If you’re thinking about becoming a blogger full-time, first of all, CONGRATULATIONS! Blogging is the best job in the world, and we know you’ll love it, but there are some blogging disadvantages you should be aware of so that you can weigh up whether blogging full time is for you, and also so you don’t get a nasty surprise when you start.
On the other hand, if you’re already a seasoned blogger, this post will provide you with solidarity, and voice those thoughts that you might not have shared with anyone.
We’ve been there and done that, and we know that while everyone thinks bloggers live a truly glamorous lifestyle, full of coffee dates, minimal work, and money being thrown in their direction from every which way, we know that’s not always the case.
Today we’ll be sharing 5 blogging disadvantages, but don’t despair, we’ll also share tips on what you can do about them.
You Need A Lot Of Discipline
One of the main disadvantages of blogging is one of the main benefits too… you don’t have a boss breathing down your neck. You’re probably thinking “wait, is that supposed to be a bad thing?”
Absolutely not. You won’t be catching us trading in the blogger lifestyle for dress codes and passive-aggressive emails anytime soon, but blogging requires a lot of discipline, after all, it completely depends on you.
If you’re struggling with discipline, here are some ways to improve:
Set A Schedule
Think of your blogging schedule as a day at the office. Being able to roll out of bed when you want to and blog in your pajamas sounds great, but most people are more productive when they follow some type of schedule.
Have a set start time, which requires you to be up, showered, dressed, and breakfasted (is that even a word?!) to feel the most productive in the morning. You’ll notice a difference in motivation simply by being dressed.
When it comes to breaks, again, have these set out in stone. Take 30, 45, or even 60 minutes away from your desk, to relax and unwind. A great way to reset is to eat your lunch outside and try not to think of your blog while you do.
Whether you read a book, meditate a little, or just watch funny videos on TikTok, make sure you have that separation between work and home.
Set Goals
You should always have annual goals in place for your blog, but we recommend weekly and monthly blogging goals too. If you’re someone who struggles with discipline, yearly goals give you a lot of wiggle room to put in the work ‘another day’, but weekly goals don’t give you that.
If your goal is to write 100 blog posts by the end of the year, you won’t be as motivated to start as you will if you set yourself the goal of writing 5 blog posts this week.
Likewise, if you set a goal of reaching 10,000 page views by the end of the month, you’ll need to start taking action to achieve it ASAP.
Race Yourself
When you’re feeling lazy, one tip we have for you is to race yourself.
Does this sound familiar…”Ok time to write…laptop on…ooh, I just need to order shoes for that wedding…I wonder when my subscription for XYZ runs out, let me just check… no seriously, I need to start writing now…oh but now I’m starving…“
We could go on. If you find yourself tailing off when you sit down to write, try racing yourself. Pick a small task on your list, set a timer on your phone, and challenge yourself to have your task done when the timer goes off. Then you can go on to the next task and repeat.
You Can Become Overwhelmed
Particularly in the beginning, when you’re a one-person show, and you don’t have the support of a VA, social media manager, or content creator, there is a LOT to do, and it can get overwhelming really quickly.
It can feel like you’re running on a treadmill trying to keep up but always falling behind. In order to stop yourself from falling into a big hole of overwhelm, we recommend you make daily lists, weekly lists, monthly lists…basically all the lists.
You can create these in Google spreadsheets if that makes you feel the most organized, on Trello, or simply by hand. There is something so satisfying about physically ticking a task off of a list.
Once you’ve written down everything you need to do and your brain no longer needs to focus on keeping track of tasks, you’ll breathe a big sigh of relief.
You also might find that once your jobs list is written down, it feels a lot more manageable. You may realize you have less to do than you originally thought, or that your tasks are small and can be completed quickly.
Blogging Requires Patience
Not the most patient person in the world? Blogging can feel frustrating. After all, you’ve put in the time to write the content, you’ve used good SEO, you’ve kept up with all of your social channels, and you’re super proud of everything you’ve achieved, all for what? CRICKETS.
We constantly hear that if you want to start blogging, you’ve got to be in it for the long haul, and it really is true.
While you do hear stories from people whose blogs blew up overnight, for 99.9% of us, that’s simply not the case.
A good way to help yourself focus on your progression rather than becoming frustrated with the lack of it is to write everything down.
Create a spreadsheet that you track either daily or weekly, in which you can add how many visitors you had to your site, as well as other key information, such as page visits or bounce rate.
This will help you celebrate the little wins, because, yes, it will feel fantastic when you’re consistently hitting 100,000 page views per month, but increasing from 5 to 10 page views in a day is also worth celebrating.
Income Is Unpredictable
One of the benefits of a 9-5 is a steady paycheck. While one of the reasons you quit your job might be because you want to earn unlimited income from your blog, the reality is that your monthly earnings fluctuate.
You can earn $5,000 one month, and $2,000 the next. You can work incredibly hard but some months you will just see slower traffic than others.
When blogging, your income can come from several different streams, some of which will pay you later, like ads and affiliate marketing, which often pay you after 3 months.
Here are some things you can do to ensure you’re not worrying about money.
Have A Nest Egg
We’re not talking about having $100,000 in the bank, but having an emergency fund that covers 3 months of bills is a good idea when you’re in any type of job with an unpredictable income. You can relax knowing that if you have a couple of slow months, you won’t have to start selling all of your possessions.
Make Different Pots Of Money
The taxman is universally hated, but unfortunately, you’ve got to pay your tax. Make sure that with every payment you get, you put a percentage aside in a separate pot for taxes.
Some banks like Starling have spaces where you can separate your money, without having to create a new account, but if your bank doesn’t have that, open a new account specifically for tax, and transfer that percentage into it, EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Also, have a separate space for your pension money. One drawback of working for yourself is that no one is contributing to your pension except you. Don’t screw your future self over, make sure you add to it every month.
Keep Track
With so many companies paying you further down the line, it is easy to lose track of who has and hasn’t paid you and accidentally let one slide. Make sure you have a list of who has paid you, who needs to pay you, and the dates you’ll be paid.
Blogging Can Be Lonely
Another of the cons of blogging is that it can become lonely. At the office, you might have thought 90% of your coworkers were SUPER dull, but there’s always at least one you could have a good laugh with, even if it was about how much you hated your job.
At home, it’s just you chatting to yourself, and maybe your cat if you’re lucky.
Blogging is definitely more suited to those who are introverted and need less time socializing than it is for those who crave to be with people at all times, but even if you’re one of those super outgoing people, you can make blogging work for you. Here’s how:
Join Facebook Communities
Facebook is full of groups of others who work from home alone. You can join digital nomad groups, groups for entrepreneurs, groups for bloggers, and in some cases, there might even be a group for remote workers in your area.
Connect with others who like you, work alone all day. Not only will it provide you with a chance to make friends and talk to other people, but those new connections will help keep you accountable.
Switch Up Your Surroundings
You are tethered by working from somewhere with WiFi, but that doesn’t mean you need to spend 100% of your working day in your office.
Take your laptop to your local coffee shop. The change of scenery will spice your day up, even if you don’t talk to anyone. You can also change your location within the home if you can’t make it out to a coffee shop. Work from the garden, the dining table, the sofa, you name it, you can work there (although maybe don’t work from the shower, all that water could be really bad news for your laptop).
Make Use Of Coworking Spaces
Coworking spaces were literally designed by people who were feeling lonely working at home all week and wanted a place to connect with others.
Some coworking spaces allow you to drop in, others you need to pre-book, so check your local one before visiting.
The benefit of a coworking space is that it’s full of LOCAL people with a similar lifestyle to you, so it’s the perfect place to make friends that you can actually hang out with at the weekend, or have work dates with. Not to mention, there’s often free coffee.
Final Thoughts On Blogging Disadvantages
There are several disadvantages of blogs, but luckily the pros outweigh the cons. When it comes to the major disadvantages, there are plenty of things you can do to ensure they don’t bother you too much, and we hope this post will have given you some inspiration.
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