Perhaps you want to start a blog, or maybe you’ve already commenced your blogging journey, but feel a bit overwhelmed, right? And by “a bit,” I mean a lot.

And rightfully so.

There’s so much that goes into blogging. So much to learn and so much to do. It’s insane, right? There’s no wonder that the beginner blogger overwhelm is so common.

• You’re trying to make sense of SEO
• You’re trying to figure out social media algorithms
• You’re trying to decide what your core message is
• You’re trying to come up with ideas for blog posts your target readers want to
• At the same time, they need to have a high search volume and low competition
• You’re trying to collect email addresses
• You’re trying to figure out why the hell is your website slow, and no matter what you do, it’s still not loading as fast as you want it
• And then, when you’re trying to make sense of all of it, there’s Google Search Console notifying you that there’s a problem with the mobile-friendliness of your website. So, you do some Googling and find out that the solution is to add a code to your website’s core.

And then, there’s your target audience. Who are they? Where do I find them?

You should also be networking with other bloggers. But how on Earth are you supposed to focus on growing your blog, producing the best quality content your target audience wants to read, keeping everything SEO-friendly on your website, and stay sane?!

And now you’ve read this list, are even more anxious and overwhelmed, and want to click away.

Hang on a second!

What I’m trying to say is that I get it. I’ve been there. Every single blogger out there has been there.

Let me guess…

• You’re reading all the articles on blogging out there, and consequently, you’re dealing with a bad case of information overload.
• You’re unhappy with everything you create.
• You’re feeling like a fraud among all the bloggers who seem to have everything figured out.
• You don’t know what to focus on first.
• As a result of your overwhelm, you’re feeling discouraged.

Well, my dear, you’re showing the symptoms of the beginner blogger overwhelm.

And you know what?

It’s a good thing!

Since you’re overwhelmed, it tells me that you’re taking this blogging thing seriously. It tells me that your blog is important to you and that you’re eager to make it your full-time job.

You’re probably working hard on your blog, and you want to know as much about blogging as you possibly can. You just have to learn how to make an order in your head, so you don’t go crazy.

HOW TO BEAT THE BEGINNER BLOGGER OVERWHELM?

Step 1: Take a deep breath

Seriously, take a few deep breaths right now.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

If you can, lie down and completely relax your body. Sprawl in your chair, sofa, wherever you are.

If you’re in public, just lie back and let your body’s weight fall off you.

Better?

No?

Read on!

Step 2: Figure out why you are overwhelmed

One of the best things to do when beating the blogger overwhelm is to identify why you’re feeling overwhelmed in the first place.

1. Is it because you’re consuming too much information? You see, every article tells you something different based on the author’s opinions and experience.
2. Are you overwhelmed because you want to succeed as a blogger as soon as possible? There’s nothing wrong with that. All of us do. But you’ll need a bit more patience. Blogging isn’t a get rich quick scheme.
3. Are you overwhelmed because you’re a perfectionist? Because you want everything, you create as perfect as it can be? It doesn’t have to be perfect! Just put it out and adjust it later. Every single blog post can be re-edited. And a little secret: No one knows what the end goal should look like besides you.
4. Are you overwhelmed with all the steps you need to take? Well, in that case…

Step 3: Write it all down

Grab a pen and paper and write down everything that has to be done and everything you have to learn.

Doing this will help you clear your head. It’s much more digestible seeing your thoughts on a piece of paper than cluttering your mind.

Seriously, it’s almost like magic. I do this every time I’m feeling overwhelmed, and it always helps.

TAKE ACTION: Write down everything that’s been on your mind. What you need to do, thoughts that have been holding you back, worries, etc.

Step 4: Write a detailed to-do list

Now that you’ve written down everything that needs to be done write a detailed to-do list.

Divide it into sections. You can go by content, by everything that needs to be done on the website, by social media channels, etc.

If you’re a new blogger, I suggest you don’t do more than one or two big tasks a day.

I suppose you have a job, are going to school, or just have other commitments that prevent you from working on your blog full-time.

And, since you’re just getting started, you don’t know how much time you’re going to spend on a task. Remember that things might take longer to accomplish than you think, especially at the beginning.

TAKE ACTION: Write a to-do list of everything you need to accomplish and learn. To each point, write a few sub-points AKA the smaller steps that need to be done to finish the task.
For example:
Write a blog post -> come up with a headline, write an outline, find relevant sources, write the article, write an intro and a conclusion, add images, etc.

Step 5: Don’t try to do all of it at once

Now, carrying with the previous step, don’t start working on all of it at once.

Start a task, finish it, and then move on to another one. You have to take it step by step.

If you’re overwhelmed when starting a blog, you might find that you just don’t know what to focus on first.

When it comes to promoting your blog, don’t try to master all social media channels at once. I’m not saying you can’t be on everything eventually. But focus on one social channel at a time, and when you’ve mastered it, move on to the next one.

Blogging requires you to be learning all the time. Algorithms change. When you’ve finally mastered the last one, a new algorithm is released. And when an algorithm changes, the strategies change as well.

Instead of trying to do everything at once, focus on the most important tasks. You can mark the tasks on your to-do list based on priority.

What’s the most critical task at the moment? Start working on this particular task first.

If you haven’t started your blog yet and are overwhelmed with everything you need to do before you start blogging, I have a guide that walks you through starting a blog step-by-step.

TAKE ACTION: Start a task and don’t begin working on another until you’ve finished the first one.

Step 6: Let go of perfection

It doesn’t have to be perfect, especially in the beginning.

It’s easy to see the established blogs, what they’ve created, and wanting to recreate that. No one’s blog was perfect at the beginning. It takes time.

When I started Blogology, I was obsessed with getting the blog as perfect as it could be to the point where I kept pushing the launch date because I still wasn’t happy with what I’ve built.

As a creator, you probably are obsessed with perfection. But let me break it to you: you’ll never be entirely happy with whatever you put out. And that’s completely normal.

But you know what? Your audience doesn’t care about the details of your work. I’ve never come to a blog thinking: “Hmm, I don’t like the H2 tags. Just three more pixels, and they’d be perfect.”

It genuinely doesn’t have to be perfect. Trust the process.

As a creator, there’s nothing worse than working on a project, perfecting it, and finding out that your audience doesn’t even care about it.

Check out this post from Trello on letting go of perfectionism.

TAKE ACTION: Whenever you’re creating something and are not entirely happy with it, leave it for a few days. Go back to it, edit it, and just put it out there.
And check out this video from Sunny Lenarduzzi. It’s eye-opening.

Step 7: Be patient

Blogging takes time. It’s a process.

And unfortunately, you can’t speed up the process.

It takes time to drive traffic to your blog. It takes time to convert those visitors into email subscribers.

It’s okay not to post every single day. It’s okay to take it slow. It’s better to create something thoughtfully and carefully instead of rushing it without any thought.

The result will lack quality, and in blogging and any business, quality is more important than quantity.

If your blog posts or graphics or whatever you’re doing are not as good as you’d like them to be, it’s okay. It’s a part of the process.

Every time you write or design something new, your craft is improving.

Steps 8: Clear your head

I bet you’ve been working your ass off.

You’re probably thinking about your blog all the time, thinking about what to do, how to do it, and what could be done better.

Take a break!

There’s nothing worse than dealing with insomnia because your brain just can’t shut up about your blog.

Take a few hours or a day to do something that will clear your mind.

I guarantee you that your blog will survive it. The world isn’t going to end.

Do something that gets your mind off of your blog. Read a book. See a friend. Do anything you enjoy.

If your problem is that you have difficulties falling asleep because you can’t stop thinking about your blog, try meditation. I’ve been just getting into it, and it helps tremendously.

TAKE ACTION: After finishing reading this article, go for a walk.

Step 9: Get back to work

As important as it is to clear your mind and take a break, it won’t get done by itself.

It needs you to do it.

So, get back to the grind and start ticking points off of your to-do list.

You can be clearing your mind for as long as you want to, but it won’t do the work for you. It’s your job to dig through the pile of all the things you need to do.

TAKE ACTION: After you’ve returned from your walk, start working on the most important task.

Step 10: Create a schedule

After you’ve played around with how long it takes you to finish a task, you can create a schedule that works for you.

Take into account:

• your daily life
• how long it takes you to accomplish a task
• when you tend to be most productive

I can tell you to wake up at 4:30 am every single day to work on your blog. But you might find that you prefer working on your blog in the evening.

Play around to see when your productivity levels are highest and stick with that.

Check out this article to find out your most productive time of day.

TAKE ACTION: Test out how long it takes you to accomplish a task, and when you are most productive. Then create a daily schedule and stick to it.

Step 11: Remember why you started your blog in the first place

With overwhelm comes discouragement.

Blogging is difficult, and it takes time to get your blog off the ground. You’ve probably heard that time and time again.

But you never know how hard it is until you try it yourself.

You’re going to hit highs and lows on your journey to blogging success. And since you’ve ended up being an overwhelmed blogger (once again, everyone does), you’ve already hit a low.

And you know what?

It can only go up from here.

So, what do you do now?

Go back and remember why you embarked on this journey. Why did you start a blog? What do you want to achieve? If you haven’t already started a blog, why do you want to start it?

TAKE ACTION: Write down your goal and pin it somewhere you can see it. Every time you’re feeling overwhelmed or down, remember why you started.

Step 12: Don’t compare yourself to others

We’ve all read those “first month of blogging” reports where the blogger generated thousands of pageviews and earned hundreds of dollars.

Good for them.

But don’t let that discourage you if you’re not getting the same results.

Let me guess, you’ve been reading successes of other bloggers, and you’re not quite there yet. You’re trying to figure out how to get there, and the more information you consume, the more overwhelmed you are.

Now, one thing to keep in mind is that it’s easy for a blogger to lie. I’m not saying that everyone is lying in their blog reports. But if you see a spreadsheet of the blogger’s results without any proof of their claims, I’d take it with a grain of salt.

Just saying.

TAKE ACTION: Stop reading income reports if you find they discourage you instead of motivating you.

Step 13: Connect with other bloggers

The issue might be that you’re feeling alone.

Even though it seems like everyone is blogging these days, chances are you don’t actually know any bloggers.

Join communities on Facebook to find supportive bloggers.

I bet that if you reach out to other bloggers in a Facebook group, opening up about your situation, you’ll find dozens of other bloggers in the same position.

TAKE ACTION: Join blogger communities on Facebook. I recommend these three communities: Boss Girl Bloggers, Blogging Newbs, Blogging for New Bloggers.
OR
Reach out to me! I’d be happy to chat with you. Go to my Contact page and leave me a message.

CONCLUSION

Being overwhelmed with blogging is entirely normal. After all, you’re responsible for literally everything, and chances are you don’t have anyone to be watching over your shoulder if you’re doing it right.

So, in conclusion, here’s how to beat the beginner blogger overwhelm once and for all:

1. Take a deep breath
2. Figure out why you are overwhelmed
3. Write it all down
4. Write a detailed to-do list
5. Don’t try to do it all at once
6. Let go of perfection
7. Be patient
8. Clear your head
9. Get back to work
10. Create a schedule that works for you
11. Remember why you started your blog in the first place
12. Don’t compare yourself to others
13. Connect with other bloggers

I don’t know where you are in your blogging journey. Let me know in the comments where you are and what you’re struggling with or reach out to me personally, and we’ll try to figure it out.

Featured image courtesy of Andrea Piacquadio via Pexels

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