Looking back at my 8 years of online writing: Here are 5 things I wish I knew when I started.

Use them to accelerate your own progress:

1. No one will remember the writing that sucked

It took me more than two years to publish that first blog post.

Why? I was worried: “What if someone will think what I wrote was stupid?”

Now I know: Nobody cares.

Don’t postpone - it will only delay your growth!

2. …but you should aim at getting better!

For years, I was just posting stuff, without reflecting on it. What a missed opportunity!

Now I know what my goals are - and I’m trying different tactics to achieve them.

Do people click the link? Do people engage with the content? Do they share it? How can I get more of all that?

3. Headline Should Give a Clear Promise, Not Create a Mystery

Sample headline from my first year: “I Hate Doing This!”

What a mysterious title! But can this help anyone?

At the time, I had a lot of friends who were interested in what I had to say. But someone who did not know me back then? They had no reason to “click.”

Now I know that my headline should have been:

“Hate Doing Spreadsheets? Here’s how you can turn it into a competitive advantage!”

4. You Won’t Get Magically Discovered

For years, I never took any effort for my writing to be discovered by strangers. I shared it with my friends on Facebook - and that was it. No effort whatsoever.

Today I post on LinkedIn and Twitter - and actively engage with people outside of my network who I think could be interested in what I have to say.

5. You Don’t Need a System. But System Helps You Create Faster.

It is possible to start writing on a blank page and finish with a 1,000-word blog post. But it’s a LOT OF WORK and takes a LOT OF TIME.

Now I know it is better to separate: Generate ideas for topics - Create (reusable) structures - Fill those structures with content.

Since July this year - I’ve been posting almost every day.

Knowing all these, today I feel smarter. But had I known all these things eight years ago, I could have been improving much faster.

You can learn from them now: And keep getting better right away!