Why you should write a personal blog

With an estimated 158 million blogs in the blogosphere, it’s safe to say the medium is popular. These can loosely be grouped into two broad categories: professional blogs and personal blogs. Whether they are maintained by one person or have multiple contributors, professional blogs (such as this one) represent their sponsoring company, institution or professional practice. They aim to engage customers and fans with content relevant to the host organization. Personal blogs, on the other hand are, well, personal. These can be about anything at all, even the quirkiest and most unconventional of personal obsessions.

In this age of content marketing, chances are good that you already have a professional blog of your own, or contribute to someone else’s. Publishing smart content is a great way to establish yourself as an expert in your field. If you’re considering writing a nonfiction book based on your expertise, blogging is also a great way to build name recognition. But even if you are already active on a professional blog, you might want to consider starting a personal one too, as it’s one of the best ways to get into the writerly headspace.

Setting up a personal blog can be done for free in as little as two minutes, and the reasons for doing so are plentiful. Although a personal blog can bring you business and marketing opportunities, we would like to focus on some of the lesser-known benefits. Here are a few ways a personal blog can provide value—not just to your business, or even your readers, but to you.

Developing good writing discipline. This is a short and simple reason, and a good place to start. By writing more, you will strengthen your writing habit. You will find that the words come to you more easily and your posts grow longer on their own. To start this off right, try scheduling “blog-time”, and make sure you stick with it—even established habits can be thrown off-track without ongoing diligence.

Loosening your writing style. With so many people writing professional blogs and LinkedIn articles, it’s easy to fall into the habit of always writing in a professional voice. While this is sometimes a necessity, it shouldn’t be your only communication style. Imagine a lawyer using workplace jargon at the dinner table (“pass the salt, your honour”?) Writing a personal blog can give you a respite from your work words and give you a place to communicate in a natural manner. This freedom of speech, so to speak, can also help you develop your own unique tone of voice, which will make your work more memorable and give it a ring of authenticity.

Recording your thoughts. It seems like keeping a journal or diary has become passé, with people now preferring to record their lives in filtered photos and 140-character snippets through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. But it’s longer writing sessions that allow our ideas to surface and grow. Freestyle writing can even help us deal with high levels of stress, trauma, and emotion. By writing a few blog posts a month, you give your inner voice a way out. Over time you’ll amass a collection of those thoughts to be reflected on later. (Imagine how easy your memoir will be to write!)

Connecting with people. With their unlimited reach, blogs allow you to connect with people all over the world interested in the same topics as you. Maybe your new cooking blog will lead to a carrot cake recipe swap with someone in a different country. Blogs also serve as the perfect platform to update your friends and family on what you’re up to, without having to buy a single stamp.

Living in the moment. When you start to blog, you’ll look at things differently. Everything you see, hear, or do becomes a potential post. And while that sounds like a mental burden, it’s really just a way of developing mindfulness: by fully observing the world around you, you’ll find yourself more connected to the present, which can help you get more out of your life. As you search for new content, you may find yourself invested in conversations, studying your surroundings, and reflecting on your thoughts more and more deeply.

Tracking goals. Blogging gives you the opportunity to share your goals. While that seems like a particularly personal thing to put out there, NaNoWriMo founder Chris Baty will tell you it’s the most effective way of reaching them. Many people who give up their goals do so because they lose sight of their own small successes along the way. As you share your progress through your posts, you’ll start to see a roadmap of your accomplishments. This can inspire you not only to stick with your goals, but to push harder to achieve them. By putting your goals out there, you’re also creating accountability: when your friends read about the book you just started writing, you bet they’ll ask you about it next time you see them. If nothing else, the fear of their reproachful looks when you tell them you “weren’t really serious” will help kick the process into high gear!

These are just a few of the ways you can benefit from having your own personal blog. It can be a gateway to a healthier, happier life, and there’s no better feeling than having other people take value out of something you’ve said. So share your baking stories with the world, get your marathon training journal out there, and let us know how it affects your life.

Paris Spence-Lang

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