Don’t Bother Blogging

by James on May 9, 2012

The following post is from James of Google+ Tutorials:

source: Des Morris

Yep.

I often have those days where my body tries to tell me: don’t bother blogging.

See, it’s not easy to be creative on demand, yet, if we are to be successful in what we are trying to do as bloggers, consistency has got to play a big part in that.

Writers block can affect the best of us, and when it happens it is not at all nice! But, as they say, you have to be in it to win it, and perseverance is key. The big question is this, what can you do in those times where you are uninspired and your body is trying to encourage you not to bother?

Get Rid of Distractions

When you are trying to focus on the task in hand and write something awesome for your audience, yet not feeling it, one of the worst things that you can do is allow distractions anywhere near you. Don’t let it happen!

What do I do? Stick some headphones in, put some soft music on, and use the awesome fullscreen feature on WordPress. Right now as I am writing this post all I can see on my 23″ monitor is this very blog post. The world may be falling apart behind it, my inbox might be going crazy, my Skype might be constantly ringing, Katy Perry might even be tweeting me, but I am blissfully unaware. I am getting stuff done, and it feels awesome!

Mix Up Your Process

One of the reasons that you might be struggling to get that awesome content down is that you have been stuck in the same routine. Mix it up a bit baby!

If you are someone who meticulously plans your blog posts before writing, why don’t you try freestyling it a bit and see what comes out? If you are someone who normally is more freestyle – why don’t you try and get a structured plan on paper before going straight for the kill? I think you will be surprised at how well this might work for you!

Look For Inspiration

I know that I talked above about getting rid of distractions, but sometimes before you get to that point you need to look around for some inspiration. Don’t use it as an opportunity to get distracted from the task, but looking at other websites and blogs in your niche can be a great source of inspiration. One thing that I have mentioned before that I find very helpful for this is Google Reader.

Don’t Give Up

Please, don’t give up. There are thousands and thousands of bloggers competing for your space. The ones that will have the great success, are the ones that don’t give up. Don’t be the quitter!

Guys – I am rooting for you! Have an awesome week and keep at it!

I’d love to know, what are some of your tips for pushing past the “don’t bother blogging” feeling? Let us know in the comments below.

	James Brooks is a professional blogger, web designer and social media consultant based on the South West coast of England. As well as being a co-founder of GPlusTuts, a blog about Google+, James also enjoys blogging about technology, food and tea!

Catharine

Funny I was thinking about this very topic today. My husband is unhappy in his job and that has recently been setting the tone for a general sense of discontent in our house. Add in a very sick sister-in-law and three of our own kids under seven and it has been so easy to get trapped in tasks.
So my initial focus is very simple-only fun stuff on Saturday and Sunday afternoons! No more trying to “catch up” every waking minute. There is always more to do anyway.
Looking forward to the bootcamp.

http://zenfamilyhabits.net Sherri

Hi Catharine,
I’m sorry to hear about everything you guys have going on in your lives at the moment. It can really weigh you down but focusing on a couple of afternoons a week just to have fun and take a break from everything is a great idea. I wish you guys well.

Catharine

Thanks Sherri. This too shall pass.
Catharine

Thanks Sherri. This too shall pass.

Melissabearm03

We are going to spend as much time outside as we can. We are going to go camoing more and stress less. We are going to leave the office at the office and be a family as soon as we walk into the door. We are going to take a family vacation this year and just go have fun.

http://zenfamilyhabits.net Sherri

Hi Melissa,
My husband and I love camping but haven’t done it in the past three years that we’ve had kids. We’ve decided that this summer will be different and we’re going to take our 2 and 3 year old son and two labs camping. Call us crazy but we’re going to give it a shot (at least once)

http://yourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

We took all four of our girls camping last summer. At the time they were 5,
4, 2 and 6 months. It was actually a lot of fun (besides the fact that it
was scorching hot!), and I hope to do it more this summer!

http://www.facebook.com/people/Judy-Neus-Magee/100001838186426 Judy Neus Magee

We have been examining this topic as a family since last year when I became a SAHM for the first time in 10 years of raising our children. This change has been huge for our family. However the dream we are trying to reach is still just outside our grasp. So for now we are trying to be more present and appreciative of what we have and find fun in the everyday and small special things – getting ice cream, going to each others sporting events, playing board games, renting movies – all those things that seem to get pushed aside when life is so hectic you forget to have fun.

http://zenfamilyhabits.net Sherri

Hi Judy,
Good for you guys! Living in the moment and not getting bogged down by what you don’t have is a great way to feel happier and make way for more fun. It’s the little things each day that build memories and make life richer.

http://www.morethanmundane.com Krissa

We’re trying to plan something to do together as a family every weekend, even if it’s just a short trip to the park.

http://zenfamilyhabits.net Sherri

Hi Krissa,
That’s a great idea. Fun needs to be planned, I think!

Kate F.

I am trying to take more breaks during the day to stop everything and just focus on getting down on the floor to play with the girls.

http://zenfamilyhabits.net Sherri

Hi Kate!
Fantastic I love this. It seems so simple but unless you make the conscious effort sadly, it doesn’t happen too often.

Debbie

I think I need to remember to stop and just play with my kids when they ask and stop more often to enjoy the moments with them rather than “waiting until later”. Also to actually schedule in some play/fun time with them during my day rather than feeling interrupted when they ask.

http://zenfamilyhabits.net Sherri

Hi Debbie,
Scheduling it in is a great idea! It may seem a little tedious or over the top to some but I think it’s great. Too often we get busy doing other stuff that fun takes a back seat. Good for you for making it happen!

http://adventureskids.blogspot.com Adventures With Kids

We are taking up a new activity to do together. We are getting everyone kitted up so we can go bike riding together on weekends. We can all enjoy this together, now that my littlies are riding independently. Other than that we want to try geocaching – so, that’s probably our fallback position if we don’t end up riding as much as we hope.

http://zenfamilyhabits.net Sherri

Oh geocaching is something my husband really wants to do. He’s currently saving up for a GPS so we go out with the kiddos on the weekend, camp and geocache.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=601066988 Cate Brickell

we’re starting family games nights again, in fact, this wednesday is our first in almost three years! (and we’ll have a mini family meeting while eating dinner)

http://zenfamilyhabits.net Sherri

That’s a great idea. We used to play a lot of board games as well and it’s probably been just as long for us since we’ve played. Have fun!

Joelyn

We’re turning our tiny backyard into an outdoor haven for summer…looking forward to vegetable gardening, flowers blooming, and hosting Bar-B-Ques!

Sherri

ME TOO! Awesome idea … I can’t wait for summer!

Anonymous

There are so many ideas posted already! We like to take nature walks as a family.
Pam

to be a “yes” mom – to say yes to making a mess in the kitchen, playing a game, being silly.
ronda

I don’t know what we would do without music in our house. Nothing formal–more like raucous. Not so much Partridge Family–more like Rolling Stones, but with a four year old twist. We have our share of stress–young children, one with multiple disabilities (who is more of a dancer than a singer in this scenario), a lot on our plate, medically speaking, the winters are hard up here, and my H has a ridiculously long commute, etc… but then there’s the after dinner music. We sing almost every night.
Merri

We have a cottage “up north” where we go every summer, but this year, our 3 1/2 year old will be learning to swim at the lake and we’ll be going camping more on the weekends that we’re not taking the long trek north.
Anonymous

We’re trying to get get back to basics in our house as well…good old fashioned fun such as games, singing, reading aloud and acting out plays. Turn off the technology for a while and just tune into the kids!
Jessica I

At least twice a month I would like to take the kids to a surprise location. So they have no idea about what we are doing until we get there. Places I would consider would be the dinosaur museum, movies, etc. I also want to work on going to the local activities around our community as well, that I have never taken the time to go to before. That way it is a new experience for everyone.

Alison Bayne

I’ve blogged before and kept it up for a couple of years before some nasty comments shook my confidence. Now I’m wondering whether to get back into it again. But surely there is a plethora of blogs out there and far too much of mediocre value? I question whether I have anything really worth blogging about. Would anybody read it? Anyone else feel the same?

http://twitter.com/james_brooks James Brooks

Hey Alison. In that case, why not start of by blogging at a slower pace. Take more time over your posts and perhaps only post once a week. The key is constancy, even if that is at a slower rate! Try it! If you do start again – let us know – would love to see what you are putting out there.

Bernice

There are many times when I feel stuck. Most of my posts are inspired by photos I take, whether it’s of my boys, a new projects, or a family trip. When I’m stuck I scroll through my photos again and sometimes I find a story that I may have missed or dismissed the first time around.

http://twitter.com/james_brooks James Brooks

Hey Bernice! I LOVE that! Sounds awesome and extremely inspiring – I might have to try that out myself – thanks!