While I’m thrilled that more and more people in the Barrie business community are recognizing me as a business blogging authority, there is a downside. Sometimes, people cringe when they see me, because seeing me reminds them that their blog has turned into a ghost town.

Please be easy on yourself! We all miss a step now and again and my own blog is a good example of that. I want you to experience only the benefits of blogging, not the stress.

While I’m going to keep encouraging you to be consistent with your blogging, I’m also going to keep offering tools, resources, suggestions and services that will help you do that effectively.

The biggest secret of all is that none of the things I’m about to reveal are secrets. They’re tried and true productivity habits you may already be using in other areas of your life. Now let’s apply them to blogging!

1. Build the blogging habit – Try pairing blogging with something you already do on a regular basis, such as your weekly invoicing time.
2. Jog your memory – Until blogging becomes a habit, set up physical and electronic reminders for yourself.
3. Catch your ideas – Be sure you always have easy access to a notebook, smartphone application or computer file where you can quickly jot down and store ideas for future blog posts. That will give you a jump start on your next post.
4. Convince yourself – Always stay mindful of your end goal and how blogging is going to get you there. Even if you’re not sure how this blogging thing is going to work for you and your business, be 100% committed to the experiment for at least six months.
5. Make a list and check it twice – Break down the blogging process into a system so you can approach each step separately. A written log of your progress can help with both encouragement and organization.
6. Use your time and energy wisely – Consider which part of the day is most effective for you to work on your blog. If blogging is something you’ve been avoiding or procrastinating on, try to “eat that frog” at the beginning of your day.
7. Buddy up – Find another business owner who is using blogging as a marketing strategy. Share your goals and support each other to achieve them. You can also share each other’s blog posts via social media.
8. Choose a mentor or model – Find a blog that accomplishes what you’d like to do with your own blog. Whether it’s someone you know or just admire from afar, watch how they use this tool and learn from that.
9. Reward system – Build in rewards for every step of the process – from creating a list of future blog topic ideas to sketching out blog post outlines to finishing and publishing a completed post. Your reward could be as simple as calling a friend, treating yourself to a hot drink or getting out for a nature walk.
10. Get into action – Use a structured event like a blog writing action day or blogathon to spark some momentum for your writing project. You can even create your own blogging retreat.