I'm a big fan of New Year's resolutions. I think they can often be overly ambitious, but if taken in proper stride, they provide a unique opportunity to really assess your goals publicly. The only other universally agreed-upon time to reflect in the same manner is your birthday, but the comparative privacy of a birthday often means that it's a publicly accountable time to inspire change. I don't mind explaining that my resolutions this year were to increase my own business's overall revenue, keep in good shape and health, and have a more positive attitude towards myself and my family and friends.

Of course, it's also a good time to reevaluate your blog. For many of us, our blogs are highly-publicized versions of ourselves, so when we return to them with renewed focus, the difference is obvious. Great blogs have not just a sense of focus, but about a niche. And in 2014, my challenge is for you to find yours.

Think about your favourite blogs — no doubt, they're focused. They say "no" more often than they say "yes." A topic like minimalism isn't a focused niche in and of itself; the topic is so vast that it's the basis for thousands of websites. That being said, [Minimally Minimal](http://www.minimallyminimal.com) is tremendously popular because of its focus on minimal design in consumer products. [Minimal Desks](http://www.minimaldesks.com) is a hugely popular Tumblr because it focuses on desks and desks alone, not *just* minimalism.

I'll admit right away that I break this rule with my [personal blog](http://wordpulp.ca) — but my personal blog is something I write for myself, and not for my readership. Your audience dictates what you write; you can't dictate them. If you're not writing for an audience, but instead writing to publicly document your life and hold yourself accountable to your own thoughts, then these rules don't apply to you in the same way. But you also shouldn’t expect the same level of readership as the sort of focused content I’m describing.

A better personal example would be [Unsung Sundays](http://www.unsungsundays.com), a project of mine where I write a few album recommendations every week. Even the concept of the blog was created with an audience in mind, and I’ve long said it was the best personal project I’ve ever publicly announced. I've been writing it since last summer, and I took the past month off to find focus. My problem with it is simple: every week, I write several album reviews. Inevitably, I only have time to focus on one or two records, and the other mini-reviews are never as polished. It's obvious to the reader because some album reviews are much longer than others, and it means there's some clear filler.

Nobody wants to read filler.

With that in mind, my attempt to refocus and position Unsung Sundays in 2014 is going to mean I need a new format. I plan on recommending only one album a week, which allows me to really get into an artist and properly document my thoughts. It also means I can cut down on the introductory chitchat that felt necessary with a longer post — and it'll even make searching through the blog's archives easier in the future. It's beneficial for me, since it will take less work, and better for the reader because it's going to be much shorter, more informative, and more entertaining.

The bottom line is that writing for a niche audience communicate a sense of immediacy to your readers. Their time, just like yours, is limited. Focused blogs should quickly and clearly communicate what your purpose is. If you find a purposeful niche and stick to it, growth will be inevitable — as will a loyal and trusting readership. Take some time in 2014 to figure out what niche you're most passionate about, and get started. I can't wait to see what you come up with.