Did you start off your blog all gung-ho, ready to conquer the world? Yet weeks and months later, the only conquering you're feeling is to being done to you by your own blog? You work your butt off, constantly feeling overwhelmed...
That burning passion you once had is now turning to burnout. And you're really considering throwing in the towel.
The semi-good news is that you're not alone and that it even happens to the best of us. After finding myself in a funk and overwhelmed by blogging, I reached out to my top role models to ask for their #1 piece of advice to get past this major hurdle. Get ready for some blogging inspiration when you're feeling demotivated. And don't forget to sign up for their highly useful free blogging resources to help you get back on the path to success!
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1. Get clear on your goals
"My no #1 tip is to define what success is for you from the very start. Take a piece of paper, and try to get as specific as possible with what that is. Because that definition of success will be your roadmap. It’s easy to get swayed by all those 5 and 6 figure blogger reports. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and dejected when others who have started at about the same time as you seem to have have achieved lots more. This is when your passion will start to fizzle out. But if you know your goals and you keep your ‘why’ centered, you’ll have the passion to wade through the rough patches when nothing seems to work as well as you want it to."
Meera is an email marketing specialist and Amazon Bestselling Author of the book The One Hour Content Plan. Her speciality: Simplifying marketing strategy with no-fluff, direct and actionable advice. She has been featured on Smart Blogger, Marketing Profs, YFS, Addicted 2 Success and several other sites. Want to get started with email marketing from scratch? Sign-up for her free course.
Why I think Meera is a successful blogger: Meera's just about the most focused blogger out there. Her goals are as crystal clear as newly washed windows that you might try to walk through on accident because they're that clear. Her online presence is everywhere and one of the bloggers I trust the most because she's always shedding new light on email marketing, like these top marketing myths.
2. Recenter your why
From Cath Oneissy of Catherine Oneissy:
"Blogger burnout. It’s pretty common.
My top tip to getting through it, staying motivated and getting ahead is to remember your why. And not just your me-focussed why, but your audience-focussed why. It’s easy to get demotivated if you’re just chasing extra income. But, if you’re trying to make a real difference in people’s lives… well, that’s motivating.
When your goal is to serve others with your content, it’s easier to create. Changing your internal dialogue from ‘what would make me the most money?’ to ‘what would my audience find the most helpful?’ is one of the best mental leaps you can make."
Cath blogs at Catherine Oneissy where she teaches moms how to build a passive income empire through their blogs using the power of Pinterest. Take her free Pinterest course.
Why I think Cath is a successful blogger: When Cath talks about remembering the audience's why, she's telling it from her heart. I think she nails it not only in how useful her content is to the reader, but also the way it's presented to enhance the reader's experience. Case in point: the interactive quiz during bundle season, and the format of her interview posts. Oh, and you won't be disappointed by her free Pinterest course so I highly recommend you sign up for it.
3. Pace yo'self
From Elna Cain of Twins Mommy:
"As a new blogger, everything is shiny and bright, eh? New tools, new stock photos, no graphics and new social media profiles.
Everything is fresh and new as a beginner. But, then something happens.
You start to feel overwhelmed.
Suddenly, you're dumped with hundred things you need to know as a new blogger. From SEO tips to WordPress to how to write a post that people will comment and share.
It's too much and you stop. Weeks go on and now the passion has died.
I don't want that to happen to you! As a newly full-time blogger, I'm learning to pace myself and to make sure that my creative juices are always flowing.
My #1 tip (and a half!) to help new bloggers have that passion and fire for months and years to come, is to figure out your greatest passion niche. LOVE what you write about and CARE about your readers.
Help them with their problems and you'll always have that drive to inspire and connect.
My half tip is to be okay if you don't have that spunk. This means you need to re-evaluate your blog's purpose and to shut the noise. Stop following other bloggers in your niche. Stop reading Facebook posts on groups.
Put your head down, focus on your plan and goal and I know that motivation will start happening. New ideas will form and your blog will thrive."
Elna is a blogger and course creator. She help moms make money by giving them tips to grow their blog traffic and email list as well as grow their income. Follow her on Pinterest.
Why I think Elna is a successful blogger: When you blog, you're helping people. Elna gets people. In a few months, she's been able to skyrocket her traffic, get high engagement on her blog, and rank on Google for a number of her articles because she knows how to appeal to human side of blogging success (eg. get people to share her content willingly).
4. A break could do you good
From Emily McGee of My Adaptable Career:
"If you're feeling overwhelmed or discouraged with blogging, don't be afraid to take a break. Everything will still be there when you get back. 🙂 Blogging truly is a marathon, not a sprint, so you need to pace yourself, otherwise you'll get burnt out. A break can look like a day off, a week off, or even a month or more off. During that time, look at how far you've come and take some time to think about what you want to accomplish next. If you get really clear on your main goal, it will be easier to stay focused when you get back to work."
Emily McGee is the founder of My Adaptable Career, where she helps busy bloggers and solopreneurs manage their time better so they can reach their goals faster. If you ever think to yourself “If only I had more time...,” then sign up for Master Time Management, her free 5-day email course for bloggers and solopreneurs.
Why I think Emily is a successful blogger: Emily is the first blogger who I really connected with. She dished out some genuine, practical advice to help me with my overwhelm. I can vouch for her being the real deal. She's not afraid to tell it all, good or bad, like this income report. If that's not the definition of bouncing back from a blogging low, then I don't know what is. I mean, she MOVES FROM COUNTRY TO COUNTRY and her husband can be away for long stints for his job so she's got a lot on her plate. Yet, she manages to keep up with her blog, and knows how to focus on the things that matter to make blogging work.
5. Keep believing in what you do
From Ana Savuica of The She Approach:
"To the bloggers out there who write about what you love and what you feel that you're called to write about, know this. You're going to meet resistance. You could be 100%, no doubt about it, on the right path and doing what you're meant to do and still feel discouraged, unmotivated and unpassionate about it sometimes. It's not always going to come easy. And it's not always going to feel good.
The hardest part will be dealing with that inner resistance, that self-doubt, those "is this really worth it?" moments.
Know that it is. Trust the path that you've chosen because you got there for a reason. And yes, this path still has roadblocks. But sometimes they are not there to show you to take another route. They are simply there to make sure that you're committed to the journey. (And from my own experience I know that includes a few bumpy rides.)"
Ana Savuica is a 21-year-old puppy owner, lover of the online world and professional binge watcher, Ana. Ana is also the blogger behind The She Approach, a platform that teaches women how to speak out online and be heard through blogging. Started by her passion for empowering women to build their digital empires, the blog soon became a resource for new and established bloggers to grow their readership and social media accounts and even make an income blogging. Want to follow her journey? Check her out on Facebook & Instagram.
Why I think Ana is a successful blogger: When I first met Ana, I totally didn't know she was only 21! I discovered her through her Boosting Your Blog Traffic ebook, which details everything that has helped her grow her traffic quickly (you'll be impressed by the number of followers she has), from optimizing your website to connecting with other bloggers and promoting on social media to engaging with your email list and was in sheer awe at the amount of detail she goes into. Then, I had the opportunity to Skype with Ana and she is so humble and down-to-earth. You can tell that she puts heart in what she does, by posts like this one on self-care for bloggers.
6. Go with what you know
From Elise McDowell of House of Brazen:
"Document, don't create. I learned that from Gary Vaynerchuk. Basically what he means is that instead of constantly needing to come up with new and creative blog content, write your blogs from the perspective of documenting what you've already done. That way you will never run out of content and you won't burn out from lack of ideas or creativity. That's how I've run my blog since the beginning and it's made the whole process so much easier!"
Elise McDowell is the founder of House of Brazen where she helps women business owners make money online through sharing no-BS business advice on how to find the gumption, install the mindset, implement the systems and sell with personality to make the money you deserve so you can have the freedom you want.
Like the sound of that? Then come stalk Elise over at Instagram and Facebook!
Why I think Elise is a successful blogger: Elise has wisdom beyond her years. She's so confident in herself, which is the most important part of succeeding in business (and life, for that matter). Like in this post, where she tells you the right way to approach negative people in your business (if it were me, I would probably be crying).
As you can see, while each blogger has her own piece of advice to get your refocused/recharged when the blogging overwhelm gets to you, there are a few connecting themes that it boils down to if you want to succeed as a blogger and overcome burnout:
- take things a little slower
- get clear on your goals and have confidence in yourself
- don't try to make things overly complicated, go with what you know!
- remember who you're blogging for and what help you have to offer
Remember these pieces of blogging inspiration when you're feeling demotivated and get yourself back in the game. You can do it!
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Wow, what a wonderful post! I love this for so many reasons! I love that you bravely reached out to your favorite bloggers and they kindly responded with answers! I love that I am now introduced to some new bloggers I have never read before. I love that these tips are timeless and can be used for any blogger because motivation has its dips for everyone. Thanks so much for this fantastic post that is full of help for bloggers! 🙂
Thanks for the kind words, Bonnie. I was hesitant to reach out to them because they’re like celebrities, but many bloggers are so nice! I’m glad you found it helpful; this was exactly my intent with creating this post because I know how hard blogging can be.
Thanks for the post Sylvia, I really needed to read something like this this week:)
Yup, for sure. The past two months have been crazy trying to get over the learning curve for me. Still lots to learn but should be worth it though!
Hey Sylvia
Thanks for featuring my tip 🙂 I hope you and other new bloggers facing overwhelm find it helpful!
Cheers
Cath
Thanks for the encouragement Cath! Lots to learn and great people (like you) to learn it from!