Three years. That is the minimum. Three years of absolute dedication to the craft, of consistently publishing blog posts, of relentless focus on the details that build world class blogs in order to go full time.
It might take longer than that. It could be 5 years. If you have relentless focus on your blog for 5 years that is nearly a guarantee you will go full time. I can’t make a 100% guarantee, of course–nobody can. But it’s a pretty sure thing. It’s similar to how if you work hard through four years of college it’s a near guarantee you will graduate with a degree.
Given this near guarantee, why aren’t there more successful bloggers out there? The answer is simple: people want shortcuts but there are no shortcuts.
There Are No Blogging Shortcuts
There is efficiency. There is optimization. There is strategy. There is hard work. There are no shortcuts. Shortcuts to success do not exist.
Do you think Jeremy Lin got offered no athletic scholarships, went to Harvard, went undrafted in the NBA, made it on an NBA squad anyway, broke out in a big way on the New York Knicks, and then won a 2019 NBA championship by taking shortcuts?
Why would anybody think there are shortcuts that are going to lead to massive success in the blogging world? It doesn’t exist. There is no such thing.
There is only consistent hard work.
What Does It Take To Become A Full Time Blogger?
Since we now know there are no shortcuts, what does it take?
- 3-5 Years Of Relentless Execution I’ve written on how 80% of blogs fail within the first 18 months. That is because the blogmasters simply give up because long term blogging is hard. (Did they think it was gonna be easy?) The only way that you are going to go full time is relentless dedication to blogging for a minimum of 3 years, but it may take you 5 years. Which, of course, in the big picture is a tiny sacrifice to make in order to earn freedom to live life however you see fit. But many aren’t willing to make that kind of commitment because it would interfere with their Netflix watching schedule! Insane! But you’re not the kind of person who would sacrifice their future for Netflix episodes, are you?
- Dedication To Mastering The Craft Lin made it to the NBA due to dedication of mastering his craft. You, blogger, must do the same. Blogging is much more than writing words, although that is the most important part. But a lot must be mastered behind the scenes to make sure people can even find your blog in order to read it. I go in-depth many times about exactly what skills need to be mastered elsewhere on my blog, take a look around if you are serious.
- You Must Be A Good Writer You can’t be a successful blogger without writing well. There is a simple solution to improving your writing: write a lot, read a lot, and edit your work.
- A Monetization Strategy You could be the greatest writer in the world and not make a cent if you don’t have a monetization strategy set up. There are many options for you to choose from, just choose 2-3 that make the most sense for you. For most of us this is the best trifecta 1.) affiliate links 2.) our own ebooks 3.) an ad network. Don’t be afraid of making money from your words! This used to be a mental barrier for me and I bet many other people are similar.
- The Right Tools Don’t blow your budget right out of the gate, add the extra blogging tools as the time when it makes sense to make the investment. All I ever start with when building a new blog is the cheapest tier of Bluehost hosting that comes with a free domain (my partner/affiliate link) and then the FOCUS theme by DIYThemes. You can even get by on a free theme.
Is There Really No Way To Make Success Come Faster?
Yes, the best way to make success come faster is to follow the bullet points above and then put in more hours.
More hours = more work done. More work done = faster success.
It’s my simple success formula. However, when I say “3-5 years” to make it as a full time blogger, I am making the huge assumption that you are working your behind off: that your eyes are bloodshot from looking at your computer screen so much, that you are exhausted from lack of sleep, that loved ones are worried that you have taken the obsession over your blog too far. I’m assuming you are already doing all of those things to make it in 3 – 5 years.
If you want to make it faster you will have to put in even more hours and those hours must be worked at high intensity levels, when writing, shoot for 1,000 words per hour (hard!). But that’s what you have to do if you want to make it even faster than the tight 3 – 5 year timeline. It will take a ton of work.
Is It Worth It?
In order to win optimization and sacrifice must be at the forefront. But when we talk about “sacrifice” what are we really talking about? I’m talking about sacrificing time spent streaming shows, scrolling phones, listening to podcasts and music, and stumbling aimlessly throughout life. Is it really even a sacrifice at all?
Yes, of course it is worth it. It is worth it to create a situation in which your wife can quit her job to take care of the children, which is all she really wants to do. It is worth it to be able to give your children gifts just because you want to and you don’t have to worry about the cost. It is worth battling for years through the valley of blogging despair in order to come out the other side with the freedom to live your life the way you see fit. Absolutely it is worth it!
“What Should I Do Now?”
Don’t hesitate another second. I know you’ve been googling relentlessly trying to figure out if you should be a blogger and trying to figure out if it is a viable path forward. The answers are yes and yes. Every second you spend “analyzing” is another second you aren’t working on earning your freedom via blogging. Go and open a Bluehost hosting account (free domain name and best available price through my affiliate link because I am a Bluehost partner), launch your blog, and get to work. Your future is waiting!
Blog on, friend. Blog on.