photo: Kevin Jaako

OK, the title should really be “How to be a lifestyle blogger without being a dick” because I am British and that’s how we speak. But in a blatant attempt at getting more hits when this item ranks in Google, Bing, Duckduckgo or Startpage (these search engines are listed in deliberate order of most scarily orwellian and tracky, through to pretty private and yummy) I decided to use the American lexicon.

I am aware that this blog is going to feature a great deal of “lifestyle” posts, being that it is about my lifestyle and the lifestyle I am aiming to achieve in the future. But I want to make sure it doesn’t ever stray down the patch of a myriad of other sites. If ever I start to mimic or sound like any of these, please feel free to call me up on it and maybe hurl rotten fruit at me.

In order to avoid sounding douche-y? or like a dick, I suggest that you avoid any of the following in your blog. I solemnly promise to do my best as well:

1. Feature photographs of you partying in the Far-East, on a beach, with a beer. It just seems old hat now.
2. Sell “products” that are just various affiliate and marketing ebooks. Howabout you write something of real value – like Evernote Essentials as an example? Create real value and real products.
3. Use any of the following phrases either in your posts or as a subtitle of your blog :- “live your passion“, “follow your dreams” “digital nomad“, “brand guru“, “on a journey“, “on a quest“, “inspiring you“.
4. Painstakingly list all of your things. And revel in the fact you have less “things” than me.
5. Photograph said “things”
6. Talk of how you are travelling the world on your lifestyle blog ticket, yet be a single twenty something with thousands of £’s or 1.7x that amount of $’s in your bank account to pay for this trip.
7. Talk about how you build websites or offer “consultancy” as your lifestyle business.
8. Criticise anybody who does not adhere to your strict code of being a minimalist, blogger, traveller or hipster. Sign up to the “rules” of your new chosen group as rigidly as the old rules you had to sign up to in work land.
9. Re-hash cliches that you’ve read on other blogs, to seem like you are part of the group.
10. Write posts with titles like “10 ways in which you can…”

If you’re actually read this far, point #10 was for you, with my cheekiest smile.

So what can you actually write about or which writing style can you actually use then?

Well how about being a person. Writing as a real person who has their own thoughts and ways of looking at the world and the problem of how to escape mundane employment and craft a life that feels more free.

Write about the things that make you different. Write about the failures as well as successes. Be honest and don’t big yourself up. Try to explain the problem you’re looking to solve and then be honest in documenting how you go about solving it.

Be humble.
Be genuine.
Be personable.
Be you.

if I’ve missed anything out, please join in the conversation and add your own thoughts via the comments