The Great Overthinking

At the end of 2021, I decided that 2022 would be the year we could all come together and bring blogging back. I even made up a hashtag: #BBB2022 In preparation I set up a Feedly stream so I could keep up with my friends’ blogs. I kicked this project off on November 3, with a post titled “Stop Dithering and DO Something.” And, I posted THREE more times in November, twice in December, then…not again until April. Twice in May. Once in July. 

Now, here we are at the beginning of May 2023. 

Why is this so hard? 

I’ve beat myself up over this again and again, but in the end, the reasons are valid. Last year, I was coming to terms with my rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis (officially made in December 2021, but I’d had steadily worsening symptoms for about a year), and I was busier with work than ever before. Those two things together are enough to explain the struggle to blog with any kind of regularity. 

One other problem is the title of this post: The Great Overthinking. Every time I sit down to write a post, I think about how it might tie into content marketing, because this blog exists on my professional website, and potential clients might see it. Is this topic one I want a potential client to see? Does it represent my work? 

I’m overthinking it.

When I choose to work with a new client, I do so with the expectation that we will genuinely like each other. I spent way too many years in offices with folks that didn’t really like me and with whom I couldn’t imagine developing a friendship. Now, it’s not like that at all. I don’t want to be besties with all my clients, but I do want to at least not dread talking to them. I find that I always like learning details about my clients’ lives. It doesn’t really matter if this blog is representative of my work, or if every topic doesn’t tie directly to B2B tech content marketing. 

The tie-in almost always exists

The professional tie-in that I’m always over-thinking usually is there, too. Content marketing and strategy are huge areas, and almost anything can fit under those umbrellas. My struggle with what to write about in this space is, after all, essentially a content marketing issue. This is my professional blog, where I post content to market my brand and business, so my struggles are a reflection of what my clients deal with just on a far smaller and more personal scale.

Being personable and authentic in content marketing is such old advice that it feels cliche, but at the very bottom of everything, it’s what works. It’s about finding a path to make a connection.

The desire remains

Even though I did a terrible job of bringing blogging back in 2022, I still want this tiny space on the internet to exist—to thrive, even. So, I’m not giving up. (If you know me, you probably already know that “dogged determination” and even “perverse stubbornness” are apt descriptors.)

I’m not setting any hard and fast rules because they would only serve as a club for bludgeoning myself later, but I am going to work on remembering how much I enjoy blogging. I’m also going to work on visiting my Feedly stream more often. Reading other blogs is inspiring, and interesting, and a good use of my time.