Hard work, commitment and persistence are not the only traits you need to make a blog income and get some freedom back

Written by Andrew Rondeau in blogging guide | 20 Awesome Comments - Add Yours?

multitaskingNow you have your blog set-up and in place, what are your next steps?

Let me manage some expectations, first.

Blogging can give you an income, it can give you freedom but it doesn’t come for nothing! It takes hard work, commitment and persistence.

If you have all 3 of those traits, you are vastly improving your chances of success.

However, even if you have those 3 traits you can still go wrong.

Some of my personal clients have the 3 traits in vast abundance. But they are so keen to progress they actually lose focus.

That’s a bit of a conflicting statement, isn’t it?

Keen to get on but lose focus?

It’s true.

They are keen to get their blog design just perfect before launching.

Then they are keen to write and publish blog posts every day.

Then they are keen to montize their blog and start making a blog income.

All that sounds great, doesn’t it?

And it is great, don’t get me wrong, but they tend to be blinkered and only concentrate on one thing at a time, all day and sometimes for many days.

For instance, they may spend all day on their blog design or all day writing blog posts or all day writing a free giveaway.

I’m not saying they are not working hard. I’m not saying they are not committed. But what I am saying is they should break up their day into different sections.

For instance, if you work a 7 hour day, split your time into:

Content Creation (3 hours)

Spend 3 of your 7 hours on tasks like these:

  • Writing and posting blog postings
  • Creating videos
  • Creating products to sell
  • Changing your blog structure
  • Being interviewed, doing interviews

Marketing (2 hours)

Spend 2 of your 7 hours on tasks like these:

  • Article submissions
  • Blog carnival submitting
  • Video uploading to YouTube
  • Blog commenting
  • RSS links
  • Directory links
  • Social book-marking

Learning (2 hours)

Spend 2 of your 7 hours learning about posting, blogging, social bookmarking, design, RSS, SEO, tweet, link, affiliates…

That way you are progressing in all areas that make a blog successful, each day.

Of course, there are times when you do want to concentrate and focus on a certain task but that is normally for short periods of time.

And that’s exactly what I am going to be doing during the next few weeks.

You see over the last months I’ve been creating my next course. I’ve asked some blogging friends for some feedback on the course and they want me to go live with the product now! They can’t wait to offer it to their visitors/customers. I must admit the feedback has been much better than I expected.

Problem is, it’s nearly Christmas.

That means shopping, visiting relatives, relaxing and enjoyment, doesn’t it? Oh and my favourite, eating!

That might not sound a big problem but the course I’m putting together is huge – weekly lessons, step-by-step screen images, videos, bonuses, prizes for affiliates, more free giveaways, squeeze pages, sales pages, blog set-up, design plus the actual launch.

Somehow I’ve got to find the time because I want to offer the course. I really hope I can pull it off but I still want to write and publish blog posts, I still want to do marketing and I still want to learn.

Wish me luck and I’ll keep you posted on progress.

How do you plan your day? Share your views in the comments below.

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20 Responses to Hard work, commitment and persistence are not the only traits you need to make a blog income and get some freedom back
  1. Niall Harbison

    It is amazing how many people think you just put up a blog and the rest happens overnight! Every single client I have ever had gets annoyed with the traffic (unless you manage expectations of course) after a couple of months! It takes a massive amount of hard work and drive and most importantly time. Time and being patient are the key because if you look at your traffic from month to month instead of day to day you will be sure to see massive growth!

    Reply
    • Andrew Rondeau
      Twitter:

      Niall

      Managing expectations is a great point you raise.

      I’ve lost a few clients because I’ve been honest with them and told them about the hard work, etc required and they don’t believe me. They most probably go on to someone who doesn’t manage expectations and are then disappointed.

      Andrew

      Reply
  2. chandan from work at home

    Blog promotion is not so easy, I have read many blogging tips article but most of article say the same things, but for bring your blog top from the crowd you have to own some special strategy, that do not own by other blog.
    .-= chandan@work at home´s last blog ..How to success on work at home [Digg] =-.

    Reply
  3. Dennis Edell

    Love the breakdown. Of course it could be different for everybody depending on concentration levels with different areas, but definitely a good start.
    .-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Blogging Halted Here – Don’t Despair, This Is A Good Thing! =-.

    Reply
  4. Tbert

    Hello Andrew, Really great to hear you telling it like it is… So So many continuously feed these people such a line of BS… appreciate your HONESTY…Tbert
    .-= Tbert´s last blog ..Tbert GVO Reviews =-.

    Reply
    • Andrew Rondeau
      Twitter:

      Tbert,

      I’ve been scammed before – i.e. purchased some of these so-called quick rich type products and they never work. I might lose a few customers by telling it how it is…but I’d rather be honest and manage expectations.

      Andrew

      Reply
  5. stress acid reflux

    it’s good to find out what really needs visitors, providing the best information, of course, which will benefit from the increasing popularity of your blog, I strongly agree the idea. give your first and will next merima manffat. with a lot of visitors will surely increase sale

    Reply
  6. Tbert

    Oh, yes brother, been there done that, but the sad part is they are making millions lying and cheating sincere people out of their money. The one’s that offer you a free trial period for a small fee and in the small print, that most never read, is the recurring amount. They will start banging your credit card account and before you can go through the process of getting it canceled, they have socked you for several hundred dollars. What is that proverbial phrase, ONE BAD APPLE CAN ROT THE WHOLE BUSHEL. But we are going to prevail. Keep up the GOOD WORK. THANKS AGAIN, Tbert
    .-= Tbert´s last blog ..Tbert GVO Reviews =-.

    Reply
    • Andrew Rondeau
      Twitter:

      Tbert,

      Yeah I’ve purchased some of those as well. Why can’t they just be up front and make it real clear?

      Andrew

      Reply
  7. Sam

    Hey Andrew, and thanks a lot for a refreshing post about the realities of blogging for a living. Ive been a blogger for some time now and firmly believe in structuring my days so that they are not 100% “work”. I like to include a at least a couple of hours of learning as well.
    .-= Sam @ Auto Content Cash Bonus´s last blog ..About =-.

    Reply
    • Andrew Rondeau
      Twitter:

      Sam,

      Some would say ‘learning’ is also working but it’s nice that you don’t.

      I love to learn and share.

      Thanks for dropping by.

      Andrew

      Reply
  8. Michele Welch

    Best of luck Andrew! I know the feeling; I’m pretty much in the same boat. Trying to finalize a product line, and at the same time maintaining my site and working with clients. It’s a handful for sure!

    I’m sure it’s going to be fantastic! :-)
    Michele Welch recently posted..Are You Wooing With WooboxMy Profile

    Reply
  9. Lyka Ricks

    Success is almost totally dependent upon drive and persistence. The extra energy required to make another effort or try another approach is the secret of winning. ~Dennis Waitley obtained from http://www.finestquotes.com/select_quote-category-Persistence-page-0.htm

    Reply
  10. Gary Ashton from Nashville luxury homes

    Honestly, I never plan my day ahead. But i will try this. I think i’ll be more productive if i’ll follow your tips. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
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