Brilliant Bloggers is a weekly series here at BlogWorld where we look at the best posts from around the web all surrounding a specific topic. Every week, we’ll feature three of the most brilliant bloggers out there, along with a huge link of more resources where you can learn about the topic. You can see more Brilliant Blogger posts or learn how to submit your link for an upcoming edition here.
This Week’s Topic: Blogging Burnout
We’ve all been there at one time or another – that funkity-funk, where you question whether or not you’re really cut out for blogging, have nothing to say, and are frustrated with your progress. It’s a feeling that skirts the line of apathy. It’s blogging burnout.
Some people deal with burnout by quitting, but those of us who are really passionate stick with it – and most of the time, things get better. That’s not to say that you should hold onto your blog forever if it’s holding you back, but burnout doesn’t mean that your blog is a bad idea or has lost it’s usefulness or can’t succeed. Burnout means that you need a little break and maybe a new perspective on the same old topics.
I’ve certainly dealt with blogging burnout. Have you? If so, check out the advice from the brilliant bloggers below, and then post some of your own tips for dealing with that burned out feeling.
And seriously, with all of these resources, I hope you can find something to help you deal with blogger burnout. After reading all these resources, you might have reader burnout!
Advice from Brilliant Bloggers:
The Working Stiff’s Blogging Burnout Survey by Darren Garnick
The Working Stiff is a column that is part of the blogs run by the Boston Herald – and in this post, Darren Garnick doesn’t just post some tips about avoiding blogging burnout – he actually interviews a number of bloggers from many different niches about their burnout fears, their experiences with burnout so far, and more. Check out the post and then follow Darren on Twitter @darrengarnick.
Get Organized Now to Avoid Blogger Burnout Later by Jonathan Beebe
Organization is truly one of the best ways to avoid blogger burnout, at least in my opinion. In this post, Jonathan Beebe shares some of the best secrets for blogger organization. This post is a guest post for Technshare, a multi-author blog that you can follow on Twitter @tnsblog.
Blogger Burnout? Give Up or Dig In by Tac Anderson
If you’re a fan of tough love like I am, check out this post by Tac Anderson. When blogger burnout hits, what are you going to do? Throw a temper tantrum? Or prove that you have what it takes to stay on the cutting edge of what is awesome? After you’re done with the post, check out Tac on Twitter @newcommbiz.
BONUS BRILLIANT BLOGGER: 50 Ways to Dodge the Blog Burnout Sucker Punch by Stanford Smith (@pushingsocial)
Usually, I only post three brilliant blogger links, but this post by Stanford Smith at Pushing Social was way too Brilliant to pass up. With FIFTY tips (yes, five zero…fifty!), if you can only read one post to help you deal with blogging burnout, this is the post to read!
BONUS BRILLIANT BLOGGER #2: Top 10 Antidotes to Blogger Burnout, or How to Stay Sane(ish) Whatever You Do by Leslie Minora (@LeslieMinora)
I already broke the rules by choosing four brilliant blogger links instead of three, so what’s one more, right? I wanted to highlight this one because after all of these informative posts, you’ll need something funny!
Even More Brilliant Advice:
- 3 Ways to Fight Blogger Burnout by Andrew G. Rosen (@jobacle)
- 4 Steps to Overcome Blogger Burnout and Re-Discover the Joy of Blogging by Tess Marshall (@theboldlife)
- 4 Ways to Overcome Writer’s Block for Bloggers by SBX Media (@sbxmedia)
- 5 Tips to Avoid “Blogging Burnout” and Take Care of Business by Chris Ducker (@chriscducker)
- 5 Ways to Avoid Blogger Burnout byStepfanie Cuevas (@stepfaniec)
- 5 Ways to Handle Social Media Burnout by Swati Ramnath (@buzzomdotcom)
- 5 Ways to Overcome Blogging Burnout by Brad Shorr (@bradshorr)
- 6 Blogging Burnout Cures by Jason Katzenback (@katzenback)
- 7 Essential Tips to Avoid a Bad Case of Business Blogging Burnout byAdam Gottlieb (@FrugalEntrepren)
- 7 Tips for Fighting Blogger Burnout by Mandi Ehman (@mandiehman)
- 10 Sure Cures for Blogging Burnout byMichelle V. Rafter (@michellerafter)
- 10 Tips to Avoid Blogging Burnout by Gabe Elliott (@gabeelliott)
- 12 Ways to Avoid Blogging Burnout by Vandelay Design (@vandelaydesign)
- 27 Secrets to Avoid Internet Burnout by James Chartrand (@menwithpens)
- A Balanced Life May Help Blogger Burnout byCindy Buccieri (blogginghints)
- Avoid Blogger Burnout: 5 Tips to Save Your Sanity by Georgina Laidlaw (@georginalaidlaw)
- Avoid Blogger Burnout and How to Prevent It by Spunky Jones (@spunkyjones)
- Avoiding Burn Out for WAHMs and Writers by Ellen Joy Castel Cayaba (@ellenjoycastel)
- Are You Suffering from Blogging Burnout by Julia (@infomum)
- Are Your Experiencing the “Blogger Burnout” Syndrome byIsabel Rodrigues (@webworld2050)
- Balance versus Burnout – Share Your Thoughts by The Paper Princess
- Bathtubs, Lightning Bolts, and The Myth of Writer’s Block by Dean Rieck (@DeanRieck)
- Blogger Burnout? 6 Ways to Prevent It by Jennifer Gresham (@JenGresham)
- Blogger Burnout – 7 Ways to Stay on Top of Your Game by Teecup (@myowncupoftea)
- Blogging Burnout or Business Burnout by Sommer (@greenmom)
- Blogger Burnout? Tips to Get Your Steam Back by Marty (@martyinmaui)
- Blogging Burnout: Ways to Recharge Your Writing Batteries by Charles
- The Common Signs of Blogger’s Burnout (And How You Can Overcome Them!) by Eric Brantner (@eric_brantner)
- Creative Slumps: Blogging Burnouts by Tibi Puiu (@tibipuiu)
- Dealing With Travel Blogger Burnout by Stephanie Yoder (@20sTravel)
- Four Ways to Post When Dealing with Blogging Burnout by Meryl K. Evans (@merylkevans)
- How do you Stay Motivated as a Blogger? by Darren Rowse (@problogger)
- How to Avoid Becoming Just Another Social Media Burnout By Hugh MacLeod (@gapingvoid)
- How to Avoid Blog Burnout by Salwa (@screationz)
- How to Avoid Blogger Burnout by Rebecca Osberg (@RebeccaOsberg)
- How to Avoid Blogging Burnout by Amrit Hallan (@amrithallan)
- How To Fast Track ‘Blogger Burnout’! by Thomas Sinfield (@standoutblogger)
- How to Recover When You’ve Spread Your Blogging Too Thin by Kiesha Easley (@weblogbetter)
- How to Work Through Blog Burn Out byJulie McCormick (@clevelandleader)
- Is Your Blogging Taking Over Your Life? by Karen (@blazingminds)
- My Blogger Burnout by Elvira Black
- My Blogging Burnout Experience by Corvida Raven (@corvida)
- Overcoming Blogger Burnout by Terry Heaton (@TerryHeaton)
- Tips on How to Recover from Blog Burnout by Michelle (@_ChelleShock)
- What Is Blogging-Burnout And How To Fight It? by Vivek Krishnan (@vivekkrishnan)
- What to do When You’re Blogged Out by Joshua Titsworth (@JoshuaTitsworth)
Did I miss your post or a post by someone you know about blogging burnout? Unintentional! Help me out by leaving a comment below with the link!
Next Week’s Topic: Attending Conferences (just in time for BlogWorld New York 2011!)
I’d love to include a link to your post next week – and if you head to the Brilliant Bloggers Schedule, you can see even more upcoming posts. We all have something to learn from one another, so please don’t be shy! Head to the schedule today to learn how to submit your post so I won’t miss it.
Hi Alli, so sad to see there are so many bloggers getting burnt out. Jen Gresham wrote a brilliant guest post about it on my blog so thank you for sharing that here. I covered it to in a post called How not to be a victim of your own success.
It is true that the more readers you get the more pressure there is to write well and the more demands on your time to respond to comments, emails and other demands.
It’s all too easy to compare yourself to other bloggers and find you come up short rather than celebrate your own successes.
Blogging is definitely a longterm plan. A marathon not a sprint so we really need to pace ourselves, relax and enjoy the journey. All the more so because we never really know where it’s going to take us;)
if you have a schedule and a plan..then you burning out is likely because you have something to follow versus just jumping into the fire.
“Black Seo Guy “Signing Off”
That’s an awesome compilation – perfect for anyone that isn’t seeing the results they want and are contemplating giving up. I’m sure they’ll find at least once piece of motivation to keep trucking in this list!
Alli,
Did you know if you just add up all the numerals in the titles there are 188 ways to avoid burnout? Whew…but I thought I might add a little something here. Sometimes it is not about burn-out, but about the “blogger” needing to refocus on their real “job”. Do you remember a post that Chris Brogan wrote about a year ago called “Your Blog is not your Job”?
In the very first paragraph he says: “Your blog is not your job (unless it is). Twitter is not your job (unless someone’s paying you to tweet). Facebook isn’t your job. These are just communications tools.”
You see blogging/writing isn’t my job or career like it is for you. You are a writer by choice and trade. And you are a great writer. You are lucky to be able to do what you love and make a living doing it. It is fun and exciting to watch how you handle all of your responsibilities. I have not been able to be very engaged lately, as my/our clients need my attention on their projects. So I had to make a choice…
Be assured I read you often and not a day passes that I don’t have a great blog topic, my problem or challenge is time. Someday again soon, time will be on my side!
Judy
Alli,
Did you know if you just add up all the numerals in the titles there are 188 ways to avoid burnout? Whew…but I thought I might add a little something here. Sometimes it is not about burn-out, but about the “blogger” needing to refocus on their real “job”. Do you remember a post that Chris Brogan wrote about a year ago called “Your Blog is not your Job”?
In the very first paragraph he says: “Your blog is not your job (unless it is). Twitter is not your job (unless someone’s paying you to tweet). Facebook isn’t your job. These are just communications tools.”
You see blogging/writing isn’t my job or career like it is for you. You are a writer by choice and trade. And you are a great writer. You are lucky to be able to do what you love and make a living doing it. It is fun and exciting to watch how you handle all of your responsibilities. I have not been able to be very engaged lately, as my/our clients need my attention on their projects. So I had to make a choice…
Be assured I read you often and not a day passes that I don’t have a great blog topic, my problem or challenge is time. Someday again soon, time will be on my side!
Judy
For some reason the link to Chris Brogan’s blog is not working correctly, so here is a good one http://www.chrisbrogan.com/your-blog-is-not-your-job/
Yes.. Strategy is very important in that blog..Thanks for sharing this new topics.. I will bookmark this.. Very helpful for me..
This is a fantastic collection – perfect for those who do not see the results they want and we plan to give up. I’m sure they will find at least one piece of motivation to keep trucking on this list!
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Blogging can sometimes get tiring especially when you write about something that you’re not totally passionate about. Some bloggers do it just for business or as a means to earn extra income but fail to choose a niche that they are knowledgeable in, thus resulting to burnout.
Even not successful bloggeers get burned out lol… Thanks for the links, they have been helpful
You’re welcome, Lucy! But remember, success is all how you define it. Don’t sell yourself short!!! 🙂
There is not a single post at my blog that I was done without passion. I just read “think of you blog as a product.”
I can’t do that.
As far as the rules are concerned I don’t think I can follow them.
Niche… I write about culture, politics, art, literature.
I don’t think I can have a niche.
Thanks a ton! It is definitely an superb website!