I’ve been blogging since before we had the word “blog” — with varying degrees of success. By “success” I don’t mean number of readers. I mean success in actually getting my blog posts completed and posted.

There have been long dry stretches, where I could barely get anything written. I didn’t know what to write, I didn’t want to write anything, I could not motivate myself.

Other times I had too much — three, four posts per day which for some people is just right but for me is overwhelming.

Right now I am in a groove, though. I thought I would share the four main tips that have made this current state possible:

Tip #1: Dig a hole.This is the biggest single piece of advice I can give. You need a news hole.

There was a long time when I wrote essays “occasionally.” This was designed to let me off the hook if I just couldn’t get it together to write. Result: long stretches of bupkis. Once I committed to a regular schedule and stuck to it for long enough for that to become a habit, it’s dialed in. Now I know every weekday I need a new post. (Sometimes I think of it as “feeding the beast.”) Since I know that every day I need to write something, I can schedule ahead, putting things in the can for vacation times, or just getting next week set so I can take it easy. You might go on a weekly schedule, daily, bi-weekly, or some other schedul. But the key is to make it regular. Don’t post “occasionally” or you will not be able to sustain it. If you want to post two stories per week, decide which days you will post. That’s your news hole.

Tip #2: Limit your time. Don’t allow yourself to work too long. Stop at 30 minutes.

It’s easy to not write because I think it’ll take a whole bunch of time.  So I limit myself — 30 minutes to write a post. (Your own duration may differ.) It is 100% easier to say, “I am going to bang this thing out becuase I only have 30 minutes” than it is to say “Wow, I have to write something about health care reform (or whatever).” Remember, this is blogging, not writing for print publication. It should not take a long time.

Tip #3: Lower your bar. Do not shoot perfection. Go for “good enough.”

Here is a good way to keep yourself within your time limit. Don’t pursue perfection. This is a blog, for goodness’ . Good enough is totally, completely good enough. Maybe once in a while you will want to write the definitive post — set yourself a long time and go for it. But for day-in, day-out production, just keep it simple. Four paragraphs or less. Breezy style. And don’t edit too much. Just feed the beast — who cares if it’s prime rib or hamburger?

Tip #4: Link, baby, link. Use links to help you write. Make sure you are linking.

This is a bit of a technical piece of advice but it also helps with production. Make sure you link to something, even if it’s another article you wrote. Why? Well, for one thing, this is a blog and people expect that. For another, it gives you something to hang your piece on. It gives you something you have to describe (the thing you are linking to) and that means you’ve got one paragraph down. Three to go!

These aren’t hard and fast rules, obviously, just tips. And they don’t at all cover what to blog about. These are just things to think about.

If you write a blog, how do you make sure you’re getting it done? And, if you are considering blogging, what are the things holding you back?