You've probably noticed that my blogging can sometimes get a little sparse--which is ironic, because I tell all my clients to blog regularly!
I could make all sorts of excuses about hectic travel schedules (though now I think about it, a post from each city I visit would probably make for an interesting series!). But I'm not going to.
Instead, I've got myself a little accountability for my blogging by joining Michele Scism and Michelle Shaefer's Ultimate Blog Challenge (http://ultimateblogchallenge.com/).
The idea is simple: by signing up you undertake to make 31 posts in January. It doesn't have to be every day--you can skip a day and then post twice later to catch up. And there are a couple of rules (such as there has to be real content; you can't just post a link to a youtube video), but on the whole it's a pretty relaxed affair. Oh and you get a daily reminder email from Michele/Michelle, along with some ideas to spark your creativity.
On the surface, it's all about making a public declaration (this is mine) that you're going to do it, and then sticking to what you've said. In that respect, it's a mechanism for creating accountability.
Even coaches need accountability; it's a great way to make sure you follow through on your committments. That's one reason why I'm constantly telling coaches they should get a coach (the other reason is that I don't see how you can pitch the value of coaching to someone if you don't see the value in it yourself, which means you not only need to get a coach, but you should pay them: no swapping services!).
But there are other good reasons for joining the Challenge.
One of the biggest pushbacks I get from my clients when I tell them to blog is "I don't know what to write about". Well, knowing that you have to write 31 posts in 31 days certainly focuses the mind! If you can find 31 things to post about, you'll never struggle to find things to post about again 9and you'll have 31 reminder emails to help you with ideas)
Another reason is about building a habit. They (the shadowy, mythical, all powerful "they" who seem to have an opinion on everything!) say that it takes 21 repetitions to make something into a habit. in which case the Challenge will form a good habit for you, and you'll have 10 reps to spare!
Finally, I'm looking forward to seeing my traffic build drastically throughout the 31 days as a result of all this activity.
So there you go. If you're serious about bolstering up your social media activity head over to http://ultimateblogchallenge.com/ and sign up!
Until the next post
Happy New Year!
Rob
