Have you ever had the blogger blues? Don’t know what I’m talking about? Well here are some typical characteristics of the blogger blues:
- A sudden lack of interest in your blog, your audience, and your market
- A lingering “what’s the point?” feeling
- Feeling discouraged and overwhelmed
- Feeling like you’re not good enough
- Writer’s block
- Feeling incredibly frustrated and annoyed
- Constant procrastination
Have you been there? I know I have. I feel pretty confident in saying that all bloggers have experienced some of this at one point or another.
Luckily, the blogger blues don’t have to become fatal (i.e., quitting blogging). Try these simple cures to snap yourself out of it.
1. Quit comparing yourself to others.
I can’t stress this enough. The next time you see yourself disengaging and feeling down about your blog, assess why. Could it be because you’re feeling bad about where you stack up as compared to your competition? Let it go. Whether in blogging or in other aspects of your life, comparing yourself to others will only ever serve to make you crazy and unhappy.
2. Focus on your accomplishments, not your failures.
It’s so easy to zoom in on everything you’ve done wrong with your blog and dwell on that. But when was the last time you applauded your blogging efforts? Did you write a post that got retweeted by others? Did you receive some blog comments? Has someone sent you an email recently telling you they like your blog? Don’t discount these things. These are all small successes that you should feel proud of.
3. Do something innovative.
As bloggers, we can get caught up in the lather-rinse-repeat formula of blogging, and lose our creativity. Forget the routine for just one day, and do something really creative. Step outside of your comfort zone and do something you’ve wanted to do, but haven’t had the time or courage to do.
4. Take a breather.
Take a day off and do something you love to do. The world won’t stop spinning because you didn’t post that day. Reinvigorate yourself now, so you can feed off that positive energy and get back into your blog later.
5. Quit being jealous of so-and-so’s such-and-such, and get it for yourself.
We can spend our days pining over someone’s traffic numbers, or how much they make from their blog per month, or how genius their blog posts are. Or, we can work towards those goals ourselves. Where are you placing your energy and thoughts: your blog, or someone else’s?
6. Reevaluate your expectations.
When my husband and I were going through pre-marital counseling, our counselors told us that the source of every marital dispute would be, in the end, a difference in expectations. I find this to be true in every conflict in life, really. Are your expectations for yourself practical, or are they slowly draining all of your time and energy? Have the courage to make much-needed changes.
7. Learn something new.
Nothing boosts confidence more than learning something new. Join a mastermind group, or go to a conference, or find a blogging buddy or mentor.
8. Get back to your roots.
Why did you start blogging in the first place? To change lives? To make money? To educate others? Whatever your reason was, hone in on it and work on things that directly align with that reason. You’ll feel like you’re getting somewhere again and not just lost at sea.
9. Use this moment when you feel crappy to motivate you.
Want to get out of this funk? Well then figure out what you need to do to get where you want to be. Dissatisfaction with your current state can be a huge motivator.
10. Avoid the distractions.
Do you ever get so overwhelmed that you just end up doing nothing? The way to beat that is to focus on one task at a time. Avoid the temptation to start a new project when you haven’t finished the one you’re currently working on. Slow down and complete every task you need to complete, one-by-one.
11. Ask for help and/or advice.
Someone else can usually give you a whole different perspective on your situation, and offer some fixes.
12. Just suck it up and push through it.
When you don’t feel like writing, do it anyways. When you’d rather be on Twitter than make a new video, shut down Twitter and get to it. Every time you get something done and move in the right direction, you’ll feel a little bit better and a little less down-in-the-dumps.
Above all else, try to identify what’s causing you to feel the way you feel, change what needs changed, then move on and focus on growing your blog.
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