5 habits of the prolific bloggers (wish I knew these earlier)

I have been practicing these for years now, it works & extremely difficult

Photo by Alizée Baudez on Unsplash

Being a writer isn’t easy. Deciding to be one is easy though.

When I started out as a blogger in 2011, I had no one to guide me, I didn’t even realize what to look for. Everything I’d do was right for me. No formal training whatsoever.

I lacked habits. The habit of auditing, being mindful, asking for help, looking for people in my industry. I was blind for a very long time.

Who taught me? My failures. After I failed, I realized & went on to audit myself & found a chunk of bad habits.

Here are 5 habits that I wish I had developed in the early stage of my career.

#1 Editing is as important as writing

I’ve ignored this for a very long time. I would publish & never look at the post again. Lost so much of growth that way.

Nobody corrected me. I don’t expect anyone to do that, it’s my job to learn. I didn’t even know I was wrong.

Editing is the point where you validate your thoughts & give a fresh eye to the finished product. When you’re starting out, it won’t matter much. However, if you’re writing for a long & couldn’t find success, one of the reasons could be this.

Editing your writing ensures you give a second life to your work, remove unwanted words or tell the same thing in fewer words & a lot of changes ‘that can make a difference’.

The biggest hurdle in editing isn’t not knowing how to edit, it’s actually believing that you really need to edit at least once, even if you've hired an editor.

Here are some tips that I use to edit my work:

1. Begin your day by editing something you’ve already published. This set your wheels in motion. It can be randomly selected posts or edit you’ve written the previous day. I do the latter because I write almost daily for past 16–18 months.
2. Finish writing, don't publish it yet & sleep over it. Edit the post first thing in the morning. Fresh eye & mind will add a lot of value.
3. Send a draft link to a friend to know their responsenor to test if what you’ve written is what they’ve understood.
4. Don’t fully trust Grammarly. It sometimes acts weird.

#2 They call themselves writers

The thing is they understand the difference between writers & bloggers. Writers take the profession seriously, aren’t in this space money (at least not primarily), and have a ton of love even for 17 follow they’d have right now.

There’s a ton of maturity in their work, & you can see it right through the content. Bloggers on the other hand have a tendency to make money irrespective of their end-users find any value in their work or not.

Of course not bloggers think that way, but I’m wanting to put some light on the maturity level of a professional who’s been writing online for a very long time & understands the seriousness of their jobs.

#3 They read more than they write

One thing that I’ve been lacking for years now is reading good books. I have a pile of books purchased (digital & physical) but I haven’t found time to read books.

That’s my mistake. “I don’t find the time.”

Good writers not only have it a habit but also consider it a part of their job to read at least 20–30 pages per day. That’s exactly what makes a huge difference in their lives. Their day doesn’t end without reading a good book.

It’s their drug, source of knowledge & inspiration.

I have tasted the power of reading (I’m getting back to the routine) where you’re flooded just by reading a good few pages of a book.

#4 They have a system in place to capture ideas & write about it

I’ve been there. You also should’ve experienced it. You’re in the shower, and bam! a priceless idea. By the time you get back, it’s gone.

I’ve missed a million such ideas.

But not more. At least not always.

Whenever I get ideas while in the shower, I keep thinking about them & not switch to other ideas. I get back & write it down. Of course, I try to finish as soon as possible.

Throughout the day, I practice keeping an eye on my thought so that I don’t miss noticing them when I’m unarmed without a notepad.

I put everything that occurs to me on Twitter. That’s my note-taking app, plus I get engagement on those ideas.

#5 They know how to deal with writer’s block

You of all know about writer’s block.

The hollowness that comes with it.

You keep staring at the cursor, blinking! Your mind is blank. You’ll feel you can’t write anymore. You need a break.

But trust me that’s temporary. You just have to fight it. I’ve read many posts talking about taking a break & not force out of yourself, but it doesn’t work for me.

When I take mercy on myself, I end up never writing it. Sure, I take a break, but get back to my desk and start writing.

Trust me on this. Writer’s block is your enemy! Fight it like a ninja.

So there you have it. Five habits of prolific writers who’re making a dent in the universe.

I hope you enjoyed it. I’d love to hear from you about this on Twitter.