Why You Should Blog and How to Get Started Quickly

I’m a strong believer that everyone should start a blog. I understand the resistance to committing to it, to getting out there in the conversation, to possibly failing or feeling like you have nothing to say.

I was talking to a close friend the other day who was giving me a hard time for my more technical blog posts:

Everyone has something to say: it hasn’t all been said before!

Here are three reasons you should start blogging now:

1. It clarifies your thinking. I’ve found that since I’ve started blogging on productivity I’ve implemented more of the principals I’ve blogged about because I’ve created clarity around those principals or thoughts in my own mind.
2. It puts you in the conversation. You’ve heard it said that 80% of success is showing up: your online presence is “showing up” in the digital world.
3. It allows others to easily vet you. Your writing, thinking, personal branding, etc is all present with a blog. When a business partner or employer is evaluating whether or not to partner/hire you, a online presence eliminates some of unknowns. It’s essentially “open sourcing” your brain.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Signup for an account on WordPress.com, start a self-hosted WordPress blog for more customization, or get a service to setup everything for you.
2. Signup for a buffer account. Connect your LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter account. Connect Buffer to your WordPress account. You now have a poor-man’s social media manager.
3. Get the WordPress iOS app and start blogging when you find 10-15 minutes opportunities in your day. Blogging is all about capturing your thoughts as they come to mind and turning them into full blown posts later.
4. Don’t be a perfectionist. In most cases, shipped is better. Be ok with mistakes, get the post out and improve it later. Ship it!