real blogging tips

If you have been blogging or internet marketing any amount of time then you know how easy it is to fall into a rut. You also know how hard it is to break out of this once you establish a set pattern of behavior. I am to guilty of this as well, but you know what their is hope.  That hope is simple by setting realistic goals for whatever endeavor it may be that you are undertaking. Originally I was focused on what most would consider endgame goals mostly analytic scores etc. These days I am focused on writing creative and honest content that everyone can use no matter the stage of their own project.

All this being said you first have to know what it is or where it is you want to go with your blog or whatever project it may be you are working on at the moment. Some will tell you to aim high, others will tell you to stay grounded. Not to be cliche but I really try to aim for my goals to be just out of reach. If you do this a kind of twist on either of the previously mentioned you will have a reasonable goal that you will most definately have to work very hard at to achieve. Now that we know about where we should be setting our goals lets look at some tips for motivating you and assisting you through the rigors of success.

1.) Make sure your choosing your goals wisely - Examine the “why” behind the reasoning on your first choice and then try to come up with a few follow up goals. This is two fold essentially because if you meet your first goal easily you will need a follow up goal or goals to sweeten the deal. While most of us set simple and obtainable goals I also notice that the majority of us fall short of our original visions of whatever project we may be working on.

2.) Create a plan - The next step towards success and completion of your interim goals is simply putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. Write it out or type whichever is easiest and get your plan down. Once you get past this stage you will have something otherwise not tangible except in your dreams. If you are able to hold your goal so to speak you may feel it much easier to make commentation for future reference or just plain check it off and feel dam good about it.

3.) Prioritize – Some Goals are going to take precedence over others. For example if you have a goal of 100 rss subs, but are not writing your content on a regular basis you should probably focus on the biggest limiting factors to your overall success. By doing this you make any goal you can come up with achievable and this is what is most important. If you hijack yourself by creating goals that are not achievable then you will be doomed to failure. Examine closely what will effect your overall goal and make short term goals to make it easier to complete the larger ones.

4.) Set Dead Lines - As if this wasn’t obviously the next point to be made having goals is great and so is prioritizing them and writing them down to make them real, but without a deadline you are not doing more than playing games with yourself. When setting your deadline make sure to leave room to realistically complete the project , but at the same time do not make it so long that it diminishes the goal and its completion. Given enough time even the sun will burn out. Be tough on your self but also be realistic.

5.) Reward Yourself – When you complete your goals make sure to reward yourself, in this case as far as your blog goes commemorate the tipping of the scales to your favor by rewarding your readers. For me this may be Entre Credits, a T-Shirt, An ebook, or cash. Most importantly reward yourself. Positively reinforce the whole experience so that you are already setting yourself up to succeed in the future.

6.) Stay Flexible – Every goal will not be easy and surely along the way you will be thrown a curve ball or two. Roll with the punches and be flexible. Realistically you may not complete each goal due to extenuating circumstances. For instance I had a fellow blogger who was put out of business during a host swap due to some unforeseen consequences. Plan ahead to allow time for these and be ready with a bounce back plan. Spinning things for the best often works to your own advantage as it did for my friend.

7.) Support and Accountability – My old football coach always made sure to tell us that we would smell like what we hung around with. In short if you surround yourself with successful people you will have a higher chance of success yourself as these people will have positive encouragement for you whenever needed. Whereas the other option will do nothing for you and probably not help you to gain on your goals what-so-ever. Be accountable for your goals and make them known. If the people around you know you are reaching to grow they will be more likely to help you out especially when the chips are stacked against you.

These are the steps and processes that I use for everything when I am goal setting. I try to set goals that are short term, and long term and have one working for the other. Once you get into the routine you will see yourself slowly gaining measurable success. Once you get the boxcar moving even as heavy as it is it will start to fly down the track until you are the runaway train of success.

I am curious to see if others are using a better method or a different approach to the same end game. While long term goals are easy to chip away at your short term will cause more stress as the day to day grind of life will take its toll for certain on your presumized plans.