I don’t know what to post anymore…
I haven’t been feeling up to blogging lately, sorry for disappearing…
Hiatus announcement…
Sound familiar? Blogging slumps suck, but I’ve come to learn they are necessary, at least if you plan on being in this for the long haul. To be more precise, paying attention to what your slump is telling you is what is most important.
Blogging slumps are necessary because they tell you…
When you need a break
Book blogging is not a job for most of us, but we do treat is as one, and it takes its toll. We start losing steam, ideas don’t come as easily and not only that, but we also lose the will to even think about ideas.
Blogging is a full time non-job, but we also our, you know, day jobs, and others have school or college classes, others have both jobs and classes, and of course there is the matter of time for family, and sleeping, eating and other bodily functions XD It’s enough to drive anyone to think maybe they’re not meant for this life.
But sometimes we just need a break. We can’t do all the things at the same time. Multitasking force is strong with us, but it only gets us so far until our bodies and minds just can’t handle it. It’s unhealthy and dangerous to push yourself to the limit this way. And it’s actually not helping at all with being more productive because it just makes you unhappy.
Taking a break from this part of your life doesn’t mean that you’re leaving it. Doesn’t mean you’re not a good blogger. It just means that you’re human and you need a break.
Symptoms:
- You’re stressed
- Can’t find the time to blog and you feel guilty about it
- When you do have the time to blog, you can’t focus on doing a single thing
When it’s time make a change in the blog
This is the one that happens to me the most, which is why Reverie Society, formerly A Writer’s Tales has changed so much over time.
Symptoms:
- You may get ideas about blog posts, but it just isn’t exciting anymore
- You feel pressured to write the posts in a schedule that used to be pretty comfortable -it may not be as fun as before so it feels like a duty (see above)
It all comes down to just not being exciting and fun. Maybe you have all the time in the world, but that’s not enough. This is actually my favorite kind of slump because it’s what has allowed my blog to evolve. Like a pretty little swan, hell yes!
I’ve made changes to how my blog looks, the content I post, the way I write the posts, and tried, got rid of and kept so many things. I’ve gone with homepage and without, I’ve tried Genesis themes and coded things myself… I’ve learned so much because of the constant changes!
Whether it’s time to leave it
It doesn’t sound so good to think about quitting blogging, but sometimes, that’s the best call. There are so many things that can influence your decision in this one, but there are a few hints that maybe it’s time to say goodbye.
Symptoms:
- You don’t feel stressed at all about not blogging, in fact, it relaxes you immensely.
- You have long-term projects in mind you want to give your undivided attention to -you have outgrown your blog.
This is such a hugely personal decision to make, but it’s always valid. Your blog is a way of expressing yourself, and when you run out of things to say, or you want to say them in a different manner, it’s only logical that you step away.
Maybe you will start another blog, or join someone else, or really do quit altogether. It’s all welcome!
I’ve been blogging for almost 8 years and currently run 2 blogs. I have taken frequent breaks from both. Sometimes you need to step up for your sanity and to just enjoy being in the real world.
8 YEARS! That’s so awesome! And I agree completely. The real world can be quite refreshing when you’ve been so cooped up online for so long.
Thank you so much for writing this post, Pam! Blogging slumps and most importantly, breaks, whether small or big, are always needed in order to avoid the blogging burn-out, that’s for sure. I know personally that I treat blogging like a job every single day and, if I love it, I also know that I need and will need my break at some point, to take a breather, step out of it for a while and come back renewed and with a new love for it. Hobbies like this can become so consuming and it’s important to take care of ourselves 🙂
Totally. I feel like we try to hard to avoid slumps and feel like we’re not doing something right when we feel tired, when it’s entirely the opposite! Even people with ‘real’ jobs get vacations! They get weekends sometimes! We don’t because it’s up to ourselves. It’s legit a 24/7 job more often than not! Stay awesome!
I’ve never let myself take a full-blown break from the blog, mostly because whenever I think about doing it, it’s always at a time that I have something scheduled that I HAVE to post. But I’ve definitely had times where I’m just not getting around the blogosphere much—that’s happened to me for the last two weeks, actually. I feel a little guilty about it, but sometimes “real life” has to take priority!
Ah, that’s something else to do too. Blogging is much more than just writing posts, and maybe the overwhelm comes from those other sides to blogging.
I agree we shouldn’t stress ourselves out so much about blogging! Taking care of yourself and investing in your real life are more important. Plus it’s impossible to have great ideas ALL the time. (Or maybe I only speak for myself here. 😉 ) I also find, for myself, that it helps to schedule things in advance. If I don’t feel like blogging for a couple weeks or if something comes up in life, no problem! My posts are still going up. It also helps that I have a co-blogger, though, to take care of things when I can’t.
Haha, there are certainly peaks and low points in the great curve of ‘Awesome ideas generation’ (I’m sorry I’m still hung up on my econ test XD) I think it’s so great you use scheduling in advance. I try so very hard to do it, but it’s very hard!
Great post! This is something that really needs to be said more often 🙂
I see loads of posts about how to get out of a blogging slump, and I think it’s great if those things work. But sometimes what you really need is to just take a break, and if it really is becoming a chore then it’s maybe time to seriously think about quitting, or just change things up and see if you get your blogging mojo back.
Thanks, and yes, I think sometimes there’s just no going around it. Becuase, if you think about it, even day jobs give you breaks. Sometimes the weekends, and then the reglamentary vacations and all that. But blogging doesn’t give you breaks unless YOU take one.
I love this post!
I feel like if blogging becomes a hard core chore then it’s time to take a break. It’s supposed to be your FUN job and when it’s no longer fun then it’s time to stop. I totally feel guilty about taking breaks but, sometimes, life-ing is just more important.
Lovely post <3
I still have problems with the guilt part too, because no matter what other people say, if you’re not an established blogger, that time away sometimes does cost, but it’s always more important to look after oneself first.
Thanks for stopping by!
This is honestly something I needed to read. Thank you for this.
I felt so guilty for going into a slump last year, but since I’ve come back, I’ve felt so much more refreshed? Like, I took a step back (for a few months), reevaluated my posts and my schedules and my styles, and now I feel much more confident in my blogging ability. Yes, my schedule is a little slow, but I feel like the content works for me. It gives me more freedom to do other things and more ‘random’ posts during the year.
I’m glad it worked for you! It’s always hard to decide to take a break because you never know what will happen, but the breaks are totally necessary!