Beating Blogger Burnout

Blogger Burnout. At sometime or another it happens to all of us. You don’t feel like writing, or engaging followers on social media and the mere thought of creating eye catching images or optimizing your site for SEO, just makes you want to hurl.

I have been there more times than I can remember but I keep working through it. I have my reasons that keep me going and even enjoying it on hard days/weeks/months. To be honest, this week has been a bit overwhelming for me with lots of assignments and deadlines all falling in the same 7-day period, but I worked through it and I’m ready to share a few tips for beating burnout with you today!

Define Your Mission – Do you have a mission statement for your blog? Now is a good time to make one if you don’t! If you already have one, now is the perfect time to review it and remember why you are writing and why you have chosen a blog as your outlet. What passions brought you to blogging in the first place? Thinking about and clearly defining your mission as a blogger is a great way to re-ignite your passion for doing it!

Do a round up post – Have you posted several things in the past that can be brought together into one awesome index? When you don’t feel up to writing consider making a round up or index post for your readers. Not only will this help you take a writing break for a day or two, it is also a great tool for your fans! These posts also tend to do great on Pinterest if you create a stunning image to go along with it! Here are a couple examples of index and re-cap posts that I’ve done through the years: Confessions of an Imperfect Mother Series Re-cap; 5 Easy Family Favorite Recipes; You could even do a round-up of posts that include ideas (and links) to other bloggers’ work, like this Collection of Road Trip Activities For Kids that I did on my blog. Bloggers love to be featured, so these types of posts are a huge WIN for everyone. You can ask for links that you can use in a round up in our share groups.

Ask for Guest Posts – Accepting guest posts is a great way to give yourself a blogging break when you are feeling worn out. Do a shout-out on your Facebook page or on Twitter stating that you are looking for guest posts for the following week or month. I have made some great connections with other bloggers this way, while also giving myself a little break!

Cut Back – If you are posting daily and starting to feel overwhelmed, take a step back and figure out how you can cut back a bit. Perhaps you can start posting 5 times a week instead of 7; or 4 times instead of 5. Eliminating one day’s worth of expectations can do wonders for clearing your head and helping you feel less burnt out! Realize that you will not always be able to keep the same pace, and accept it! If you have one or two posts less this week, be okay with that and set a goal for yourself about when you will start posting more again.

Take a Week Off – This is not always possible if you are business blogging, but if your family is not counting on the income that your blog provides, take a few steps back and allow yourself a week or more to rest. Avoid the computer during this time, and only write when you really want to, not because you have to. Taking a small vacation always helps to clear the head and eliminate burnout! If you are blogging for income, and can’t afford a week off, try setting aside certain times of day that you are not allowed to get online or do anything blog related at all. Just knowing that you have those few hours of freedom each day can do wonders to free your mind and make your time at the computer so much more productive as well! Since I blog full time and my blog is our own source of income, I’m not able to take a week off entirely. However, when I need some time off, I’ll reuse old content for a few days until I get my feet back under me.

Read Old Comments – Have you ever gotten a comment that made you smile (or cry) and think to yourself “this is why I’m writing”? If you are feeling discouraged about your blog, take a few minutes to review those comments that have stirred your heart in the past. It can be so encouraging to hear other people’s words and it can serve as a reminder that you are not just “talking to air” as a blogger. There are real people on the other side of the computer who are being blessed, encouraged and helped by your words.

Do Something Fun – There was a season of my blog, where I felt like every post had to be an epic exploration of the heart and soul. While I still enjoy sharing those types of posts, I have found the beauty of writing some posts just for the fun of it. Sometimes it’s something amusing I’ve been thinking about, other times it’s an inspiring quote that I’ve found or a funny story about one of my kids. Whatever you can find that fits you and your blog, share it! Step a bit out of the normal reach of your blog and have some fun! You never know what you might discover about yourself, and your followers! One such post that I did on my own blog was my ‘8 reasons childbirth is easier than pregnancy‘ post. It was snarky, funny and honest and it ended up really resonating with my readers! This became one of my most popular posts, and it was just something I put together one day for fun! A few other examples of these types of posts are ‘Am I Crazy‘ and ‘Dirty Dishes‘.

Make a Vlog – This is something that I have never been super-comfortable with, but I did it for the first time a few weeks ago, and I got a huge response from my readers about it! Vlogging is much quicker than blogging, just record a short and sweet message to your readers, letting them know you are thinking of them, share an update with them about your life or something you have been thinking about. This can be a great way to connect with your readers without having to spend a couple hours crafting a blog post. Sure, there are vloggers who spend hours editing and perfecting their videos (and that’s awesome!) but that’s not what I’m suggesting you do here. Create a video and share the real version of yourself. Complete with mistakes or mispronunciations. Just do your best and enjoy connecting with your readers!

Re-evaluate – If you have tried these things and consistently find yourself worn out, maybe it is time to re-evaluate if you want to continue blogging, or continue in the way that you have been doing it up until now. Maybe you just need to stop seeking sponsors for a season, or maybe you need to forbid yourself from looking at your stats for a few weeks. Figure out what part is stressing you the most and find solutions that will help alleviate that stress.

*Bonus tip* If you aren’t exactly burn-out but just facing writers block, check out this about 20 types of blog posts, providing inspiration for overcoming writer’s block!