This is a tricky post for me to write. I’ve thought long and hard about whether or not to post something about the coronavirus. I wasn’t sure how it would fit on SideGains. But the truth is though it IS relevant since the coronavirus affects how we work as bloggers, as with everyone else. It truly affects our ability to continue blogging.
So instead of writing something specific about the coronavirus itself, I want to explore another question. Should we continue blogging when events like this occur?
So Here We Are…
The Coronavirus has turned the world on its head. We are all affected by it, even if we don’t suffer illness itself.
Each day the news becomes more bleak, and it seems there’s very little we can do to stop it. We can of course help to slow down how quickly it’s transmitted. We can isolate ourselves and spread the load on our medical services as much is as humanly possible. This approach alone will save lives.
It’s shocking to imagine we’ll remain affected by this long after the major medical implications have subsided. Whenever that may be. Our economies will suffer (they are already doing so). There may be shortages in goods and services as some businesses will fail.
There’s little we can do to prevent this.
I’ve been completely floored by news reports in the UK this week and have found myself in a complete fog. It’s incredible how quickly things have progressed, though we all knew it was coming. I’ve found myself absorbing news reports and as a result I’ve done very little work so far… I met a potential earlier this week for an hour but that’s pretty much it.
Normally I’m a pretty consistent blogger. As a rule I write and publish 3 – 4 blog posts each week: Monday, Tuesday (sometimes), Wednesday and Friday. This is the first week since starting SideGains that I haven’t written a post on a Monday and/or Tuesday. Work has just not seemed important in light of what’s happening all around me.
I feel worried, but also powerless to do anything other than remain at home, playing my small part in trying to slow down the growth of the coronavirus. I don’t have any symptoms… I’m just trying to stay put to avoid it and stagger it’s progression as we’ve been advised.
This is something I’m going to have to get used to… as are we all for the foreseeable future.
So Why Should We Continue Blogging Right Now?
The coronavirus is like many things outside of our control. There will always be external factors that make committing to a blog difficult… though likely not many as dramatic in my lifetime.
Factors like these can knock us out of our blogging routine, or worse, cause blogs to fail. Sometimes we can have an infinitesimally small influence over external such factors. However, as individuals we cannot control the wider environment in which we practise… whatever it is we practise.
So what should we do when events like this occur? Should we continue blogging? Or perhaps we should do nothing?
As I say in the title… I think it’s vital to continue blogging, especially during the coronavirus pandemic.
Why do I believe this?
- Adherence to a routine is paramount right now and blogging offers something for each of us to hold on to. Continuing to blog gives us a way to create a form of routine.
- We have to continue blogging to strive for our goals regardless of external factors we can do little to change. There will always be things that impede our progress or discourage us. We must overcome them, adapt to them or work with them in order to carry on. The alternative is to lose momentum, lose motivation or ultimately quit.
- It’s still important to be consistent in our blogging. Search engines don’t wait for anyone to be in the right place. They don’t factor extenuating external circumstances into their algorithms. As bloggers we must strive to maintain commitment and continue to post consistently so we don’t lose ground.
- We will survive the coronavirus, though of course it will deeply affect people… and some clearly more than others. But if we totally shut ourselves down because of the abnormality of the environment, we add to the problem. In order for that not happen, we have to continue trying to be normal within the confines of individual and collective safety.
- There will be a life after the coronavirus is under control… and it will be under control at some point. Although there will be further external factors relating to the pandemic that impede all of us afterwards, we need to keep working on building a useful resource for ourselves and others for when the dust has settled.
Most of us will likely have to spend a prolonged period of time at home until the coronavirus is no longer on its upward curve. How long this will be is not certain, though it seems likely to be months rather than weeks.
There will be many things for us to focus upon during this time, including potentially suffering from the virus itself or looking after someone who is.
However in my view, we bloggers need to continue trying to be productive, trying to remain normal and sticking as closely as possible to our routines and schedules as we can.
That’s it for now. Please continue blogging… but keep yourselves and your loved ones safe.
Bye for now.
Paul
I’d love to hear your thoughts on why we should continue blogging when things outside of our control make it difficult. Please leave a comment below.
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