A little over a month ago, I embarked on a blogging challenge to kick start my habit of writing. I’ve always wanted to have a blog, so this is the time to take it – and myself! – seriously.
I thought I had to follow a set path. Find the challenge. Post every day. Stick to the prompts. Push through for consistency’s sake. But a week into my 30-day blogging challenge, I realized these rules weren’t helping me. Instead of building momentum, I was burning out.
What I learned from this challenge wasn’t just about blogging; it was about self-discovery, flexibility, and giving myself permission to grow at my own pace.
This is the 30 day challenge that Chat GPT provided for me and what I discovered.
Week 1: Explore Your Interests
Day 2: Share a list of hobbies or skills you’ve picked up over the years.
Day 3: Reflect on a moment that shaped who you are today.
Day 4: Write about something you’d love to learn more about.
Day 5: Share your biggest dream/goal and what’s stopping you from pursuing it.
Day 6: Create a list of things you’d do if time and money weren’t a concern.
Day 7: Reflect on what makes you happiest—how could that translate into a blog theme?
Week 2: Experiment with Content Styles
Day 8: Write a “How-To” post about something you know how to do.
Day 9: Share a list of your favorite books, or podcasts, and why they inspire you.
Day 10: Create a “Day in My Life” post (real or aspirational).
Day 11: Write about a failure or mistake and what you learned.
Day 12: Share a personal story that others might relate to.
Day 13: Try a “Top 10 Tips” post in an area of interest.
Day 14: Reflect on what type of blog posts you’ve enjoyed writing the most so far.
Week 3: Test Your Voice
Day 15: Write an opinion piece on a trending topic or issue you care about.
Day 16: Write a humorous post about something silly or embarrassing that’s happened to you.
Day 17: Create an inspirational post for people going through a tough time.
Day 18: Share a “Before and After” story (personal growth, a skill, etc.).
Day 19: Write a post as if you’re giving advice to your younger self.
Day 20: Test a new format—e.g., a photo blog, listicle, or Q&A format.
Day 21: Ask your readers (even if small) to suggest topics they’d like to see.
Week 4: Refining and Reflecting
Day 22: Revisit your posts—what topics felt most authentic to you?
Day 23: Write about the process of trying to find your niche.
Day 24: Share what you’ve learned about yourself through this challenge.
Day 25: Brainstorm a list of potential niches and post ideas for each.
Day 26: Write about your fears or doubts about blogging and how you’ll overcome them.
Day 27: Share a post reflecting on what excites you most moving forward.
Day 28: Ask yourself: What do I want my blog to accomplish? Write about it.
Day 29: Experiment with a collaborative post (interview or guest feature).
Day 30: Reflect on your growth and decide on 1-3 topics to explore further.
A Safe Space
It should come to no surprise that the first week of prompts, labeled ‘Explore your interests,’ brought upon a common theme. For me, it was how many times I’ve given up on something in the past.
Call it what you will: ADHD, executive disfunction, or the fear of being perceived. Maybe it’s some sort of Frankenstien-esque combination of them all plus some.
The bottom line is that I’ve been afraid to follow my dreams, my ideas, my voice, myself. Through this blog, I’m creating something akin to a safe space where I can develop self-confidence. If it can also be a safe space for others, then that would be a bonus.
Winging it was not for me.
I originally thought that posting a prompt a day would be fine! The idea was to write and post something without overthinking and eventually talking myself out of posting all together. But there is a very fine line between putting in the work for a quality post and overthinking to the point of quitting.
The pressure of creating a blog post everyday was not realistic or sustainable. Sure, I can write posts ahead of time, but I kept getting stuck on the post I “had to” publish today. Once that was done, I would be too tired to think of future posts. If I continued like this, I would wind up in the path of quitting. Again!
Now, I’ve decided to stick to a twice a week posting schedule. I found this fantastic blogging manager for Notion made by Molly Jones that I’ve been tweaking for my needs. She has this up for free on Gumroad if you wanted to check it out and support her!
Included is a blog post template with very useful section that breaks down the creation of a blog in different steps. I start by creating a new template with a general idea of what I want to write about. Giving it a status is a great way to organize my thoughts for future posts.
Then, I’ve been posting thoughts and ideas in the outline page and fleshing it out in the rough draft. It also integrates with a calendar, so I can visually see when my posts would be published.
Even if her template is not for you, having an organizer or planner makes the process so much easier. Without that extra pressure, I’m sure the quality of my posts will go up.
It’s Okay to Adjust the Plan
When I started this challenge, I wanted to follow a set plan by posting daily, sticking to the prompts, and push through no matter what. But the pressure of posting every day wasn’t sustainable. Rather than pushing me forward, it was making me want to quit.
I’ve learned that it’s okay to adjust the plan. There is no set path I have to follow. If something isn’t working, that doesn’t mean I’ve failed, it just means it doesn’t work for me.
I’m applying the same principle to finding my niche. All the beginners guides to blogging and social media emphasize finding your niche and sticking to it. It had me feeling like I had to pick one focus right away, but the truth is, I’m still exploring. I don’t have to niche down immediately, and forcing myself into one box too soon feels very limiting.
This blog is a space for growth and part of that growth is allowing myself to evolve, adapt, and figure things out as I go.
While I’m not going to follow the rest of the 30 days to the t, I will be using some of the ideas from this challenge more organically, in a way that feels authentic to me.
I also decided to follow a more traditional blog posting schedule since posting a blog everyday felt unnatural. It felt like I was treating this platform like Twitter or Instagram but I know they are fundamentally different. I will stick to posting on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Feel free to take on this challenge if you also want to get into the habit of writing. You can also just cherry pick some prompts that inspire some ideas. If you do, tag me or send me the link! I would love to follow along.
the bold dev 
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