5 Easy Tricks to Avoid Being Overwhelmed as a New Blogger

Last updated on September 11th, 2023 at 10:19 am

It is a common assumption that bloggers in South Africa are all wealthy and have the luxury of time to perfect their blog posts. But in reality, being a blogger is tough.

Being an early-stage blogger is hard because you are constantly fighting against the overwhelm of having to make sense of everything.

You are also struggling with figuring out what you should be doing when you don’t know if any of it will work.

And even if it does work, it is not always what you thought it would be like.

You are also constantly learning new things and figuring out how to put them into practice in your blog posts. And that is just the start of it. In today’s post, I want to give a few tips for surviving as an early-stage blogger in South Africa.

Table of Contents

1). Take Breaks When You are Stuck and Come Back Later With Fresh

As a new blogger in South Africa, it is easy to get overwhelmed with everything.

I remember when I first started my first blog, I was feeling overwhelmed and I wasn’t sure what to do. I had a lot of ideas but I didn’t know how to organize them. I decided to take a break from writing for the day and come back tomorrow with fresh eyes.

A lot of bloggers here in South Africa can relate to the feeling of being stuck and not knowing what to write about. It is easy to get frustrated when you spend hours on your blog but you can’t seem to come up with anything, which is why taking a break is crucial.

Taking a break will help you clear your mind, and give you new ideas that will spark some creativity. It’s important to take breaks when you’re stuck because it will help keep you motivated and productive.

2). Write Down Your ‘Why‘ and Always Refer to It

As a new blogger, it is easy to get lost in other people’s definitions of success. And we beat ourselves down trying to achieve what we see others getting.

We compare ourselves to those who we believe have it all together, but that never works. This is why I encourage everyone to stop and tune in to their own inner sense of balance.

Is this where you are supposed to be right now? If not, what should you do about it? You are in the driver’s seat, so sit back and enjoy the ride.

Here is an example:

A lot of people who start blogging have the misconception that they need to be able to write amazing content right off the bat. They also think that they are not good enough because they don’t have a large following on social media. But, as long as you are committed to your blog and work hard on it, you will eventually find success.

There is always a way to make your blog stand out from the others. You just need to know what your ‘why’ is and always refer back to it when things get tough.

Having your version of the definition written down helps you keep in touch with reality. And whenever you feel wondering away, go back and read what your success looks like.

3). Set Goals for Yourself and Stick to Them

Another reason why new bloggers in South Africa get overwhelmed is not having goals. And without goals, you easily feel like you are not making any progress. This sends most new bloggers in South Africa into a frenzy. They start doing this and that and quit halfway.

Goal-setting is not just for the first month of starting your blog in South Africa but throughout the entire duration of your blog.

If you do not have goals and deadlines, then it will be hard for you to focus on what is important because when it comes down to it, you might be scattershot.

This is a common mistake of new bloggers in South Africa. They are so excited to start their blog that they forget everything they need to do in order to make it successful and sustainable.

With a goal, you will feel motivated and focused and learn how to prioritize what’s important for your blog’s overall success.

Not setting deadlines is another common mistake that new bloggers make.

I must say, it is tough to be a blogger without deadlines because you get overwhelmed when you have so much content to create. If you do not set deadlines, then it will take longer for you to create some of those pieces and your blog will eventually lose its momentum and the content might feel like it is dragging.

Here is another thing:

Many bloggers feel the pressure to create new content and publish it daily. Though this may seem like a good goal to have, it can actually make you feel overwhelmed.

You’ll be worrying about producing new content on a regular basis, which can be stressful and distracting.

Instead, focus on producing at least 3 posts per week. And once you are comfortable with that, try upping that goal and see how it goes.

4). Don’t Compare Yourself to Other Bloggers

It is easy to compare yourself to other bloggers in South Africa, especially when you’re just starting out. Trust me, I know.

But, it’s not always the best thing to do.

You might be wondering why you shouldn’t compare your blog to others. Well, there are a few reasons why this is a bad idea.

The first reason is that it can make you feel like your blog isn’t doing as well as others. And that feeling can lead to stress and anxiety.

The second reason is that it can make you feel like your blog isn’t worth anything or good enough. And that feeling can lead to depression and low self-esteem.

And lastly, comparing yourself with other bloggers takes time away from what really matters – creating content for your readership and engaging with them in meaningful ways

You may get discouraged and give up because you feel like you are not as good as the other bloggers. It will also affect your creativity and enthusiasm for blogging. It can lead to burnout and depression if it continues for a long period of time.

5). Automate or Outsource Whenever You Can

There are a ton of moving parts when it comes to blogging in South Africa. And as a new blogger, all of these can quickly take over your life, and you end up feeling overwhelmed.

Solution?

Automation or outsourcing.

But before you jump in, it is important for you to understand the benefits and drawbacks of outsourcing or automating parts of your blog. The decision to outsource or automate should be based on the needs of your blog.

Here are some benefits you get from outsourcing:

You can focus on other aspects of your business
You can save time and money by outsourcing tasks that are repetitive, expensive, or difficult to do yourself
You will have access to a team with more experience in the field

Here are some drawbacks you might face when outsourcing:

There is a risk that the quality will be lower than if you did it yourself
It may cost more than you expect because there are hidden costs associated with outsourcing such as travel expenses and time spent managing the process

The decision to automate or outsource will depend on the type of content you are producing, the time and money you have available, and your own skills.

Luckily, there are many tools that can be used to automate a blog in South Africa. These include various types of software, online tools, and web services. Blog automation software can be used to create content in bulk, schedule posts for future publication, and manage multiple blogs all at once.

Make sure you do research before doing anything.

5 Tips To Help You Stay Focused While Writing Content For Your Blog

Bloggers in South Africa are often faced with the challenge of multitasking while writing blog content. They need to juggle between their blogs, social media accounts, and other tasks.

This section will provide you with five tips that will help you stay focused while writing blog content for your blog.

The first tip is to set a timer for yourself. If you have a time limit in place then it will motivate you to focus on the task at hand and not get distracted by other things that are happening around you.

The second tip is to use a white noise app like Noisli or White Noise Lite. These apps can provide soothing sounds that can help drown out any background noise so that you can focus on what’s important – your work!

The third tip is to keep your workspace clean and organized so that it doesn’t become a distraction. If you have a messy desk, then it can be harder to focus on your current task and start getting distracted by other things.

The fourth tip is to only focus on one project at a time. You might need to multitask in order to get everything done, but try not to do too many things at once because it could become overwhelming for you and you might not get everything done.

And the final tip is to avoid distractions as much as possible. If you find that you’re getting distracted then take a break from working and focus on something else, like going outside for a walk or listening to music.

In fact, set a timer for yourself.

A timer can help keep your focus at the moment so that you get your work done and can’t get distracted.

How to Find The Time To Write & Organize Content For Your Blog?

The first step to finding time to write content for your blog is to set a specific time of day to write. The most important thing is that you keep the same time every day.

You should also make sure that you have a place where you can focus on writing without interruption.

The second step is to plan out your posts ahead of time so you know what topics you will be writing about, and when they need to be published. This way, when it comes time for the creative process, all you will have left is the execution of the post.

This also allows you to be more efficient with your time. When you establish a regular writing schedule, it will become easier for you to find the time to write.

You will be able to create new content faster and publish quality content on a consistent basis.

A good way to set up a schedule for writing content is to have three posts that you are going to publish every week. You should also write an article every day and include links or resources in each post, as well as quotes from different sources.

It will be easier for you to find the time because your content will be published more frequently and consistently.

Finally, keep generating blog post titles constantly.

See, the hard part of being a blogger is finding the right topics to write about. The keyword research process takes much of your time.

But if you do the research in one sitting, you should be able to free up future time and instead dedicate it to writing.