6 Useful Lessons I Learned From 6 Months of Blogging

My 6 months of blogging was a learning process and a self-discovery journey. It was difficult and fun at the same time.

I can even recall how much my first followers and repins on Pinterest made me so happy, and the first comment on my blog that says “Enjoyed reading this” made my heart flutter. This to me, was gratifying as it made me feel that my efforts are worth it.

For those of you who may not know, I started a blog because of the pandemic. My dad’s business was forced to shut down and we don’t have any means of living. Because of that, I thought that I should at least think of ways to help my family.

Before the pandemic, I never thought that I would want to be a blogger until I did my research and I realized that “wow this is a pretty cool job”. Right then, I made up my mind and convinced myself that I can do this. Thus, my blogging journey started, and here are the lessons that I’ve learned.

1. Starting a Blog is a Lot of Work

Before establishing my blog, It all started with research, that lasted for a few months. During that time, I decided what I want to blog about and studied all about blogging. Where I also felt like I was drowning in new information that I couldn’t even process.

The next step is buying a web host and a WordPress theme. Which at first I was very skeptical, it took me weeks of contemplation if I should buy a WordPress theme or not. Since it was so expensive from a point of view of a college student who doesn’t have any savings left.

But in the end, I decided to buy a theme from 17th Avenue Designs and was happy with the outcome of my website. I still remember how frustrating it is to design a website, I can’t find any video tutorials on YouTube and all I have was a written guide from 17th Avenue Designs.

Thankfully, it was pretty detailed but the process was still confusing. that I even felt like banging my head on the table. But once you see that you’re site is complete you’ll feel like it’s all worth it.

2. Writing a Blog Post

Writing a blog post isn’t easy. You’ll have to do your research, create an outline, and figuring out what you’ll write about.

Normally it takes me 2-3 days of creating new content, but some other posts like outfit ideas specifically Halloween costume ideas and college outfit ideas took me more than a week, as it takes more effort but it’s okay the important thing is that you’re having fun during the process.

I am also genuinely impressed that some other bloggers can create a new post in a day, some even in a few hours while balancing their other priorities. During this time, I’ve learned that the more you create new content, the faster you get in creating another one.

Like the first time I created a post, I didn’t know how could I express myself, I spent hours figuring out what should I say but ended up deleting it, but as time passes by with practice, I am slowly getting the hang of it.

3. Time Management is Important

Without time management, I might probably drown in stress as I have been balancing college and blogging which is very difficult. There were times where I would be so confused about what should I prioritize and sometimes because of the school workload I can’t find the time in producing new blogging content.

I found that Time Management is very helpful, by blocking out distractions and most importantly planning, which was so helpful.

I have a planner like this one from Amazon, and I always place it on my desk where I could always be reminded of my schedule. Like for Mondays, Tuesdays, and Saturdays, I focus on school works and nothing else.

I make sure that I finish all of my tasks, that way I could focus on my blogging on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Lastly, it is very important to take a break, rest your mind, get enough sleep and relax on Sundays.

4. Be Patient

Not seeing any progress in your blog is truly disheartening. I kept telling myself to be patient and not be discouraged. As successful and big-time bloggers have been blogging for years. It took them a lot of effort and time to get to where they are now.

Currently, I am far from being successful, my blog doesn’t have thousands of visitors, nor do I have any viral posts yet, but It’s ok. There is a lot more that I could learn to improve my blog, and that doesn’t happen in a short amount of time. So, my biggest advice is to be patient, take your time, and learn how to improve yourself.

5. Affiliates

Affiliates are where you’re able to earn a little commission if someone buys the product that you’ve linked to. It is one of the income sources of bloggers and one of my affiliates is Amazon. Amazon has a requirement that you must have three sales within six months.

At first, I thought that having three sales in six months is easy, but I was wrong cause it’s not when you don’t have any viewers yet. For six months, I’ve only managed to have 2 sales and my affiliate link will expire soon.

But it’s ok, I have already mentally prepared myself since the day I signed up for the affiliates program of Amazon. Besides I could register again, it might be a lot of work but the important thing is to not give up. It is normal to not have sales especially when you just starting and remember that is perfectly fine.

From that experience, I’ve learned that you should first make sure that you already have viewers before applying for an affiliates program, for it to be easier and less hassle for you.

6. You’ll Develop Your Skills

I’ve noticed in my six months of blogging, I’ve gotten better in editing, writing, and research. I’ve proven to myself that practice and persistence is the key to improvement. At first, I was struggling with writing but now, my writing became faster as well as editing post structures.

Also, when it comes to pins, my first time creating 20 pins took me hours, figuring what color and font should I use, and in the end, I wasn’t even satisfied with my creation. But now, making 20 pins only takes me 30 mins.

Blogging also made me discover new skills like making collages for outfit ideas, like this one. It takes a lot of work but I am proud of it.

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Lastly, my blogging journey started for the reason that I want to help my family, but now I stayed because I fell in love with the beauty behind the hectic world of blogging. As the simple things make me feel genuinely happy, like my first $0.01 earning in AdSense, my first sales, the comments, subscribers, the viewers from different countries, and every moment of it I feel grateful.

Blogging taught me one valuable lesson in life. That you’ll never know unless you try and dare to do so. I never imagined that I would have a blog because of self-doubts, I’m not a sociable person, I am also shy, and I hate going outside of my comfort zone. But because I dared to try blogging, I realized that “Wow I can do this” and that I should have tried sooner.

There you have it six lessons from six months of blogging. I hoped you learned something new, and if so, I also want to hear your own story.