I launched my blog in August 2010. To this day, I still remember the excitement of clicking “Publish” on my first blog post. (I wrote about youth sports injuries and the STOP Sports Injuries campaign. I’m consistent at least!) I also remember my nervousness. Will people like my post? Will they read it? I got some good feedback, so later that week, I wrote another post.

Here’s the problem. That excitement wears off, at least somewhat.

Blogging consistently is hard work. Even if you only do the writing and arrange for someone else to upload the post to WordPress, add images/links/tags, etc., and promote it on social media, you will still put 60 to 120 minutes of work into each post. And if you’re like most bloggers, especially early, you will do all of the other steps. Expect to spend 2 to 3 hours per post – minimum.

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That fact begs the question – How can I find the time to blog consistently?

The issue of time management for physicians is tricky. I’ll discuss it in detail in an upcoming post. Even if you can carve out 3 to 5 hours each week away from your practice, how can you know if you’ll stay motivated months or years from now?

Try this simple exercise. Write five posts before you create and launch your blog.

Seriously, get your notebook or laptop and write. Don’t take two days off from work to write them. Don’t use a vacation to write. Write five posts as part of your normal schedule. Find a typical week and write a post or two. After clinic. Late at night before a full day of surgery. Get them done.

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Then step back and assess how it went. Were you as excited when writing your fifth post as you were with the first? Did you dread writing them and put them off several days? Or did you get excited opening your laptop and sharing your thoughts?

That exercise, and the answers to those questions, can determine whether or not you can maintain a blog for years to come.