READY FOR SOME REAL TALK?
It's been a while since I shared any blogging tips around here, and since blogging is one of my favourite things to talk about ( if you're friends with me, you'll know this all too well ), I thought it would be fun to pick a topic and dive right in. Are you guys interested? Since I am not currently full time, yet considering it, one of my biggest struggles has been staying inspired to create remarkable content that I'm proud to share with you guys... which is crazy, because when I was balancing a part-time fashion related job, I had no problem churning out four posts a week. Now, the content I published during those years wasn't always the strongest, but I was constantly inspired by what I was doing and excited to create more posts... seriously, the ideas never stopped. Sounds crazy, right? Well it kind of is, but it also kind of isn't. Prior to switching to self-hosting, I was creating content for me and for my readers the majority of the time, social media promos, and emails that accompany all these things. It's nuts and to be quite frank, it can seriously stifle creativity, and this, coupled with the pressure to create consistently strong content, can lead to some serious burnout. So here are a few things that have helped me beat those pesky burnout blues.
FIVE TIPS FOR BEATING BLOGGER BURNOUT
1. KNOW YOUR NICHE
We've ALL heard that one of the keys to successful blogging is a clearly having a defined niche, and I find that knowing what's happening within mine helps keep me inspired. I start every morning by looking at my favourite blogs, reading fashion news sites, scrolling through Instagram, watching Youtube videos, and flipping through magazines — basically, anything that has to do with fashion. Seeing an amazing new designer item could give me an idea for a duplicated look, but with my own touch, or maybe one of the locations in this month's Vogue will remind me of a really cool spot in my city to shoot at next — you never know what you might come across during this process, which has quickly become one of my favourite and most beneficial parts of each day.
2. SHAKE IT UP
Referencing back to my last point, exposing yourself to new things, whether they are items, people or places & even food, can go a long way towards keeping you inspired. I find that my best ideas come from the most random places, and often exploring new things helps me see the world ( and especially my little blogging bubble ) in a new light... shake things up, and shake them up frequently!
3.TAKE A BREAK
The most forward approach to dealing with a blogger burnout is to take a break — powering down and rebooting your brain sounds pretty simple, but finding the time to actually do so can be pretty challenging. So how do you do it? Just do it! Make your well being your top priority, even if just for the afternoon, and you'll be amazed by how much better and more productive you'll feel when you get back down to business.
4. CUT YOURSELF SOME SLACK
If you do need to take a break, or if the ideas just aren't coming, don't beat yourself up over it. Dwelling on the feeling of being creatively blocked rather than accepting it and taking action against it will only make things worse. You're only human, and you can't be awesome all the time ( trust me, I have tried ), so just try and remember that once in a while, would you? And PLEASE don't compare yourself to others. Doing so will only make you feel worse than you are already feeling & isn't that what we are trying to avoid?
5. BACKSTOCK OR BUST
When it rains ( speaking creatively of course ) it pours, so try to keep a list of good ideas for future posts in one place; that way when you're stuck for what to do next, you can always go back to your list and say goodbye to blogger burnout. The same goes for Instagram — banking photos can seriously help you avoid gaps in your content. Plus having a sh*t ton of photos to draw from will help you avoid panicking when you haven't updated in a couple days and ensure that you don't put up something just for the sake of doing so.
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT
Now that you're armed with a few tips to keep you from burning out, I am going to be talking about the plus side of the blogging community next... stay tuned!
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