21 Strategies for Reigniting the Blogging Spark
It happened again, I got burnt out. I think that if you’re trying to maintain a blog as well as a job as well as a family as well as your sanity, it’s unavoidable. So I took some time off. I lived, I worked, I “Mom”ed, I started to put the finishing touches on our new home. After taking a step back from blogging for the sake of blogging I am ready to test the waters again. Maybe not with both feet, but I’ll dip a toe in 😉
Over the last month of taking time to just live, I found myself getting the urge to blog at certain times. During one of the first warm days of this early Minnesota spring I reminisced about a cute video that I captured of Bean during one of the spring’s past which I took just for the sake of posting on my blog and sharing it with friends and family. When we moved into our new house, I thought how grateful I was to have so many photos of our family at our old house. Most of them were documented through this blog. As a few paychecks from past sponsored campaigns trickle in and I get to put them towards a future vacation (or new car fund) I think about how lucky I am to have an additional income stream.
Having a blog is pretty awesome. Sometimes you just need a few reminders and tips to help reignite that blogging SPARK.
1. Remind yourself why you started blogging in the first place.
This is the biggest reason why I’m returning to the blogging grind (this time). I love all of the random memories I have recorded of Bean and our family, most of which would probably have been forgotten if it weren’t for my blog. With life getting so busy and Bean getting more and more active, I have been taking less and less photos and video. It’s high time I turn that around.
2. Take a step back.
I will never apologize for taking time off from blogging. It’s a necessity to take breaks, especially if it’s not your main “job”. Nowhere in my daily priorities do I list blogging. It’s a hobby that happens to make a bit of a side income. If my mental health starts to suffer, I take a step back. Period.
3. Read other blogs you aspire to be like.
During my break from blogging, I also took a break from reading other blogs. The whole scene just got stale for me. After a bit of time away, I started reading blogs that I enjoyed again. That started to spark the inspiration to get back to my own blog.
4. Dust off the ol’ editorial calendar. But don’t get crazy about it.
Having planned posts and ideas to kick off my return to blogging has been motivational. Although, if a post that I have “planned” doesn’t get written on the date I had scheduled, that’s no biggie. For example, this post was originally supposed to go up yesterday.
5. Plan your breaks.
Though the break I took from blogging was sort of unintentional, my return was basically planned. After I started to feel good about returning, I planned a week to get back to writing. But, like I said, no biggie if it wasn’t scheduled down to the exact day.
6. Get creative. Literally.
The time I was away from blogging was spent doing so many awesome creative projects which got my creative juices flowing. Creativity truly is a muscle that gets stronger with use. Unfortunately Minnesota winters (where the sun sets by 4:30/5:00 PM) prevented me from being able to take step by step photos of most projects. But, I do have plenty of projects ready to be shared!
7. Document your current life events.
This tip could apply towards almost any blog niche. Simply taking awesome photos or video of what you are currently doing in life could be your next awesome blog post. That’s the beauty of blogs, it’s about YOU. I forget this way too often.
8. Have a laugh.
My mood is infinitely better when I watch a few episodes of my favorite shows. During my break from blogging I streamed the entire series of The Office for the 3rd time. I’m streaming Portlandia for the 2nd time. I’m watching new and re-watching old episodes of Broad City. I’m finishing up streaming Parks and Recreation for the 3rd time. I’m one of those people who like noise in the background, so don’t think I’m just sitting on my butt watching TV all day. Speaking of, I’ve got Portlandia on in the background as I type. Elevating my mood= motivation to get back to blogging.
9. Commit, but be reasonable. And realistic.
As I mentioned before, getting back into using your editorial calendar and getting organized is key. BUT, be realistic about it. I’ve got posts planned out for the rest of March, but I only committed to blogging 2-3 times per week. That’s realistic for me.
10. Play with new mediums.
I’ve been taking some home videos lately and I can’t wait to play around with editing them for a fun vlog. Taking blogging outside the typical written medium helps me think outside the box.
11. Make a plan.
Plan out approximately how often you want to blog. Or plan not to plan. I used to get so stressed about posting a set amount every week. If you are relying on your blog for your income, maybe that’s your reality. I’ve come to the realization that I will probably never make more than a couple hundred off this blog a month. And you know what? That’s pretty darn good, and that’s OK. Especially since I’ve already got a pretty much full time passion career that I’m not ready to let go of any time soon.
12. Declutter like crazy.
Moving will make you uncomfortably aware of the unnecessary abundance of STUFF that you acquire over time. Since we moved, I have been implementing variations of the KonMari method and other mantras I’ve picked up on over time to get rid of the clutter in our house. Being the perfectionist that I am, freeing myself and our home of the clutter has been so relieving for my mind and my mood.
13. Take a class or complete a writing challenge.
I didn’t implement this tip this time around, but in blogging breaks past taking a blogging course really helped to motivate and give another blueprint on what to do with your blog.
14. Listen to some tunes.
Nothing motivates me like good music. As a kid, my mom would put on Queen’s Greatest Hits album and clean the entire house. To this day, “Another One Bites the Dust” literally makes me want to get out a rag and kick some dust butt. Whatever I may be doing, music helps keep me motivated.
15. Read your own blog.
Reading back on my old posts always makes me want to crank out more. It’s so much fun looking back at what I’ve done, what our family was up to, how cute Bean was. It makes me want to get back into documenting our lives in a major way.
16. Feel the burn.
Being active is directly tied to my personal level of motivation. The more active I am, the more motivated I get. The less active I am, the less motivation. I’m sure a lot of people are like this.
17. Get out and take some photos.
Simply getting out and taking photos of new scenery and events helps motivate me for new posts. During the frozen months of Minnesota winter this gets a little tougher, which explains why January/February can be a tough month for me motivation wise. Indoor photos just aren’t as pretty or interesting as outdoor photos (in most cases).
18. Accept your creative block.
Don’t fight it, just accept it. I kept trying to brainstorm and put out some sort of blog post when I was in my latest rut, but nothing motivated me. Once I decided to give in to it and just take a break, I felt this huge weight lift off my shoulders.
19. One word: Pinterest.
I don’t know what I did prior to Pinterest. I had a lackluster wedding, that’s what I did (kidding, it was actually awesome despite my lack of Pinterest access). It’s my inspiration for interior design, blog posts, fun family activities, new recipes, decluttering tips, the list is endless. It’s like Google specifically tailored for visual women. It’s pretty much perfect, and a great source of inspiration for almost anything. The end.
20. Go virtual shopping.
I’m not talking about blowing a bunch of money on Amazon Prime or Target.com purchases at 10:30 PM after a glass of wine too many. I’m talking about taking inspiration from over-priced or out of budget finds from your favorite online stores and making them your own. I like to visit Anthropologie.com and see what $100 candle holder I can DIY out of a thrift store find (kidding, sort of).
21. Change the scenery.
I’m lucky enough to have both a desktop and a laptop computer. If I’m not feeling motivated to type up a post where my desktop is, I can just take my laptop computer and move around the house. I find that if I write a lot of posts in the same location that the motivation to write again starts to dwindle. If you don’t have that luxury, I’ve also heard of others turning to good ol’ pen and paper for writing blog posts. That’s an interesting thought that I’ve considered trying.
I’m so excited to get back to blogging, and back to keeping track of the everyday moments that might otherwise be forgotten.
These are such great tips. Blogging is so special to me and I want it to always be.
I’m currently on a little blogging hiatus of my own. It’s refreshing to take a step back.