Changing how I blog to focus on investing — Highlighting the changes I am making to the blog and why. Shifting the focus towards investing.
I am reluctantly writing this post to notify you that I am changing how I blog to focus on investing.
To the long-time readers of this blog, this may come as somewhat of a surprise because of my passion for blogging.
But in the words of the great Charlie Munger,
“You have to have the habit of re-examining your old ideas all the time.” — Charlie Munger
Of course, I still plan on continuing to write on this blog because I enjoy blogging. There’s hardly anything I like more than writing a new post on my Macbook while drinking a coffee.
With that said, I am changing how I blog to focus on investing.
Below I have highlighted some of the changes I plan on making and why.
Changing How I Blog To Focus On Investing
Below are the reasons why I am changing how I blog:
Why I Am Changing How I Blog To Focus On Investing
I Got Tired Of Writing Keyword-Focussed Articles
To put it bluntly, I am exhausted with writing keyword-focussed articles.
For the past year and a half, I have been writing three blog posts per week that are based on keywords I find using keyword search tools.
Prior to writing keyword-focussed articles, I used to write a much more personal blog.
Despite the progress I’ve made blogging this way, and even though the blog generated over $1,100 in 2021, I want to get back to writing a more personal blog.
Frankly, I don’t want to search for keywords before writing. I just want to write what I feel like writing.
I’m Not A Natural Teacher
Most keyword articles are meant to teach. They answer questions or explain how to accomplish something.
In truth, I am not a natural teacher at all nor do I enjoy teaching people.
As an autodidact, it actually makes me cringe a bit when I have to teach someone how to do something.
In addition, I do not like pretending to know something when I don’t. Some people are fine with being overly confident about sharing knowledge, even it they don’t understand it that well.
To Enjoy Blogging More
I never thought I would say this, but my interest in blogging has been fading slightly.
I honestly used to feel disappointed when I found out other bloggers in the community quit. I couldn’t comprehend how they would give up on something as cool as blogging. Also, why quit after you made a commitment?
But after more than six years of blogging, I finally understand — life changes.
My life is different than it was when I started my blogging journey. I used to write to have a creative outlet because I wanted to escape my full-time job so badly. Now I have a different job that pays me more to work less.
Furthermore, I used to dream of being a full-time blogger. But now that I’ve experienced some success with blogging, I see it as more of a hobby and extension of investing. As a side note, though, part of me wants to start a new blog when I reach financial independence. I could run it as a business and learn from all the mistakes I made with this blog.
Anyways, one of the reasons I am changing how I blog is to enjoy blogging again.
I want to remove the pressure of forcing myself to write and get back to writing because I want to.
To Focus On Investing
Perhaps the main reason why I am changing how I blog is to focus more on investing.
Simply put, my first true love is dividend investing.
Also, my portfolio is worth a lot more than it was when I started blogging.
The blog was all I really had back then, so naturally, I put most of my time and effort into blogging.
But now that I actually have a bit of cash to manage, I have to put more time and effort into managing my portfolio.
I have to read more, analyze stocks more, and focus more on making the best investment decisions possible.
As such, I plan on using some of the time that was put towards blogging into investing.
I’m An Introvert
To be a truly successful blogger, you basically need to be an extrovert.
It requires networking ability and a general interest in engaging with others.
As an introvert, I feel as though my blogging skills can only take me so far. To reach the next level, I would need to become more social. Unfortunately, I am just not wired that way.
I don’t want to spend my time sending DMs to sell someone on a product or service. I don’t always feel like interacting or engaging.
Candidly, I am sometimes amazed and even a tad jealous at others’ interest in socializing.
Of course, I must admit that I am very appreciative of the relationships I’ve built through blogging. I have made a few friends that I hope to stay in touch with forever.
I Am Analytical
Another reason why I am changing how I blog is because I am analytical.
The posts I enjoy writing most are repetitive and analytical. They document my dividend income, savings rate, or forward dividend income. I like to track incremental progress.
As such, I plan on continuing to write analytical posts that document my dividend income instead of writing keyword-focussed articles.
I Make More Money Through Work And Investing
As I have become a more mature adult, I have shifted towards getting results rather than what is the most fun thing to do.
And frankly, I make more money from my job than I do from blogging.
For example, I probably spend 24 to 36 hours in a month to write 12 posts per month. That’s excluding the time I put into marketing and social media. For all that effort, I make around $100 per month.
On the other hand, I make more than that if I work 3 hours at my job. With the extra time, I can pick up extra shifts at work and make more money.
In addition, my investment portfolio is large enough to generate substantially more than blogging now (dividends + capital appreciation).
So even though I am on pace to surpass last year’s income if I maintain my current blog strategy, I am shifting the focus.
Admittedly, the most difficult part of this decision is that I might have finally been on the cusp of being a successful blogger. Based on my blog income and page views in 2021, I could have been heading for full-time blogger.
To Have More Time
As I mentioned earlier, my life is different now than it was when I started blogging.
When I started blogging, I really didn’t have much besides my blog.
It was almost as though blogging was a method of personal therapy before it transitioned into the investment-centric blog it is now.
Anyways, I want to have more time to go on trips to the beach in the summer, enjoy the weekends, and to spend more time on the life I’ve built outside of blogging.
I Don’t Want To Worry About Page Views
In addition to being tired of writing articles for Google, I am tired of worrying about page views.
I used to have so much fun sending Tweets every hour to try to push page views as high as possible.
But over the past six months or so, I have become weary of chasing page views.
I don’t want to chase page views anymore, I just want to blog about what interests me.
I Am Horrible At Answering Emails
If you are one of the many marketers who have emailed me, I sincerely apologize.
I am horrible at answering emails.
Frankly, one of the reasons I want to turn back into a more personal blog is to avoid this pressure.
I often get email requests for sponsored posts and guests posts that I fail to respond to.
For a number of reasons, I am horrible at answering these emails. As such, I aim to eliminate the pressure to respond to emails as often.
I Dislike Sales
Perhaps making changes to a blog that made over $1,100 last year is a stupid idea.
Maybe I was on the cusp of becoming a full-time blogger?
Maybe if I just added more affiliate links or if I created a product, I could make a lot more money from this blog?
The problem is that I dislike sales and don’t want anything to do with it. It’s not a natural interest of mine to want to sell.
Changing How I Blog To Focus On Investing — The Changes
Now that you know the reasons I am making some changes, let’s look at what I actually plan on changing.
Committing To 1 Post Per Week
Instead of writing 3 posts per week, from this point forward, I am only committing to 1 post per week.
It pains me a little to make this change since it has become habitual. But I think I will enjoy blogging more if I limit it to 1 post per week.
I’m No Longer Writing Keywords Articles
For now, I am done with writing keyword-focussed articles.
Of course, this could result in less blog income.
But it will save time and allow me to focus on writing the analytical articles I want to write.
All Posts Will Be An Extension Of My Investing Activity
Regarding the articles I want to write, this blog will become an extension of my investing activity.
Essentially, I will use this blog to report on my investment portfolio like a business reports its earnings.
To be clear, I will continue to publish dividend income updates, as they will remain the focal point of this blog. In addition, I am planning to write forward dividend income forecasts, savings reports, and document my monthly trades.
I Am Considering The Removal Of Display Ads
From time to time, I receive complaints on the amount of ads running on this blog.
I will admit that the ads can be distracting and annoying.
However, it’s hard to turn them off when you make around $100 per month just for running them.
With that said, I am considering removing the ads if my blog traffic dips considerably.
But I make no promises as of yet, because these ads pay for the cost to run the blog.
Changing How I Blog To Focus On Investing — Final
After having my most successful year of blogging ever in 2021, I decided to change my blog strategy back to a more personal blog.
Mainly, I got tired of writing keyword-focussed articles and want to enjoy blogging more again.
As such, I am switching from writing 3 posts per week to 1 post per week, and I will no longer write articles based on keywords. Instead, this blog is becoming an extension of my investment activity.
Of course, dividend income updates will remain the focal point.
As a side note, there is a chance that I will change my mind and shift back to managing this blog as a business if I miss it.
There is also a chance that I keep this as my personal blog and I start separate blog as an intentional business.
But for the time being, I am simply changing how I blog to focus on investing.
Related Posts To Check Out
Blog Income Report 2021 (Full Year Report) — How I Made $1,131.73 From Blogging
Dividend Income March 2022 — Record Month
I am not a licensed investment or tax adviser. All opinions are my own. This post may contain advertisements by Monumetric. This post may also contain internal links, affiliate links to BizBudding, Amazon, Bluehost, and Questrade, links to trusted external sites, and links to RTC social media accounts.
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Forward Dividend Income April 2022 — $1,253.78
