Today, I'm going to share a post I did for the Brand Buzz Network and their mommy blogger members. As writers we also do a lot of blogging, guest posts, social networking, etc. It can be overwhelming at times, stressful...and just plain hard work to sit down and just post away. All of this got me thinking and after reading a few status updates from other writing friends of mine...my little article came to be. I hope you enjoy it and also share some words of inspiration and tips in the comments section below. ~VS Grenier

How to Avoid Blogger Burnout

I’ve noticed lately a few of my blogging friends have been taking some time off from posting to their blogs. A few of them have taken months off with no mention of when they plan to return. It started me thinking about something…blogger burnout.

The first thing you need to consider are the warning signs you’re experiencing blogger burnout. Some of the signs are hard to recognize due to the nature of blogging. To help you identify if you have blogger burnout or on your way to experiencing it, ask yourself these questions. Count up how many you answered ‘yes’ to and then read on.

Are you putting up blog posts the day they are due to show up on your blog?
Do you have more reviews than you can finish each day, week and/or month?
Are you having a hard time finding things to blog about?
Do you forget to announce winners of giveaways only a few days after it ends?
Are you staying up late or getting up early to get posts up and feel tired because of it?
Do you have more than 50 emails still waiting for your reply?

Blogger burnout can happen to the best of us. You may be very organized but still feel the stress of having more on your plate than you can manage. So the question is…What can you do about it? Of course you can take a hiatus from your blog. This may or may not affect your blog readership. But I have a few suggestions to try before you take this step.

Take a week vacation from your blog. It is okay to take some time from your blog from time to time. Just don’t make it a habit or do it for too long if you can avoid it. I suggest when you do take a vacation from your blog to plan on taking pictures of some of the things you did while you were away to share with your readers when you return. This not only gives you a break but will also help give you something (or a few things) to post about upon your return.
Have one or two days a week where other bloggers can do a guest post on your blog. I find this really helps me and keeps the stress of for topics to write about on my blog daily and weekly.
Share other blog posts from blogs you follow. I don’t do this often, but I have a few blogging buddies who once a month or even once a week share blog posts from other blogs. This is easy to do because you only need to share an excerpt or quick reason synopsis of the post with its link.
Don’t post daily. Some bloggers feel they have to have a blog post everyday or almost every day of the week. I do try to have at least a new blog post bi-weekly on my blog, but daily is too much for me. At most, I post three times a week. Find what works for and don’t worry what others are doing.
Have different types of post for each day of the week. When I first started blogging, I thought I had to stick to my blog them for every post. Then I realized I could do what I want on what day I wanted. I found making a theme schedule for each day of the week helped to give me ideas for posts. Here is my theme schedule: Monday is grammar tips or information about my blog talk radio show (if I have one), Tuesday is when I post a writing tip or an update, Wednesday is for guest posts, Thursday I share reviews or updates on my personal writing/books, Friday is for interviews or show information (if I have a show). I don’t post on Saturday or Sunday.
Use article content sites. One of the easiest things to do is use article content sites to find posts for your blog. There are a lot writers out there looking for places to showcase their writing. You can use these articles free and have some great content by professionals on your blog.
Schedule your blog posts at least a week ahead of time. I find using my Sunday nights to plan and schedule my blog posts for the week allows me to have more time during the week for other things like my kids and personal writing. If you’re able too, try to schedule two weeks ahead of time or even the whole month!

Blogger burnout is a real thing and can happen without you realizing it. If you start feeling like you don’t want to blog anymore, take a week off and then use my suggestions above to help get you back into blogging with less stress.

About VS Grenier:
When she isn't busy talking with authors and illustrator on her radio shows, working for Stories for Children Publishing, Brand Buzz Network or Halo Publishing, and spending time with her children; award-winning author and editor VS Grenier is busy writing adventures in the World of Ink. Learn more at http://vsgrenier.com or http://worldofinknetwork.com

Timeout

I't's no wonder insurance companies
often place writers in their high risk
categories. Writers are always on the
job--watching and noting everyone and
everything, plotting and planning the
next article, the next novel.

We may find it fun, always whizzing
through life, brain 100% alert. But very
few of us can survive solely as writers.
Add in the day job, the family and
friends, the everyday commitments and
sooner or later you're running on empty.

If you're a freelancer, reliant for some or
all of your income from writing, then the
pressures are all the more stressful.

Writing is stress.

Burnout

Do you fine yourself sitting at the
keyboard longer and longer and
achieving less and less?

Are you snappy with friends and family,
always wanting to be left alone with your
work?

Are you off your food, eating erratically,
drinking more? Unusual behavioral patterns could signify
that it's time to take stock.

The signs of burnout can be confusing
and contradictory: undereating or
overeating, insomnia or oversleeping,
chronic fatigue or brain chronically
overactive.

Writers often suffer panic attacks and
feelings of failure, or find that they
haven't two ideas to rub together.

Time Out

The hardest thing is to force yourself to
rest, to be nice to yourself. But an hour
or two pampering yourself, taking a long
scented bath might well double your
productivity later.

A visit to an art gallery, a theater or
giving yourself permission to read a great
book--and not one about writing--could
make you feel you've had a real holiday.

l swear by brewer's yeast, high in iron and B vitamins.
Stretching exercises relieve muscles tired from sitting pounding computer keys.

Schedule some quality time to yourself each week and see your productivity increase.
Anne Duguid is a senior content editor with MuseItUp Publishing and her New Year's Resolution is to blog with helpful writing,editing and publishing tips at Slow and Steady Writers far more regularly than she managed in 2011.

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