If you’re a blogger like me, you’ve probably experienced bloggers block at some point or another. It’s tough keeping up your blogging indefinitely. So occasionally you’ll need some time out to refresh your mind and give yourself some new experiences to regain your inspiration. Otherwise, blogging can become a drag. What’s the point in being a blogger, if it becomes like a 9 to 5 job which you hate?! The point is, blogging should be fun!
When it gets like this, you’ll lose momentum and start questioning yourself and whether it’s worth carrying on! Before you get into this downward cycle, it’s worth noticing it happening and taking some action. Regroup, step away, get some exercise or find some new inspiration.
If you keep pushing when the inspiration just isn’t there, you’ll get more and more frustrated. So it’s worth having some strategies to implement when you realise that your inspiration is waning. The first step is to notice your state of mind change. If you’re no longer in inspiration mode, you can shift into frustration and procrastination mode pretty quickly.
So it’s useful to become more aware of when you’re positive and inspired and when you’re demoralised and uninspired. Being aware of your cycles is half of the battle. Once you become aware of your state of mind, you can use your “up” times for writing, and your “down” times for “strategic planning”, reading or just doing whatever feels good and puts you in a better state of being.
Bloggers Block – Your “Perfect” State
I find my perfect state for writing is when I’m inspired to write. The more I write, the more easily I can find myself in the zone! But oftentimes, I find myself in a frustrated state, questioning whether I should even bother. I ask myself questions which undermine my confidence and I get “stuck”, feeling like I have nothing to offer through my blogging.
When I get in this place, blogging become almost impossible. I doubt every word I write and so nothing much happens. What helps the most is to acknowledge that I’m simply not in the right mindset to start writing when this happens. To shift your vibe, you can take some exercise, go outside, read a book or do whatever works for you. But it’s useful not to keep focusing on those negatives which only exacerbates the situation and keeps you stuck. Forgetting about it and coming back when you have shifted your state can really be beneficial.
A good book about altering your state of mind is Esther and Jerry Hick’s Ask And It Is Given. The book includes a number of exercises which can help you shift up the emotional scale through the various states of mind.
Bloggers Block – Use Downtime For Planning
Another strategy I find helpful is to use the frustrated moments to switch activities and do something else. This could be planning your blog posts, doing keyword research and strategising about the bigger picture and what you want from blogging in the first place.
Sometimes you have to trust your unconscious mind is helping you by placing a mental block in front of you. Why would it do this? Perhaps it is wiser than you are and is helping you look at things differently? Are you missing something? Are you inspired by your chosen topic?
If not perhaps you can find another topic or subject to blog about. I find that some topics I write about become very difficult if I’m conflicted about the topic, or don’t believe I can do the subject justice. So I will leave these “difficult” posts for another time when I can be “unstuck” about them and blog freely and naturally.
Another strategy I use is to research my blog topic before hand. Especially if it feels like a difficult topic for me. I’ll spend a few hours looking at other blog posts which have written similar articles.
Before starting this article I was looking at a couple of keyword ideas to write about. But I was completely stuck and it just didn’t feel right! Low and behold I found a topic I was experiencing in the moment and it felt more congruent to write about something I intuitively knew about, rather than a tough topic which I was struggling with.
Bloggers Block – Stop Being So Needy!
Bloggers block comes to me when I feel I “must” write something, even when I’m not particularly inspired or interested. But my posts will definitely suffer when I force a blog post I’m just not feeling!
Also, the process of blogging is one I’ve chosen because I generally enjoy the process. So when it doesn’t feel right, I give myself some time off!
The neediness of my mental state will often determine whether I enjoy writing a post or detest it! No one’s forcing you to write a blog post, so stop being so hard on yourself and let yourself off the hook when it isn’t flowing!
Instead, prioritise the times when you feel inspired and have something to say which you’re genuinely inspired and interested by.
That way, blogging will become a joy and not a chore! I wish I could take my own advice here more!
Exercise & Gratitude
Blogging should be a great way to spend your time. But if you’re not enjoying writing, perhaps you’ve bitten off too much for the state (of mind) you’re currently in? I used to get so worked up when I started blogging. I would wind myself into a frenzy!
But when I’m calm and relaxed, and in a good state, ideas flow much more easily. A quick way of altering your state is to take some exercise. Hard cardiovascular exercise is the best so I’ve taken up running which helps me stay in the flow. Weight lifting is also a great way to change your mental state quickly.
You can also start writing a gratitude diary which helps you shift your mental state to a more positive one. When you’re very static physically, it’s easy to get static mentally too. Move around and change your state. The more you push against the state of procrastination, the more you compound the issue. Find a strategy which means you can unplug your mind from the task at hand.
Napping & Thomas Edison
Napping is great for ideas and if you’re a blogger, and have the time I highly recommend it. Thomas Edison was famous for his napping and he used to nap in a chair. He famously held steel balls in his hands when napping. As he fell asleep, he would release his grip.
The balls would fall to the metal saucers he had placed beneath them, and wake him up. The hypnagogic state which Edison was getting himself into is the stage before sleep, in a “twilight state” in between waking and sleeping. During hypnagogia, the brainwaves are typically alpha-theta, meaning that thinking patterns are usually different compared to full wakefulness.
When you are in a frustrated state of mind, think of Edison who attributed many of his inventions with this practice. Upon waking, Edison would immediately grab a notebook and pen and start writing ideas he had while in this state.
Summary
There’s nothing worse than getting stuck with your blogging. You want progress but are stuck in a frustrated state, which keeps you stuck. The best thing you can do is acknowledge this state and step away. Changing your state is the priority. The more you push against it, the worse it gets. You can switch state by changing your habits, taking more exercise, starting a gratitude diary and taking regular naps!
Find new inspiration, talk to different people, step outside of your current circle. Read inspiring books and use other bloggers content for ideas. If all else fails, come back another day when you’re feeling it! Make sure you can write when you’re inspired and when you feel stuck, do something else!
See also content ideas for blogging.
