How to Blog When You Don’t Want To

Posted on 19 July 202217 June 2022

If you’ve got a blog, then you know it’s not always the easiest pursuit. It’s heavy on the time side, the learning curve is huge and you’ve got to have the motivation. So, inevitably how ever much you do enjoy blogging or have the enthusiasm. There will be times when it feels onerous. Whether it’s a simple matter of not having the hours in the day. Frustration and a seeming lack of progress. Especially when you are putting in those elusive hours. Difficulty overcoming a problem or learning something new. The list goes on. I’d be lying if I said I’d never felt any of these. In fact, I’ve felt them all multiple times. So, how do we make it work for us and our mental health?

For 5 Ways to Ensure Blogging is Self Care read here.

Remember Your Why

We all start blogging for a reason. It may have been out of a love for writing or the topic. A desire to share knowledge or find a community. To try something new or dip your toe in the water. Whatever your reason, if you’re find it hard to blog, think back to your why. What got you started in the first place? Does it still resonate with you? As humans we are changeable. It may be that the reason you started may not be the reason you choose to continue. And that’s ok. But first check in because remembering your why can reinvigorate you and get you started once more. If you’re why no longer fits, think critically about whether there is another reason why you have enjoyed or continued to commit to blogging. As I said, the reason you started may not be the reason you continue. But you may have discovered another why along the way.

Find Balance in your Blog

I’m a firm believer that blogging must work for you. The vast majority of the time that I find it hard to commit to blog is because the balance was off. Perhaps it was a particularly busy period in my life. And I didn’t have the time to focus. Other times I needed to focus on my mental health or wanted to put my energy elsewhere. Sometimes I was putting too much pressure on myself and feeling disheartened. By a lack of success or progress. In all these categories, balance is key.

Blogging should be something you love and enjoy for the most part. At it’s best it can be a powerful form of self-care. But at it’s worst it can be another thing on your to-do list to stress about. There must be a balance and that equilibrium is changeable. On my journey I’ve had to become comfortable with not always doing as much blogging as I hoped to. And not seeing that as a failure but as a way of being kind to myself. Ditto for success and progress. Usually caused by comparison to others. I’ve had to remind myself of my own definition of success and compare my progress to how far I’ve come.

Practical Solutions

At times the reasons we don’t want to blog may have practical solutions. To uncover this we have to go into detective mode. Whilst we may feel like we don’t want to blog. It’s important to try and find out why. What is the emotion or reason behind it? Take some time to check in with yourself. Is it a time issue, a lack of interest, not having the right tools, health issues etc. If we can get under the skin of the issue we may find there are solutions; although they may not be quick and easy ones. But there usually is at least something we can do to start our journey towards solving the issue.

If it’s time, can you do less? Keep your hand in but set your goals or expectations at a manageable level. This works great too if you’re in a busy period, are experiencing health issues of any kind, or have to focus your attention elsewhere. When I had my daughter I knew I wouldn’t be able to commit to my blog in the same way. I reached out to the community for guest posts so I wasn’t having to produce copy at the same rate.

For Why Busyness is Toxic for Your Mental Health read here.

I always schedule a few weeks ahead when I can. This gives me a buffer for the weeks I am just too busy or my mental health means I’m low on energy and motivation. It’s one less thing to worry about when I know there will be fresh content on my blog and some form of social media presence. If tools are an issue, look into the ones which are affordable for you. There are often platforms that give free trials or are free. Even if they aren’t completely perfect. When the learning curve becomes too steep.. Reach out into the community. Ask your fellow bloggers for advice. I’ve found fellow bloggers overwhelmingly happy to provide support and information to smooth the path. Not every obstacle to blogging is easily solved. But some are.

Be Kind. Unwind.

If you’re anything like me, then not wanting to blog is stressful in itself. I’m endlessly aware that if I don’t log then I lose progress. I fear that I won’t have fresh blog content. Or I will lag behind on my social media and I won’t get enough readers to my blog. At these times I haven’t to remind myself that pressing pause doesn’t mean I’ve failed. It also doesn’t mean that all my progress to date was for nothing. All my blogging success still have inherent value even if I miss a week. It’s far more important to look after myself in the grand scheme of things.

For A Guide to Pressing Pause for Your Mental Health read here.

So, when I don’t want to blog I get curious. Is it a red flag that my mental health is waning? Do I need to take a step back? Relieve the pressure and expectation I put on myself? Sometimes the best thing you can do to ensure you keep blogging is to stop. At least in the short term. Give yourself some space to do what you need to do. Whether that’s focus your time and energy elsewhere. Erase the stress of needing to blog from your to-do list. Or just take a step back and review. Giving yourself some downtime can help you re-find your balance with blogging. And you may even realise you miss it.

What are your tips and tricks for blogging when you don’t want to? What has worked for you? Let us know below.