I’ve been having a hard time keeping my blog motivation lately. Between work and the commute, I’m out of the house for about 11 hours every day. When I get home, I’m eating, cleaning, spending time with Mister, and trying to relax is a tiny window of time before I have to get ready for bed to do it all over again. What I usually choose to do when I relax is catch up on internet stuff – blogs, social media, and any other links I feel like chasing.
Sometimes I’ll get an idea in my head and think, Hey that would be a great blog post! But then when I finally sit down to write it, many hours or days later, the introvert in me has decided that it’s not worth writing about. As a result, blog posts have been few and far between, and they haven’t had much substance.
Then there’s the outside world. While it’s been great having family and friends read my blog, it can also be a hindrance. I started this blog as a journal, and wasn’t afraid to write anything that was on my mind. Now, I think too much about how it will affect those who might read it and the effect that might have on my relationships. Because of this, I’m not as open as I used to be.
I’m not sure where to go from here. I do still consider blogging one of my main hobbies, especially since it’s easy to integrate into other areas of my life. But I’m not motivated lately, and I don’t know how to get that motivation back.
Any suggestions?
Hi Kirsten,
Writing guest posts is a good start. I appreciated your contribution to Quick Blog Tips. :)
The thing about a personal blog is that it’s hard to keep it going if there’s not that much in your life that you want to write about. A while back, I wiped my personal blog and put a fairly basic site in its place. Now, it’s back, and I have a clearer idea of what I want to do with it.
Have you considered leaving your personal blog mostly as-is, but perhaps starting a second blog that focuses on a topic you find interesting, or a hobby? It might give your blogging a new lease of life.
You could also try joining the Bloggeries Blog Forum at bloggeries.com/forum – I’m an admin there, and I’m sure the members will have some more ideas for you to get you going again. :)
Hope some of this helps,
Ben
I’ve tried the second blog thing before, and every time I’ve lost interest in the second, more niche-focused blog and come back to my personal blog. I like the simplicity of having just the one.
Part of having a personal blog is that I need to get out and have a life if I want my blog to be interesting, but if I do that then I’ll have even less time to actually blog. Eventually I’ll find my work-life-blog balance again and get on it.
I’ll definitely check out the Bloggeries forums that you recommended. I’m always up for a fresh outlook.
No real suggestions for you but I’ve struggled for the past year or so to keep mine going. Not sure if the novelty has worn off or what the problem is. I think about blog posts all the time, just don’t get them written (or start them and don’t finish them). Facebook is one of my biggest downfalls because it’s so quick and easy to interact with people (which is what my blog was giving me before facebook).
Good luck! Hope your mojo returns.
There’s definitely some of the novelty that’s worn off, plus social media as well. Blogging today is also different from when we started. I find so few bloggers in my demographic anymore (married, no kids, not trying, and no real niche) that it’s a bit lonely out there.
I have the answer for you…
Write shorter, less in depth posts. Try adding a photo and a blurb about whatever it is. I know for a fact that when I want to say something, it has to be immediately or it just gets pushed into that is boring. Even if it is, if you’re pumped about it there is a story, if not nothing…
My $0.02
I’d love to be able to blog whenever I get a great idea in my head, but unfortunately my day job doesn’t allow me that luxury. The photo and blurb thing I’ve done from time to time, and I do keep that at the back of my mind as a quick idea.
Thanks for visiting, Rob!
I agree w/ Rob. You don’t need to make every post an epic, deep, well-thought out one. Throw in a few spur-of-the-moment ones too. Those are fun to do and not as stressful – as long as that’s not the only thing a person posts, they can be a fun insight to the blogger’s personality.
Since you can’t blog at work, maybe if you have an iPhone or some sort of smart phone, you can post something from there on your breaks? Or at the very least, you could start a draft and then add photos at home or something and then post it from there.
I use my break time to just check email and maybe Twitter. I don’t have time for much else. I lose 2 hours each day to my commute, so I don’t have much time left in the day to do all the things. I try, but sometimes I just need to sit and do nothing, because I do need some rest.