Blogging is at the same time the easiest and hardest of jobs. Easy because you are your own boss. Hard because you are your own boss.

You decide when you sit down and punch those damn keys. Your deadlines are self-imposed. If you don’t want to, you don’t post.

This also means that you have to make your own routine, set up your own schedule. You have to be self-reliant, fueled from within, and hold yourself accountable.

If you are serious about your blog, you must meet moments of doubt and resistance in such a way that you keep showing up. Whether you feel like it or not.

So, here are five sins of blogging you must avoid at all costs, unless you want to find yourself struggling to punch those damn keys.

1. Overthinking.

Overthinking kills your creativity, your motivation, and your enthusiasm.

My advice is, don’t think, just write.

Don’t think whether or not people will read your blog post. Don’t think whether or not they’ll like it. Don’t think about what they’ll have to say.

Don’t think if you can or can’t finish writing this blog post. Don’t think about the time it will take to finish writing this blog post, or the amount of work, or how much research you have to do.

Your uncertainties will reflect in your writing. Your doubts and insecurities will alienate readers.

When you are writing, think about your article, about your topic. Think about the emotional undertone of the piece you’re writing. Write your first draft with your heart. Always.

Think about what the words mean to you, and what they make you feel.

2. Being unrealistic.

Your first post is not going to go viral. Or your second one.

Odds are, your first hundred posts are going to suck. At least a little bit.

Don’t set yourself for failure by being unrealistic.

Keep your feet on the ground, and your eyes at the stars.

Aim to do the work the best you can. Aim to work more today than you did yesterday. Aim to become better today than you were yesterday.

This is the only thing you can control.

3. Spending too much time networking.

While networking is a big part of blogging, a lot of folks use it as a way to justify their procrastination.

They spend almost all their time on other blogs, commenting, replying to comments.

In that case, you’re no longer producing content, you’re just consuming.

There’s got to be a balance between creating content and networking.

And the truth is that it’s easy. We get addicted to those notifications, and most often it’s easier than working on creating new content.

That’s why it’s essential to set a clear schedule. Forcing yourself to be consistent means that you get to work because you have to produce new content.

Otherwise, it’s easy to postpone writing a new blog post in favor of commenting on other people’s blogs.

4. Listening to haters.

Great content always tends to divide people.

Keep this in mind.

If you write a mediocre post, it received neither positive nor negative feedback, but great content almost always divides people.

Some will love it, some will hate it.

Be okay with it. Accept it as a fact of life.

Be smart enough to let go of your desire for validation, unless you want to become creatively bankrupt.

Focus on doing the work. Let them say what they want to say. Once you publish a blog post, it’s no longer yours. It belongs to your readers. And they’re free to do and say what they damn well please.

5. Overdoing it.

There’s this trend of advertising the “grind”. Most folks overwork themselves until they sabotage they’re unable to think clearly.

Most folks over-edit. They keep working on the same five hundred word blog post as if wishing to sculpt the damn words into perfection.

The truth is that you need to let go. Enjoy the process. Trust the muse. Do your thing, edit to the best of your capabilities, and let go of your desire for perfection.

The goal is to work smart. The goal is to be happy and productive, because that’s when you create your best work.

Of course, there are a lot of other sins when it comes to blogging.

But the truth is that you need to get the work done. No matter what. That’s what matters.

Figure out what works best for you. Figure out a plan of action that inspires you. Write with passion about the things that matter to you.

This article was originally published on medium.