“Boredom is the conviction that you can’t change … the shriek of unused capacities.” – Saul Bellow
When you were a kid, did your parents ever tell you off for complaining that you were bored?
The standard view of boredom is that intelligent, active people have no place giving in to it – that we should all have the mental resources inside ourselves to stave off boredom, managing to find enough to do with our time to occupy our minds without succumbing.
However, this view of boredom doesn’t factor in the feeling you get when you are forced to repeat a task again and again, running out of passion and enthusiasm, without being able to do anything differently.
Let’s be honest. Sometimes, blogging can be boring.
It’s late in the evening, you’ve been slogging away at your laptop or PC all day, you’ve been dealing with irate customers, you’re tired. You want nothing more than to shut down, escaping the office in favor of some family or downtime.
But your needy, hungry, neglected blog beckons.
It’s like a whining child, demanding attention. You know you need to get your act together and produce an interesting, lively article or video post. But the thought of it makes you drag your feet, put your head in your hands and wish you could be anywhere else rather than coming up with a new idea.
It’s pretty much the same with any repetitive activity. No matter how much passion you have for your subject, and how dedicated you are, blogging blues will hit you every once in a while. It’s at this very point that some of the most dedicated bloggers out there turn away and let their blogs lie neglected, losing readers and missing out on potential customers because they can’t muster up the enthusiasm to break through the blues barrier.
Just as with any other activity, though, it’s simple enough to break through to the other side and come out on top. If you were bored eating the same thing ever night, you’d vary the menu. If you got tired of wearing the same clothes? You’d invest in a new wardrobe. It’s the same with blogging. If you’re fed up, and you’re losing your enthusiasm, it’s time to change things up.
Take these five simple steps to revolutionize your take on blogging and rekindle your passion again:
1) Switch Subjects
If you’ve done a particular topic to death, not only will you be bored of writing about it, your readers will be bored of hearing about it too. Expand your horizons, branch out in to a new area and switch to a different subject related to your industry. You’ll get a new lease of life as you discover new subjects, and your blog will get a much-needed boost too.
2) Get Learning
Nothing sparks enthusiasm more than learning about a new subject. If you’re feeling jaded, take some time out to learn a new slant on your industry specialism. Take a class, research online, talk to people and figure out a way you can approach your area of interest from a whole new angle. You’ll get new ideas, and a lot more enthusiasm once you have a head crammed with interesting new facts.
3) Take A Break
By this, I mean go out there and find someone who can blog on your behalf. If you hate plastering, you don’t slog away doing a bad job – you hire someone in to do it for you. If you really need a break from your blog, leave it with someone you trust and let them keep it going for you, while you head off to work out exactly why you’ve got so jaded with your business that you can’t bring yourself to write about it anymore.
4) Check Out Your Competition
If you’ve been doing the same old thing week after week on your site, the chances are things have moved on in the industry since you last did some decent research to get new ideas. Take a sneaky peek at what your top rivals online are doing, to generate some decent ideas and rekindle your zest for writing about your subject. If it suits, try a different approach such as images or vlogging to get a break from articles, choosing new subjects and evolving your list of subjects to tackle.
5) Get Feedback From Those Who Matter Most
If you have the blogging blues, this may well be translating across in to your site, leaving your readers wondering what’s up. Instead of ditching your blog and ignoring the problem, come clean online and ask your readers for ideas, suggestions, guest posts and input in to how you can shake things up and make your site more interesting for them. The very fact that people care enough to respond should start that old familiar spark of enthusiasm, reminding you why you are doing the blog in the first place, and just how many people rely on you to make it work.
It’s natural at times to lose your enthusiasm for blogging, either because of the activity itself, or because your passion for your industry and niche has gone stale. The trick is to try the tips above and work to turn things around, giving both you and your blog a much-needed shake up to do things differently, and better, in future.
Andrew is a website builder and helps small businesses with their on-line presence…so they can grow their customer list and increase sales. That’s it! That’s what we do each and every day.
The thing I do when I get a little bored with blogging is to take a break for some days.
This not only gives you time to think what you are doing and whether you are doing it right or not, but it also gives you time to refresh your mind and do some fun activities and go on a trip.
Taking a break is the best way for beating blogging blues, in my opinion!
I agree Arbaz. A break can be a great way to to help with your blogging.
Andrew
Seeking competition is really a good step to know about how much uniqueness of content is needed to make your content viral and more informative.
Nice tips.
Thanks,
Dhruv Sharma
Taking a break is very important in blogging, sometime we got so serious about blogging and forget about our life.
yah you are right these 5 tips are really important and the most important is checking your competition.
Thank you
Akash Singh
Great post…I like all the tips that you’ve mentioned especially the taking of break point as it is very important in today’s busy generation….thanks for sharing.
You hit the nail on the head! It’s easy to get burnt out while blogging. The main thing to keep in mind that blogging should be somewhat fun! If you hate blogging then don’t blog! Take some time to interact with readers/commenters. Or, like you said, learn something new! I take classes all the time and I always look forward to posting them on my blog: for two reasons (1) My writing my notes/review up on my blog if forces me to ask myself “what did I learn,” and “was it worth it,” this forces me to really evaluate the class/seminar. And plus, knowing that it’s going to be posted online makes me give extra thought to what I’m writing. This means I’m getting more from the courses then people who just take the course and then go home and, most likely, never look at their notes. (2) New classes means new readers/followers to your blog and this opens up you and your community to new people and opportunities.
Taking a break can be good too, but taking a break could hurt your blog’s standing and SEO since Google likes blogs that are more constantly updated. It’s better to prevent blog burnout than to have to attach a bandaid later.
Michael
I love what you share. What’s the latest class you did and what do you have planned?
Thanks,
Andrew
When I am bored blogging, I do take a break from blogging or blog on unrelated content.
I am on the health niche but when i get bored on blogging about health topics, I qyickly switch over to other passion such as music
Writing is a challenge. Blogging is only one form of writing. If there’s anything writers love to talk about, it’s how much writing sucks. The whole art form demands patience, solitude, and logical thoughts. Then, you’re rewarded with people skimming your article and likely missing the subtleties you built into the thesis. There has been many a day when I’ve sat down to write and nothing came out. No amount of writing through the writer’s block helped, either. Sometimes, it’s just not there.
Matthew
Is that when you should take a break?
And when ‘it is there’…keep writing and writing!
Andrew
I already prefer coding something or learn something new in programming when i’m bored at blogging and writing articles.
A good blogger shouldn’t be writing just about anything and everything.There are times your mind wont be set to think anything meaningful. give it a break so you can organize your thoughts and words properly. thanks Andrew for the great post.
Checking out the competition is for sure the hardest one. There is so many new website that appears everyday that its hard to always be up to date with the competition. Its an everyday job”
What an excellent list of creative suggestions Andrew!
While it’s certainly not a crime to initially get bored or
slightly jaded.
Thanks to your excellent list of five suggestions, it should be incredibly easy to
get back on track.
Because there is always some extremely helpful information to share
with our audiences!Thanks!
I definitely find switching subjects for a bit helps – a change is as good as a rest, they say! I always try to keep a couple of posts in reserve too, to tide me over if I need a break.
I know there are so many sites out there that keep telling you, write about what you love and all. BUT you cannot just love one thing. I love motivating people but I will soon run out of ideas and the things will get too repetitive for people. So I love the idea of extending branches. We can start off with one genre and when there is audience being attracted to your blog, you can add in branches that you love.
And then there comes this break factor. It is so important. People who think that you need to blog 24/7; yes, it is important. But BREAK is really going to help you come back with a fresh mind and so many new ideas that you will go on for a week or two, without getting out of ideas at all
I have seen many of my fellow friends fall down and leave their blogs just because they didn’t get instant results. Blogging well, for me is all about patience. Except for money, patience is what I also earned as a blogger.
WOW, this was just what I need today! I’ve been having one of those “If I have to stare at that damn screen for one more minute I’m going to……”
I loved the checking out the competition and getting feedback from readers. Both of these are likely to jumpstart me as well as breathe some fresh life into things. But first, I think I’m going to take your advice and get someone to do some writing for a bit so that I can regroup and do some of the other points in this list.
Thanks! I really appreciate this post today!
I really think the best way to avoid the blues is to chose a blogging topic from day 1 that interests you! If you chose something that you hate, you’ll never truly enjoy blogging, even if you’re making good money.
That is what brought me here, I find it best to just take a break for a few days and then before I know it I’m back to loving it again. made for a great read, thanks
Great article! These 5 tips for beating blogging blues are really helpful and practical. As a blogger myself, I often find myself feeling unmotivated or overwhelmed, and this article provided some excellent strategies to overcome those challenges.
Tip #1 about taking breaks and stepping away from the computer is so important. It’s easy to get caught up in the pressure of constantly creating content, but giving ourselves permission to rest and recharge is crucial for maintaining our creativity and enthusiasm.
I also appreciated the emphasis on connecting with other bloggers and building a support network. Blogging can sometimes feel isolating, so reaching out to fellow bloggers for advice, collaboration, or simply to share experiences can make a big difference in revitalizing our passion.
The tips about trying new formats and experimenting with different topics are fantastic suggestions for combating boredom. It’s easy to fall into a rut of writing similar content, but branching out and exploring new styles or subjects can reignite our enthusiasm and attract new readers.
Moreover, the reminder to focus on the purpose and joy of blogging rather than solely on metrics and popularity is essential. It’s easy to get caught up in numbers and comparisons, but this article encourages us to prioritize the process and the satisfaction we derive from creating meaningful content.
Lastly, the tip about revisiting old posts and repurposing them is a fantastic way to overcome writer’s block and keep our blogs fresh. It’s amazing how we can find new inspiration or perspectives from our previous work, and updating and republishing them can bring new life to our blogs.
Overall, this article provided practical and insightful tips for overcoming blogging blues. I’m grateful for the suggestions and will definitely be implementing them to keep my blogging journey enjoyable and fulfilling. Thank you for sharing these valuable insights!
Boredom often creeps in when we feel stuck in repetitive tasks, draining our enthusiasm and creativity. Your reflections on battling the “blogging blues” resonate deeply with many content creators. It’s refreshing to see you acknowledge the struggle and offer practical solutions to reignite passion and innovation in blogging. From exploring new subjects to seeking feedback from readers, your advice embodies resilience and adaptability. Here’s to breaking through the monotony and rediscovering the joy of creative expression!