Life happens.
You know, you started your blog, but then… things got crazy.
That giant project at work (when you had to pull all your coworker’s weight. Ugh.) That amazing long vacation.
Maybe you planned a wedding or had a baby. Or something totally unexpected threw you for a loop. Maybe you felt like you had no direction with your blog, so you threw your hands up altogether.
Before you know it, it’s been weeks–or worse–months–since your last blog post.
Now what?
We’ve heard from more than just a few of you who have been in this situation lately. (And don’t worry, we struggled with this too in the beginning!) Here are a few tips that should help you get back in the swing of things when you find yourself coming back after a blogging hiatus.
Revisit your “why”
Why did you start your blog in the first place? Chances are, it was for fun–right? So, what stopped being fun? Was it because you’re no longer interested in the subject matter?
(That’s okay! You can change the topic you’re blogging about. No “blog police” are going to write you a ticket!)
Was it because you felt like you had too much on your plate? (That’s okay! You’ll just need to be more diligent about your time management moving forward!) Was it because you didn’t feel good enough?
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(Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle!)
It’s important to identify what your original “why” was, and use it as motivation moving forward! When you remember why you started, it’s easier to address the issue that made you stop.
Get organized and ahead with your content
The biggest reason why bloggers, er, stop blogging, is because they get too overwhelmed and feel like they can’t balance work, life, and blogging at the same time. You can avoid this by getting ahead of schedule with your content.
First, hold a distraction-free brainstorming session. Sit down for a minimum of 30 minutes and walk through this worksheet!
We promise you will come out of it with more ideas than you ever thought possible! In it, we also share tips on how to streamline your planning and editorial content in a way that will feel more manageable.
Second, be realistic with yourself in terms of biting off more than you can chew. It doesn’t matter if your blogger friend posts 5 days a week.
That doesn’t mean YOU need to post 5 days a week. Consistency is the most important above all!
If your followers know you post on Tuesdays and Thursdays–that’s great. But don’t over-exert yourself, because then you’ll wind up right back where you started!
Third, create an organizational system that works for you. We recommend using an editorial calendar to stay on schedule.
(We just launched one as part of our BFK shop, but you’ve got to sign up for our free mini-course right here in order to access it because we haven’t launched it to the public yet!)
Above all, remember what your mother told you: When you fail to plan, you plan to fail, and that’s what causes blogging hiatuses, amiright?!
Set goals
Setting goals keeps you on track and focused on growing your blog, and not on the “shiny penny” distractions that aren’t going to contribute to your growth! Write down your goals on your editorial calendar,
on a sticky note on your computer, whatever you need to do to keep you motivated! We wrote a whole post on how to effectively set your goals for the year ahead in this post!
Know that you’re not alone!
One thing you wouldn’t know until you actually get into the thick of blogging? It can be LONELY. It’s hard to spend so much time on something that your other friends and family just don’t “get.”
Having a support system is absolutely crucial to success–someone you can bounce ideas off of, someone who brings different strengths and knowledge to the table–not to mention, blogging friends make blogging way more fun!
We created the Blogging For Keeps BFF’s Facebook group for this specific purpose, so if you haven’t joined yet, click here to join!
It is insanely active with more than 500+ amazing gals in different stages of their blogging journey, and we’d love to see you inside!