This has sadly become quite true in my case. It’s been 15 day, yes, FIFTEEN DAYS, since my last post. From the day I decided to get serious about my blog, I’ve never, ever, EVER gone this far between posts. We all know blog years are similar to dog years, so I’d say I’ve been below the radar now for the equivalent to about five years. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but you know what I’m saying.
You may be wondering, how did I push through it, when all I was saying to myself was “I don’t even miss blogging right now, I could go forever without ever writing another post. And how many DIY blogs does the world need anyway?”
If you’re dealing with these same thoughts, here’s what helped me.
First, Step. Away. From. The. Computer. And while you’re at it, Pray.
I never want to be out of the will of God, so I took much needed time to see if this is something that was meant to be a temporary outlet for me, if I’m spending time doing something other than what is God’s best for my family and I.
And to do this, I had to walk away from technology for a bit. Yes, I know that’s very hard to do. Especially if the blog has become a source of income. However, in making myself put down the laptop, iPhone, iPad, etc. I realized that I literally didn’t really miss it. That is the truth. Okay, so maybe for the first few days, I was having severe withdrawal symptoms, but then, I got over it, and was able to see the world around me again.
Second, evaluate why you’re even writing your blog.
If you have to, make a list of all the things you like and dislike about blogging.
This answer will be different for each of us, and I’m going to bet that our reasons have changed over the duration of our blogging time.
For me, I started as another creative outlet aside from my Etsy shop.
I love writing.
I love reading.
I love crafting and DIY.
I love sharing stories about my family.
I love sharing stories of ministry and missions that my family is involved in.
And I truly do love sharing what feels like and online scrapbook of all of my “loves” with those who enjoy reading about it.
What I don’t love is all the time it takes. Let’s be honest here, blogging can be a real time-sucker, and that, in turn can be a serious downer.
I don’t love editing photos.
I don’t love deadlines.
I don’t love trying to promote my posts and giveaways.
I don’t love trying to think of “new” things that no one else has posted about yet, so that, if I do post it someone doesn’t think I stole their idea, or whatever.
Third, give yourself a deadline to figure out if you really truly want to quit, or to keep on trucking.
In doing this, I knew I’d need to give myself permission to stop and not feel guilty about it. I’m a procrastinator, so I knew if I never gave myself a cut off date, I’d probably never make a decision.
Fourth, figure out how to keep the most important things in life the most important, and realize that it is NOT a blog.
I’m being completely honest, and this one is a biggie, and the most important consideration of all.
My priorities should always be in this order-
God
Family
Work
For me, when the tornadoes struck in Oklahoma, and my heart was completely broken over the loss of lives there, I thought to myself, like many of us did “What if that had been me, my family, my children?” My heart and prayers have gone out to everyone affected by such tragedy. And, I can guarantee, that none of them were thinking “Gosh, this sucks, but I’m sure glad I met that deadline today at work”. Not one.
So, why should I put my blog, job, books, computer, art, anything before I make sure that God and my family have come first today.
Last, start to write again if that’s what you’ve decided to do.
Yep, jump on in. Hence this post. Write out your thoughts if you have to. If you need more help with time management, try a blogging calendar. Try to schedule posts ahead of time.
If you start to feel that burnout again, start back at step one. You may find your conclusion different than the first time. Maybe it really is time to walk away. Maybe it’s time to just push on through and see what’s on the other side.
Blogging, any career really, is quite a journey. It’s exciting to see where it leads. Either way, it’s time to give yourself a
pat on the back. Chin up. Whatever you’ve chosen to do, whether you decide to continue writing or put the blog out to pasture, your creativity is not in vain. Whether you have one follower or 10,000 know that your efforts
have not been wasted.
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I had some bloggy burn out early in the year still have small patches of it and its nice to take some time out and re-think it all :).
Thank you for a great post and an amazing way to put it all into perspective.
x
I feel you… it is tough, day after day…
Thanks for stopping by my blog! I love seeing other ADPi sisters as well and it's so fun to connect! This is really great advice. I've felt like I hit a wall this past month with the blog. I was blogging 5 days a week in April for the A-Z challenge and then I kind of lost my momentum once that was over. But I love my blog and I'm ready to get back into a rhythm! Thanks for sharing!
I've had to deal with blogging burnout a few times. Taking a break is always helpful (my last break was around Christmas).
I've been struggling with this very same thing lately. I'm a bit burned out. And while I love blogging I also hate the constant "Oh I need to get a post up today". It is worse in the summer when I have kids home all day and I just want to play.
I take weekends off all the time, but now I'm seriously contemplating how much I wan to keep doing this. I'm working on getting all previously contracted articles posted the next few weeks and then taking time away and see how I feel and finding clarity again.
It may or may not pass :). I had this happen around November of last year. There was a really hard personal issue I was dealing with, and my husband told me in January to stop blogging and just enjoy the kids. I was out for months it seems, and even now, I may post 1-3 times a week. I truly miss it, because I love writing. However, I really am enjoying the less stress, less obligations, and just smelling the roses. I think I can be a "part-time" blogger and have my cake and eat it too. Sure, some numbers go up (like Alexa) but my Google PR did too, so it's still a win!
I have been going through small patches of burn out myself, but I want soooo bad to make this my "job" because I really do love it. Those patches are coming more frequently though, and reading this I realize that I have been putting this first, and I shouldn't be. So I am making some changes starting now. Thank you.
Thanks for some great recommendations. I always have small bumps of writer's block, but generally I work through them. It's definitely important to walk away sometimes though.