How To Approach Blogging Like A Minimalist

Isn't it interesting how there is a whole genre of blogs about blogging? I don't remember this being a thing back when I got into blogs; this meta-blogging, if you will. It's been great for people like me who enjoy browsing tips and incorporating some of what I read into my blogging workflow, but if you're just starting out it can be overwhelming to try and make use of every piece of advice that's available (I've written a few posts about blogging if you want to check them out here...but the last one was nearly a year ago, so I certainly can't claim this as a regular category).

With all these blogging instructions floating around, it is challenging to distill it down to what you really need to know. Surprise, surprise, I'm going to share my *minimalist* perspective on how to approach blogging to cut through the noise and avoid unnecessary overwhelm.

1. Write about something you're genuinely passionate about

People can tell when you are truly excited about what you're sharing versus when you're trying to check off the boxes on your editorial calendar and hit on the topics you're "supposed to." Not only do you need to pick an overarching theme that is interesting to you, you need to be unafraid to change it or deviate if it feels right. When it comes to making your blog a business, it wouldn't be the best idea to change willy nilly (if you're interested, here's a site that describes the origin of this phase...but I digress), but you are also not locked into a decision and don't need to feel that you are at the expense of the quality of your work.

2. Consistency

This is just as much for you as it is for your audience. There's consistency in content (that I touched on in 1), but there's also consistency in frequency of posting. The reason I say this is important for you is because having a set number of times you want to post per week will get you into a positive practice of creating and help you to hone your style and improve. The actual number doesn't matter; I started out posting 3 times per week, then went down to 2, and now I've reduced to 1 while my friend Austen has gone in the opposite direction (she's up to 2 blog posts, a video, and email newsletter every week)! Even though our numbers are different, both of our work has improved because we've created consistently and found a method that works for us.

A practical way to keep yourself on track is to have a dedicated time to blog and a dedicated day to publish. For me, I write my posts on Saturday mornings and schedule them to go live on Wednesday morning. This schedule is what I've come to expect of myself and what I have committed to all of you, so it's tough to find an excuse not to deliver. Plus, the buffer of a few days between writing and posting allows me some flexibility if I don't end up writing on Saturday. 

3. Keep it simple

When I started my blog it was called "Keep It Simple" (although I quickly changed it to the available url of Alyssa J Freitas) and I still believe in that sentiment when it comes to nearly everything in life. It is especially true with blogging. You can overcomplicate this process and add countless steps and "shoulds" to your blogging to-do list, but when it comes down to it all you need is to write about something you care about and do so consistently. 

How do you view blogging? Is your process minimalistic, or do you have other elements that in line with different goals? I'd love to hear about it!

-AJF

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