I am an overwhelmed blogger. At this moment I sit at my parent’s dining room table in Kentucky. I should be home in Mexico by now, but our transmission on our truck decided this trip was a good time to start slipping gears. The truck is undergoing repairs in a shop and I am at my laptop blogging for the first time in over a month. It feels good. Not the transmission part, but the blogging part.
This entire trip has been overwhelming to say the least. Not that I don’t love seeing my family and friends for the first time in over a year. But life in the States is totally different from what I have become accustomed to in Mexico. I am going to write in depth on this topic on my personal blog but for now let’s just say, “Something had to go.”
Let Blogging Go
For me, that something, was blogging. I let blogging go for the last month. I lovvvve blogging but I only visit the people I love, (more than blogging), every few years. I only shop at my favorite stores, (mostly Goodwill), every few years. And we only see our family doctors and dentists every few years.
I knew I could give up blogging for a month and when I returned to Mexico, and my simple, scheduled life… my blog would still be there and so would my loyal readers. Sure my numbers might suffer, but in the long run, I knew this was a temporary fix and way to make time for the more important things.
So this is one solution to being an overwhelmed blogger, but what other options do you have?
Gather Your Thoughts
Fatima from Motherhood Through My Eyes thinks you should take a step back, gather your thoughts, and refocus.
“I’ve been going through a bit of a tough time with my blog. Whenever I feel overwhelmed I take a step back and think about why I feel that way. If I can’t seem to think straight or I feel uninspired to write, I tell myself I can always refocus at a later time. Sometimes I’ll prepare in advance by working on batch posts — writing a series of posts in one sitting. These help me not only gather my thoughts, but also give me something to look forward to during the week or month.”
I Am My Own Boss
Monica from NYC Tech Mommy says family comes first, “I am my own boss”, and make use of old content.
“I take a step back and remind myself that my family comes first. It’s okay to allow myself some time to be present in the here and now! When it comes to my blog, I am my own boss and don’t have to answer to anyone for my choices. It’s okay if I don’t post as often as I should. It’s okay if I had to take a break from social media for a couple of days. And it’s okay to take a little time to get back on track. I then make use of my old content. I schedule it on my social media and sometimes I repurpose it as new content. I schedule guest posts or prep some quick round ups. These all buy me a bit of time so I can catch up.”
Do Whatever You Can
Olga from The European Mama gives us seven helpful tips for an overwhelmed blogger.
“I took a few months off blogging because of being overwhelmed, but I wasn’t exactly doing nothing. Here’s what I did:
1) Even though I didn’t have the time to write or promote new content, I invested both time and money into it to stay put. I was feeling very frustrated with blogging and investing in it helped a lot and made my blog feel more worthwhile.
2) I took a blogging class. Actually I took two: one on blogging and one on Pinterest. The time not spent blogging was spent learning about blogging.
3) I tried to direct my energies to write for money, while I wasn’t writing on my blog, I started submitting to other websites that paid for content. In a way that’s easier because you don’t have to spend time optimizing for SEO or adding images – your editors will do it all for you and all you have to do is to promote on your social media.
4) I re-designed my blog, one of the ways I invested in my blog is to come up with a whole new design. I had a new logo made as well.
5) I gave my blog a new direction. I felt I got stuck as an expat writer so tried to focus more on global motherhood and that gave me new ideas and took off lots of pressure.
6) I networked: taking time off blogging meant researching and joining new groups, including the IBA. They give lots of invaluable advice and support.
7) I stayed active on social media, at least on FB. I occasionally posted stuff on FB,and grew my audience there.
I guess this comes down to three most important pieces of advice: 1) invest in your blog, 2) network, and 3) don’t sweat the stuff you can’t do (for example writing on your own blog) but do whatever it is you can.”
Be Creative, Don’t Blog
Debbie from Debbie In Shape knows how to chill out and I think we can all take notes on this one!
“When I’m overwhelmed with blogging responsibilities, I take a break, (one day, sometimes two). I use this time for creative activities only. It can be reading a book, catching up on some documentaries, doing yoga at home, and other things non-blogging-related. While it may feel like I’m wasting time at first, it helps me recharge my batteries and get my inspiration back on point.”
Schedule and Prioritize
Audrey from That Recipe is the Executive Administrator behind the IBA and with her management skills, including scheduling and prioritizing we are glad to have her.
“When I start getting overwhelmed with blogging, I find it helpful to start by scheduling and prioritizing. Even though that doesn’t begin to tackle my mountain of To-Dos, it does help me to focus on what has priority and what tasks can be completed quickly. Lately, I have been recycling old posts by refreshing them as needed with new photos and content or just sharing them as is on social media and linky parties. I need to think ahead to this summer and see if I can schedule a few people to do some blogger guest posts for me in July so I don’t feel so crazy with posting when my son is off of school and family is visiting from out of state.”
Take a Blogcation
Haley from Haley’s Vintage thoughts on being an overwhelmed blogger are short but sweet. We can take her advice and use some of the ideas above as well.
“I take a mini blog vacation. Sometimes you just need a little break and to focus on life in front of you. You don’t want to lose your love of blogging.”
Stay tuned for Wednesday’s post written by Dan Morris from Blogging Concentrated on Blogger Burnout. Burnout is the next step after becoming overwhelmed and I don’t think any of us want to go there. Be sure to catch this original post on the IBA.
What will you do when you get overwhelmed? Are you already there? Tell me your thoughts in the comments section.
Our next post for Let’s Make Your Blog Awesome, an IBA original learning series inspired by real bloggers, will be focusing on the pairing of blogging and photography. This article should run on May 4th. See you there 😉 Signing off, Tina