I've been blogging for more than 15 years (if we're counting myspace days) but I still find it so difficult to start a new blog. To date, I've started over 10 blogs in various niches, with my Filipina Beauty Blog, PinayBeautyAndStyle as the one attached to this internet pen name YeyAndie or Andie Yey.

From my experience, it is easier for me to create blogs if I am sharing as little of my self as possible.
Examples are my Nurse Exam Preparation blogs for the PNLE and the NCLEX. One is linked to my real name and the other is linked to one of my internet handles. Not sure why, but I think that it is really easier for introverts to share if they can keep a wall of sorts.

This blog, the YeyAndie blog has been in the works since 2016. I have over 100 completed drafts lined up plus about another 100 in my notebook. I just can't seem to publish anything because I don't wanna mess things up. 

Mess up how? Well, I wasn't sure what blog name I wanted to go for. It also took me the same 3 years to buy a domain name because you can't really have a domain name without a blog name first.

Another thing is I wasn't sure what I want this blog to be about. I know I wanted an online diary of sorts, unlike my other blogs which are quite strict niche blogs. I think the OC in me was just being too nitpicky. 

Anyway, I've decided that the YeyAndie Blog will be a collection of my personal interests and more like a documentation of real experiences rather than a resource site like my other blogs. Expect a mashup of topics like my health journey, fitness struggles, tips and tricks regarding freelancing and working online, how I became a digital nomad, my love of food, pet care, shopping, travel, movie and show reviews, and maybe the occasional beauty posts too.

Even after more than 10 still up and running blogs, the only clear tip that I can give is JUST DO IT. 

Nothing will ever come out of trying to wait for the right time and wanting everything to be perfect. It just doesn't happen!

I say the above because even after professionally writing for my clients (I ghostwrite for some people, on top of managing several of my own blogs), I realized that you can't really plan everything or expect things to go your way. Hey if I got my way, YeyAndie Blog would have been up and running 3 years ago, haha! Something always came up when I thought I'll have free time and then when I do have free time, I get sucked up to wanting to plan things out. 

The usual way of how I start blogging for clients is I create a content plan after SEO research and SEO planning that comes after I study the company/business profile of my client and their competitors. I didn't do that for my personal blogs like this one. I think a part of me didn't want to do all that because I wanted  to create something that doesn't feel like work. 

I think a lot of people get stuck to mulling over how to start blogging than actually blogging is they also get overwhelmed because of the technical side or got major anxiety like me wanting things to go a certain way.

Blogging was originally a form of journal writing. It is a web log. I say that unless you're trying to create a business website or commercial blog, that you should just go ahead and write then click publish. Stop googling How to Start Blogging and 'actually' start blogging! Sweat out the technical stuff later. Create content and the rest will follow :)

I'll take my own advice and click PUBLISH now :)