This guest post was written by Mark Seall from TalkClimateChange and EcoWorldly.
Image by Aaron Jacobs
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Blogging is often more of a lifestyle choice than a hobby or a business model, and that choice often has its cost. Time spent writing content is the easy part – the total time and energy commitment for researching, tweaking, ferreting out new stories, obsessively checking stats and participating actively in the blogosphere is too often all consuming.
It’s not surprising, therefore, that bloggers often run out of steam as energy levels begin to diminish and the time commitment takes its toll.
So what recovery options are available for the burnt out blogger? Here are some approaches I’ve found useful in the past:
1. Focus on your longer term goals
When my blogging energy level gets low I often start to wonder why I am putting myself through the torture of a full-time job, busy social life and two blogs at the same time. All of us have a reason behind our blog lives, be it business goals, personal goals, or just for pure fun. Taking a few moments to remind yourself of why you started can bring that original motivation back again. Thinking about your blogging goals, and the benefits of reaching them will help you focus on the positive aspects of blogging, not just the negative.
2. Talking about pure fun, try and put the fun back in to blogging.
If you usually write about serious topics then do an odd post with a less serious focus to lighten up your blog days a little. Your readers will often appreciate a change of pace as well.
3. Plan your time
Sounds obvious, but few bloggers plan their time, meaning that few bloggers can plan proper breaks. Often it feels like I’m running from one blog post to the other, continually under pressure to give my readers something new every day. Taking the time to plan a schedule allows me to plan in non-blogging free time to recharge my batteries.
4. Connect and ask for support
Every blogger knows how you feel, and the blogosphere by its very nature is populated with people who like to openly communicate and connect. Talk to your fellow bloggers, tell them how you feel, and you’ll quickly be rewarded with some warm and wise words of encouragement.
5. Reach out to your readers for inspiration
Your readers can be highly inspirational. Openly asking them for some updated feedback on what they like and don’t like, and what they would like to see on your blog in the future can make you feel better integrated into your blog as a community. After all, your readers and you form a close group with a passion for your given subject. Writing the occasional request-for-feedback post to recreate that sense of community always pays off.
6. Exercise
A high intensity blogging lifestyle tends to mean that non-critical activities are pushed aside. Exercise is not a non-critical activity, particularly for the blogger. Regular exercise will not only help to prevent any long term health problems that may occur as a result of extended computer hours, it also helps to reboot the creative process by pushing your brain’s reset switch.
7.Take the pressure off yourself
The lowest point always comes when blogging pressure > blogging energy. But blogging pressure only comes from yourself. Telling the blogosphere that they can do without you for a day or so while you recharge is often better than continuing to drag yourself down and writing weary posts. If your readers like you, they’ll come back when you do.
8. Unshackle yourself from your desk
Many desks and offices are hardly inspiring places, and it could be that it’s your environment that is wearing you down. Using a notebook PC means you can blog in inspirational places, or use time otherwise wasted. If notebook PCs are not an option for you, then paper notebooks are an excellent way to capture ideas and structure or even write posts for later.
Remember that like any endeavor in life, blogging has its highs and lows, but it also has its rewards. You have to put a lot of energy into it, but you get much more than out of it. The most important thing next time you are running low on energy is to try and actively manage the problem, and never give up!
Further Reading:
Still struggling with the Blogging Blues? Here are a few more articles from the ProBlogger archives that might help:
- Declaring War on Blog Apathy – a six part series
- Battling Bloggers Block – 25 tips for bloggers struggling with how to keep the ideas coming for their blogging.
