How to start a blog without stress

I remember as a kid, when it was time to sit and study for exams, I’d always be planning and scheming rather than studying. I’d count the pages of the book, get a snack, grab a glass of water, or clean the desk—anything but study. This went on until only a few hours were left before the exam. This is called procrastination. It’s natural. It’s human to plan and scheme to tame the uncertainty of the world.

I see many beginners who want to start a blog stressing about how to start, where to start, or when to start. What they really need to do is just start—anywhere. It doesn’t matter what platform you choose, what your first post will be, whether you have a backlog of posts, or what your publishing frequency will be. What matters is getting started.

All the questions that hold you back from taking the plunge come from our natural instinct to avoid the unknown. Our brain creates fear of the unknown to conserve energy and protect us. This is why we procrastinate. (I’ve written at length about how to beat procrastination.)

Selecting the right blogging platform, niche, topic, posting frequency, or post length is just procrastination. Writing something and putting it on the internet is what’s essential. Action creates a bias for action. That’s why the 5-minute rule exists: if you’re procrastinating, commit to doing it for just 5 minutes. You’ll naturally end up doing it longer. Action creates momentum, making it easier to keep going.

So, pick a platform and get started. Any platform will do—the simpler, the better. (This blog is written on Lykhari.) If you do want to compare first, here are the ones worth looking at, and you can have a blog running in a minute.

Another stress-inducing factor is worrying about what people will think. When you’re starting out, you can be sure no one is going to read your blog. It’s disheartening but also liberating. You can write whatever you want, however you want. The key is to start and course-correct along the way, not to chart a perfect course before you begin.

“Start, then learn.” — Sahil

It’s important to write for yourself, not for an audience. Write about your interests. Write to think. Write for therapy or healing. If you’re consistent, you’ll eventually create an audience. The right readers will emerge over time—you can’t pinpoint them from day one. So don’t stress. Just start right now.

If you don’t have a blog and your first post up in the next 10 minutes, you’re not going to make it. Do not go into endless customisations. Theming. Coloring. Coming up with the perfect name of blog. Just create one, write a post and hit publish. Everything can and will be changed later. Don't fret.