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Blogger Burnouts are not Cute Like Kittens: Here's 5 Ways to Prevent Them

You have been trying to keep up with your blog and you're doing a pretty bang up job posting it regularly. You've been humming away, brimming with great ideas for interesting content and then suddenly: you got nothing'. Oh dear. What do you do now? Fresh content is good for SEO, plus your public awaits! The adoring masses will be concerned! You'll start getting emails from people wondering if you've fallen off the planet. What's a burned out blogger to do?

Have no fear, burned out blogger!

Here are five tips to avoid the burnout and keep on rockin' in the free world.

1) Go do something else.

You've been sitting there staring at that blinking cursor and blank page for far too long. Nothing has changed on your Facebook feed during the last nanosecond either, so why not walk away from your computer for a bit? Make yourself a nice cup of ginger tea or go for a walk. Maybe call your mom (you don't call her enough, you know that, right?)

Try reaching out to some other members of your team. Maybe they've seen great posts lately that might inspire your next stroke of genius! 

2) Do a roundup

Have you seen a bunch of random stuff here and there but couldn't get a whole post out of any of it? Do a roundup of all that stuff. We guarantee that while hunting around and writing about your findings, you'll discover a little thread you can pull. BAM! Two posts for the price of one! 

3) Brainstorm

Sit down. Quiet your mind and then write down every single idea that comes to you—even the stupid ones. Some will be awful, some will be absolute winners, but it doesn't matter if you know they're bad right away or not. Keep writing and don't stop. Do this for ten minutes and review your list. There's gold in there somewhere. Maybe you can even find a way to take a piece of a bad idea and mix it with something else to make awesomesauce.

4) Keep a list of ideas

Have a notebook handy (we use Evernote) with you at all times. Wherever you are, whether you're driving (pull over first, please) or in the shower (don't get the paper or your phone wet!) get the idea down right away before it leaves your head. Sometimes the best ideas come to us while we're busy doing something mundane. Many times we're in the shower…

5) Don't listen to the voice in your head

Somewhere in your head, there's a voice that's saying "I can't do this anymore. I have nothing else to say. It's gone."

Do not believe that voice! It's lying to you. You do have ideas and they will come. You just have to get used to knowing that being patient with yourself is really good. This is difficult in the face of a looming deadline, but you have to keep your cool.

Confidence and resourcefulness are your weapons against that defeatist voice. Give yourself a pep talk and go read your favorite articles. Remind yourself that you can and do pull it off all the time.

And…you enjoy it!

What do you do to combat creative burnout, GLAD WORKS friends?

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