When I began blogging, I set myself a schedule that I would post Mondays and Fridays which I have adhered too and am still happy about. I also set a goal that I would blog regularly which I have also been doing but with the exception of a few weeks now.
You may be thinking she just missed a few posts, what’s the big deal?! Well, the big deal is that so much emphasis is put on bloggers to keep posting and posting otherwise you will lose engagement with your audience.
There are many amazing bloggers out there whom have scheduled posts that are pre written and might be months ahead of themselves and are able to post without fail – I honestly admire this so much!
But there are some who write posts to be posted the next day, which is perfectly alright, I have done this many times. Sometimes, I find I get ahead of myself and am able to write in advance but sometimes it is impossible to keep up.
As a new blogger, I became obsessed (no joke) with doing all it takes to be able to post every Monday and Friday and until the week of Little A’s birthday back in February I was. That week really told me that, you know what, it’s OK to not post.
I remember tweeting about it..
And now when I look back at these tweets, I laugh, as it honestly sounds like the end of the world! Even though, they make me laugh now, the response I got was amazing and very supportive and made me realise that it’s perfectly OK to take a blog break whenever you need it.
It’s OK to let life take over and give yourself time away from writing. You are not a machine, a robot that can be programmed to do things at exactly the same time, all the time.
I took another break in April and didn’t feel guilty about it like I had the first time round because it’s not always easy to keep up with everything and it’s OK to admit that. I had gotten so busy and April became a life changing month, I had a wedding to prepare for as well as moving homes and on top of this I landed a new job – a complete career change for me. So you can imagine how difficult it even was to sit down in peace and blog.
Even now sometimes I am able to post twice a week but sometimes I am unable too but that’s okay. After all, blogging should never be forced because otherwise it shows in your work and it will never be your best piece of work.
Although, the blogging world may seem like a race or a competition sometimes and you might be worried about losing your audience – fair enough but sometimes give yourself time off when you need it, it’ll do you good.
I think that’s enough of a pep talk don’t you think?
Look at me, only six months into blogging and giving blogging advice!
I totally understand how you feel! I recently had a bit of a break because of things going on with my apprenticeship so was super busy and then needed some inspiration/motivation to get back into it. It does feel great when you come back and get that post up though after a break! 🙂 thank you for helping me feel less bad about taking the break too!
Amy,
https://creativenails.uk
I can absolutely relate to this and I share your sentiments. Thanks for voicing exactly how I feel. Lovely post!
This is so relatable! I had not posted in a week and felt so bad about it! But I had no inspo nor desire to post anyway… and a break really helped to get back into it!
I needed to hear this! I've been putting a lot of pressure on myself to even post once a week and it can all get a bit much at times. Thank you for sharing this. Everything you said is so true!
There is so much pressure to be the "perfect blogger" and it's ridiculous. We are all entitled to a break and we should never feel guilty for taking one.
Louisa | Loubee Lou Blogs
Thanks so much for this! I felt so guilty not getting posts out this week — I was late on one — but I just couldn't get it done before we left for our vacation. I thought about doing it while on "vacation" but I promised myself no blogging. It's nice to know that I'm not alone.
GREAT advice! I was similar to you in that I had a strict 3-posts-per-week schedule (2 regular posts and then the blogcrush linky) that I was determined to stick to. And it's definitely true that consistency is important…
But I recently realised that one of the reasons I started blogging was for the flexibility – I've always said it's something that I can do slotted in around my other duties and roles. But here I was being a slave to my blog – I was working for IT rather than IT working for ME. So this summer, with the kids being at home for 6 weeks, I made the decision to go down to 2 posts a week, and do you know what? My stats have gone up! I literally have no idea why (maybe because it's the hols so people have more time to read posts / scroll social media??) but it's just confirmed to me that I need to be in charge of my blog and run it in a way that works for me, instead of being chained to it to (as you describe) compete with everyone else.
So yes – excellent advice! #blogcrush
Whatever works! I blog once a week, and sometimes it is a chore, but most times the deadline helps me to get something together. I always have to remember I chose to do this, and I want to do it! #BlogCrush
I think when you start blogging you view Stats as very important but then you realise that it really doesn’t matter if u don’t post! I’m at the point where I post if I’ve got something to post! That might be everyday during one week and once the week after. That’s ok. Great post. #blogcrush
I went through a stage a few months back where I just had nothing to say . I worried that was it , the blog was over but actually I just needed a couple weeks away and inspiration came back ! Fab post and congratulations on being featured post this week #blogcrush
I believe your advice is excellent, once your blog starts becoming a chore it will begin to show in your writing which I think is the biggest turn off rather than not sticking to a schedule.
(p.s. I originally wrote this as reply to the last comment as the comment box wasn't loading, then as soon as I posted it the comment box appeared so I deleted my reply.)
#blogcrush
Love this! Definitely need to support and nurture yourself too! #blogcrush