Blaugust: Staying Motivated
Will you look at that – it’s the final few days of Blaugust! Wow, you’ve almost made it! And this week is Motivation Week. So I thought I’d write a bit about what motivates me.
And… this is a terrible topic. Not because I’m not motivated – I’ve been blogging for many years, but this blog in particular hit the 5 year mark in January. So I’ve been motivated enough to make that happen, even if some months have less posts than others.
But the problem is, I really don’t know what motivates me.
I don’t have a specific reason to blog. I don’t do it to make money, though I did talk about how I did make a bit this year, but hardly enough to cover the cost of the blog hosting. I’m not really a huge presence on Twitter or social media, so it’s not about being well-known or keeping up any net persona.
Really, blogging has just become a part of my gaming experience. Last Blaugust, I wrote a post about always being ready to take screenshots to capture great moments in game. I still play like this. Blogging is a normal extension of the experiences I have in games. I don’t play to blog, but I do enjoy the feeling of sharing moments from gaming in posts.
My in-game friends are quite used to hearing me say “I’m screenshotting this for a blog post.” Sometimes they even tell me when something is going on that should be a blog post. Sometimes they take the screens for me if I’m not there! 🙂
I also keep my blogging very casual. I usually don’t blog on weekends, but I do store up things that happen over weekends for a Monday post. I don’t push myself to have a certain number of posts per week or month. In fact, this WordPress chart will give you an idea of how often I write:
It’s sporadic, and some months I write more than others. But the important thing is that I haven’t stopped blogging, and I really haven’t even considered giving it up. What would I do with all those screenshots I take?
Anyhow, I told you this is a terrible topic, because I really can’t give definitive advice on how to make this work for you. Motivation is very fickle.
Some people need more structure and organization. Some people would feel boxed in and suffocated.
What works for me:
- Having the freedom to write about whatever I’m interested in today
- Not forcing a posting schedule – I write when I want
- Making blogging a natural extension of what I enjoy doing
- Not focusing on traffic stats or making money
- Writing for myself first and foremost – and if other folks enjoy it, that’s fantastic!
This may not work for you. But if anything here gives you ideas to try, feel free to run with them!