Many people wish they could be their own boss, set their own schedule, and write about topics they love through blogging. And while these are all perks of the job, the reality is that running a blog isn’t always as dreamy as you might imagine it to be.
Once you start a blog and begin making money, the clients start pouring in. You have different projects to keep track of, deadlines to meet, and research to conduct. You’ll have to stay on top of your productivity and ensure no detail is overlooked, which can become rather stressful and demanding.
If you’re feeling the pressure, don’t let your side hustle run away from you. Use these 5 strategies to get rid of blogging stress to keep your business on track.
Use Project Management Tools
The first step to reducing stress is to get organized by using project management (PM) tools. PM platforms like ClickUp allow you to put all of your work in one place, saving you the time and hassle of toggling between windows and monitoring separate dashboards. You can have your tasks, documents, time tracker, goals, and more all displayed on one easy-to-use interface, giving you a bird’s eye view of your workload at all times.
Create checklists for tasks, organized by priority and grouped together by project to monitor progress on all your accounts. You can even write directly within the PM tool before uploading to WordPress, or form knowledge bases filled with client feedback and pertinent notes so they’re always readily available—so you’ll never have to worry about forgetting an important detail.
Set Up a Content Calendar
Another way you can keep stress at bay is by setting up a content calendar for your blog. These are incredibly useful for organizing how you want to arrange your blog posts, articles, and any other form of content you plan to release.
By sorting out your objectives, you’ll be able to focus on what you want to accomplish first. Maybe that’s driving likes on your social media pages, gaining more sponsors for your blog, or picking up more affiliates to advertise.
Doing this will help you pinpoint your desired outcome, so first, ask yourself why you started a blog and how you intend on monetizing it. Some bloggers write guest posts to build their portfolio, others want to funnel their readers from editorial content to commercial products on their eCommerce site.
Define your goals, then use a content calendar to help you achieve them.
Rely on Free Resources
Your blog should be aesthetically pleasing, rich with imagery that engages readers and keeps them on-page—but you don’t need to stress yourself out trying to learn Adobe Photoshop.
There are plenty of resources you can use, free of charge, to beautify your blog. You can download up to a certain amount of stock photos per month without having to pay for a subscription, or you can use graphic design sites like Canva to customize ready-made templates with your own personal touch.
It’ll go a long way in building a recognizable brand identity that captures new audiences, while also saving you a ton of time and money required by more expensive software.
Pay for Help Where You Need It
That being said, you may need to identify your weaknesses and pay for a little help when necessary. For example, if you’re great at writing but know nothing about web design, then WordPress offers attractive themes with adjustable settings for various preferences, such as your color template.
Look for ones that have the plugins you need, like content sliders, social media connectivity, or split-testing tools. Depending on the advanced features you choose, it may cost a couple of hundred bucks but will make your site appear polished and professional—with little-to-no stress involved.
Manage Your Work/Life Balance
Lastly, it can feel pretty disorienting to work from home in your pajamas, especially as you’re just starting out. The lines between “work” and “life” can start to blur, but CBD vape juice can help your mind shut off when you’ve decided that you’ve done your job for the day.
Otherwise, you might find yourself laying in bed at night thinking about all the things you need to get done, only to wake up feeling groggy and less productive than you’d be with a full night’s rest.
Use these tips to run your blogging business stress-free and launch your career to new levels of success.