Combating Blog Fatigue
Nov
10
Written by:
2009/11/10 11:37 AM
We all go through it sometime don't we. Whether in sport, at home, at work, we all suffer from some sort of fatigue. Bloggers are not immune from this either.
Those times when you wonder why you bother. Any number of things can bring it on, a slump in traffic, a nasty comment, a bad day at the office, family feuds. What ever it is, you could be plummeted into a deep dark hole and find it difficult to get out.
If we all will go through blog fatigue sometime, then how do we combat it. How do we stop it and revive that fire and enthusiasm that we once had.
A definition of fatigue
Fatigue really is lack of enthusiasm, tiredness, weariness. Athletes suffer from muscle fatigue often. Dictionary.com describes fatigue as:
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weariness from bodily or mental exertion.
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a cause of weariness; slow ordeal; exertion: the fatigue of driving for many hours.
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Physiology. temporary diminution of the irritability or functioning of organs, tissues, or cells after excessive exertion or stimulation.
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Civil Engineering. the weakening or breakdown of material subjected to stress, esp. a repeated series of stresses.
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Also called fatigue duty. Military.
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labor of a generally nonmilitary kind done by soldiers, such as cleaning up an area, digging drainage ditches, or raking leaves.
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the state of being engaged in such labor: on fatigue.
Some synonyms for fatigue are: fatigue; weariness; yawning, drowsiness; lassitude, tiredness, exhaustion; shortness of breath; faintness; collapse, droop, sink, flag; lose breath, lose wind; gasp, pant, puff, overtired, overspent, overfatigued; unrefreshed, unrestored, worn, worn out; battered, shattered.
So are you worn out, tired about blogging, exhausted, shattered? How can we get over that and combat blog fatigue.
Change your blog look and feel.
It might be that you have grown tired of your blog theme or colour scheme. Perhaps it does not reflect the ever changing you. Change your blog theme, add a widget, and change the colours. Perhaps it will only take just adding a new photo or banner, maybe update your about page. Maybe you need to be as drastic as a complete blog makeover.
Pick a different topic to write about.
Don't constrain yourself. Don't limit yourself to much. Stay within your niche, but approach it from a different angle. It is time to think out the box. Add a new category. Do some mind mapping.
Remember over time your interests and skills change, and so do those of your readers. The world is an ever changing place. New things come onto the market, old things pass away. Don't be stuck in a rut.
Read other blogs.
Athletes suffer a lot from muscle fatigue. The way they get over that is to train their muscles and body to supply energy faster and use that energy more efficiently.
You need to train your mind to come up with new ideas quickly and use less energy to get those ideas into posts. Reading other blogs and comments is a great way of doing just that.
Create an ideas list from these blogs and comments that you read and jot them down. Write any idea that comes into your head. You can sort through them latter; highlight the better ones, turning them into blog posts.
Find new blogs to read.
Sometimes if we only read blogs in our own niche our own writing may become stale, the same stories and memes go round and round and you run out of fresh ideas and wonder whether you’ve reached the end of the road. Try adding a few blogs that are in a completely different niche, they give you lots of new ideas for posts that you may not have thought of.
Don't be afraid to branch out. Don't be afraid of reading your competition.
Take a break and do something else.
Driver fatigue often results form long stretches of driving over long distances. The best way to combat driver fatigue is to stop. Get out and take a brisk walk. Relax, do something else other than driving.
The same applies to bloggers and blogs. Take a break from what you're doing and do something else. Perhaps do some web surfing. Help out a fellow blogger. Read a magazine or a newspaper. Watch some TV or go to a movie. It's amazing how taking time of to do something else stirs the creative juices.
Take time off.
Similar to the previous point, one of the biggest causes of fatigue is over doing it. Not taking time to rest and replenish your energy reserves. Athletes certainly do that. In fact professional athletes are commanded to rest.
Take time off from your blog. Take a day or a week off. Do something relaxing. Vegetate for a day on the couch. Go out and get pampered, have your hair done. Do some shopping or even window shopping. Get a massage.
There are a ton of things you can do that are not blog or internet or work related.
Find a blog partner.
Often you just don't have the energy, but the show must go on. The best way to combat pilot fatigue is to take a rest and get away from flying. But who will fly the plane? Today pilots have co-pilots and auto-pilots to stand in for them.
Find your self a blog partner that will be able to fill in for you every now and then. Get some guest posts lined up. Keep them in store for that time when you need to take a rest.
Read over your older posts.
You need to be reminded why you started blogging. Reading over some older posts can help encourage you again. Even perhaps give you an idea to write a follow on post, expand an older post, revisit an old topic.
Conclusion
We all get tired and weary some times. It's how you deal with that and overcome it that matters. Hopefully this post will give you some ideas, encourage you and give you that boost that you need. Has it been helpful? Leave us a comment with your thoughts.
Related posts:
5 Ways to improve your blog
Want traffic and exposure for your blog - get involved in post swap
Blog Post Ideas
7 Ways of getting fresh content for your blog.
Top 10 tips on what types of posts to write that will increase your blog readership and traffic.
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15 comment(s) so far...
Re: Combating Blog Fatigue
Why don't you and I do a post swap once a month for three months and see if that helps us keep things fresh?
By Gordie Rogers on
2009/11/10 02:19 PM
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Re: Combating Blog Fatigue
Gordie,
Sounds like a great idea. Lets set up a time. Email me
By Robert Bravery on
2009/11/10 02:27 PM
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Re: Combating Blog Fatigue
Good tips to break through fatigue.
Your "Take time off" is a really good one. I've done that , spending a day or two off while my pipeline post are scheduled out has helped. I have also gotten up at 2 or 3:00am, full of energy and banged out a few articles. These little pattern interrupts seem to work wonders. Everyone is different and it's a matter of finding out what works best for each individual.
By Jimi Jones on
2009/11/10 02:28 PM
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Re: Combating Blog Fatigue
I agree with Jimi - the two best ways to combat blog fatigue are to take time off or at least go and do something else.
And also his point about blogging at all hours. We're so conditioned to working during daylight hours, but as bloggers we can do it when we want! So don't lie in bed wide awake, get up and blog!
By Mike CJ on
2009/11/10 03:09 PM
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Re: Combating Blog Fatigue
Ah yes! Taking a break can be a huge relief! I find that having a few posts scheduled ahead of time when I go on vacation allows me to spend some time away from the computer and just relax.
I also remind myself on a regular basis that not every post needs to be a 400-word, detailed tutorial. Sometimes a little note like my last post (story of my 2yr old breaking my life-line) are sufficient, and a nice break for both me and my readers.
In his course, 31 Days to Build a Better Blog, Darren Rowse recommends mixing it up with several kinds of posts including list posts and polls. I'm trying to remember to throw a few in from time to time!
Great topic! Can't wait to see everyone's response and what works for them!
By Erica Mueller on
2009/11/10 03:37 PM
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Re: Combating Blog Fatigue
I've found I go through high points and low points with my blog and with almost every other area my life. Some days I wake up and I just want to work. And other days I don't feel like doing anything. If I dwell on my failures and mistakes, or how I didn't do what I was supposed to, it will turn into a slump of unproductive days. But if I just go at it with a positive attitude, I can get back into things. I've found lately that reading other people's blog (and giving awesome comments) is a great motivator. 1) I get inspiration and ideas from their writing 2) I'm spreading backlinks to my site, which increases my traffic 3) I often gets comments back on my comments, and the interactivity is a lot of fun, and challenges me to do more.
Last point: make sure to always have an ideas book to jot down thoughts, inspiration, titles, whatever. Like an artist's sketchpad, it's a record of random things you see, think or feel. And when you're out of ideas you can go back to those and get a fresh perspective.
By Leighann Garber on
2009/11/10 04:33 PM
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Re: Combating Blog Fatigue
Yeah I think it's best to at least take a breather when you get burned out. If you force yourself to keep going, you seem to slip further and further into not wanting to write.
By Buzzlord on
2009/11/10 05:22 PM
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Re: Combating Blog Fatigue
Ah yes, the dreaded blogging brick wall and general knackeredness! The take a break syndrome is definitely gathering fans these days whereas a year ago I got the feeling that everyone was chaining themselves to the computer and thrashing themselves with fresh celery and cream cheese to get the job done.
I was also interested to read Leighann's comments about keeping a notebook. As a proponent of all things electrical and gizmo-ish I would have always preferred a PDA or something but I am slowly coming round to the idea of keeping a paper-based blog log because these damn senior moments are coming thick and fast!
By Kevin Tea on
2009/11/10 06:27 PM
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Re: Combating Blog Fatigue
@Leighann what a wonderful comment. So greateful.You make a very good point that I just touched on. An Ideas list, as I called it, you called it an ideas book. Perhaps I gave it too little mention and an ideas book should really be a major point.
By Robert Bravery on
2009/11/10 07:52 PM
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Re: Combating Blog Fatigue
@Kevin,
You must really hurt after that celery and fresh cream thing.
What senior moments are you talking about. By the way, whats your name, and who are you
By Robert Bravery on
2009/11/10 07:45 PM
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Re: Combating Blog Fatigue
@Erica,
Yes, mixing up posts are good. I so easily fall into the bad habit of thinking that my posts have to be 400-500 or more words long or they mean nothing. There are just so many different posts. Being on holiday at the moment myself, I am looking for ways to post goo quality informative but small posts.
By Robert Bravery on
2009/11/10 07:49 PM
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Re: Combating Blog Fatigue
Take a break and do something else is a nice idea. Boring is a mind killer, doing something different and out of the computer may rejuvenate my energy and enthusiasm.
By Phaoloo on
2009/11/11 08:54 AM
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Re: Combating Blog Fatigue
I like the Co-Pilot idea but when I asked my wife to be my co-pilot I saw we had snakes on the plane. Apparently not everyone wants to be a pilot. Now, if I could only get a clone of myself! LOL
By Pieter on
2009/11/12 05:19 AM
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Re: Combating Blog Fatigue
Sorry the security code came back everytime saying its incorrect. I see every attempt did go through altough I got the error. Please delete this comments and the copies. I used Google Crome in case you want to test why it happened.
By Pieter van Wyk on
2009/11/12 05:32 AM
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Re: Combating Blog Fatigue
Pieter,
Thanks for the heads up. Yeas I saw the dups, and will delete
By Robert Bravery on
2009/11/13 12:24 AM
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