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You’d decided to take on a blogging challenge for all of April. Or maybe even another month in the future. Here’s why you won’t succeed.

Just to make it clear, I’m not saying I don’t have faith in you succeeding. What I want to share are the main reasons people tend to fail blogging challenges. By knowing the main reasons people do fail, it’s going to be easier to avoid becoming one of those.

Failing isn’t necessarily a bad thing. When we fail, we can learn lessons for when we try again. The only time failing is bad is if it stops us from doing anything afterward.

So, why are you going to fail? It’s for one main reason:

You don’t have a proper plan or a schedule for the blogging challenge

Yes, you need to have a plan if you want to succeed at your blogging challenge. You need to have a schedule to help you stick to that plan. If you have neither, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

How you create those plans and schedules is up to you. I prefer my paper diary—I guess I’m old-fashioned that way, but I love writing in my diary with my black ink Parker fountain pen ($). Yes…I have a specific type of pen that I prefer. Some people prefer online calendars and blogging plans. I also plan with colored pens for my regular diary to make sure I know which blog I’m working at at a set time.

Do whatever works for you.

Now that you have your plan and schedule, you’re a little more organized. You get your blog topics all lined up, and can even decide on titles before you start. It allows you the ability to plan ahead, by writing a number of blog posts on a day off, so you can schedule them on your blog—most blogging software has this feature now.

There’s no need to think “but I’m away for a week, so I can’t do the blogging challenge.” There’s no need to use the excuse of too much work.

You really can complete the challenge, without actually being at the computer.

How much should you plan?

I make space in my diary every day to write. Some days, I’ll be able to make extra space and I can get ahead. I do try to start the blogging challenge earlier than it starts. The challenge is to post a blog post a day and not actually write every day!

I also try to plan out all the topics. There are times that I’ll change the plan as I’m going. For example, if something big happens in the world of social media and it affects my readers, I’m going to switch a topic for that more timely one.

However far ahead you plan, you need to make sure you treat your blog like a business. That’s the best way to start making money with it.

MORE: Creating a schedule and plan for a blogging challenge

When will you do a blogging challenge? What are you struggling with when it comes to blogging? Share in the comments below.