Regaining Blogging Motivation

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Blogging motivation.

It’s a strange thing, isn’t it?

One minute, you feel like you could sit down and churn out 100 blog posts at once.

The next, you feel like you can’t even churn out one.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve gone through many ups and downs when it has come to motivation during my time blogging. Just off the top of my head, I can think of at least three distinct stretches of time in which I wasn’t feeling particularly motivated to keep producing content.

The cause? A total lack of inspiration.

During these moments, it was difficult for me to come up with post ideas that I actually found interesting. I would think about this saying that I had seen quite a few times in the blogging world that says you should only write things that you, as a reader, would want to read. And when I really thought about it, I realized that I wasn’t all that interested by my own content.

Which, of course, made it harder for me to brainstorm or plan posts.

Which, of course, made it harder for me to write.

But while these lapses in blogging motivation were challenging, they taught me about what it takes to get out of them. I learned a lot from going through these droughts, and today I thought that I would share.

Celebrate small victories

Something I’ve learned from blogging inspiration lapses is that not every uninspired day really qualifies as a blogging lapse. And that it’s important to appreciate every single success, even if it’s a small one.

We live in a culture that demands constant perfection and improvement. It seems like if you don’t write 12 blog posts a day, read a book, run a marathon, and eat healthy, you aren’t truly successful.

While social media may try and tell us that this level of perfection is attainable, the fact of the matter is, it’s not. Humans aren’t designed to work 24/7. We need fun. We need breaks. We need to be able to enjoy our small successes.

Just because you didn’t write 15 posts in one day doesn’t mean you’re going through a blogging rut. Society’s expectations for what we can do in one day are impossibly high. And when we fail to achieve impossibly high standards, it’s easy to assume that something is wrong.

Being realistic with yourself is an important part of blogging. It’s hard to stay motivated when it seems like you can never meet your self-imposed expectations.

Learn from other bloggers

If you were to ask a blogger what it’s like being a blogger, I can pretty much guarantee that they would say that it’s much more than writing a few words and taking a few pictures. Blogging involves a myriad of different elements. And it’s a lot more complicated than people make it out to be.

If you were to ask me what it’s like being a blogger, I would tell you that it’s basically a gigantic learning experience. The blogosphere is constantly changing and evolving. And with those changes comes many new learning opportunities.

That being said, a lapse in blogging motivation doesn’t have to be a total waste of time. A lot of different things come with being a blogger. Instead of dwelling on the obvious issue, you can look for new things to learn.

During the last big blogging rut I went through, I spent most of my time learning from other bloggers. Reading different blogs taught me tons about the blogging world. Without the information I’ve read in other blog posts, I wouldn’t know anything about taking flatlays or promoting posts on social media.

It’s good to keep in mind that blogging isn’t just about taking pictures and writing words. There are lots of different things out there, waiting to be learned. Getting inspiration back sometimes requires you to channel your energy into different areas of your blog.

Do something different 

If you’re ever feeling unmotivated when it comes to your blog, it might be a good idea to try something that you haven’t done before. Thinking outside of your usual niche can be exciting and provide you with that little spark of enthusiasm that you need.

If there’s a post you’ve been contemplating writing but haven’t been sure whether or not it would fit in with your blog, you might as well give it a go. For me, this came in the form of fashion or non-flatlay posts.

I’ve gotten pretty comfortable with taking flatlays. So, pushing myself to do posts that feature other kinds of photos was both nerve-wracking and exciting. I wasn’t sure how comfortable I would be in front of the camera, but I’ve gotten more used to it as time has gone on. Not to mention that doing fashion posts has become one of my favorite things about blogging.

Take a break

One of the best things I ever did for my blog was take a short break between Christmas and New Year’s. I was feeling pretty drained after getting through blogmas, and I decided that it was time to step away for a few days and simply recharge.

Having those few days off somehow managed to do wonders for me. I ended up coming back to the blog with more post ideas and motivation than I had had in months. In fact, I was basically able to plan out two month’s worth of content in a couple of days (and write it quickly as well).

Whether we like it or not, taking breaks is important. It’s crucial that we realize when we’ve overspent ourselves and take some time to step back and relax. Being the type of person who has a hard time relaxing, I like to remind myself that I don’t produce my best work when I’m drained. This thought gives me a little perspective, and ultimately makes it easier for me to unwind.

Anyway, that concludes this post! I hope you enjoyed. And as always, thank you for reading.

How do you regain blogging motivation? 

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40 thoughts on “Regaining Blogging Motivation”

  1. Hey Paige! I love this post, I literally was just sitting here reading through blogs saying “I don’t know why I have no inspiration this week!” I try not to let it get me down though, I just use these days to find blogs that I like or to just take time for myself and take a break as you say.

    I know the inspiration will hit me when I least expect it and I always look forward to that overwhelming feeling of excitement that comes with it, that’s what makes writers block worth it for me! That and I love finding new blogs to read, because yes it means learning and also getting out there and meeting other bloggers!

    I’m not sure if I told you or not, but I love your blog and I’m so glad this was at the top of my reader. I actually nominated you for the Sunshine Blogger Award! You can check out the post here and follow the rules to create your own post! Hope you have a great rest of your day, I’m always keeping up!

    https://ireminiss.com/2018/01/30/sunshine-blogger-award/

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    1. I love when inspiration hits me when I least expect it as well! It really does make those periods of writer’s block all worth it. Reading other blogs inspires too. It’s always fun to see what other people are writing! And thank you so much for the nomination 🙂

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  4. Oh, I love this post so much! Within the last 3 months, I’ve probably posted 4 times, and it’s all due to the craziness of the holidays, and lack of inspiration. I was in a deep rut – major writers block, and I thought I was the worst. I just started blogging last year, and I kept thinking to myself, “How the hell do people post stuff on the daily?”

    Taking breaks is so necessary. Thank you for this!

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  6. If I even have an inkling of an idea I write it down somewhere, there are post its everything, even if a random thought passes that I might be able to write about, its written down somewhere. It might not go anywhere but at least I have a stack of things to review when I lack motivation and inspiration

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  7. I definitely agree that there’s always that social pressure that we should be doing more. But sometimes, stepping back and taking a break is the best thing for us 🙂
    Im also with you on getting inspired by other bloggers. Reading other posts normally inspires me or gives me more ideas for another post of my own 😄

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    1. Exactly! I feel like that social pressure gets even harder to resist when we go on social media! Sometimes the best thing to do is just take a step back from everything online 🙂 and I know right! Reading other blogs can be so inspiring!

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  10. Thanks so much , his helps! I always used to enjoy writing, yet ran into a drought of ideas 10 or more years ago, and just stopped all together for years ! I’m glad the will is back. But needless to say, I need all the tips I can get for future idea slumps. I think a lot of our work happens in the background when our minds are still and the subconscious has a chance to wander.

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  11. Found this in the nick of time. I’ve churned out thousands of words this week, feeling joyous and high spirited as I ploughed my wordy furrow. Then I hit a wall today. So your wise words have helped. I took a few distractions, something that comes pretty easy when you are blogging about a crazy Chocolate Labrador. Back to it tomorrow.

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  13. The whole “grind” culture of social media and blog/vlog culture, putting out 15 posts in a day while running a marathon and having your own fashion line, is so tiring and off-putting. A lot of the time I forget to celebrate small victories in my writing, and then find myself feeling like I’m not doing enough. This totally leads to a drop in my inspiration and creativity. Thank you so much for putting this into words, so I know I’m not the only one feeling this!

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    1. I agree completely! I’ve had such a hard time remembering to celebrate small victories because of all the accomplishments I’ve seen on social media! It’s so important to remember that we don’t need to work ourselves like this all the time! And thank you for reading!

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  14. This is so true! I love when you say celebrate small victories – it relates to many situations in life too. Your blog is an inspiration for many other bloggers – keep it up! I’ve recently started my own blog..i have two followers – some people would say only?? but I say YET! I am soo happy. It is such an achievement. I hope to motivate others and find more and more followers. Take care!

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  15. Love these tips! I just started blogging and would tell myself that the small successes are what matter the most! Those for me include, having someone tell me that they love my blog, like my post, etc. Even just sitting down and writing for an hour is a success!

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  18. Pingback: Regaining Blogging Motivation — Currently, Lately – Livingsafetogether

  19. thank you, i was new and let myself get too frustrated and the lapse started far too early, though, i have to admit, i just went with what i thought a blog was and not look at others already doing it for guidance and tips. but this was a great blog that will really help me stay focused by stopping beating myself up. thank you for your insight.\

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  20. I completely agree with you. Before yesterday I hadn’t posted for about 4 days…I guess it was writer’s block or lack of inspiration. It happens sometimes but I still feel guilty for not writing at least one post a day. And when you finally get your flow back you have so much to say…

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  21. I literally typed in “motivation” into the search bar and I’m so happy I came across your post. Just that short line about how we are pressured today to keep improving and working relates so much to what I’m feeling now. I really enjoyed everything you had share!!

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