[All photos in this post where taken by Huong Nguyen of Velvet Media and Marketing at Momed in Atwater Village]

How long have you been saying you’re going to start a blog?

Maybe it’s been months or there’s a chance you’re about to hit the year mark. Wherever you land on the spectrum of time in relation to beginning your blog, the fact is you haven’t done it. That’s fine, but how about we change that? Let’s bring a stop to you procrastinating on starting your blog and begin to take some steps to get you closer to the point where you have a space on the internet that you not only call your own, but love!

If you’re tired of saying, “I’m going to start a blog” and you’re ready to actually do it, here are a few tips to get you going!

Chances are if you’ve been thinking you want to start a blog for a while now, you haven’t because of various reasons. Maybe you don’t know where to start—I’ve been there! You’re probably intimidated by the amount of work it will take—

Ooooh, I know the feeling. Or you put it off because that’s not your focus right now—I hear ya loud and clear. Whatever the reason, if you can determine what it is the better you will be at addressing it and overcoming it.

When I knew I wanted to start a blog I dragged my feet because I couldn’t stop thinking about how much work it would be. Honestly, I had a thousand questions!

• Where do I host my site?
• How much is this whole shebang really going to cost?
• How do I take great photos?
• Is blogging going to take hours out of my day?
• I struggled learning Spanish in high school, how am I going to learn SEO? There’s no Duolingo for that.

With all those questions and about 995 others running through my mind I could have quit before I even started, but I didn’t. Instead I faced them head on, got the answers, and worked towards getting my blog started. You can do the same too. If you have questions about it, get your answers. If you think it’s going to be a ton of work, understand that it will but know that it will be worth it. Or if you have a bunch of things to manage and you can’t focus on a website right now, that’s cool too. But if you want to start a blog then you have to realize at some point attention has to be put on it. If you’re in the latter, come back to this fun post when you’re able to devote the time to it!

I think there are people who wake up and think starting a blog is like putting on lotion. “I’ll simply do it after I get out of the shower and go on about my day.” Woah, there honey; it’s not that simple. Starting a blog takes a work and it all starts with research. It’s important to run around the internet and get comfortable with the things you need to know. Where will you host your blog? Will you install a theme or hire a designer? What’s my niche? Who’s going to read what I write? How do I promote my content?

To say there’s a lot to do would be an understatement.

But to get your hands around all that there is to be done, you should start with research. Since many people prior to you had the same questions you’re having the internet is loaded with answers. Thank you, Jesus! Even I’ve compiled a great deal of it myself. Take some time to research all that you can and teach yourself a few things along the way. From deciding which platform is best for your blog, how to edit your photos, and what the heck SEO is use the resources the internet has to your advantage and get smart. You’ll feel great and more confident when it’s time to design your blogging strategy!

Ohhh, you thought I wasn’t going to talk about strategy didn’t you? Well, surprise here it is!

If you’ve been putting off starting a blog part of the reason could be that you don’t know how to go about it. There are so many instances where questions arise and the best way to tackle it all is to write everything out and create a strategy. After you’ve done your research decide what you need to do and what you would like to incorporate. Your strategy should include as much as possible when it comes to starting your blog and it can be divided into two phases: pre and post blog launch.

Your pre-launch should include all the aspects you need to design and execute your blog. You’ve already done the research so now you need to put it together as you think of your blog’s name personality and design theme. Within the pre-launch, your strategy should also include where you will host your site and how you want your website to look. Plan those stages out and draft your concepts properly so you can get your site done the way you wanted. Let’s fast forward and pretend we’re at the post-launch. Your site is branded the way you want and your website looks great. Consider how you’ll promote it all. Here, you’ll strategize the social platforms you’ll use, the types of images you’ll post, and the ways you’ll engage with your audience. Sure you can do this all after you launch your blog but if you have an overall idea on these components as your strategizing your blog in the beginning, you’ll be in a really good place once it’s launched!

Starting a blog is so much easier when you have an actual start (or launch) date in mind. “A month before New York Fashion Week would be ideal for my website!”, “I want to get it going in 3 months!”, etc. If you decide to give yourself a certain amount of time to strategize and finally launch your blog, you’ll be able to prepare yourself and work towards that deadline. The best way to go about it is to be realistic. When I started my blog I was working a full time job and was in a relationship so I had few hours and days to get my website going quickly. Instead, I was honest about the time I could commit to and when I wanted it done. For me, my blog deadlines were:

1. Month 1: Research
2. Months 2, 3, & 4: Create my blog’s name, personality, colors, and theme.
3. Months 5 and 6: Site development

Giving myself dates and time-frames that would serve as milestones made it easier for me to set goals, cross assignments off my list, and then finally get it done. In the end, I got my blog up and going in just over 6 months. That may sound like a long time for some, but once it was done I didn’t care because I did it! Cool thing about that win is so can you! I highly suggest that you set realistic deadlines with starting your blog that takes into consideration your personal and professional life. By doing this, you allow yourself the opportunity to get your dream blog up and going without rushing yourself and ultimately throwing in the towel like so many frustrated people do.

We both know you’ve stalled with this blog long enough, but when you made the first step to go after it you did something big. Then you overcame what was holding you back, researched like crazy, strategized, and even set realistic deadlines. Now you just have to go after your goals. All the things you’ve strategized alongside the deadlines you’ve set for both your pre and post-launch should be looked at like the juiciest burger and you haven’t eaten all day. Vegetarians and vegans, feel free to replace the burger with something green that you like. Stay focused, work diligently, and do your best to keep pushing until you’re done. You’ve done so much up to this point that there’s no way you’re stopping until you’re launched and happy with what you’ve created.

There you have it!

Five tips to help you start your blog when you’ve procrastinated long enough. I get that starting is the hardest part, but this is something you want and you’ve said long enough that you were going to do this so … do this! Yes it’s going to be a lot of work and yes it will get hard, but the minute you start you’ll be closer to your best blog launch. Just imagine how happy you’ll be when you can visit your page and see your work live and online. It’s going to be great, but you just have to begin. But if you forget, let me say it loud and clear: you got this! And if you need help at any point along the journey, I got you!