There is nothing like a little self-reflection that improves your writing and the way you communicate with your readers. Self-reflection allows us to see where we’re making mistakes and where we are excelling. It allows us to ask ourselves tough questions that require honesty and forthrightness.

Below are five questions you should routinely ask yourself to ensure you’re creating the best blog you can for your readers

1. Would I Read My Own Blog? Have you ever thought about how good your blog is or, maybe, isn’t? If you didn’t write your blog, would you read it? We ask ourselves this all of the time and it helps us keep content focused and also helps us make editorial decisions about what to cover and what I choose to omit.

Putting yourself into your readers’ shoes always makes for critical thinking. 

2. Am I Helping the Community or Hindering It? So much about the blogging community these days is about creating a digital genre where our blogging and writing will benefit moms who come after us. Are we laying a solid groundwork for future generations to excel at blogging? Are we working with brands in a way that is a win-win for everyone and will set the tone for years to come?

Overall moms are doing a wonderful job expressing themselves whether that’s through deeply personal posts or writing about the best recipes for a large family.

3. Am I Being Fair to Myself? Being fair to yourself isn’t always about earning money on your blog, it’s also about your health and wellbeing. Are you allowing your blog to take over your life or are you managing and balancing writing your blog in a healthy way?

4. Am I Being Brave? By the time your blog reaches a certain point you want it to open doors for you, but as most people know, opportunities don’t always come knocking you have to go out and make opportunities happen.

Are you making opportunities happen or are you wasting time being nervous about the prospect of someone telling you “no”? There’s no time to be scared, only time for action, so act and be brave. Send that pitch letter. Contact that brand. Send an email to your favorite writer. Who will it hurt? Plus, the worse anyone can ever tell you is “no”.

5. Am I Keeping It Real? Readers love authenticity. It helps them connect with the writers they love best. In fact, experts in the digital space have been screaming authenticity from the rooftops for years. We have learned from years in the biz that it can be seriously tempting to adopt the voice and gusto of other bloggers. Don’t do it. Be yourself!