Why Am I Not Regular With Blogging

Hello everyone,

Welcome to my last post of the year, of the decade. Decade, yes, a decade is gone and it was indeed a decade to remember. I had begun my blogging journey in the middle of this decade and if my initial plans had seen fruition, I would have been posting regularly on both my blogs by now. But due to several reasons I lost my impetus and couldn’t devote as much time to blogging. 

So what made me so irregular? Is it my job?  Is it my frequent travels? These are the two excuses I keep coming up with, but deep down inside I know how things in the blog-o-sphere have changed.

When I started blogging six years back for one of the biggest blogs in India (my own blog was a far-fetched dream back then), there were just a handful of bloggers around. We were from all over the country and from different backgrounds, things were raw and honest. It was really interesting and exciting to see what others were up to, what they were wearing, what new things they were buying, what they eat, how they were turning houses into homes. We started trusting each other, we connected and we bonded. There was no cry for perfection, no fake smiles.

Fast forward to today...

The blog-world has become saturated. Everyone is a blogger now. I have no problem with people coming into this ‘profession’, taking blogging seriously. We truly love good content. But claiming yourself a blogger, even when you don’t have a blog is outright ridiculous. How foolish can some people be!! And call me old school, what on earth is insta-blogging!!?? It kills the very essence of the word “blogging”. And let’s not start with the amount of misogyny, boot-licking and favoritism that happens in this industry. I can write pages on that!

Instagram, it is a funny place. When I first joined Instagram I was so hooked on to it, now I hate logging onto it. Instagram is now more about strategy and numbers than content. It’s a race, you have to play games of posting twice, adding stories, commenting on other people’s posts, hashtagging efficiently and tactfully to stay “in”. And the ‘algorithm’ is such a stupid thing, it was the nail in the coffin. There was a time I truly loved consuming all the gorgeous photos and content, which the “constant fake perfection” has successfully killed.  “More Likes, More Followers”, trust me, this is the most emotionally exhausting thing I have ever experienced! After office, makeup assignments and managing all the household chores, that is not even the last thing I would want again in my life. Now, I get more irritated and less inspired. Hold on, what even is IGTV? Can someone please throw some light!

BRANDS are BLIND. What is with the brands running after numbers? I really fail to understand. I mean, are they really so dumb not to understand the difference between bloggers having real followers than bloggers/Instagramers becoming 10000 from 1000 overnight! It boggles my mind. Dear brands, there are millions of followers that can be bought and trillions of likes that can be faked; it is high time you realize the obvious.

Pine for PR. Every day I get at least one mail or message from random strangers asking for contacts of PR. People want to start blogs not for the love of blogging, but to receive free PR samples. I am sorry to say, I have noticed this mainly with new bloggers. Most of the young bloggers start blogging these days with a hope to have Everest Level subscribers (doesn’t matter if they have to pay for it) and ask around for free PR stuff. I don’t know where blogging without passion will ever take them! Maybe I took blogging very emotionally and passionately, maybe that’s the reason why all these negativity affected me in the long run. I guess these won’t happen with “bloggers” blogging only for money and freebies. 

Thankfully, besides knowing some amazing bloggers who had started blogging with passion and not an income goal, who worked really hard to make the thriving blogs they have today, I am lucky to also know few young bloggers who are doing really well and genuinely working hard. You all keep the hope alive.

Lacking “Content”. We are called beauty bloggers for some reasons. What is with these beauty bloggers reviewing detergent powders and floor cleaners? Why are beauty bloggers reviewing home décor? Why is every beauty blogger asked to make a dance video on TikTok? Why are they even expected to have one account on that ridiculous app? Why are travel bloggers reviewing some random websites? Why are food bloggers reviewing lingerie? This goes beyond my understanding. We shouldn’t forget our own sphere of focus. Isn’t it? Or better yet, don’t claim to be blogging solely about one particular niche. Let your blog speak out for itself if you cover more than one particular niche. But calling yourself a particular (food, beauty, fashion or travel) blogger and venturing into other genres just for the sake of it is not done.

Lacking motivation. I don’t know if it is because of all the above mentioned reason or because of something else, I was lacking motivation big time. I couldn’t think clearly of a single thing, my mind was fog.  I felt negative and was anxious, cranky and pessimistic. I was not taking care of myself. Either I wasn’t sleeping well or was oversleeping. I was physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted and frustrated. I still am. But hopefully I would be able to turn things better this coming year. 

BLOGGING has been a life changer and DeckandDine has been one of the best “things” that happened to me in this decade, that happened to me ever. I can’t let myself keep feeling bad about not giving time to my blog. Hence I will be continuing with the blog, becoming more regular with my posts. Thank you my readers and fellow bloggers for reminding me that’s it is perfectly okay to feel sad and low at times and for encouraging me to rise and do better with each day.

Last but, not the least, I know no single "gyan" will make or break your blog, but one small tip for new bloggers... I might not have millions of followers, but I have spent years in the industry. If you are not passionate, no number of followers and no amount of SEO and keyword research can help you with it. It is perfectly okay if you want to earn through blogging, it is perfectly okay if you want to indulge in all those PR stuff that brands send, but you have to work hard and make your own way to it. Remember that blogging is big on effort nowadays with much lower on returns. So take it slow.

Happy blogging...