We all make excuses every single day, to others as well as to ourselves. There was a time when I would make excuses for everything and blame anyone or anything in the process. Now, I have realized that deep down inside, it was only me finding a reason not to carry out a task, even if it was something I had a passion for. Writing!
Why do we make excuses? I have always loved writing, but why didn’t I start writing in my teens? I would always tell myself that I didn’t know what to write about. If I think about it, I could’ve written reviews on the books I was reading at the time. I would tell myself that everything else was more important in my life than writing, but I could’ve written a few more poems because I do have a flare for it. While I was pregnant, I could have written a book because I had all the time in the world, a working laptop and a very comfortable nine months but I chose to sit and watch television shows every evening from 5pm onwards.
After a while, I realized that I wasted a lot of time with the excuses. And, if I wanted to follow my passion, I had to stop making excuses and use my time efficiently, instead of justifying why I couldn’t do something. For example, my blog is around 5 years old and I understood why my website’s (Blogaberry) DA went down this year. Yes, there was the pandemic and the children were at home all day, but I am sure I could’ve made time to write for at least an hour every day, now couldn’t I?
So, in order to push myself to write, and increase my page views, I made a conscious effort to do the following:
CHOSE MY WORK SPACE: I noticed that because I sat out in the hall so that I could keep an eye on the kids as well as write, blogging barely happened. So, I chose one of the bedrooms to sit quietly and do my work. I placed a table and a comfortable back rest in order to avoid any aches and pains at the end of the day. Sometimes, body aches tend to become subconscious excuses to avoid working.
IDENTIFIED MY QUIET TIME: However disciplined your kids are outside the house, they are howler monkeys inside their den. I realized I was spending one full day to write one blog because I tried to re-read each line around 20 times as I was unable to concentrate. So, I chose my writing time to be during the day with my door shut and the kids out or while they are asleep. Now, I take only a couple of hours to write one post.
ACCEPTED GOOD GUEST POSTS: Guest posting was never thought of as an option before this month. So, I recently began hunting for people who needed a platform to showcase their work and did not have the time or resource to handle a whole website. When they share their work, it helps my website to reach a wider audience.
RESTARTED MY MAILING LIST: I have had a mailing list, with a mixed audience, for a long time now but I’ve barely used it. Now, I try to send an email every week or twice a month so that I do not flood inboxes. I want my audience to read what I write, not ignore the posts and trash them (though many may be doing so). Also, updating your mailing lists every 6 months is a good practice.
REGULARLY POSTED MY LINKS IN WHATSAPP GROUPS & BLOG PODS: There are several ways to get your blog out to family, friends and acquaintances. But, if you are part of WhatsApp groups, it is a great place to share some your work. I also joined blog pods where we share each other’s work, thereby giving each of our websites good publicity.
REGULARLY POSTED MY LINKS IN FB GROUPS & PINTEREST: Relevant Facebook groups are also a good platform to share your blog post links. Also, always make it a point to create a pinnable image (600 x 900 pixels or 735 x 1102 pixels which are both 2:3 ratio) for your blog post so that you can easily pin it to the fitting Pinterest boards. See mine here.
PARTICIPATED IN BLOG TRAINS & CHALLENGES: Blog trains help in interlinking your work with other bloggers and thereby giving your website a better exposure. Check out the 5 main reasons you SHOULD link out to other websites. Blog challenges, on the other hand, are meant to let you overcome the excuses you find not to blog. Here, you would have to publish a particular amount of posts during a given time and also read a fixed number of blogs allotted to you. One of those challenges are Blogchatter’s #MyFriendAlexa where you will be writing and reading more than you did in the past few months.
ORGANIZED MY WORK: As it is almost impossible to do all of the above in a single day, it helps if you organize your work and allot different days for each task mentioned above. While I prefer sending out emails on Fridays, I save Saturdays or Mondays for sharing on social media. I have a list of the various FB groups I post in, categorized by their permissions and rules. This gives me a perspective of where I can and cannot post on a specific day.
Pin it like it’s hot!
I am honestly hoping that this also helps some of the other bloggers and writers, who are making excuses to put off writing for another day. While making excuses is pretty easy, taking up challenges and organizing myself gives me a different kind of rush because writing has always been my mojo. I am at peace while I write; a calmness that cannot be explained.
If writing is your mojo too, I hope the above pointers help you in taking your website to greater heights from today! All the best!
Right now, I am taking my blog to the next level with Blogchatter’s #MyFriendAlexa. Keep reading, commenting and sharing the love.
Cindy D'Silva, besides being a mother of two angels, is a belly dancer, writer and photographer. She loves partying, bowling and eating sushi. There is a detailed biography about her on the ABOUT ME page in case you would like to know more. :)
You can like and follow her Facebook page to get all updates on the latest blogs and more: https://www.facebook.com/blogaberry/
My time during lockdown was a mess. I messed up everything and that pushed me to depression, but yeah I knew it wouldn’t help so I stood up for myself. And yes every single word in your post is very correct!
You write so well Cindy and all your blog posts make so much sense.
I love reading your blog posts. This post is something that I really needed today 👍🙏
This pandemic has been hard on everyone especially for the medicos (as I can speak for myself) My blog has suffered the worst this year and I have been blogging for the past 7 years. Your post is a great motivation.
I have always loved your straight forwarded ness Cindy! This year my blog too has really suffered a lot. I am not making excuses but caring for a joint family
Single handedly full time is no joke.
While I finish urgent matters at hand immediately, I am also the queen of procrastination with all excuses in place. I delay work whc is not si urgent till the time it becomes super urgent n I am in a rush…. my husband also tells me off for the same.
When you’re self-driven and motivated, no excuse can come in your way of success. Your approach is a hundred percent accurate and I’m pretty sure you’ll see some awesome results and achievements in your blogging journey. Wish you all the best!
Sometimes all this is only the talk happening inside.you have expressed it so well and even created such a good list of pointers to do. I am going to use it for next month hop to keep myself prepared organised and ready
These are all excellent tips for people who are feeling in a bit of a rut! To be honest I have reduced the amount I write on my blog, but I have begun to concentrate on quality over quantity.
Being a new blogger, I always thought sharing links in relevant fb groups is also considered as spamming. Now after reading your blog I got to know few tricks, that I can use and grow as a blogger.
If there is a firm belief one can achieve any milestone and this holds good when we stick to it and stop giving excuses. You have put a strong point that is really inspirational.
cindy your content always inspire me. yes you are right. during the lockdown ..life is certainly upside down and kind of unorganized. but thanks for sharing insights to make it more organized
You have mentioned quite a few points for not making excuses. Kids are money’s inside our hoise. Totally agree with you. Where there is a will their is a way and not excuse. Such a wonderful post.
There is a reason why so many people belive in yiur work and follow your advice and guidance. The pointers raised are so important and we all need to find that focus and grip to better tomorrow
I think at some point or the other, laziness does hit each on us. For instance, I’m the one who’s lazy to share links in WhatsApp groups. I simply can’t do it. However, need to get moving, can’t just sit and wait for things to happen like you mentioned here..
You are right on all counts. As I was reading each point I realized I was nodding my head along. I make excuses, I waste time on mindless things…everything except write. I need to do and change something…and I will try and follow all points that you have listed. I am sure its going to help.
A very helpful post. You have captured everything. All that it takes not just to share your thoughts but also how to best utilize different mediums to get to your audience.
honestly I so rely on second last point to push me to post things.. even if I feel strongly for some topic but worldly commitments keep me busy.. see I am making an excuse here but yes I will try to implement your tactics from now on.
oh my ! you are definitely well organised now 🙂 i definitely struggle to juggle everything on my plate and it doesnt help that everything takes much more time than i am able to allot to a task! urgh! you are right, i need to take a closer look at my excuses!!!
Excuses can push us towards the road of Toxic Productivity. It is something that can have a long lasting effect on the way we work professionally and personally. I really liked reading your take on this.
Well said ! We can’t keep cribbing about things not happening for us when we ourselves are making excuses. A get going attitude is the first things towards getting things done.
It often happens that we are not prioritising our tasks and that leads the important one take a back seat. Liked all the Motivational points to keep the pace going in life for our desired activities.
I think you and me are inthe same boat. I also think why didn’t i start writing early. And i do cauncious efforts on my blog as well. It is such a relatable post.
Great pointers Cindy and luckily I am following all of these. I agree it is easy to make excuses but if we want to achieve something seriously in our life, we have to work hard with consistent routine. whatsapp groups and blog trains are great and I also had a great experience with these.
Excuses are so easy to hide behind but come to think of it, they’re our biggest enemy. To get a blog going there’s a lot one can do. Some good tips here!
So true! I kept telling myself until July-Aug…well there is a pandemic so realistically I cannot expect the same level of productivity. But one has to get hold of the situation and work around it as you have written. This post has some great pointers to motivate my lazy self to chip in more!
This motivational post erases all the excuses that I usually lay down for myself. I recently shifted my study table to a quieter corner of the house and I can see that it has made a huge difference already. I intend to participate more in blog trains and accept guest posts too.
The other day someone said, I want to start a YT channel – just like you blog as a hobby, I want to have a YT channel as one. He made me feel like I was a homemaker who had started a blog and had nothing to do. I hope that a day arrives when friends and family realise the amount of self-motivation it takes for one to continue to write and maintain a blog. I am glad that you chose to write a post on making us get off our butt and write – I could totally relate to most of the points in your post. Thank you for sharing this, I finally feel that we are all together in this journey.
This is so insightful . This will help me get more organised regarding my writing part . I really liked that we can pin our blog .I really need to work on that area .
Good pointers, which all can easily follow to give a push to writing.
We always find excuses to not finish a task but what’s important is to push and get back to work.
Thanks for sharing these pointers. I need to be more regular with mailing lists and posting on FB groups and Pinterest.
Wow.. Amazing and very informative post Cindy.. Got to know too many things from your post. This is very useful post for new bloggers like me. Thanks for sharing.
A mailing list is one thing I know would work for building a personal connection with my audience but I am going lazy on it. It’s all in my head but I just have to start. I know unless we as bloggers don’t stop making excuses, we will be able to start it.
Thank you for this post. It is a good kick in the butt.
really valid points, I havent yet explored the guest posts part and slowly with my participation focusing on readership.
Need to get more regular with posting and being as detailed as possible..
If someone thinks serious blogging is easy, they should read this. Its really more than a full time job, if you are serious. I hope you see good results from your efforts. Good luck.
I like your way of putting it bluntly across Cindy! You call a spade a spade and not a pen 🙂 I am having issues with posting on FB groups.If I start posting I get blocked By Fb. Does this happen to you?
yeah thats y i have made a list of the groups that allow posting, and those that allow only in threads. the ones that dont allow are in the NO POSTING list.
Can’t agree more. I am a firm believer in the notion that our excuses are self made. With a strong will, we can make the time for what we love to do. I remember, after my second delivery, my post was within a couple of weeks and my readers were surprised to see it as they were expecting a long gap from my side. It’s all about prioritizing and managing time wisely. Everything start to fall in place.
This post is so relatable. I keep making excuses when it comes to blogging. Instead of writing, I too spend hours binge-watching shows. Your post is very motivating. Wonderfully written. Loved the helpful pointers.
Very well written post and you have touched all the relevant points. At times we have to make efforts and push ourselves and the results only make us happy.
That’s such an inspiring post. We have this inherent tendency to make excuses until inevitable.
Good you finally decide to write or else how would we get to read this !
Absolutely right. Making excuses is the easy way out. It’s always easy to blame but it is always possible to make time to do things you love. Your pointers are very useful. We need to have a quite working space to write.
Some really wonderful pointers to get going. For me procrastination plays the biggest hurdle. Still trying to overcome it. Nice post. Keep the good work going.
I didn’t know about the term blog train. I didn’t know I was participating in one until you pointed out. I need this post as I’m not a regular blogger. I’ve saved it.
It’s me !!! Juggling to get time to write more due to my younger one. Very helpful tips for organizing and bringi discipline in the blogging activity, well said excuses will always be there, once you understand the situation and plan the things accrdingly nothing can stop you!
So true, Cindy. It happens with me too, there are some days when I feel energetic and stick to my writing routine but then there are other days when I make excuses to avoid doing what I actually like. I am not sure what are my reasons for that but the pointers which you have shared are a great way to keep on track.
THis pandemic has made me fuzzy in the head. My thoughts, feelings and actions don’t seem to match at all. Reading your article is making me think I need to get a hold of myself.
97 Comments
My time during lockdown was a mess. I messed up everything and that pushed me to depression, but yeah I knew it wouldn’t help so I stood up for myself. And yes every single word in your post is very correct!
Thanks, Monidipa!
I really didn’t understand the benefits and reasons behind guest posts. It will definitely help me grow as a blogger too. Thanks Cindy.
They write for you and share it with their audience thereby giving your blog some extra exposure.
You write so well Cindy and all your blog posts make so much sense.
I love reading your blog posts. This post is something that I really needed today 👍🙏
Glad to be of help, Annie dear.
These are some important points when you wanna establish yourself as a blogger. Laziness do hit me sometime but i will keep these things in mind
This pandemic has been hard on everyone especially for the medicos (as I can speak for myself) My blog has suffered the worst this year and I have been blogging for the past 7 years. Your post is a great motivation.
I have always loved your straight forwarded ness Cindy! This year my blog too has really suffered a lot. I am not making excuses but caring for a joint family
Single handedly full time is no joke.
oh! God bless you and give you strength!
While I finish urgent matters at hand immediately, I am also the queen of procrastination with all excuses in place. I delay work whc is not si urgent till the time it becomes super urgent n I am in a rush…. my husband also tells me off for the same.
When you’re self-driven and motivated, no excuse can come in your way of success. Your approach is a hundred percent accurate and I’m pretty sure you’ll see some awesome results and achievements in your blogging journey. Wish you all the best!
Thank you, Rahul.
Sometimes all this is only the talk happening inside.you have expressed it so well and even created such a good list of pointers to do. I am going to use it for next month hop to keep myself prepared organised and ready
Haha! I’m excited too!
These are all excellent tips for people who are feeling in a bit of a rut! To be honest I have reduced the amount I write on my blog, but I have begun to concentrate on quality over quantity.
Yeah, I guess we get wiser with experience!
Being a new blogger, I always thought sharing links in relevant fb groups is also considered as spamming. Now after reading your blog I got to know few tricks, that I can use and grow as a blogger.
Glad to be of help to you, Yogesh!
This post is inspiring to all of us. Very well written post and you mentioned even each and every point. Keep posting such amazing articles.
If there is a firm belief one can achieve any milestone and this holds good when we stick to it and stop giving excuses. You have put a strong point that is really inspirational.
cindy your content always inspire me. yes you are right. during the lockdown ..life is certainly upside down and kind of unorganized. but thanks for sharing insights to make it more organized
You have mentioned quite a few points for not making excuses. Kids are money’s inside our hoise. Totally agree with you. Where there is a will their is a way and not excuse. Such a wonderful post.
There is a reason why so many people belive in yiur work and follow your advice and guidance. The pointers raised are so important and we all need to find that focus and grip to better tomorrow
Blogging Is not easy.it required time ,dedication and hard work .even I am trying my best using your points for blogging.
That was so helpful.
Especially for newbies like us.
I’m also like a newbie only. Though my blog is 5 years old, I’ve barely written how much i should have.
I think at some point or the other, laziness does hit each on us. For instance, I’m the one who’s lazy to share links in WhatsApp groups. I simply can’t do it. However, need to get moving, can’t just sit and wait for things to happen like you mentioned here..
You are right on all counts. As I was reading each point I realized I was nodding my head along. I make excuses, I waste time on mindless things…everything except write. I need to do and change something…and I will try and follow all points that you have listed. I am sure its going to help.
Yes it surely will. All the best!
A very helpful post. You have captured everything. All that it takes not just to share your thoughts but also how to best utilize different mediums to get to your audience.
These points are so much important when you wanna establish yourself as a blogger. And one more thing is time management.
You are absolutely right . It is very easy to excuse but we should need a kick to listen the inner words . Very much motivating dear .
honestly I so rely on second last point to push me to post things.. even if I feel strongly for some topic but worldly commitments keep me busy.. see I am making an excuse here but yes I will try to implement your tactics from now on.
Awesome Judy!
oh my ! you are definitely well organised now 🙂 i definitely struggle to juggle everything on my plate and it doesnt help that everything takes much more time than i am able to allot to a task! urgh! you are right, i need to take a closer look at my excuses!!!
Excuses can push us towards the road of Toxic Productivity. It is something that can have a long lasting effect on the way we work professionally and personally. I really liked reading your take on this.
Thank you dear!
Giving excuses is easy and deprioritize our work is simple. My time table for writing has gone haywire with everything at home and joint family.
Well said ! We can’t keep cribbing about things not happening for us when we ourselves are making excuses. A get going attitude is the first things towards getting things done.
It often happens that we are not prioritising our tasks and that leads the important one take a back seat. Liked all the Motivational points to keep the pace going in life for our desired activities.
Its easy to.make excuses but its time to listen to.inner self and get ready to work…
I think you and me are inthe same boat. I also think why didn’t i start writing early. And i do cauncious efforts on my blog as well. It is such a relatable post.
This post is very motivating, Cindy. Like literally kicking butt. Time to roll up sleeves.
Hahaha, hope it’s motivating you to improve too!
Great pointers Cindy and luckily I am following all of these. I agree it is easy to make excuses but if we want to achieve something seriously in our life, we have to work hard with consistent routine. whatsapp groups and blog trains are great and I also had a great experience with these.
Excuses are so easy to hide behind but come to think of it, they’re our biggest enemy. To get a blog going there’s a lot one can do. Some good tips here!
So true! I kept telling myself until July-Aug…well there is a pandemic so realistically I cannot expect the same level of productivity. But one has to get hold of the situation and work around it as you have written. This post has some great pointers to motivate my lazy self to chip in more!
This motivational post erases all the excuses that I usually lay down for myself. I recently shifted my study table to a quieter corner of the house and I can see that it has made a huge difference already. I intend to participate more in blog trains and accept guest posts too.
The other day someone said, I want to start a YT channel – just like you blog as a hobby, I want to have a YT channel as one. He made me feel like I was a homemaker who had started a blog and had nothing to do. I hope that a day arrives when friends and family realise the amount of self-motivation it takes for one to continue to write and maintain a blog. I am glad that you chose to write a post on making us get off our butt and write – I could totally relate to most of the points in your post. Thank you for sharing this, I finally feel that we are all together in this journey.
Yes, i totally get that too! People thinking writing is so easy! So I tell them, ok start! Hehehe
Really useful. I need to look up blog trains now. It is a new concept for me
Really? We may have one for the month of November if you’re interested. Email me!
Some great pointers there. Procrastination is a sin, really.
There is a certain comfort you find in making excuses. It’s valid in the head, but deep down in the heart, you know that it’s not!
Your tips are fab Cindy and I am so glad you are on the right track.
You are one of my inspirations!!!! 5 books is no joke!!
these are some great pointers and i’m going to follow your advice too. All excuses are our way of not doing the work.
Very well said.. We need to push our limits and stop making excuses to achieve what we want
This is so insightful . This will help me get more organised regarding my writing part . I really liked that we can pin our blog .I really need to work on that area .
yeah make a personal and then convert to free business account in pinterest. it helps to keep all your blogs visible in one place…
Good pointers, which all can easily follow to give a push to writing.
We always find excuses to not finish a task but what’s important is to push and get back to work.
Thanks for sharing these pointers. I need to be more regular with mailing lists and posting on FB groups and Pinterest.
Really consistency helps and your tips and things you did will help do well in blogging.
Wow.. Amazing and very informative post Cindy.. Got to know too many things from your post. This is very useful post for new bloggers like me. Thanks for sharing.
A mailing list is one thing I know would work for building a personal connection with my audience but I am going lazy on it. It’s all in my head but I just have to start. I know unless we as bloggers don’t stop making excuses, we will be able to start it.
Thank you for this post. It is a good kick in the butt.
Beautifully written post. And it is motivation for all.of us bloggers. Kudos and a happy Alexa month to you
really valid points, I havent yet explored the guest posts part and slowly with my participation focusing on readership.
Need to get more regular with posting and being as detailed as possible..
If someone thinks serious blogging is easy, they should read this. Its really more than a full time job, if you are serious. I hope you see good results from your efforts. Good luck.
Great tips. I love the title. Excuses are the “comfort places”. You just need to get off your butt and get moving.
stopping self from excuses is half job done, Good to know that you are taking steps to improve your blog. All the best
I like your way of putting it bluntly across Cindy! You call a spade a spade and not a pen 🙂 I am having issues with posting on FB groups.If I start posting I get blocked By Fb. Does this happen to you?
yeah thats y i have made a list of the groups that allow posting, and those that allow only in threads. the ones that dont allow are in the NO POSTING list.
This is so true. We make excuses all the time. You have listed some great tips that would motivate other bloggers. Thanks for sharing them.
Can’t agree more. I am a firm believer in the notion that our excuses are self made. With a strong will, we can make the time for what we love to do. I remember, after my second delivery, my post was within a couple of weeks and my readers were surprised to see it as they were expecting a long gap from my side. It’s all about prioritizing and managing time wisely. Everything start to fall in place.
This post was required for all of us who keep making excuses to something or the other.. you gave some push elements and reality check.. kudoss…
This post is so relatable. I keep making excuses when it comes to blogging. Instead of writing, I too spend hours binge-watching shows. Your post is very motivating. Wonderfully written. Loved the helpful pointers.
It indeed is a challenge to start writing but is easy to make excuses that we will write tomorrow. Loved all points but most of all the title!
Seems you have ot all in control, kudos
Very well written post and you have touched all the relevant points. At times we have to make efforts and push ourselves and the results only make us happy.
This post has inspired me to shrug off all my excuses! Very motivating post, Cindy!
Thank you Mayuri!
That’s such an inspiring post. We have this inherent tendency to make excuses until inevitable.
Good you finally decide to write or else how would we get to read this !
So true! it takes a lot of effort to keep self-motivating and keep working on your goals
I truly admire your spirit to help out and share your experiences.
Absolutely right. Making excuses is the easy way out. It’s always easy to blame but it is always possible to make time to do things you love. Your pointers are very useful. We need to have a quite working space to write.
Some really wonderful pointers to get going. For me procrastination plays the biggest hurdle. Still trying to overcome it. Nice post. Keep the good work going.
#MyFriendAlexa #ContemplationOfaJoker #Jokerophilia
These are some really helpful tips to streamline those urges to make excuses, and get going to achieve what we aspire.
As a Blogger myself.. I really love all the energy you put in and how beautifully you are blogging with such relevant blogs
Haha Thanks Arti!
Good post. I keep making excuses when it comes to exercising. Your post is motivating me to stop excuses and start now.
Yes, come on you can do it!!
I didn’t know about the term blog train. I didn’t know I was participating in one until you pointed out. I need this post as I’m not a regular blogger. I’ve saved it.
Wow thanks dear!! I’m sure it will help you!!! All the best!
It’s me !!! Juggling to get time to write more due to my younger one. Very helpful tips for organizing and bringi discipline in the blogging activity, well said excuses will always be there, once you understand the situation and plan the things accrdingly nothing can stop you!
Yup!!! Make time and everything will fall in place with your help!
So true, Cindy. It happens with me too, there are some days when I feel energetic and stick to my writing routine but then there are other days when I make excuses to avoid doing what I actually like. I am not sure what are my reasons for that but the pointers which you have shared are a great way to keep on track.
THis pandemic has made me fuzzy in the head. My thoughts, feelings and actions don’t seem to match at all. Reading your article is making me think I need to get a hold of myself.