The following piece was submitted by Kevin Augustine from Workplace Life as part of the habits of highly effective blogging group project.
While I’ve seen people share a lot of the same ideas for effective blogging habits (such as making a schedule, writing your ideas down, etc), I haven’t seen that many people mention what I think is the most important habit you can develop:
Maintaining a healthy Work-Life balance.
What is a Work-Life balance? Basically, it’s a measure of the amount of time you spend working versus the amount of time you spend on life outside of work. It is they key to becoming an effective blogger for the following reasons:
- It keeps your content fresh – Let’s face it: People know when you write something that you’re not into. They can tell if you wrote it just to post something, and the reaction to these kinds of posts is neutral at best. If you are writing all the time in your spare time, and also working your regular job (which I would assume most bloggers hold) it can start to feel like you’re working two jobs. Take a break, take your significant other out to dinner or go for a walk. Hit the gym or even just watch a bit of TV, just relax. You’ll come back fresh and ready to write interesting content.
- Life is inspiration – No matter what subject matter your blog covers, real life can be one of the biggest inspirations for your writings. From a comment you hear on the street to something you witness at the workplace, inspiration is all around you. You might have a head full of great ideas, but they’re not limitless. If you are cooped up writing all the time or tweaking your site, you’re going to miss out on a ton of interesting topics that you could post on. You never know, that revelation you have at the movies could spark a post that makes your site the next big thing.
- Keeps you physically healthy – Contrary to popular belief, sitting in front of your computer 24 hours a day is not good for your health. If you’re sick, you’re not going to be able to do much of anything, let alone work. Even if you’re not sick, if you don’t have any energy or stamina, you’re body will eventually just stop you from working. Sleep is also another key component. Two hours a night isn’t going to cut it, shoot for whatever allows you to wake up feeling refreshed. Keep yourself healthy and you’ll be able to put in those extra hours when you need to.
In the end, only you can regulate how much you work. However, when you’re chugging that red bull at 3:00 AM, bleary eyed and lifeless, instead of writing that post for the next day try catching some sleep and then writing it. I think you’ll be surprised at what you’re able to produce when caffeine isn’t your sole motivator.