I recently looked at this one file in my Google Drive: blog ideas.
This is something I started earlier this year when I got into a funk about things. After blogging every single day last year, I ended up getting burnt out.
Stats have followed suit. It’s not that I am a numbers watcher by any means, but it’s good to know people read and look at what you create. And when the numbers fall, you know things aren’t going well.
It’s on me, without a doubt.
I got off of a schedule. I don’t think blogging each and every day was a good thing. I struggled to find topics and, often enough, the posts felt forced. While doing that, I also got out of my regular rotation of reading and commenting on a bunch of other blogs. I miss reading other people’s words and seeing photos.
I need to rectify this.
But where do I get back into it. There are times I struggle with the blog and it is feeling forced once again. Almost like a job. This is something that happened to me before.
A few years ago, I ran a disc golf blog. It was quite popular and we had some extremely good writers. But this was being done for the love of things. I didn’t know a thing about advertising and such, so I never went in that direction. With that in mind, it’s hard to “force” writers to do things, when I can’t even give them a little kick back. By the end of the run, it felt like a job. None of us really wanted to write anymore. A couple of them have gone on to paying gigs, which is good for them.
I’ve done posts like this before. You know the ones – fill some time and space by talking about how you need to do more etc. It’s something that fills space.
This one is somewhat like that, but it’s also a way for me to “think out loud” a bit to see what I can do to fix this. It’s not something to call me to task, per say, rather a way to figure out how I can straighten the ship and get back on task.
See, I love blogging. And I love writing. But I don’t like it when things are forced. So what can I do to get the “feel” again?
First, it’s time to start tackling that list of blog ideas. Some of them I put there months ago. But is it really that bad to blog about something I did earlier this year (such as ConnCon in March)? Not really seeing as I’m not a time-sensitive news organization. I have baseball stadium reviews, and stories about things that have happened to me, and different food items, and photography …
So tackling that will help me.
I’d also like to plan the 20 Days of Chill better than I did the 10 Days of Heat. The 20 Days of Chill has been a good writing challenge the past few Januarys. I decided, based on that, to add the 10 Days of Heat. Though a good idea in theory, I don’t think I pulled it off as well as I wanted. So I am going to rework the thought process and make sure it runs smoother next year. That also means making sure the 20 Days of Chill is good this January.
My ultimate goal with the challenge is to announce the themes early enough this year to allow people to write things well in advance and hopefully that will help people – me included.
What this ultimately led me to realize is how hectic life can be. I don’t make a dime off my blog, so it has to be for enjoyment. I need to have fun or this is what happens. And I don’t like it when things like this happen. So I need to try and track myself a bit more.
A year or so I bought one of these life planners. I’ve leafed through it and I like the look, but there are some things to sit down with before you get going. You jot down ideas and goals and all sorts of other things, with the idea of giving yourself goals and a clear head. I need to sit down and start with that and start plotting my days better. I need to set time aside to blog or to go out for an extra walk. I need to take control of different aspects of my life, which will make these types of things easier and more fun. In the end, maybe it will also help with my health goals as well.
Hopefully this isn’t another one of those posts where I jot things down and nothing happens. I know things won’t happen tomorrow – it’s a slow build to get into a better place. But the challenge is getting into this journey and seeing life in a different light. I look forward to this journey and hopefully I’ll look back at this post and say – yep, I did what I needed to do to get back on track.
Only time will tell.
Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!
Hey, P.J. I totally understand the feeling. My blog is just limping along. I think I did okay in the 10 days of heat, and have a story to finish during the January chill. I, too, want to revitalize my blog and have been trying to figure out the best way to do that. Another challenge? There a few October challenges where you write all 31 days. It’s hard to put the words down when you lack inspiration, motivation, etc. I will have been blogging 8 years as of Sept. 20. I guess I’ll just see where it goes from here.
Linda recently posted..We Can’t All Be Butterflies
Same challenges here. I call it blogging fatigue and when it gets really bad, I know it’s time to take a break from blogging and I’ll only posted once/month, for the Photo Blogging Challenge. I also find it really hard to ignore the numbers. Best defense I’ve come up with? Keeping the reason for our blog top of mind – like you, I really enjoy writing and blogging about our out and about adventures is a great way to share how being outside is so uplifting. Good luck wrestling with the questions in your planner. You’ll figure it out!