Blogger Burnout
Bloggers all feel burned out at various stages in their
journeys.
Some give up while others push further and grow their blogs. There’s no shame in stopping blogging if that’s what you want, but if your dream has been to turn your blog into a business, then quitting is not an option. Which group will you be in?
The Difference Is Your “Why?”
Why are you blogging?
If you are blogging for personal enjoyment and you stop enjoying it, logic says you should stop. But perhaps, you could reevaluate your content and blogging plans and you’d start enjoying it again.
Although, if you’re reading this email, my bet is you’re not blogging “just for fun”.
To be honest, if I were blogging “just for fun”, I don’t think I’d be doing it anymore.
Blogging is my business. It’s my more-than-full-time job. It’s how I pay my mortgage and feed my children. (I’m a single mom.)
So quitting is not an option.
If quitting is truly not an option for you, that means you’ve got to find ways to push past Blogger Burnout.
Follow a Wide Variety of
Bloggers
Don’t stay in the same blogging pond all of the time.
Even if your blogging niche is narrow - perhaps you only
blog about homeschooling - still visit food blogs, DIY and photography blogs. You’ll likely learn something new by how they are presenting their information and be inspired.
Since we cover so many topics at 5 Minutes for Mom, it’s even more important that we regularly visit and learn from all different types of
blogs.
Get Inspired Not Jealous
You will be jealous.
We ALL get jealous. You’ll want her photos, her traffic, her Pinterest followers.
Recently I heard the best advice for dealing with jealousy... Maria Forleo said instead of getting jealous over another woman’s success, say to yourself, “I’ll have what she’s having.”
I find so much power in those words… “I’ll have what she’s having.”
When you see a blogger succeeding and achieving something you want, get inspired, learn from her (but do NOT copy her), and propel yourself forward to reach the same success she’s having without trying to pull her down.
Blog About Something New
Change it up. Grow in a new direction. Evolve.
Your blog is dynamic and you can redefine it however and whenever you want.
In a previous email, I shared how our content is changing.
By altering your focus and growing in new directions, you
kick new life into your blog and into your motivation.
Incorporate Your Family Life
Try to incorporate other parts
of your life into your blogging. It may be crass to say “kill two birds with one stone”, but if you can spend a couple hours creating a craft with your kids and then turn that into a blog post, you’ve made great use of your time and involved your kids in your blogging business and passion.
The wins are
everywhere!
Some of the most successful blogging women are those whose blogs are organically tied into their lives.
Commiserating & Bonding
Working at home is lonely and blogging - especially if you’re a one woman team - can feel incredibly
isolating.
You absolutely need a support system of people who can relate to the struggles you’re facing. You want to find a small group of super-trustworthy friends who you can vent to when lame PR pitches are beating you down and your traffic takes a nose-dive.
But be careful who you trust.
Private Facebook groups are one of the main ways we bloggers lean on each other, but you’ll want it
to be a small group and be careful what you type. If you really want to talk specifics, take the conversation offline and chat with one of your friends on the phone.
I highly recommend you don’t vent publicly on your Facebook profile nor in a large Facebook group.
Avoid Drama
I’m as anti-drama as you can find. I’m so anti-drama that in my 8+ years of blogging, I’ve basically
avoided almost all blogger drama and am blissfully unaware of it.
Gossip and negativity bring you down. Who has time for that?
My rule is I NEVER say anything bad online about anyone or any brand. EVER.
I think I can safely say that since I started blogging in March 2006, I have never posted anything derogatory about anyone - including bloggers, PR reps or brands - online anywhere. The closest thing
to negative would be perhaps in my small Facebook group sharing a couple warnings about companies or pitches that I’d recommend my friends avoid.
Overall, if I type something in an email or in a private Facebook group, I make sure that I wouldn’t be devastated if it were copy & pasted and
shared to the world.
This motto also applies to what I blog about… I tell myself, “If I wouldn’t want the preacher to read it out to the entire church, don’t post it.”
What About You?
I’d love to hear if you have gone through any degree of blogger burnout. How did you push past it?
Shoot me back a quick reply and let me know.