If I haven’t already said this to you yet, Happy New Year!
Wow, 2018 is finally here, a brand new year and a host of new opportunities in the waiting.
I’m sure you’re eager to start making this year the best year yet as a blogger. And, I’m sure you’re totally armed and ready to rock with your new goals and objectives.
Most importantly, I hope that you’re in good health and in good spirit because nothing is going to stop you this year, right?
If that’s the way you’re feeling right now, that’s awesome, I admire your self-love, self-belief, passion, and determination.
Why?
Because, hey, I feel the same!
So, to help boost your motivation, even more, I want to share with you 30 ways to make 2018 your best blogging year yet!
Are you ready? Let's do this!
Don't just create goals, create Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic Timely goals.
If you're unsure how to do this, my Blog Planner Workbook comes with a great 'ready to print' SMART goal worksheet.
I know that it's not as simple as just aiming for one goal when you probably have so many things you want to achieve with your blogging business this year.
That I understand, but my professional advice to you is to try and focus on "one thing" at a time.
This could be one thing that will help you move forwards, towards reaching your ultimate blogging goal.
I didn't realize just how powerful focusing on one thing at a time could be before I read The One Thing book by Gary Keller and Jay Papapsan. I highly recommend it.
Now each day I focus on one activity, one task, one action that will help me edge towards my all time goal.
Not just online, but offline too.
A clutter-free workspace (desk) and a clutter-free desktop (computer) can be a great starting point.
Recently I took the liberty to renovate my home office space to create a more relaxing working environment, though, I have to admit it's starting to look a little bit cluttered again.
Take a look, what do you think?
Just as it is important to create SMART goals, it's also important to create deadlines for your goals, and realistic ones too.
This will help you stay on track with your goals and ensure you don't end up slacking or procrastinating!
One of my personal goals this year is to compete in (and hopefully complete) the Tough Mudder Obstacle Race. (Update: I did it in 2017, can't wait to do it all over again in 2018)
Although the event isn't until August, I have 8 months to prepare both mentally and physically for it.
Whether your goal is business or personal, the best way to help you stay focused on your goals is to set a deadline date.
Grab yourself a year planner from Amazon, or a simple day-diary will do, and start planning your year in advance.
If that sounds like too much of a chore, plan a month at a time instead.
Once again, my Ultimate Blog Planner Workbook should definitely help you with this.
This is often overlooked and people always say to themselves, I must take better care of myself, but they don't actually do it.
Eat and drink smartly, sleep right, get plenty of exercise, and, take time out for relaxation.
Seriously, if you're in bad shape, lethargic and stressed out, this will affect your output, and your motivation for blogging will be low.
I know this because I've been there and know that feeling.
Check out The Miracle Morning book by Hal Elrod. It that doesn't motivate to change you, nothing will.
One of my other goals this year is to read at least 10 books.
I know what you're thinking, pathetic, right?
You know what? I could probably read more, and I will if I have the time to do so.
I do enjoy reading books on topics that I'm interested in, and books that I know will help me achieve something in my life.
What books are you currently reading, or plan to read this year?
Check out the books I recommend for bloggers here.
An editorial calendar can be very useful for planning your blog writing and publication.
If you run multiple blogs or guest blog on many blogs, keeping everything organized can be challenging.
My blog planner workbook has some useful guest post schedule calendar templates you can print off and use immediately too.
Just accept the fact that you can't possibly do everything yourself.
When the tough get's going, it's time to call it in and get some help.
Consider hiring some freelance writers to create content for you.
Get a virtual assistant to take care of your day-to-day blogging duties, so that you can focus on other important things.
I once thought that I could do everything myself. I was wrong. I needed to run my business and take care of my clients, that's when I decided to start outsourcing.
If you're going to outsource, do it smartly. Check out this awesome book by Chris Ducker.
If you're struggling with anything with your blog or online business, don't beat yourself up blindly about it.
Consider hiring a mentor or business coach to help you out with whatever it is you're struggling with right now.
Another one of my goals this year is to get some coaching on "business or time management".
Be honest with yourself, figure out where you need help and get it.
You've probably read this piece of advice a million times before already.
Well, I apologize if you have.
But, stop putting it off and take action, start connecting, engaging and interacting with other people in your blogging niche or industry.
The more connections you make, the more chances you'll have of getting noticed.
And it's not just about making connections, it's also about building and nurturing relationships with your audience.
Go and connect with another blogger right now. Start sharing their stuff, comment on their blogs, ask a question or two, and I guarantee you that you'll get noticed.
The more you write, the better you'll become at it, simple, right?
So write every day! You don't need to publish a post every day, that's not what I mean.
Just write something every single day. Be it an email template, a list of post ideas, a podcast script, or anything else.
Don't try and solve everybody's problems all in one go, that would be impossible to do anyhow.
Just pick one, think of a solution, write about it then move onto the next one.
If your budget will stretch this year, consider getting a unique design for your blog. I can help you with this by the way.
If your budget won't stretch to a custom theme design, why not refresh your theme this year? Check out something like Genesis or Thrive.
Create income goals, record your blog income and expenses, treat your blog as a real business.
My workbook has some awesome printable income worksheet templates you can use straight away.
The fact that you're worried about someone else's negative opinion of you is already a failed strategy.
The problem with negativity is that it will bring you down and keep you down, and it can spread to others too.
As a blogger or solopreneur this can affect your output. I know this because I'm talking from experience.
The number of times my friends and families have raised their eyebrows at my idea of becoming a professional blogger and solopreneur.
I know it's much easier said than done, but really care less about what others think or say, and focus more on what truly matters, reaching your goals.
Once again, you have to read this book to really understand what I'm talking about.
You create useful, actionable and engaging content for your readers.
That's great, but don't forget to think of other ways to create value.
Here are some suggestions:
In my humble opinion, trying to compete with other bloggers is truly a waste of your valuable time.
Instead, connect with them, learn from them, help to share their content, talk about them on social media, give praise to them on your own blog.
The rewards are much greater trust me.
I keep saying this but we’re all in the same boat here, so we should be helping each other not competing against each other.
I'm not going to talk about this again as I already covered this area in a recent post.
The one thing that bloggers sweat about the most is stepping out of their little comfort zone.
To step out means to do something new, different, and daring that will get you noticed.
You can't let fear interfere either, you've just got to focus on where you want to go and go for it!
Anthony Robins once quoted:
Focus on where you want to go, not on what you fear.
Feel free to tweet this quote below if you like it 🙂
[clickToTweet tweet="Focus on where you want to go, NOT on what you FEAR!" quote="Focus on where you want to go, NOT on what you FEAR!"]
Recently I decided to launch a new VlogCast series on YouTube.
For me, putting myself in front of the camera and in front of my audeince was stepping out of my comfort zone.
What will you do this year to step out of your comfort zone?
If you've been lagging behind with building your email list, then start paying more attention to it.
Grab the list building tools you need, create some irresistible offers and start building that list fast.
Check out this post to get inspired and started with your email list.
Invest in some useful apps, tools, and services to help you increase your productivity. Check out the tools I recommend here.
Additionally here's a list of productivity apps you might enjoy using:
Just look up for them up on your mobile device.
If you don't listen to them, how can you learn about their problems and serve them the best you can?
You can't. So, tune into what your readers are saying, asking, begging from you.
Help your readers find solutions to their problems. Create problem-solving content on whatever medium you want to use, blog, videos, slides, eBooks, etc.
The problem with some new bloggers is that they're obsessed with making money, money, money.
Focus more on creating content that will blow everything else out of the water.
Create content that will help you earn your readers trust, give your blog a good reputation, increase authority and eventually the money WILL come.
Be strategic with your blog monetization, not every single post you put out have to be monetized in some way.
Building trust online takes time. It's not something that's going to happen overnight sadly.
Just be true to yourself. Be helpful and honest. Be kind and ultimately people will learn to trust you. Especially if they value your content, to begin with, your engagement and everything else you have to offer them.
A sense of humor goes a long way, so, if you have one, which I'm sure you do, let that baby rip. Let your personality shine!
Tell funny relatable stories, crack a silly joke from time to time... Or maybe not... You can still be a person of value without being serious all the time.
Stories move people in such a positive way, especially inspiring ones.
People can relate to a great story that will urge them to share theirs with you.
I know in blogging it can be difficult to share stories that are relatable, especially in the marketing and online business niche. But if you have something worth sharing, do it.
My good pal Ryan Biddulph is one of the most compelling storytelling bloggers I know. Check him out here.
Do you have a relatable story that's worth telling?
To me, being organized is a key ingredient for becoming successful at anything, whether it's with your blog or your online business, or whatever else.
If you want to become a more organized blogger. If you want to become a more efficient blogger, once again, please grab my Ultimate Blog Planner Workbook. It will help you.
Finally, a smile can go a long, long way, even online. You are the face of your brand, so don't be a miserable git and smile now and again.
Yeah, yeah of course! There are always other things you can do to make this year epic for you and your blog.
Seriously though, if you forget everything above, just remember to do one thing for me. Let that one thing be “be super organized”.
Without organization, you can’t expect to stay focused, let alone motivated to blog.
If you're not focused, motivated or driven, you're not going to succeed or make much progress with your blog.
Now go and make this year the most awesome blogging year ever! And don't forget to grab my Ultimate Blog Planner here.
Your blogging friend ~ Fabrizio.
