Blogging is a lot like parenting. It looks so easy until you start doing it yourself!

Once you’ve joined the ranks of parents and/or bloggers, though, things are a little more clear. You understand why parents/bloggers can’t stop talking about their babies. And why they seem so tired all the time.

Most of all, you understand how hard the whole thing is – and how hard it is to sift through the volumes of advice you receive every single day.

I know. I’ve been there – both as a parent and a blogger!

Before I started a blog, I thought it was something anyone could do. I thought that blogs were simply places to dump your thoughts and share your opinions. How hard could that be?

Um, yeah. I had NO IDEA. Now, two and a half years, half a dozen conferences and 775 posts later, I know differently.

Blogging can be hard. The social media landscape is constantly changing, and it can feel impossible to keep up. I know I’ve felt that way – a lot! So when I saw an ebook called “Simple Blogging: Less computer time. Better blogging.” I couldn’t buy it fast enough.

LESS time on the computer can lead to a BETTER blog? Sounds crazy, but I’ll bite!

So far, I can’t tell you that I’m spending fewer hours online or that my blog is on the fast track to Julie & Julia-type success. But I can tell you that this ebook, written by Rachel Meeks of Small Notebook, is full of simple, practical tips that you can apply right away for tangible improvements in your blog – and your life.

Top 10 Things I Love About Simple Blogging eBook:

1. For just $8, you get 143 pages of practical, realistic tips. That’s what I call a bargain!
2. At the end of the book, Rachel shares six – count ‘em, SIX – pages of blogging and balance resources and links.
3. The book starts with a chapter about finding your purpose – both for your blog and the way you blog. This is the chapter I need the most!
4. Rachel writes in a way that’s so relate-able. She may be a hugely successful blogger, but she never condescends or talks over your head.
5. As a matter of fact, she’s SO like me (and you, maybe?) that she mentions writing “respond to e-mail” on her to-do list. Now, her point is not that she writes everything on a to-do list so she feels productive at the end of the day. That may not even be true for her. But I love that I’m not the only nut person who writes every daily task on her list just for the satisfaction of crossing them off!
6. This book really covers every blogging topic you might need. From writing and design to time management and finding readers to stats, trolls and blog envy, this book has your answers.
7. Rachel often shares tips from the reader’s point of view, which is so easy to forget the deeper you get into my blog, my stats, my design, me, me, me. I mean…no, I don’t know anybody who’s lost focus like that!
8. Toward the end of the book, Rachel says that when choosing between sleep and blogging, choose sleep. I love that. I love that she recognizes how many of us truly struggle with that – and that she gently prompts us to make the right choice!
9. Each chapter has application questions at the end, so you can really use this ebook as a study guide. Honestly, I thought it was like a blogging conference in a PDF.
10. As if more than 100 pages of advice from Rachel wasn’t enough, she also shares insight and tips from other expert bloggers – including some of my favorites, Nester, Tsh and Kat.

If you’re a blogger, this book is for you. As the Simple Blogging website says:

This book was written for you if:

• You wonder how other people seem to manage a blog, but you’re struggling to find the time to do it all.
• You want to grow your blog, but you’re not sure what else you can do.
• You wonder if you’ll ever make peace with your email inbox again.
• You just want to hear good blogging advice from a friend.

And as Renee of FIMBY says, “This, my friends, is ProBlogger for the rest of us.”

So true! I’ve already read through this book twice, and I can’t wait to dive in deeper in the chapters that focus most on my issues.

Because, as we all know, I’ve got issues.

What’s the best blogging advice you’ve ever gotten?

Disclosure: Affiliate links used in this post. But I purchased my own copy of the book, and I cannot tell you enough how much I love it!

This post will be linked to Top Ten Tuesday at OhAmanda and Things I Love Thursday at Diaper Diaries.