How to Avoid Burnout
When I first started writing this post, I was thinking specifically about blogger burnout. But as I wrote it, I realized that many of these things can be applied outside of blogging. Whether it’s a goal, a hobby, or a job, sometimes it’s hard to know the line between hustle and burnout. So while I wrote this from the position of blogging, I hope it helps you in whatever you’re pursuing!
I started blogging in 2010. When I first started this hobby, I had literally no expectations. I was taking ugly pictures with a Droid cell phone (oh hey there, flash). I didn’t spend time thinking about the “SEO” of my post, and I basically wrote about whatever I wanted. It was a hobby and I fell in love with it.
Over the years, the blogging industry has changed a lot and so has this hobby. I spend more time thinking about keywords and analytics and photo editing. Posts are less “stream of consciousness” and more planned out. Overall, I’m happy about it. It’s taught me a lot of valuable skills that I’ve actually used in my day job. I like learning and I like pushing myself. But these things can also make a hobby feel a lot like… work. And when something feels like work, it’s easy to lose the joy. And isn’t that the whole reason we started?
I’m sharing some of my tips for avoiding burn out over at VirginiaBloggers.com
i think finding tribe or like minded group really helps..blogging for me is a hobby too so anytime i feel like its taking over other things in my life, i take a step back, enjoy others post and come back when im ready.
RARELY if ever do I suffer from burn out, but if I ever feel it coming on, it’s typically around a point where I actually have to take a week or two off due to wayyyyy too many things going on, holidays, etc – And those 2 weeks or so work wonders because by the time they’re over, I really miss “my baby” and I jump right back on the horse!
Love this post. I’ve found every time I feel burnt out/stressed/overwhelmed about my blog and really anything in life it’s 100% being too much of a perfectionist. I overthink every single little detail and I’ve really been working on just letting it go 🙂
This is great! As a new blogger, I often dont sit back and allow myself to learn. I think i sometimes put too much pressure on myself and in doing so, forget to enjoy it! Overall, I agree with you on the blogging community–its been awesome! 😀
I only just clicked that I follow you on instagram but have never read your blog before! I really love this post because sometimes I do feel like I get stuck in a rut and blogging becomes more of a chore than fun.
Oh gosh I love all of these and couldn’t agree more, especially with #1 and 3. I’m not a perfectionist either and, while i think there’s a time and place for being one, I think it’s silly when people won’t start a blog because they want it to be perfect from day 1. It’ll neverrrrrr be perfect right away, and that’s ok. Also, YES to finding your tribe. So, so important (and way more fun!).
Yes, I love these tips!! I definitely agree that being a part of a blogger network is so helpful!
xo,
Angela
Great ideas! I was completely burnt out from cooking 3x/day for my family! I was pregnant with my third baby and every food on the planet (except Panda Express & bagels LOL) sounded disgusting to me. I started bogging to renew my passion for cooking and share it with others and it totally has! 🙂
That’s so cool, Laura!!
with any hobby, I think finding your tribe is so important. For me finding my running group and some blogging groups have helped tremendously.
A running group sounds so fun! That’s basically the only way I can run haha. I always need someone with me!
A great post, Liz, and – to be honest – a timely one for me. While I wouldn’t call it feeling burnt out I’ve been struggling with blogging a bit lately. That might be my perfectionist side acting up or things going on in my life right now but whatever it is – it doesn’t feel so fabulous. The points you mention here are good reminders. When I visit the BBG Facebook group or tell non-bloggers about blogging I always know why I started and stuck with it until now.