, my blog will be live by this time next week…seanclark.com
Fear was definitely a HUGE factor in my own procrastination. I had a massive fear of failing. But now I’ve eventually started my blog I feel so proud and happy about it. Ok, it’s not got thousands of readers or its not making any money. But it is, at the end of the day, mine :-)
Like Nike says, “Just Do It”. Well, I guess Tiger Woods shouldn’t have followed that advice LOL!
Anyways, I totally agree with feel the fear and do it anyways. At first it may be uncomfortable but the more you consistently take action, even if this fear is still there, over time it will decrease and eventually go away.
Fear shouldn’t be looked at as necessarily a bad thing. It can be a really powerful tool to make things happen.
I think perfectionism is my drawback. I have 2 blogs right now but I am always working on perfecting something rather than writing. Working on it though!
As a virtual assistant I counsel many small businesses about blogging and the one phrase I hear a lot is “I am just too busy” or “I just wouldn’t know what to say”.
My advice is start small and build. Stick with something you know about, it doesn’t have to be incredibly long and read as much as possible to find inspiration.
Thanks for helping us look at ways to stop procrastinating! I agree that it is awesome when you get positive feedback from readers. Puts a smile on your face. ☺
I couldn’t have used this post at a better time, much better than later, anyway. :)
I’ve been ‘blogging’ for about five years on and off, but never took it as a serious ‘business’ until very recently. I’ve been wanting to do this, but as Jennifer’s post laid out, too many self-constructed barriers sat in the way.
Good to know it’s a common concern and I’ll be focusing more on my own blogging goals rather than worrying about the “shoulds” and “have to’s” from now on.
Thanks, Jennifer!
Great article and yes, I have a blog, but I don’t like to admit it to people. It’s 3 years passed needing a professional design and there’s so many things I need to update and change on it. Client work comes first though, and then when I get to my own blog, I just feel overwhelmed by it all. I’m going to choose to take your advice though and stop with the “have to’s” and “should be’s.”
Great post Jennifer!
I have this problem and still do from time to time. I focus on what motivates me to write and work on my blogs. I also put up reminders on sticky notes around my desk at home and on my Mac to have constant reminders of what I am doing it for.
I believe fear is such a major source of procrastination for many that want to start their blog but fear is keeping them from doing it. Those that do try and fail, fear failure again.
To achieve success, you need to fail and learn from your mistakes. Many famous people have failed hundreds of times before they tasted success.
For whatever reason, we all procrastinate about something – we just need to get off our butts and do it. If you don’t even try, you have already failed.
Many a great ideas are never implemented bcoz of procrastination, this was a post that was long due!
Aye, that thief of time Jennifer… a pitiful waste of resources.
There was this wall clock that was amazed that it chimed on the hour every hour, and in its reflection, decided to calculate how many seconds it ticked in every minute, then how many in every hour and when it finally got to how many seconds it had to tick in a day, it stopped ticking out of shock! All those seconds to tick in just one day?
Then when it realized that it had to do it just one tick at a time, it started ticking again.
K-12 stuff but I use it to start breathing again when I feel overwhelmed.
I totally fall into the perfectionist category, and even though I’ve had my blog going for three months and it’s growing great, I still find I procrastinate on details when I should be churning out great content. Hopefully, I’m getting better with time, though.
My blog is about having an extraordinary marriage, and I see the ugly head of procrastination pop up in that area all the time. I “should” doing something romantic for my wife, or I “have to” have sex with him tonight because it’s been a while, or we’ll follow a budget once we get it perfected on paper.
Different subject, but same procrastination!
I’m a major procrastinator. I’ve sort of solved the problem by drawing up a routine.
I will not allow myself to check my emails or surf the internet until I have finished that article.
I’ve also found rewarding myself to be good. You wrote four articles today, well done have a bar of chocolate or take the rest of the day off.
Great article. I’d love to see a follow up on developing a content strategy.
Give up perfectionnism. It’s a very good advice. It’s so easy to waste time working on design, apps, google rank…, so many things that are not essential. I’m trying to focus now on creative content and community building. It’s much more rewarding and fulfilling.
Great advice. Once you take the first step in starting your blog, you will find an incredible community of people who are willing to help you succeed.
I just saw a quote this morning that said “The best way to get ahead is to start.” And now your post. Hmmm…. I think the universe is trying to tell me something. . .
Thanks for the reminders to beat the procrastination monsters.
I already have my own personal blog and write for several paid blogs but I just recently got accepted to take over an established and quite successful blog (last night, actually). I don’t have procrastination issues preventing me from starting a blog but in much the same way I’ve had the “new post” window open all morning and haven’t yet written my first post because of the fear issue.
No matter how long I’ve been blogging, I get incredibly nervous when I start on a new endeavor. I refer to it as performance anxiety. :)
Now that I’ve read this I think I’ll go bang out that first post! Thanks!
This is really good advice. I’m guilty of all of these. I find that I often take the first steps on a project without too much problem. I fall down when it gets to the point it becomes “real.”
For example, I “started” my blog last summer. I got a domain name, set up WordPress, tried out some themes and plugins, and read a lot about blogging (including here). But then I bogged down for most of the reasons you described.
I held off on publishing for the first time until mid-November, about 2 1/2 weeks ago. Now, I’ve posted 8 times, and I’m enjoying it.
I think the “incubation” time definitely helped, but I waited much longer than I needed to. I’m obviously not getting huge traffic, but I’m getting some. I’ve even gotten a few comments. I’m thrilled with it.
Now, I need to learn how to write shorter posts. They’re taking way too much time, and I’m concerned about how long I’ll be able to keep it up. I’m enjoying it so far, though.
Robyn
People just need to remember, if they throw caution to the wind and start a blog and nobody reads it then they’ve lost nothing. Because I can guarantee you that nobody’s reading a blog that doesn’t exist.
Jennifer, I just blogged about two separate companies I met with in one day who BOTH said they hadn’t started a blog because they feared negative comments! I’m staggered by the petty nonsense that prevents people from getting the incredible benefits on the other side of whatever is stopping them.
I hope your post is another nudge for anyone who’s letting something get in the way of getting started. (Now, to help the 97% who abandon blogs…)
Jen, everything you say is so true, I for one am still having trouble trying to think of what to put on my garden blog. I have put anything on it for several months, I think the two reasons being are: 1) It’s winter here and have no idea what to put and nothing to do about gardening in the winter. 2) I have looked at other gardening blogs and they look way better than mine lol. I just started another blog(which maybe I shouldn’t have done yet), but in the winter I like to make crafts. But also having trouble with google’s blogger, It automatically put in on webmaster tools but I deleted it since it wouldn’t go through and when I go to my blog from IE it won’t come up saying there is no blog,etc. Sorry this is so long.
Tony
Great post for those who haven’t started their blog till now. The reason behind this is that most of them have trouble in deciding their niche. how will they extract maximum traffic from search engine and lot more questions haunted them.
I thought of starting a blog more then 1 year. But one day I said: “I want my own blog up and runnig today.”
I’m really glad I did it and now I have the change to talk with some of you guys and learn from your success.
Ciprian.
Great observation of Darren’s poll/blog post and great post, Jennifer! Procrastination is something I’ve always dealt with in my life.
I think the best way I’ve managed to combat it is to break tasks into the smallest chunks possible. Tasks you could do in less than 5minutes so then you really can’t have much of an excuse not to do it.
Also – I think a major contribution to procrastination is not knowing EXACTLY what it is you have to do for that particular task. So you should always try and find out exactly what is required for each task before doing it – write it down, plan it out, seek for help, make sure you know EXACTLY what to do, break it down into manageable chunks then you should be confident enough to complete the task!
Good point about ‘HAVE TO’ do something. I’ve often thought about this… I like to write myself monthly goals and daily goals. I now have them up on my wall in plain site. Sometimes I feel because they’re up there it may actually be hurting my productivity because A) It’s a long list and can be overwhelming and B) there is a feeling that I HAVE to do it.
Sometimes I think maybe it’s better if I don’t write any goals at all and maybe set a simple goal of ‘make x amount of dollars through my blog this month’ and that way there is one precise goal which could lead to a multitude of tasks that I perform but they’re not written down in black and white.
What do you think?
The good thing is though, I LOVE doing this, and I’m getting through a lot of my list because I genuinely enjoy blogging and all the other tasks associated with it. I’m well and truly underway of completing my goals this month :)
I wrote a piece on Perfectionism on my blog recently. I just say get out there and do it! You will learn more by doing than doing nothing at all. As you said they are gifts in disguise ;)
Sarge | BeginnerBlogger.com
Haha… This is hilarious! I was just talking to a friend who has about 3 GREAT ideas for blogs, but he just really seems to over-think everything. I’ve tried to tell him numerous times that he just needs to get one started and worry about tweaking, fine-tuning and expanding it down the line.
I feel that if you have a great idea, you need to act on it as quickly as possible and just get your idea going.
Thanks man, that was mind refreshing :)
Great article, thanks for pointing out things I suspected about myself all my life, but never really had them pointed out in that way.
Great post Jennifer! How true it all is, it took me quite a while to actually sart blogging, than one day it was like a switch went off and I have more going now than I can handle! Not that that’s a problem! Once people can get over the procrastination and fear they will soon discover that there rally isn’t a whole lot they con’t accomplish! Thank you for the inspirational post and I look forward to reading more from you on your blog!
Thank you very much this will be very helpfull
great post! really inspiring.. ^^
it really takes me back when I was first starting my blog, (It’s true that the first step is always the hardest..) I was so scared and anxious whether anyone would read it or not. But thank God I’ve passed that stage and moved on.. =)
Wow–Thanks everyone for all the amazing comments and feedback. I’m so glad to hear that so many of you have started blogs recently or are going to start them now. Procrastination is an issue that plagues many, many people. And action (any kind of action) is the best step you can take toward overcoming it.
@Matt, you say that “People just need to remember, if they throw caution to the wind and start a blog and nobody reads it then they’ve lost nothing.” I don’t agree with this. Your blog is going to turn up whenever someone googles you…forever. So it better be good…or at least, not embarrassing.
Excellent post – really makes me feel like I hopped in the time machine and went-back to the early days of my own blog. For new bloggers reading this post the information is absolutely invaluable and should be a wake-up call!
Thanks for writing this – as always more quality content from ProBlogger – looking forward to more posts from you Jennifer!
It’s not so much the starting that’s the problem…it’s the keeping it going. Sigh…
Great post though!
I have many blogs. I don’t seem to have this particular problem.
Jennifer, this is a fantastic post and reminds me of so many feelings and anxieties I had before finally taking the plunge with in late August 2009. I know my procrastination stemmed from fear on so many levels (i.e., no one will read my content, I have nothing worthwhile to say, I’m not worthy, etc.).
I got over these fears after receiving great feedback to comments I had submitted on blogs I highly respected (I started commenting for about 3 months before I started blogging). Finally, the lightbulb went off that if XYZ blogger says my comments aren’t half-bad, maybe I have a worthwhile point-of-view to share. Since then, I haven’t looked back, and I find blogging rewarding, stimulating, and a fun part of my life. Thank you for sharing your great advice. Your insights go beyond getting started and provide excellent guidance on how to successfully stick with it.
I was in procrastinating because whole project thinking. And one day i aware that i can not get anything if did not start it, and then here i am in my imperfect blog.