Let's face it: Blogging can be a blessing or a burden depending upon how you approach it.
Though this popular medium for communication can be a lot of fun, and a great way to connect with quality folks from Texas to Timbuktu, it's a lot of work too.
Consider this. Though hours vary from person to person and niche to niche, the average blogger will at least log in some pretty serious hours on the following tasks:
1. Developing ideas
2. Fleshing out those ideas to produce quality posts
3. Choosing images to accompany their posts
4. Responding to comments
5. Making reciprocal comments at their visitors' sites
6. Answering questions
7. Promoting their work via social media forums
And how about guest blogging?
Are you with me here?
Which is why it's crucial to establish proper priorities and balance to avoid burnout.
For some this means keeping a blogging schedule. For others it may be checking comments once a week as opposed to 3x a day. And I've also noticed a new trend of blogging teams.
I'd like to know about you...how do you avoid the burnout often associated with serious bloggers? Have you ever felt the pressure? Do tell.
Image: Michal Markol
Hey Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteI'm here with you! :)
I try to post 3 times a week, but sometimes, things come up. I try my best to stick with a schedule, but again, things happen...life happens.
I have definitely felt the pressure, but when that happens, I take a break. A break helps me stay refreshed and regroup.
Thanks,
Evelyn
I've only been seriously blogging for a little over a month, and I have committed several of the "sins" Daniel mentions over at DailyBlogTips (which is where I found out about you via one of your guest posts incidentally). The most heinous being: "Checking Stats Constantly."
ReplyDeleteI think if I added up my total time checking my stats, comments and subscribers, I could have probably written twice as much quality content! That bad habit has added a lot to my overall feeling of "blog blah" and I've decided to go cold turkey and just focus on the writing for the time being. (But I love to read too, so reading and commenting on your post doesn't count... Does it? ^_^)
Ben Bova (a science fiction writer)once wisely said, "Writers write." It's what I love to do, and why I truly blog in the first place. So, I find that by just focusing more on producing quality content, I get my "second wind."
Of course, the business of blog promotion must occur, but not at the expense of great content. I think that is first and foremost. Besides if you're getting burnt out because you "must" do these things constantly, your overall quality and content will suffer, regardless, taking you in exactly the opposite direction you desire.
I'm with you too. Although I love blogging, keeping up is a challenge. This is why my regular blogging schedule includes twice weekly posts (instead of three or more).
ReplyDeleteI don't usually have problems coming up with ideas; the time factor is the main issue for me. I used to write my posts a week or more in advance but fell behind last spring and never caught up.
The most difficult thing perhaps, is making it around to all the blogs I follow. So I prioritize by visiting blogs of those who frequently comment and go from there.
You're right, many people don't realize how time consuming blogging is. From start to finish, there's a large investment.
Happy weekend,
Karen
Hi Evelyn,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your input. Glad that in the midst of the "madness" you've found time to stop by and weigh in. :-)
Ben,
ReplyDeleteWelcome! How cool to have you here. Especially considering my blog post at Daily Blog Tips was some moons ago. :-) It only proves what I've been saying about the value of doing guests posts. Gotta' love it!
You make some good points here. And I admit that I'm a recovering "comments checker".
Stay the course with your blogging; success takes time.
I appreciate your time and input and hope to see you hanging out here again. :-)
The blogging thoughts that have overwhelmed me of late are, How do I keep my momentum? How do I take it to the next level? I feel like I've got to give more, or it's not going to hold people long-term.
ReplyDeleteNice to "meet" you! I've found you through Karen Lange. :)
Karen,
ReplyDeleteI can dig it. It can be challenging to keep pace. I post 2x a week most times, but it's at least once weekly depending upon circumstances. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Janna!
ReplyDeleteGlad to have you with us. These are valid concerns. But what I've learned is that with blogging there are peaks and valleys. :-)
But overall, quality always trumps quantity!
I appreciate your feedback.
I started my blog back in 07 but I really didn't care for it much and neglected until this year. I've been blogging religiously since August 1st. I'm proud of that and feel pretty accomplished. Lately though, I have been feeling a bit burned out. I'm working on my novel daily but I also blog daily (give or take a few days). Its taking a toll on me. So I just stop. Stop writing period. But just for a day or two. And then I'm back! I always like to hear what other people have to say about what I write. Did it touch them somehow? Strike a chord? Did the hate it? Why? -Stuff like that goes through my head. I still consider myself a novice at this blogging thing. Miles to go and all that! :)
ReplyDeleteYvonne,
ReplyDeleteTrust me---it's a learning experience, no matter what stage you're in with blogging.
Good to know how and when to take a break from things.
Keep at it! Practice makes perfect. :-)
I can definitely attest to the fact that maintaining a blog has been far more work than I originally expected. It's exhilarating and rewarding too (even more so in the future I hope) but it's not easy.
ReplyDeleteI use Wordpress and I use a plugin that sets up a formal editorial calendar for me allowing me to plan ahead. I throw working post titles into slots as they come to me, along with a few words noting where I want to go with the post. Then, when I sit down to write, I scan the next few weeks of upcoming posts and pull up the one that grabs me at that moment. That allows me to complete posts more quickly because there's an element of inspiration involved each time I write.
Brilliant approach, Justin! Thanks for sharing it here. I wonder if that plugin exists for the Blogger.com platform?
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer, The best thing that has helped me is to write about a months worth of posts at a time and set them to publish on their own. Also, they come out on Mon. and Thurs. Except for this month because I'm doing a daily Thanksgiving Challenge so my regular topic posts are limited to Wed. As for the thanksgiving posts, I send them from my phone so that I don't have to get trapped online.
ReplyDeleteAlso, coming up with ideas is rarely a problem for me. But some day I'm sure I'll face that.
Wow, Carol that's a pretty efficient system you've got there! And I think it's really great to set posts up to publish on their own; that's the one thing I hope to incorporate in my blog in my future efforts. As for phone posting, I'm not that technically savvy as of yet...but who knows what the future might bring. Right?
ReplyDeleteThanks for chatting with us today. Hope the Thanksgiving challenge goes well.
One of my methods for writing regular posts is to try to write in series. If you have a topic that can be broken down in 2-3 week integrals, that would help a lot. As a blog addict, I find a lot of topics on Twitter and Facebook. For my business blog, I use conversations or lessons learned from experiences no matter how big or small.
ReplyDeleteMarcie,
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea to get ideas from Twitter and Facebook. I never thought of that!