If you are new to blogging, you will likely hear the term “blogger burnout”. If you are an experienced blogger, you may have dealt with it already!
Blogger burnout is basically what you think it means: when you work and work and work on your blogging goals and eventually lose motivation to keep going.
Like anything in life, you need to take it slow, give yourself some grace, and enjoy the process. This is especially difficult for bloggers because we work (usually) on our own, so we feel pressure to always be working. This will only lead to burnout if you are not careful!
Sometimes blogger burnout occurs early on in your blogging career, given that there is SO much to learn and do. For others, it takes a bit longer, maybe months or a year into their journey.
Regardless of where you are in your blogging career, it is a great idea to keep the following tips in mind. You never know when you might start to feel the effects of burnout!
To get started, you might be interested in some of these self care tips for bloggers, which is a list of similar ideas and things you can do to reduce and avoid blogging burnout.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase
Help free up some of your precious time by using these FREE Pinterest pin templates!
What does blogger burnout look like?
Sometimes burnout can be difficult to identify. Sometimes you might think you are just being lazy or unmotivated when in reality it is so much more.
Burnout can look different from blogger to blogger. However, there are some things you want to look out for to identify if you are beginning to burnout:
- Lacking the motivation to work on things you used to love doing.
- No motivation to work on your blog at all.
- Feeling like giving up on your blog completely.
- Imposter syndrome: feeling like you are out of your league and don’t have the skills to keep blogging.
- Tasks begin to take much longer to complete than they did before.
- Experiencing writer’s blog (this might not mean burnout for everyone)
- Finding yourself staring at your computer screen, not doing anything productive.
- You might do anything else possible around the house than work on your blog.
- General feelings of dread, lack of motivation, sadness, wanting to give up, etc. when it comes to your blog
Again, these might look different for everyone. You know you best, so take time now and again to check in with yourself to evaluate how you are doing!
If you do find yourself saying yes to any of these points, the following tips might be beneficial for you to implement!
Did you say yes to feeling imposter syndrome? This book is a great read (I read it in like 2 days!). The author started out as a blogger just like you and me, and shares her experience with dealing with some of these feelings!
Remember why you started
You might be tired of hearing to “remember your why”, but it truly makes all the difference! If you don’t feel strongly about why you are doing something, why would you do it at all?
Your “why” is what drives you to do almost everything. Blogging requires you and only you. Everything is up to YOU, so you must want to do it for some reason, right?
Identify your reasons for continuing to blog. What drives you to keep going? What are you working towards? What is your end goal? What are you subconsciously thinking of day to day that your blog brings you closer to gaining?
This will look different from blogger to blogger. For me, my why includes a couple of reasons: to create a life that I manage, instead of working for someone else, and to empower women to do the same!
This helps me to continue working even when I don’t want to. Your “why” MUST be stronger than your excuses. Your “why” MUST be something you think about multiple times per day and dream about.
If you can’t think of your “why”, you might want to take time to think about what it is, and if your blogging is actually getting you closer to that goal.
Create healthy boundaries
One of the most common reasons for blogger burnout is because bloggers think they need to work 24/7. You might be familiar with the saying that entrepreneurs are willing to work 80 hours per week so they don’t have to work 40 hours per week.
This couldn’t be more true! Because it is usually just us, we feel we need to overwork ourselves to get everything done. However, it is important to note that there really are no deadlines.
You might think that the more you work, the faster you will get to your goal. While this might be true, it is not a guarantee. Yes, you should absolutely work hard. However, working too hard will backfire!
Treat your blog like any other job when it comes to how often you work. Set boundaries of when you will and will not work. You know when you work your best, so set times during the day where you set aside to work, and don’t go over it.
Of course, sometimes you might work more than other days. That is ok! Just make sure it is because you want to. Don’t sacrifice time with your family and friends to work on your blog (at least not all the time).
This is difficult when your computer is always within reach at home, but try to refrain from working overtime every day. Think about it- if your spouse was working overtime every single day, you might begin to worry about them! So, don’t do this to yourself!
I talk more about this concept in my guide of blogging full time.
Don't be afraid to take breaks
This is something I have always struggled with in my blogging career. Because nothing gets done unless I do it, it is hard to convince myself that taking a day or two off is a good idea.
When I take a day off, all I can think about is all the things I could be getting done, which would bring me closer to my goal.
Sometimes, you might be closer to your goal than you think. For example, I started blogging so I could set my own schedule and live my own life. So, why should I feel bad about taking a day off? That was the entire point I’m doing this- to be able to take days off whenever I want!
You are only human, and we are not meant to do nothing but work and work and work. Blogging isn’t your life, it is just part of it. You deserve to enjoy other things in life, relax, and just enjoy having time to yourself!
Sometimes this might mean taking the weekend off. Some bloggers refuse to work on the weekends at all, or at least not Sundays. This might mean only working a couple of hours one day when you are feeling unmotivated.
Sometimes taking a break is all you need to get your mojo back!
Set realistic goals
If your goal is to become a full-time blogger within 6 months and have 1 million followers, you are setting yourself up for blogger burnout. Like anything in life, things take time! Success doesn’t happen overnight, but progress does.
Take time to recognize even the smallest bit of progress towards your goals, and celebrate the heck out of them! Wrote your first blog post? Celebrate! Got 100 followers on Instagram? Party it up!
Just because a goal is small doesn’t mean it isn’t worthy of a celebration. We often compare ourselves to the “big” bloggers, without taking into consideration they’ve been doing this for 5 years already.
Truly understand where you are at in your blogging journey, and set goals accordingly. I am always for setting big goals but make sure you mile markers to get there are reasonable.
For example, if your goal is to become a full-time blogger within 2 years, your mile markers will need to be smaller. By 6 months I will make $100 a month. After a year I will make $500 a month, etc.
Remember that your small goals will lead you to your overall goal! If your goals are too big and out of reach, you will never reach them, and this will only lead to defeat!
work in a new environment
Sometimes the same old routine becomes a drag. Wake up, drink some coffee, then sit at the table and work for 6 hours. Day in and day out.
For some, this routine might begin to feel like a drag. Especially for writers, inspiration is important and vital! If you are feeling uninspired, it might be your environment.
For example, as I sit here on the barstool in our kitchen, I see only the same things I’ve seen for the past 6 months (thanks, COVID for that).
However, sometimes, I will work outside at our apartment picnic tables in the courtyard. Sometimes I will take my computer to the lounge chairs at the pool. Or, sometimes I will go and work at the local cafe.
Just having a change of scenery can truly do wonders for your inspiration. Especially because bloggers are usually working alone, being around other people can be refreshing!
You never know, you might hear someone sitting near you at the cafe say something that gives you an idea for a new project!
Delegate!
If you are feeling overwhelmed due to the amount of work you have to do, it might be time to delegate. Of course, this will not apply to everyone given different financial situations, but it is something to keep in mind.
If you have spread yourself thin and simply cannot keep up with the workload, find someone who can help you! There are plenty of bloggers who offer services to help other bloggers out.
If you don’t have the financial means to do this, maybe reevaluate your workload and cut some things out. Or, see if a friend or your spouse will be able to help you.
See if you can find more efficient ways of getting your work done, whether that means finding a new tool or software, or rearranging your daily schedule. (Related: daily blogging checklist)
At the end of the day, remember that this is your life. Is it how you want it? Are you happy with it? If not, make some changes.
Join a community
Because of all these things, community is super important to bloggers. Luckily for us, the blogging community is super supportive and helpful!
Most people in our everyday lives don’t understand anything we talk about when it comes to blogging, and we don’t have any coworkers to vent to. This can be frustrating when you just want to talk to someone who understands your work.
Joining a community of bloggers will allow you to have a group of people to connect with that actually understand you and can help answer your questions!
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