Can you believe I’ve been tinkering away on this blog for two years? Me either! But I was flicking through my archives and it was September 8, 2012, when I first posted here. (I think there were a couple posted on the same day because I moved over from Squarespace. Anywho).

Time flies when you’re having fun, hey? And looking back at those first entries, once I stop cringing, I can see how much I’ve learned over that time. I’ve come a fair way, but I still definitely consider this a teeny baby blog: On a scale of one to ten, where ten is a super-awesome, vomiting hliarious-and-inspiring gold blogger, I’m about a 0.003.But I was a 0.001, so there’s some small progress there!

It’s probably just in the last 6 months that I’ve felt things start to shift, both here and in my mindset about blogging. In honour of my blogiversary I thought I’d share a few of the tips I’ve learned and implemented that I think have led to that shift.

Get started. I know, everyone says this – but it’s TRUE. I wanted to wait until I had the right name, and more knowledge, and read more books about blogging. But I still don’t feel ‘ready’ and if I was waiting until then, I wouldn’t have two years’ experience under my belt. Just jump in and have a go. Plus it’s no use learning things if you don’t have something to apply that knowledge to and play around with.

Find people who are doing what you want to do and follow them. If you want to be a tech blogger, find and follow tech blogs. If you want to blog about minimalism, find and follow blogs about minimalism. Then, watch and learn.

Even if you have a particular focus for your blog, though, I think it’s worthwhile to follow blogs on a variety of topics that interest you. You never know where ideas and inspiration will come from.

Do what they do (sort of). Once you’ve found blogs that you love, pay close attention. What are they doing that you like? And, importantly, what are they doing that you don’t like? Apply those observations to your own blog.  This is not about copying (that’s an absolute no-no). More like an accelerated learning program. For example, you might notice that a blogger you admire gets lots of comments and shares when she does a list post (5 ways to {blank}; 7 reasons you should {blank}, etc). If that concept appeals to you, and might appeal to your readers, brainstorm some topics you’d love to write about that would fit that format.

You’ll also start to notice when people are using the tips and advice you’ve picked up along the way, and get a feel for what will and won’t work for you. (I’ve found this A LOT – it’s one thing to read useful advice but to see it in action is much better, in my opinion).

Find a like-minded community. Call it a tribe, call it a posse, call it what you like. Just find it, and get involved. Leave comments. Join Facebook groups. Reach out and say hello.

I’ve really only dipped my toes in so far but what I’ve found is a wonderfully supportive and inspiring group of like-minded women who are setting the world on fire in many and varied ways. One big thing I’ve noticed, for which I’m immensely grateful, is that the blogger community is incredibly generous, happy to answer any questions you might have, and will check out your stuff and give feedback with patience and kindness.

Post to a schedule. This made a HUGE difference to my mindset. Look at your calender and figure out how often you can post (daily, weekly, monthly), add it to your schedule, and stick to it.

About a month ago I decided I would post every Wednesday, to coincide with the ‘share’ day of a blogging group I’m in. Setting a schedule has made it a priority and (so far) I’ve managed to stick to it. I still get a bit panicked and flounder around for topics sometimes, but now I plow on instead of just putting it off for ‘some other day.’ I can see from the early days that ‘some other day’ might take weeks to arrive; I’m definitely more engaged now that I’m tied to a schedule.

There’s SO much to learn when you start any new venture, and blogging is no different. I’ve always found, though, that the best way is to learn by doing, so when you come across something that sounds interesting or useful I encourage you to give it a go. Keep what works, discard what doesn’t.

What are your tips for tackling a new project or venture, blogging or otherwise? Tell me in the comments below!