I only just remembered late last night that today marked my 4th blogging year. How crazy is that? In celebration, I thought I’d keep up the tradition of these what, when, how and why questions that I’ve been doing every year to mark the occasion. Last year it was how, with the year before that being why. So for the 4th year, in celebration of my of my 694th blog post (yikes!), I’m talking about when…
~ #1: WHEN I FEEL LIKE IT ~
The most important time to blog is when I feel like it. Honestly, there are so many times when you’ll find yourself thinking “I should probably put up a post today” but not actually feel like doing it. Blogging takes a lot of effort, especially when you’ve set your own personal standards and goals, so it’s important not to forget to just enjoy the process.
It’s easier to forget this when you’re working with brands in my opinion because you have this added pressure to get out a post for their sample or sponsored campaign as soon as possible. Try to work with brands that value your time and acknowledge the fact that you can’t always get a blog post up within 10 days of receiving an item.
To be honest with you, my favourite blog posts are ones that come from the heart and are spontaneous. They may be written at eleven o’clock at night and be filled with random words that make no sense within the context but they usually read a lot more naturally; just like you’re talking to a friend.
TOP TIP: Write when you can but if inspiration hits, write as soon as possible, because your words will flow write (I honestly accidentally wrote this, but it turns out it fits as a nice pun) from the source – your mind and your fingertips. If you feel pressured, press down on the breaks and ask yourself “Who’s keeping track of when my last post was?” because most people are just here to read, not to keep track of the date on each post heading.
~ #2: WHEN I NEED TO ~
Dioon (Vagabond)* // Wanderlust 1460 (Dr Martens)* // Violet Holographic Pascal & Virginia Leather 1B99 (Dr Martens @ Mastershoe-MyShu)*
Although I said that it’s best to work with brands who acknowledge your time, sometimes you actually have to work to a deadline due to certain terms in the campaign. As a fashion blogger, I mainly get asked if I can post a sample feature within a certain amount of weeks, but sometimes it’s a little tighter than that, so blog posts need to go up at certain times.
Technically, it’s all part of the business side of blogging. When you feature an item or site on your blog, you’re becoming a virtual billboard for brands and companies, big and small. Some brands will need features to go up within a certain month due to seasons and trends changing, or due to the fact that their product has limited stock. They are all big factors to take in to consideration, so if they haven’t given you a time to get things published by, make sure to ask!
TOP TIP: Even if you don’t think there would be a deadline, ask just in case. The worst thing is being chased up by a brand multiple times a week (or even day!) asking for the link to the post they’ve been waiting for. Get things written up, send them drafts and keep them up to date with frequent, friendly emails.
~ #3: WHEN I CAN ~
Now, now, now… there’s a big difference between when you feel like it and when you can, because unfortunately, not all of us can be working on our blogs 24/7 (unless you’re actually a full-time blogger… in which case, good on you!) and not all of us can keep our blogs as our main priority.
If you feel pressure to post when you just physically can’t, then take a break and refresh yourself. When blogging becomes a chore when you simply want it to be just a hobby, it takes all the fun out of it and you start to forget why you blog. Hit the refresh button and reevaluate. Nobody’s going to point out the fact you haven’t blogged in a while, so take a breather. If you can’t, you can’t.
TOP TIP: When blogging becomes a task, switch off for a while and think about why you’re really doing it. If it turns out that you’re forcing it and you’d rather stop for now… then that’s okay! If you realise that you’re just in an inspirational rut, that’s also okay. Relax, people!
~ #4: IN THE MORNING ~
I actually tend to write most of my blog posts at night time (just due to the fact that I do other things in the day so I don’t have time) but I actually really recommend writing blog posts earlier on in the day before you start getting influenced by new ideas. It’s especially great if you think of something to write about the day before but can’t get to your laptop straight away… you can just crack on when you’ve finished checking your emails etc.
It also leaves your evenings for just relaxing and doing whatever you want (which can of course include blogging). Also, for photography reasons, lighting is always better in the mornings throughout every season, so the earlier you get up, the more time you have to snap away! That’s if you don’t have soft-boxes of course… they are life savers in the winter!
TOP TIP: To maintain your focus, install a browser extension like Timewarp that keeps timers on tabs and certain websites to stop you from getting distracted for too long. This is great for any form of computer work really… so is f.lux, which is a piece of software that adjusts your laptop screen to the light outside. My eyes have never felt so good sitting at my computer for extended amounts of time!
Thank you so much for all the support these past four years! It’s been a load of fun and I’ve gained so many opportunities all thanks to you guys! *group hug*
