6/14/2010
5 Ways to Overcome Blogging Burnout
When Writing Isn’t Healthy
The Burnout Blues
- The icy realization that you have nothing new, nothing meaningful to say.
- The exuberance of dashing off 10 quality posts in a day.
- The numbing sensation of talking into dead air – feeling like nobody is listening, nobody cares.
- The gloom of seeing other bloggers do exactly what you do – only 10 times better.
- The elation of helping a new blogger get started.
- The mortification of finally, belatedly realizing your entire blogging enterprise has been a monumental waste of time.
It’s this last feeling I want to focus on – how do you beat blog burnout?
- Let it pass. The first thing to keep in mind is what I just said – blog burnout is a feeling. Feelings come and go. Resist the temptation to act on feelings, because tomorrow’s may be totally different from today’s.
- Work through the pain. Anybody can be productive when all the breaks are going their way and they feel on top of the world. But real professionals, true stars, are productive even in adverse circumstances. Look at your burnout phase as a character builder, a test. Challenge yourself to do better. Turn a negative into a positive. Succeed or fail, you’ll look back on your effort with pride.
- Cut back. Maybe working through the pain isn’t the answer right now. Sometimes we bloggers become prisoners of our self-imposed publishing schedules. We get caught up in a sense of self-importance that doesn’t really exist. I remember when I made the decision to stop publishing five days a week on Word Sell. I agonized over this decision: it seemed like an admission of defeat, a lowering of personal standards. Looking back, I was a bit too full of myself. Nobody really cared if I published every day or every other day or once a week. And if anything, the quality of my writing improved when I cut back.
- Unplug. Blogging compulsion is somewhat a result of having 24/7/365 access to social media. I used to feel there’s no excuse for not publishing and responding to comments and visiting other blogs because wherever I was, I had access to the Internet. But no matter what your line of work, no matter how consistently passionate you are about it, taking an occasional vacation is healthy. Take a break, and you may come back with renewed enthusiasm.
- Team up. Recently I asked Jeanne Dininni to join Word Sell as a regular writer. How refreshing! It’s so much more fun to have someone to talk things over with rather than talk to yourself or talk to the wall. Jeanne brings new ideas and a new style to the blog: all this new stuff knocks burnout right off the table.
Over to You
How have you beaten the blogging blues? What advice can you offer to bloggers who have reached the end of their rope?
This post is part of Joanna Paterson’s Group Project, Can Writing Keep Us Well?
17 Responses to 5 Ways to Overcome Blogging Burnout
Brad,
So glad to have the opportunity to be part of the solution to your blogger burnout! You certainly have been at it a long time — and very consistently, I might add — and you’ve definitely earned a breather!
Blogger burnout may be a feeling, or perhaps a state of mind (or both), but it can be tough to overcome! So many emotions swirl around in us over our writing…so many doubts, fears, and inadequacies creep in. (We are creatives, after all — which means we have the creative temperament! Many of us also have a perfectionistic bent, which makes things doubly difficult!)
But, I think we need to be kinder and gentler to ourselves, to look more at the things we’ve managed to accomplish than at those we haven’t, to remind ourselves that no one is perfect — even though many other people may appear so to us. I believe we need to remind ourselves that, for each thing we may have left undone or not done as well or as often as we might have liked, we’ve probably done 10 others and done them well. Not all of these will be evident to the world (since much that’s of value is done behind the scenes), but if we look hard enough, we’ll see an incredible variety of ways we’ve grown as writers and bloggers (whether we post five-days-a-week or once every five weeks — and, believe me, on this score I know of what I speak).
Many behind-the-scenes skills and activities go into being an excellent and accomplished writer and/or blogger, and personal development is one of them. Some questions we should perhaps ask ourselves when we feel as if we don’t measure up:
How much personal growth have you enjoyed during your online adventures? How many life lessons have you learned that will translate into wisdom you can impart to your readers? How many lessons about writing, blogging, grammar, and language mechanics have you learned in your Internet travels or print book studies? How many discoveries have you made of facts, information, topics, and sources for future posts or articles? How many websites or blogs have you discovered that add to your knowledge base and/or that you feel eager to pass along to your readers?
Often we minimize the value of our online research, calling it mere “Web surfing” and feeling guilty that we actually relish it and spend so much time doing it because of the fascinating discoveries we make and the incredible amount of knowledge we gain. But, that’s what gives our writing depth and provides so much of value to share with our readers.
How many connections have we made with others online? How much encouragement and wisdom have we freely shared with other bloggers or with blog readers? How many comments have we left on blog posts or Facebook entries or other social media posts that have interested us, and how much time have we spent doing so? Has that time been wasted? Does building goodwill have a time limit?
I think we need to choose to think differently, and that that’s one way we can overcome blogging burnout. I also agree that your five ways are excellent, as well. Whichever tactic — or combination of tactics — we choose to use, we’re taking charge of our situation and proactively determining to improve it. We’re putting the same creativity we put into our writing into our lives and creating something of value for ourselves and everyone with whom we interact — and that’s a real accomplishment in my book!
Jeanne, Thank you for taking the time to write out such a thoughtful and truly uplifting comment. When you step back and take in the full measure of blogging, it really is remarkable how much we’ve gained. It’s time to refocus on that big picture.
Brad, I cannot thank you enough for sharing so honestly. This blogging journey has definitely not been a straight line and I have felt every one of those bullet points sometimes all in the same day! I’ve also tried every solution except number 5. I am learning to allow myself to fail, to not be so hard on myself and to find my flow even if breaks every rule written. I wish I could say that I write all of that with the confidence of someone who has it figured out and is boldly forging her path but alas I am still very much in the midst of finding the road. Your words help a great deal.
Karen, You’ve always been very open about your day to day feelings as a blogger, which is one of the reasons I look forward to reading your every post. I encourage you to keep breaking the rules, to keep putting yourself out there, because that’s when you are at your best.
Brad, writing is so much a part of us, such a reflection of who we are, it’s perhaps not surprising it comes with these ups and downs and roller coasters…
I’ve had times when I’ve needed to take extended breaks, and given myself breathing space to avoid walking away from it altogether, which I’ve come close to, mainly at those moments when I felt there was nothing more to say.
Part of my solution in those times, and the one addition I’d make to your list, is to read through what you’ve written because part of the answer to what next or where next is probably already to be found in your own words.
PS thanks for joining in the gwp!
Joanna, The problem with the extended break is that quite often, it turns into a one-way trip. You’ve been able to walk away for a good long while … and come back blogging stronger. I think that’s a bit unusual, but I suppose it reveals how true it is that writing is a part of what you are. I definitely feel that applies to me as well – but I’m fearful of taking that long break, fearful that like so many others I’ll never come back.
Excellent topic, Brad.
As a relative newbie, I guess I’m still in my honeymoon phase.
Having said that, I’ve radically changed my blogging style to be more consistent with who *I* am and what comes naturally to me.
I’m not a natural born writer and could see myself burning out very quickly as a blogger. I now have a much more sustainable style. Posts flow easily and enjoyably – and the level of reader engagement has dramatically improved. Sure, it’s not your conventional style, but it’s much more me.
The moral of the story – for me at least – be yourself rather than follow another person’s style or ‘proven’ formula.
Best, Robin
Hi Robin, You certainly have blazed a unique and from what I can see, very successful, trail. You’ve quickly mastered the art of provoking conversations, and the collective wisdom being shared on your blog is powerful. Karen and Joanna are also great experimenters, which perhaps is a necessary trait for long term bloggers.
I’ve been blogging for a decade now — really! and I find the best solution to burnout is to cut back. Of course, the more you blog, the better. But I look at it this way that if I push myself to blog more often, it’ll lead to lousy posts and hurt more than help my blog. Of course, guest posts help, too. But I don’t like to actively pursue them except the one time for my blog’s 8th birthday celebration.
I couldn’t agree more with the line: “Nobody really cared if I published every day or every other day or once a week.” I used to think people were just sitting waiting with bated breath for my next post – until I gave myself a reality check.
Tried to give up the blog once – but was back at it 4 days later. I try to keep in mind my goals of keeping it fun and not taking myself too seriously. I am not a “writer” so my posts don’t exactly flow – but I’ve got a nice little audience of other bloggers who appreciate what I write. I hope.
We’ve been blogging hard for the past 3 years, at first it was just me but I burnt out, ran out of things to say I couldn’t produce 3-4 meaty design blogs a week. It was having effects on my traffic numbers and mind. So I called some friends of mine, who have the same frame of mind as me and together we produce MEATY blogs every other day. I personally don’t feel there is anything wrong with getting more writers on board. A magazine rarely has one writer!
Meryl, You definitely found a blogging pace that works for the long haul: 10 years! That’s remarkable. We can all learn from you.
Carma, I like your common sense approach to blogging. What counts is the quality of a blogging community, not its size.
Rory, Glad to hear you’ve also discovered the value of teamwork. I think a team of writers adds texture to just about any blog, and I like the magazine analogy. Who would read a magazine written by one person?
Wow! 800 posts and 200 elsewhere, I’m very impressed. These are really great tips to beat blog burnout. Listening to music and walking around outside definitely help me clear my mind. What a great idea to join up with Jeanne Dininni.. Good luck!
Hi Justin, Sorry I missed your comment … thanks for the encouragement. Since discovering Pandora I’ve found music to be pretty helpful myself. Good thinking!
I had difficulty this winter keeping up with my blogging due to family illness. I found that writing was healing for me but my content was not what I wanted to post on my blog. I hired a college student to blog for me. It took the pressure off of writing and I could write for me and not for my readers.
I will admit that getting back into writing relevant blog posts was difficult at first but now I feel the posts are better than before. I think the break helps you refocus the purpose of your blog and step back and see what is important to your readers.
Hi Julia, Sorry I missed your comment – it’s August now, and it looks like you’ve gotten back into your writing. It’s good to take a break once in a while, and I hope yours did you good, despite the circumstances.
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