For many bloggers the process doesn’t just involve writing a blog post and then the job's done, but hours of researching keywords, learning and implementing SEO on the blog post and rest of the website, building a professional looking blog, attracting readers to the site, marketing, admin, proofreading, constant learning and training, accounting and so much more.  It can become overwhelming and all-consuming at times.

Whether you are a full-time blogger or pursuing it as a side hustle, you need to be able to enjoy the process without getting overwhelmed.  To put it bluntly, when it comes to blogging, you often need to stop stressing out.

You don’t need to spend hours worrying about your organic traffic or likes on Facebook. You simply need to enjoy the journey of being a blogger and remember why you started.

Ultimately it should be a passion that you want to do, otherwise you may as well follow a different path.  Sure, it can get stressful like any career or ambition, but you should enjoy the process the majority of the time. It shouldn’t always be stressful or causing you to burn out.

The following ideas might just prevent you from burning out and becoming tired of your blog. Stick to these and you may just be a brilliant blogger destined for success!

Follow these tips to ensure you stay passionate about blogging!

Choose your blogging platform wisely

If you are first starting out as blogger, you will need to make a huge decision right from the get go. Your blogging platform is going to be the bread and butter of your creativity so it’s time to choose wisely.

There are a number of different platforms to choose from, such as Wix, Blogger and Wordpress. Familiarise yourself with the different features and go with the one that appeals to you the most. You will find lots of quirks with all of them such as the WordPress white screen or the Wix stock image selection. As long as you feel confident and comfortable with your chosen platform, you will have made the right decision.

Many bloggers end up moving to WordPress after a period of time as it is a great blogging platform that offers features the others don’t. Why would so many go through the hassle of moving to WordPress if it didn't offer more power and flexibility than the rest?

This website is unfortunately way too big for me to move now and it would require a manual move, but I have my other blogs on WordPress and I am very happy with all of them.  When starting a new blog today, we will always choose WordPress!

Pick a topic you’re passionate about

It is no use trying to copy a topic from your favourite blogger or writing about something you wish you were passionate about, but you’re just not. This type of behaviour won’t fly with your audience and it won’t give you the satisfaction you’re looking for as a blogger.   You’ll also run out of content ideas pretty quickly and your lack of knowledge on the subject or lack of enthusiasm will show in your writing.

You need to choose a topic that you are genuinely interested in rather than limiting yourself to a subject that doesn’t appeal to you. When you carefully select your talking points you will feel so much more passionate about what you’re doing and you will genuinely enjoy creating content.  Plus, if it’s a part of your life and interests then you’ll never run out of things to say about it and therefore write about.

Here are some blog niche ideas that are not lifestyle!

Target a niche group of people

You might think that the more topics you cover the wider your audience will be. This isn’t necessarily true, as you will actually be giving yourself more competitors. It’s often recommended to niche down so you can target a niche group of people who will have a genuine interest in your topic.

For example, instead of choosing ‘fashion’ as your overarching topic, you could choose petite fashion, fashion for parents or plus size fashion. Finding a smaller branch for your topic will be hugely beneficial as it makes your brand abundantly clear to your audience. It can also be much easier to land brand collaborations when you focus on very niche topics.

Of course niche blogging is only a suggestion and there are plenty of bloggers who have had success with a lifestyle blog covering a variety of topics.  It might just take a little longer to build your audience, metrics and authority, but ultimately you should write what you are passionate about and if that’s a variety of topics then go for it.  You can be your brand and you can be your niche if you want.

Plan your posts

Now you know what you’re going to write about, you need to start thinking about your blog posts. You don’t need to limit yourself to just writing either; images, videos and infographics are just as effective as creative written content.

When it comes to blogging, planning blog posts is absolutely everything. You want to make sure you are hitting topical areas and providing regular content for your audience. Every blogger works differently, but it often helps to create some sort of plan. For example, you could plan out your posts for the month so that you don’t lose focus or momentum.

I often just get inspiration to write a post on the spur of the moment or a brand collaboration will spark a topic idea, but I also keep a huge list of title ideas and things I want to write about in the Notes app on my smartphone.  That way I always have a content idea whenever I want to write.  

You can also use paid keyword research tools such as ahrefs and Keysearch to find rankable keywords and topic ideas and start building lists of these so you'll never run out of content ideas.  Doing proper keyword research should be a part of your SEO strategy to ensure your blog posts are rankable.

Use social media scheduling

Social media can often be the bane of many bloggers lives. You feel like you need to keep up with the crowd and produce perfect images every single day. This can become pretty overwhelming especially when you are already trying to run a successful blog and time is limited.

There are many different social media scheduling tools that can take the stress out of your working day. Apps such as Buffer, Hootsuite, SocialOomph and Tweetdeck will prove to be very effective at helping you manage your schedule. You can plan out your social media posts months in advance and allow them to ping them onto your chosen platforms whenever it is convenient for you. They are truly lifesavers in the blogosphere!

Don’t compare yourself to others

It can be very easy to compare yourself to other successful bloggers in your industry, especially when they are already well established. Remember that everyone had to start at the bottom once and it could have taken them years of hard work to get to the level they are now.  Compaing yourself with other bloggers can lead to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem. Everyone has different goals for their blog, so don't be discouraged if you're not on the same path as everyone else.

You should be blogging because you love doing it; you shouldn’t be hoping to earn a lot of money or gain millions of followers. These are just bonuses that may or may not happen.

Earning money with a blog takes time (and there are no guarantees)

It’s also very unlikely you will start earning money from a blog immediately, yet I get brand new bloggers asking me how this is possible all the time.  As far as I’m aware it is not possible.  I didn’t make a full-time living until I’d been blogging for four years on my main blog.  My other blogs took a couple of years to bring in a part time wage.  In my experience it takes years to build up a blog and website to make a realistic living from it. 

Unless you are a master at SEO and know exactly what you are doing and have a clear strategy for generating revenue, you will not make money right away.  If money is your main aim then you need to be prepared to put in the work for months, or even years, without any guarantees of how much you will earn!  I don't think a lot of people are cut out for this. 

How do bloggers make money?  Here are 10 ways to make money blogging!

Stay true to yourself

It can be very easy to get swept up in the excitement of blogging; some get to the point where they forget who they are and what their message it. Staying true to yourself is very important, as your followers will spot inauthenticity a mile away. Your target audience wants to be able to relate to you on some level, so try to be yourself as much as possible. Having an online persona can work for many people, but it may become exhausting if you have to pretend to be somebody you’re not.

Take time off blogging and social media

How do you know when you should take time off blogging and social media?

There are many reasons for taking blogging breaks, but the most common one is burnout. It can happen to anyone, even if they're not working full-time as a blogger. The symptoms include feeling tired, stressed out, and unmotivated. If you feel like this after just a few days of blogging or social media use, then it's probably time to take some time off.

The best way to avoid burnout is to take regular time off from blogging and social media. Make sure you have a lunch break each day, just like you would at a regular job, and make sure you have days off. I try to always take weekends off and only focus on blogging Monday through Friday.

If you feel like it’s all getting too much, then take a step back. Take some time off from writing, take some time off from social media, and take some time off from reading other people’s blogs. It’s important to recharge your batteries so you can come back refreshed and ready to blog again.

Get enough sleep each night

It can be so tempting when blogging and bursting with ideas or never-ending lists of things to do, to stay up late to get things done, or wake up extra early to crack on with the to-do lists. However, one of the most important things you can do to be a successful blogger is to get enough sleep. Sleep is essential for your body and mind to function at their best.

You might think that getting a few hours of sleep each night is enough, but it's not. When you don't get enough sleep, it affects your mood, energy levels, and concentration. You may find that you're irritable and cranky or have trouble concentrating on tasks. You may also find that your energy levels are low, which can make it difficult to complete tasks or even just get out of bed in the morning.

It’s going to be a lot less enjoyable to sit at a screen all day when tired. It’s also going to be hard to be as creative as usual and write flowing blog posts when our brain is tired and doesn’t want to think!

The first thing we need to do is establish a routine for sleep. Go to bed at the same time each night, get up at the same time each morning, and try not to nap during the day. This will help us regulate our sleep cycles and make sure we're getting enough rest.

Next, we need to make sure that we're getting enough sleep every night. This means setting an alarm and sticking to it! If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, try using a white noise machine or listening to calming music before bedtime.

We should avoid drinking coffee or energy drinks late at night, keep our bedroom dark by using curtains or blinds, and try not to look at screens before bedtime (including phones).

Wondering why sleep is so important?  Here's one of my favourite videos on the subject.  It's a real eye-opener!

Eat healthily and don't sacrifice exercise

It's not easy to balance your blog, your life and your health. But it's something that you need to do in order to be a successful blogger. If you're not able to take care of yourself, then how can you take care of others?

A lot of bloggers are under the impression that they need to sacrifice health for their blog. This is not true. You can eat healthily and still find time for exercise.

You should find a balance between your blogging, eating and exercising routine. It is important to be able to take care of yourself so that you can take care of your blog. If you don't have time to take care of yourself, then it will be difficult to take care of your blog and you may end up burning out.

It is important that you make healthy choices when it comes to food because this will help keep your body healthy and will keep your creative mind fuelled and nourished with the right ingredients for focus and productivity. You should also make sure that you are staying active by taking walks or doing yoga or other exercises in the morning or at night before bedtime.

While starting a blog and running a blog can take a lot of time and effort, it’s important to remember to practice self care with time away from screens, but also to eat healthily and make time to exercise to prevent burnout. 

Final word on preventing burnout as a blogger

Blogging is one of the best ways to grow your business and it pays off in spades for those who are successful at it. But, blogging can be exhausting and time-consuming if you don’t manage your time well or if you don’t have a system in place for blogging.

It’s important to take care of yourself and your family while you blog but that doesn’t mean that you should stop blogging altogether because there are many ways that you can maintain a balance between work and life without burning out or neglecting either one.

In order to avoid the pitfalls of burnout, bloggers should keep in mind that they should never sacrifice their mental health for blogging success. This means practicing self-care by taking time off from work and social media, getting enough sleep each night, eating healthy food and exercising regularly.

Also to make sure your blogging journey is a happy one, bursting with enjoyment and positivity, you need to stop focusing on the numbers so much and instead get into what you really enjoy doing - the writing. The wonderful thing about blogging is that you don’t need to conform to the norm or follow the crowds at all. You can be completely unique and there will still be an audience out there who appreciates your message.

Remember to take all of these tips on board the next time you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed with your blog. Keep it simple, be yourself and enjoy what you are doing.  Blogging is brilliant and you can be a brilliant blogger without burning out!

 

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