The other day, I was asked how I have time to blog as much as I do.
As I thought about it, I really couldn’t imagine not blogging at this point.
Blogging has become a part of my daily life.
And in fact, it has made me more productive in everything that I do.
What I Have Learned From Blogging
When I first started blogging, it was a chore.
It was tough. It was hard. It took a lot of time.
I spent many hours trying to figure out topics to write about.
And then even more time messing with tools to implement my blog.
However, you get better at what you practice.
Soon, I was hitting my stride.
As I progressed in my blogging, I began to realize that it wasn’t just a hobby…
but rather a path to better organization, productivity and new skills.
I was learning things about myself and about new technologies that began benefitting me in other areas of my life.
The Benefits of Blogging
Blogging for the past several years has brought me many benefits both personally and professionally.
My online journey and growth has taught me many things.
About myself. About the power of an online platform. And even about getting work done and project management.
Here are 10 Ways That Blogging Has Made Me More Productive:
- Clarifies My Thoughts – Blogging has helped me clarify my thinking. It is a great way to get thoughts “out of your head.” Instead of keeping all of those ideas locked up, let them out. Many of my best ideas first saw the light of day on my blog and then developed into even bigger concepts.
- Drives My Passion – Blogging can be an outlet for your passion. Mine is time management. People ask how I think of so many posts on the same subject. Actually, the secret is that I am always thinking about it. Maybe yours is gardening or cars or whatever. Blogging can stoke that passion into a true fire that drives you.
- Provides a Hobby – Blogging is a great hobby. You cannot work 100% of the time. For me, blogging started as side hobby and now has developed into something so much more. But, it can be a great side diversion to relieve the grind of the day-to-day.
- Project Management & Workflow - Blogging can appear simple, but there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes. There is a lot of process, structure, tools, and more that go into running a successful blog. I have learned much by having to develop the workflows that run TMN. This has benefitted me in my other business endeavors. You start to look for process and efficiency in everything you encounter.
- Established Me as an Online Expert – This is not meant to be bragging. I am a big believer that those who are building their online platform today, will benefit greatly in the future. Blogging has established my personal brand online. Don’t underestimate the potential here. I now have access to people and things that I would not have otherwise. When people Google you, what do they find? A LinkedIn profile?
- Set Time Limits and Boundaries – While blogging can be a hobby (see above), I also warn those starting out that it can also be another job. It is an additional area of responsibility in your life that you have to manage. However, the positive is that you learn to put time limits and boundaries on your work. This has helped me balance working and enjoying personal time with my family.
- Improved Writing – I was not a writer when I started my blog. And I am still not a writer. (You can find some examples of that in this post…) However, blogging has taught me how to quickly put down an idea into words. You would be amazed how many individuals lack this skill in today’s business world. This one skill has helped me tremendously in my job.
- Built a Great Network of People - I used to be proud of my business network and thought I had many contacts in my address book. However, that has been dwarfed by the network that has been created by my blogging efforts. I am now connected to a great network of individuals all around the globe. This has benefitted me in small ways (answers to questions) and in big ways (access to opportunities).
- Improved Idea Capturing - Blogging requires you to capture those fleeting ideas and concepts and turn them into lucid thoughts. Blogging has made me much more aware of those passing ideas and better at capturing them for later use.
- New Technology Skills – WordPress. Social Media. Video and photo editing. These are just a few of the many new technology skills that I would not have if not for my blogging. The technology world is developing at a blinding pace. I am a big believer that it is more important than ever for individuals (and companies) to always be learning new skills.
Blog Your Way to New Productivity
Blogging has made me more productive in many ways.
It has benefitted me both professionally and personally.
If you have been thinking about starting your blog, I highly recommend it.
You will learn things about yourself. You will learn new skills.
And you will even learn new ways of being productive.
Question: Has blogging made you more productive? If you have been thinking of starting a blog, what is stopping you?
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.