This week I am celebrating, The Organised Housewife turns 5! I have been blogging since 1st of August 2010, time has passed so quickly but I have had so much fun. I started The Organised Housewife to catalogue my recipes and to share some of my home organising tips and printables with friends. They then shared my tips with their friends and within months the blog and facebook page grew beyond belief.
Way back when I first started I had no idea how to start a blog so I borrowed the book ‘how to blog for dummies’ from my local library, I followed it step by step to create my very own website. I had so much fun designing it, creating images, taking photos of my home, writing blog posts and chatting with readers. It soon started to take up all the spare moments in my day, which I really didn’t mind as it was fun and helped me pass the time while the kids were at school.
Sharing my blog tips
I have learnt so much over these past 5 years and I am often asked for tips on how to start a blog, how do I do it all etc. In celebration of my 5th Blogiversary I will share some of my blogging tips with you each day this week, so stay tuned if you are thinking of starting a blog (I’ll share step by step instructions) or curious on how it all works.
Please leave any questions you may have below, if I don’t cover them in the upcoming blog posts this week I will reply with a comment.
Lessons I have learnt from blogging
There is always something to learn about blogging, from code to SEO, time management to what are the best plugins. Over the next few days I’ll share my blog tips, but today as I look back on the past 5 years sharing a few lessons I have learnt from blogging.
1. Balance – I discuss this in more detail throughout the tips I will share through the week, but balance is an HUGE lesson I learnt in the early days of blogging. Blogging can consume so much time if you let it. I now step away from the computer at 3pm, it doesn’t matter what deadlines I have, they wait till tomorrow. From 3pm it’s family time. I never turn on the desktop on weekends and readers don’t know it but I take breaks throughout year. I work really hard to schedule blog and social media posts to keep the blog rolling while I take some time out. When I take breaks I spend a few minutes each day while having a coffee checking on comments, emails and social media. Then its 100% family time. After having some time out I always feel fresh, have loads of post ideas in mind and really motivated.
2. Don’t compare yourself to others – Be yourself, this will make you unique and authentic which will set you apart from the rest. Comparing yourself to another takes up too much valuable time and effort which is better focused on your own direction.
3. The blogging community is amazing – As a result of networking and connecting with small business owners and bloggers online I have formed some wonderful friendships. The blogging community is open in helping each other with advice, technical assistance, they celebrate achievements with you and they are a wonderful support group. Blogging can be lonely and it’s a humble feeling to know that you have support in the online world, which makes it less isolating. It’s very much like hanging around a virtual watercooler!
4. Lessons from criticism – I have learnt to use criticism as a lesson and try not to take it to heart. I mostly receive criticism for my grammatical errors, which I don’t mind being informed of, then I can correct it. I strive to do my best and that’s all I can do. My lesson when picked up on my grammar is that I add it to my list of common mistakes and ensure that I understand how to use it correctly in a sentence next time… my big one is your and you’re and brought and bought.
5. Privacy and anonymity – I started my blog keeping my kids names, school and our suburb anonymous. I chose to do this for my kids privacy, when I started they were young and I couldn’t ask them for permission, they wouldn’t understand. Whilst there are elements of the blog where I share details about my kids, the blog is mainly about my tips on parenting, I don’t find the need to publish their names. My kids have been recognised by teachers, at the shops and when with grandparents, which they think is ‘way cool’. However, now they are older I am glad I kept their names offline as I don’t want their friends to google them and make fun of anything they may find, which I am very conscious of when writing on the blog. With the Internet, children can become cruel so I feel the privacy is not just protecting them now but also their future.
What is one important lesson you have learnt as a blogger?
Please share your lesson in the comments below as it may help another blogger or a soon to be blogger!
