My 3 Biggest Challenges As A Blogger

As bloggers, I feel like sometimes we all have a hard time finding the time and effort to create blog posts for everyone to enjoy. Although I haven’t been in the game for long (and not consistent, either) I’ve very much had a lot of these struggles, too.

My first biggest challenge is finding ideas. I only started blogging this time last year, and I feel like so many things have been over-done, or over complicated and I feel like I’ve jumped into big things rather than simple things. I feel as if I have to constantly one up everyone else, whether its word count, craziness of ideas or just ways of putting the same things that everyone else has out there.

I’m sure that I’m not the only person that feels this way. I feel strange as in the year I’ve been blogging, I haven’t been able to talk to anyone or find someone on a similar level (as in followers) to me in my ‘niche’, although my niche is lifestyle. Finding ideas has been so difficult. I have a whole book filled with ideas about what I could write blogs about, but every time I go in and try to write something interesting (or something that motivates me for right now) I bail and feel like a failure because I don’t find it interesting anymore.

I’ve now started putting in 20 ideas at a time to randomise them into a randomiser. I feel like this has worked better, as I have a few moments to think about what else is on the sheet and if I feel motivated enough to write about it, or if I have the brain capacity to. Its also made me avoid the whole ‘skim read’ over my list, as a lot of the time I miss things that are genuinely important and I would take a lot of interest to write about and give insight to people about the way I think. Hey, my blog is called Popo’s thoughts for a reason.

Although I’m way away from that point, I always stress about what happens when I run out of the ideas on that piece of paper. Will my blog just end? Will I have more exciting things happening in my now seemingly dull life? Will I ever be one of those people that finds a cool hack that’s useful to others and make lives easier? Honestly, my mind is a shadow.

I also feel like no one talks about how difficult it is to find original ideas for blog posts, too. When I look for mine, I obviously look online and at other people’s blogs. The first maybe 5-8 I was finding some cool and interesting ideas! I’d constantly be writing things down, expanding on them for later use and doing future me a favour, thanks, 6 month ago me. However, now, I feel like I’m just reading the same blog post over and over again, it’s the same ideas through and through. I would love to do something original, but really, is there anything else left to write about?

My second biggest challenge is finding the motivation to write blog posts. As a full-time university student, I find it hard enough to find the motivation to study, and with me being interested in writing, I find it difficult to split the time between writing captivating blog posts and studying for my upcoming exams and writing my dissertation.

Sometimes I have a bad week, and all I want to do is crawl into bed and binge watch Brooklyn-99. I find it very difficult to write blog posts when I’m in a bad mood, as I feel like it is very clear through my writing when I am in a bad place, and I don’t want it to reflect on others. Everyone goes through stuff sometimes, and writing helps me get out of a bad place and back into my life now and what’s happening, rather than look into the future.

As previously said, of course, its hard to write when you know it’ll get you in a good place but make others think not so nicely, so it’s a constant battle of ‘is this depressing? Would people get cynical thoughts over this?’ and so I have a tough time of trying to find that perfect balance. This year, it has been easier, as I have been on top of my work, as well as my blog and my journaling Instagram, as well as starting my own business!

I feel like now I have started my own business; I may have some more stuff to write about that can interest others into starting their own business, or just seeing what other people are up to. I like to do that a lot, just seeing what really interests people and gets their mind going. This has been on my mind for about 4 months now, but in the full works for about a month. Full works means I do it any time that I’m not drowning in uni work or crying over my bank account.

Back to the main point, I find it difficult to find motivation especially when I promised myself, I would write one blog post, but when it comes to writing day, I just don’t vibe with it anymore. I’ve learnt that that is okay though, too. The randomiser I previously spoke about is a big help, and I’ve eased off my controlling routine of ‘if you don’t write this the whole blog will be ruined’. I now write what suits me on the day, as sometimes I feel a lot of pressure to please others. I’ve learnt in the past year that this blog is for me. If other people are interested, that’s great! But I also feel like it’s nice to talk to people out there that don’t really know me and let them know what’s going on in my life, kind of like now.

My final challenge as a blogger (there are a lot more, but I would like to keep it on the positive side and something that people can relate to) is finding people to get in touch with. I mentioned this in my first point, as I feel like not that many people blog now a days because the niche has been filled and is overflowing. There are so many social media outlets out there where people can post their ideas and their life, and as soon as one person overtakes one platform, they move to conquer the next, therefore pushing littler creators out of the box.

These days you need to push yourself into the newest platforms out there to make it to be ‘famous’. That’s in no sense what I’m trying to do here (but it would be great if I did, I mean, who wouldn’t want brand deals and opportunities to travel around the world?) what I mean is over-saturation of platforms and overtaking platforms and pushing others out.

Some people obviously just have social media for their friends, or whoever enjoys their content or whatever, but people that are actually trying to make it somewhere and do something with their business, or portfolios are being pushed out by big dogs who have dominated more than one platform already. I get that if you have fans you have fans, but I find it unfair when there is no market for something on a different platform because of one person sweeping it and taking their competition out. I guess business is business.

Finding people in the blogging life who are doing it for themselves or have a new twist on the world is so difficult, especially trying to make friends, too. Maybe I’m not trying hard enough, or putting myself out there enough, but I’m trying to. However, in the end, this is just a page of my thoughts and opinions, and it doesn’t really matter if I make friends here or not as it would be simply for networking.

Overall, blogging is a very tough market to be in. Whether you’re doing it for yourself, like me, or to promote a business or your own cause, it’s difficult to expand and get to a place where you’re comfortable and happy with what you’re doing. Whatever you’re doing, though, you’re doing great! You wouldn’t be writing blog posts if you didn’t want to.