If you have been spending more time trying to find time for your blog than you are actually spending time writing content on it, you may begin to notice the compounding effects of blog neglect.
Lack of self-discipline and a set routine can undermine even an experienced blogger striving to gain momentum by posting often and consistently for maximum impact.
Working from home has been one of the largest global shifts in the modern workforce. Enabled through technology and widely embraced due to a pandemic, more people are now opting into either partial or total remote work than ever before in history.
While our lives may feel busier these days, a lot of us actually have more time thanks to remote work. We skip the commute. We get a little extra sleep. We have additional time and comfort at our disposal now.
If you have been trying to start a successful blog, you may have noticed that when it comes to content production specifically, being comfortable can be really bad. Sometimes being at home happens to mean also choosing to do our laundry… pay our bills… wash the dishes…. or Zoom with our friends… all before we commit to sitting down just to write.
Tack this on with generalized stress, a jam-packed work week, and maybe ADHD and you’ll begin to understand why so many people struggle with focusing on the little things that actually move the needle.
We all want to blog more… and yet we don’t! We try to, but then our writers-block kicks in and we can no longer find the motivation to place ourselves in that peaceful environment we require in order to sit down and write freely.
Have you ever felt it was a struggle to maximize your productive time during the day?
As a blogger, I know I’ve experienced periods of time while “working from home” where I’d allow far too much time to pass by without prioritizing writing new content.
Nothing feels worse than watching hours, days, or even weeks fly by all while you continue to make little-to-no progress toward your most important goals: in this case, blogging.
Whether the problem is due to ADHD or a simple case of procrastination, I think we can all agree we’d feel a lot happier knowing we are making the most of our time. After all, the more productive hours we have during the day, the more leisurely time we can afford to grant ourselves for relaxation and our true passions.
For all of these reasons, I would like to recommend a tool to you.
That tool is a website called FocusMate.
FocusMate is an amazing tool for any blogger who is working from home. It is especially useful for anyone wanting to make the most of their time.
It’s a real productivity-boosting life hack.
Don’t worry, I don’t recommend it because of some affiliate program that will earn me hundreds of thousands of dollars for all the people who may choose to use it. Not, it is not that at all. In fact, not only is this recommendation something I won’t profit from at all, but it’s actually a free tool for you to use!
You can use it up to 3 times a week for free. Only if you wish to schedule sessions more frequently than that would it cost you a mere $5/month for unlimited sessions.
I pay the fee for FocusMate Turbo because I have found it has made me immeasurably more productive.
In a way, I joke. Perhaps my improvement could be measured. The point is that with FocusMate, I’m getting A LOT MORE DONE.
A lot more done… in a lot less time too!
If you could pay $5/month for a way to get more done in less time, would you?
What is your time worth?
FocusMate works by matching you up randomly with a stranger.
It’s sort of like Omegle meets LinkedIn, haha. Everyone on it is on a mission. Every user is seeking a short-term accountability partner (typically also a stranger) to work along with in silence for a single 50-minute work session.
The rules on FocusMate are simple:
- Open a time slot to get matched with a stranger
- Join the session early or at least on time
- Spend 10-30 seconds discussing what your goal is for the session
- Ask your partner about their objective
- Ask if they want you muted or unmuted
- Work for the entire time remaining
- Check in verbally or via chat if you need to quickly go get something
- Check-in when the alarm bell rings after the session timer ends
A few extra tips and guidelines for your sessions
- Hide your cell phone or at least silence it
- Type your goals in the chat at the start of the session
- Be specific about your objectives
- Keep your microphone on for heightened accountability
- Announce if you need to leave the camera for any reason
- Smile 🙂
- Be friendly!
Rules to be aware of on FocusMate:
- Don’t spend your session having a conversation
- Don’t socialize with those around you
- Don’t disappear without explaining why
- Don’t leave early without explaining why
- Don’t take screenshots or record your sessions
Those are some fairly basic rules and guidelines to help you better understand how to use FocusMate to boost your productivity while blogging.
I hope it doesn’t seem too complicated because, in practice, it is actually quite simple.
My first session was on Valentine’s Day (clearly my love life is going great) and I was really impressed with how effectively my time was used. I genuinely focused for 50 minutes straight, concentrated much more easily, and found myself persisting when I otherwise might drift off or get sidetracked under ordinary working conditions.
It might feel awkward at first, but surprisingly, it really isn’t. We are all there to accomplish something. For some strange reason, at least for me, FocusMate really works.
In a situation where I’d otherwise consider giving myself a free pass to procrastinate a little longer, a pre-booked session makes me feel like I owe it to the other person to show up…
… and frankly, when it comes to blogging, showing up is half the battle.
Once your fingers are on the keyboard, it is mostly smooth sailing from there.
Try FocusMate today!
Maybe we’ll get to work together someday!
