Recovering from the Blogging Blues
Dec 2, 2015
Earlier this year, I wrote about being in a reading funk. Thankfully, I was able to find my reading mojo again with a combination of things - re-reading old favorites, prioritizing quality over quantity and revolutionizing some of my reading habits. I went from a binge to the blahs before finally finding balance! But even when I was in a reading funk, I was still motivated to blog. There were so many post ideas bouncing around in my brain!
Then, things changed... September, October and November were three of my least active months on the blog EVER. With my reading funk, the most helpful thing for me was pinpointing exactly what was feeling and then figuring out why I felt that way. And that's what I want to do today! I've read some great advice posts about how to deal with a blogging slump (here's a recent one from Cassie), but that's not my goal today. But, as anyone who's been in a funk knows, if you get the urge to write a post... you've got to go with it!
Then, things changed... September, October and November were three of my least active months on the blog EVER. With my reading funk, the most helpful thing for me was pinpointing exactly what was feeling and then figuring out why I felt that way. And that's what I want to do today! I've read some great advice posts about how to deal with a blogging slump (here's a recent one from Cassie), but that's not my goal today. But, as anyone who's been in a funk knows, if you get the urge to write a post... you've got to go with it!
As soon as I began thinking back on when the slump started, five things jumped out at me:
1. Not Enough Energy
I found out I was pregnant in August and the slump started in earnest in September. For as long as I can remember, I've been a night owl. I have more energy and get more done the later it gets, so I rarely go to bed before midnight. However, I was exhausted in my first trimester. No matter how early I went to bed, I still felt like I could fall asleep at any given moment. I didn't feel like myself - and barely got anything done after work. I knew I blogged a lot in the evening, but I didn't realize just how much! That wouldn't have made such a huge impact on my blogging mojo if it hadn't gone hand-in-hand with the next thing I remembered.
2. New Opportunities at Work
While I work in a creative field, I don't always feel challenged or inspired by my job. So, blogging has always been my creative outlet. My work responsibilities don't change much from day to day, so I often have time for blogging during my lunch break. That's why my change in energy level wouldn't usually drastically impact what posts I'm able to get done! However, I was presented with an exciting new opportunity at work in October that gave me additional responsibilities. While the change is a great thing, I've been a lot busier than I was before and can no longer predict what my day will look like. Now, when I stop for lunch, I have no desire to write.
3. Change in Seasons
This may seem silly, but I know it's something that's felt by other bloggers, too! I've definitely noticed that the change in seasons has left me more unmotivated than ever before. Sometimes the onset of cold weather makes me want to cuddle up on the couch with my computer, but that's not what has happened this year. The colder it gets outside, the more I want to snuggle with my pup and watch some TV. I've regained my energy in the second trimester, but I think I've gotten used to being lazy in the evenings! I keep joking that I can't remember how to blog... but I'm a little bit serious. I sit down, open my computer and then stare at the screen.
4. Technology Woes
I used to write a lot of my posts while watching TV, but now I just want to focus on one thing at a time. At work, I'm on my computer. And then when I come home, I pull out my laptop to blog. But the weeks of coming home and leaving it closed affected me! I saw how attached I had been to technology. If it wasn't blogging, it was texting my friends or looking at Twitter/Tumblr/Goodreads, etc. Those can all be good and enjoyable things, but they can also be distracting. I want to spend less time on my phone once I get home! I'm not going to stop looking at social media, but I can be more aware of how much time I spend doing it.
5. Pondering the Future
Someone was talking to me about my nail polish addiction and made the comment, "Oh, it will probably go away once the baby is here." It annoyed me! Having a baby will change my priorities, but I hope it doesn't turn me into a different person. Will I have the same amount of time for reading? No, but that doesn't mean I'll stop. Will I continue blogging? I hope so, but I'm sure I'll spend less time on it. I don't know what the future holds! But it's made me hesitant to commit to things - collaborations, events, etc. - because I'm not sure I can get them done. This blogging funk has lasted longer than I expected, so what if I never regain my momentum?
1. Do the things that bring me joy.
It isn't a reason for my slump, but it has contributed to my inability to start posting again - I've had no desire to write reviews. I've been reading a lot the whole time I've been in a blogging funk, but I just can't seem to talk about them. And I actually have things I can say! For some reason, the thought of working on reviews just leaves me feeling unmotivated. So, I'm going to focus on the posts that make me excited to blog again.
2. Find ways to refresh things!
This applies to reviews, too. I don't want to stop writing reviews because I genuinely like talking about the books that I've read, but they don't always have to be long posts. There's nothing wrong with mini reviews or other fun, fresh ways to share my thoughts on what I've read. Instead of letting my "To Review" list slow me down, I need to figure out how I can look at with new eyes. I can figure something out!
3. Avoid getting bogged down in commitments.
One reason that "To Review" list is intimidating me? A number of them are books that I received for review! I actually read them by the publication date, but then I never got around to talking about them. I'm unofficially taking a break from review books (adios, NetGalley and Edelweiss browsing!) for the time being, and I'm giving myself permission to say no (or not right now) to commitments that I'm not sure I can fulfill.
4. Focus on one post at a time.
I have always been a planner. If you've read my blog before, you probably know that already. I love schedules and calendars and thinking about the big picture! I think that's one reason I've been consistent with blogging over the past few years. But lately, thinking about a whole month of posts feels overwhelming. So, I'm going to take it one post at a time and go from there! Hopefully, one post will lead to another and then another...
5. Remember what matters.
And finally, the most important thing for me to remember: this is a hobby, and I do it for fun! There are no rules for blogging, no standards I have to meet, no goals I have to accomplish... If I only blog one day a week, that's totally fine! If I write fewer reviews, there's nothing wrong with that either. I'm so thankful for blogging, but it occupies a certain place in my life - it doesn't define it! I don't ever want to forget that fact.
How do you deal with a blogging slump?
And does it help you to identify the reasons why it started?
