Hi friends –
Every couple of years, I feel the need to write a post for my fellow bloggers. In 2012 I wrote this one after I’d been blogging for a year and a half – Things Blogging Has Taught Me – Part 1. A little over a year later, I wrote this one – Things Blogging Has Taught Me – Part 2. Now here we are in 2015. I’ve been blogging for over five years. My blog has continued to grow and evolve and now I’m lucky enough to call it a job.
Like any job, it has its ups and downs and after a tough couple of weeks in a bit of a blogging rut, I felt inspired to share a few more blogging truths, along with some of the tips, tricks and lessons I’ve learned on my blogging journey.
Because, in the spirit of keeping it real….no matter where you are in your blogging journey, you WILL end up in a blogging rut at some point.
Blogging is hard. It takes work – both on the front and back end. It takes time – probably more than most people imagine. And it’s not always fun.
Here are some blogging truths:
There will be fails. You will have weeks where you make 10 recipes and every.single. one will end up in the trashcan. There will be a post that you spends hours crafting and writing, that you think it’s the best thing you’ve ever written and when you publish it – no one will like it.
You’ll let your stats dictate your mood. Your pageviews will reach an all time high and you’ll be on cloud nine…and then they will nosedive, for no apparent reason, and you’ll spend a ridiculous amount of time thinking WTF did I do wrong?
You’ll get jealous. Someone else will publish a recipe that’s so brilliant that it immediately goes viral that you’ll spend the rest of the day wondering “why didn’t I think of that”. You’ll read a post about how someone makes thousands of dollars for a single sponsored post when you’ve never made any money off your blog. You’ll see someone taking an amazing trip without having to pay for any of it and you’ll think – why can’t I be that lucky?
You’ll fall behind. No matter how organized you are, or how far ahead you plan, there will be weeks when you don’t publish as many posts as you planned to. There will be emails that don’t get answered in a timely manner. There will be nights you stay up until 2am trying to finish a post because you forgot about a deadline.
You will feel overwhelmed. The sea of social media can drown even the strongest swimmer. And just when you think you’ve figured out some sort of schedule, the next big thing will ignite like wildfire and you’ll find yourself wondering how the hell you could possibly have time to do one more blog-related thing.
You’ll be criticized and judged. There will always be people out there who live to rob others of their joy. There are mean-spirited people who have nothing but negative things to say about you, your blog, your recipes, the way you dress, what you eat, etc. Blogs are, for the most part, a public forum. You’re putting yourself and a part, sometimes a large part, of your life out there for the world to see. And people won’t be shy about sharing their positive and negative opinions about the choices you make.
So when all of that stuff happens, here’s what you need to do:
Take a deep breath and re-center yourself. No matter how great your job is or how much you love it, there will be days when it sucks. And that’s ok. Remember that every day is a new day and a new chance to start over with a positive mindset and work on changing the things that didn’t go well yesterday.
- Inhale determination, exhale stress.
- Let go of the negatives and focus on the positives.
- Take a break if you need to. A day off, a week off, whatever it takes to allow you to come back excited and refreshed!
Keep trying. Not every recipe will fail. Not all your photos will have weird lighting. Not every post will be your most popular, but they won’t all be your least popular either.
- Don’t force it. Feeling like you HAVE to post a recipe that includes xyz ingredients just because everyone else is doing it might not turn out so well. Instead, get back to having fun and cooking or writing about what YOU are passionate about.
- Take a photography course or buy in ebook. There’s always something new to learn and good photography is so critical to blogging.
- Focus on finding your niche and defining your ideal reader. Learn everything you can about your readers and then think about what kinds of posts you can create that will help them solve a problem. That’s what will keep them coming back
Redirect your focus. Numbers aren’t everything. Instead of spending your time worrying about your stats, STOP CHECKING THEM. And don’t worry about how much money or how many pageviews anyone else is getting either. Shift your mindset toward doing whatever you can to make yourself better!
- Focus on things that are more easily within your control. Have you made it as easy as possible for people to share your content with share buttons, plug-ins, etc?
- Have you optimized your bests posts for SEO to help improve the chances they’ll come up in google searches?
- Are you taking high-quality photos that will encourage people to pin and share your content?
- Have you thought about other ways to diversify your income such as company collaborations, ebooks, etc so you aren’t as reliant on pageviews as a source of income?
Stay humble. When success does come, remember that pageviews don’t equal entitlement. Having 500,000 pageviews a month doesn’t mean you’re any better than the blogger with 1,000 pageviews.
- Continue to prove yourself by creating great content.
- Don’t lose your moral compass for money. Stay true to yourself and what you believe in even if it means turning down money.
- Remember that while you control some of your success, so do your readers, the people who feature your work, etc. Respect them and thank them.
Produce good content. If you build it, they will come. Invest your time in building your blog brand, creating posts that are helpful and well written with great images.
- Find a balance of evergreen content that is always relevant and seasonal content that fits the here and now, but can be re-promoted every year at a certain time.
- Choose quality over quantity. Posting 2 amazing posts a week is better than 5 haphazard, unorganized posts.
- Be smart. Good content is whatever content YOUR readers find most valuable. Don’t worry about anyone else’s readers.
Seek inspiration. You can find it everywhere.
- Step away from the computer and just LIVE.
- Revisit old posts and think about how you can repurpose them into something new.
- Browse Pinterest, cookbooks, etc and think about how you can put your own spin on something.
- Just ask. Post a question on social media or send a survey to your readers asking what they’d like to see from you.
Be flexible. Because, life. You’re living it. And sometimes it gets in the way.
- Have a tentative schedule but don’t be afraid to change things around if needed.
- Leave room in your calendar to throw in a great idea if something pops up.
- Give yourself a loose schedule and then let creativity take over and see what you come up with.
- Don’t be too hard on yourself if things don’t go as planned.
Prioritize. Repeat after me – you CANNOT do it all. And if you try, you’re setting yourself up for failure. You’ll get so overwhelmed that you’ll end up not doing anything well.
- Pick a few social media platforms you enjoy and do them well. Don’t worry about everything else.
- Get help if you need it. Hiring an assistant can free up your time to focus on other things that require your skills.
Give back. Karma is real, my friends. And believe me when I say that what goes around, comes around…in both a positive and negative way. Take the time to promote others, help others, answer questions, pay compliments, show respect etc and it will come back to you twofold. Celebrating someone else’s success does nothing to diminish your own.
- Read a great post? Share it. Pin it. Tweet it. Link to it.
- Love someone’s photos? Tell them! And ask them for a tip or two.
- Love the way someone worked with a brand or wrote a sponsored post? Tell them! And then take notes and learn from what they’re doing well.
That’s all I’ve got for you today. Let’s chat:
What’s your best tip or piece of advice for when blogging gets hard?
[Tweet “When blogging gets hard, here’s what to do! via @leangrnbeanblog”]
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
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Isn’t it funny how blogging as a job seems like the ultimate dream…and then you do it and realize that it’s not exactly the vacation you thought it’d be? We are really lucky and blessed to call it a job – but I’m always thankful to hear that I’m not alone in the difficult times too!
So true, I go through periods of loving my blog, disliking my blog and wanting to shut it down! It has been tough for me because I have been blogging for 5 years and while I never became a blogging sensation I learned that it didn’t matter and what mattered was that my content was helping the right people at the right time. I used to always compare compare compare but I realized nothing gets done comparing myself and I just need to focus on sharing my message! Thanks for this blog post, it really hit on a few notes for me! Lots of love xo C
keep it up! you’re doing a great job!
Thank you for this! I think it’s a good reminder for all bloggers at all stages. Blogging can be deceiving and is not what it seems all the time.
for sure. it’s a complex beast 🙂
SUCH a GREAT post! thank you for sharing your insights!
Just what I needed to start a busy Thursday filled with blogging and life deadlines 🙂 I love how you keep it real and offer suggestions as to how to overcome some of these hurdles. I’m not sure I have a tip since I’m someone in a rut… but I agree with you about turning off and taking a break. I did that recently and felt revived!
yay! so glad the break helped!
Great post!!! I really needed this today, so I appreciate your advice and love your honesty. You are a great inspiration to us all! Yay for throwing out page view obsession!!!! Hahah
yes! just say no to stat checking 😉
Thanks for this! I’m definitely in a rut right now 🙂
hang in there! they don’t last forever!
i adore you. You know this. And i can relate. and I appreciate all your giving back and hard work. Hugs. <3
xo
Thank you for the great post and a reminder that we are all human about our blogs 😉
My advice is to write content that gets you excited to share. If/when it doesn’t get the attention you think it deserves, remember why you shared it and why it feels right to you. And like you said mix it with a variety of other content that grabs readers. Also, learn from mistakes and successes.
such great advice!!
Such a great post! I have been very overwhelmed lately trying to “do it all” and have been guilty of letting the success of my blog and posts dictate my mood. Blogging is a lot harder than most people imagine but in the end, it’s so worth it- just need to reassess at times and forge ahead!
exactly! hang in there!! and prioritize 😉
Great post! I find the quality posts happen for me when I write about what interests me the most rather than worrying about the stats and/or writing about what’s popular. Thanks for all the helpful tips!
for sure. passion makes everything easier!
As someone who has been blogging for a long time (2009), I can relate with the ups and downs! I have always considered myself a “part-time” blogger–and certainly don’t consider it my job (not yet anyway!). You reminded me to repurpose old content–which is really important, I think, especially when old content can be forgotten–and to promote old content! Two really great tips and reminders for me–thank you!!
yes! you’ve already done the work to make so much great content. so important to reshare for people who may have missed it the first time!
Great advice Lindsay. Lately blogging has felt hard to me. I’ve fallen into that slump and this advice really helps me figure out how to get out of it.
You’re welcome! Hope it helps. Take a deep breath and make a plan of attack…you’ll get through it!
It’s so funny because over the last few weeks I noticed I hadn’t been getting as many blog posts from you and I was like ‘weird maybe it’s my computer!’ and I missed them! You were one of the first blogs I started following and now with a young baby I am more interested in blogs that also show a balance of life , work and motherhood. Just know what we love reading your blog and no matter how long a break you take, we are all still here waiting for the next recipe, or look at your crossfit gym (which is such a huge accomplishment by the way) so don’t ever feel like you have to be someone you’re not because we don’t see those things through your blog, we see you!
thank you so much Fiona. That means a lot!
Lindsay I LOVE this post! I needed this post! Thank you so much! I have been trying to work on dairy free version of a traditional Sri Lankan potato toffee dish and I am on my 12th try – each one has been a miserable fail and I was just about ready to give up till I read this! Funny how, from time to time, we happen on posts that speak to us on such a personal level – and that’s a blogging success on your part 🙂
i’ve definitely been there with the recipe testing. but then when you finally nail it, it just makes it that much sweeter!
Thank you for this.
I loved every bit of this post!! I don’t blog full time (although I wish I did!), and sometimes it’s SO overwhelming getting the posts on my calendar done while in my dietetic internship and working 2 other part-time jobs! Life gets crazy and in the way and we all need a good reminder every now and then…so thank you!!
i hear ya. It’s definitely a balancing act but being flexible and taking a little pressure off yourself is key! you’re doing great!
Love, love, love this Lindsay! You hit every nail right on the head.
Absolutely love this post. Blogging is amazing and I am fortunate that it is now a big part of my business/workday – but like any other job, it’s not always all roses and sunshine. Thank you for reminding me I’m not alone on those tough days. xo
always here for you 🙂 xo
LOVE THIS! Here’s to a forum of positivity and relatedness 🙂 Melanie & I appreciate your shares SO SO MUCH! I can’t even begin to express our gratitude. Luckily we’ve got fantastic support groups who know just what it’s like and can be supportive just when we need it 🙂
having a support system is so key!!
You are amazing, Linds. You’ve absolutely nailed it completely- Especially the comparison and stats one. Letting those things dictate your mood- No dice. So glad the no stat checking antics are happening- Best thing ever deleting that app lol!
Cheers 🙂
yes. so proud of you for doing that!
wow, i REALLY needed this today. this week, i’ve been feeling uninspired to write, create content, or take photos. i’ve been questioning why i blog at all. i’ve been feeling down about comments and traffic. thanks for always being so inspiring 🙂
hang in there girl. happens to the best of us.
I just love this post, Lindsay. I’ve often said that checking my analytics is like stepping on the scale–the number can, too often, dictate how I feel about myself. Which is why I don’t weigh myself and I try not to look at my analytics too much! Something that helps me is that if I’m in a very bad rut, I will schedule a bunch of social media stuff for the next day and then try to take that day off almost completely from my blog and social media. That definitely helps energize me again.
great tip! and yes to the scale analogy. just say no 🙂
Yes to every single one of these! I was in a major blogging rut in August and September (and also just super busy with work and my personal life). The thing that I have found to be the most helpful is to take the pressure off of having a posting schedule. Now I have the mentality of writing when I WANT to write and when I feel inspired to do so. Trying to force something is just NOT fun. Of course this is also not my full-time job, so I guess I have the luxury to be able to do so.
taking the pressure off helps so much!
Thanks for sharing such an honest post, Lindsay. I’m not a huge blogger or anything but I definitely have good intentions sometimes and then just get stuck in a rut. Glad to hear you experience something similar and can find your way out of it 🙂
you can definitely make your way out. might take time but it can be done! good luck!
I swear to God every time I am dealing with something that’s on my mind 24/7, one of my favorite bloggers comes out with a post that feels like it was meant for me haha! (You’re one of my favorites ;D) Currently trying to get over #2. womp womp… this post totally helped. Thanks Lindsay <3 xo
hang in there girl. stat checking is a hard habit to break but try. i promise it will help!
Such a great post that I think we can all relate to! Thank you for putting into words what I’ve been thinking, and for offering solutions 🙂 Love this post!
You’re welcome! hope it helps you power through!
I love this Lindsay! Thanks for reminding everyone that we are all in this together–the good, the bad and the ugly.
for sure! xo
Awesome post Lindsay – it speaks to me so much. Your tips are spot on (I need to put them into action more than I do!). So easy to compare to others and get into a slump, but we all need to look at our own successes and every success should be celebrated, even if it’s not as big a success as someone else’s. I really want to take a week off to rejuvenate, but I fear if I take a week off I’ll have a hard time getting back into it. Need to think through that!
i think you’d be surprised how excited you are to come back after taking a week off! it can be so helpful!
Great post! I am new to blogging so I feel like I’m still in the “honeymoon” phase and I love writing posts but it can definitely be overwhelming that there is so much to learn and improve on!
there’s always something to learn! just take it one step at a time!
LOVE this!! So perfectly written. Blogging is a lot harder than most people think…this is such a perfect insight into it!
This could not be more perfect! I must admit that I can get pretty obsessed with the numbers part of blogging and I feel sad when Im trying everything to promote and my stats just won’t budge. Thanks for reminding me to move on and focus on what else needs to be done. Love this <3
yes! ignore those numbers for a while. it’ll help!
Thank you for the affirmation this morning. We all have felt these things over and over. Just as life is ever changing, so is the blogging world. We evolve and sometimes we question if those changes are a positive or not. I still struggle to understand what I’m, “supposed” to be doing after all these years, but recently it has become crystal clear that I should be doing what, “sets my soul on fire,” and do very little of anything else. There is no right or wrong answer in this crazy world of blogging as long as you are enjoying the process. This is what allows me to keep going– that and friends like you. Love, love, love you Linds. xoxo
so so true. xo
Great post! I still consider myself a new blogger (been going just over 1 year) because there is SO much to learn and do with blogging – to the point where it can be overwhelming. I work full time and blog on the side, so it is definitely hard for me and I feel bad when I only post 2-3 times a week and I see others posting every day. Thanks for reminding me not to compare myself to others!
for sure. focusing on yourself is so important. you’re doing what works for you and you’re doing a great job!
Great tips! It really is a tough job, especially when you are in the early stages. It can be hard to keep devoting so much time to building something that isn’t giving much in return. Sometimes the benefits are more than monetary and it’s because I truly love writing and helping others that I keep going!
yes! love hearing that. keep it up girl. you’re doing great!
Love love love this post! Definitely the “give back” note at the end really resonated with me. When I’m feeling “meh” about my blog, it always makes me feel better to promote someone else’s work. The blogosphere has awesome content, every day!
yes! so much good stuff out there!
Thank you for sharing your wisdom Linsdsay! As a relatively new blogger it is so nice to have inspirational colleagues who share what they’ve learned and to know that other people are going through the same things.
absolutely! always happy to share what i’ve learned over time!
ahh yes, everything about this post is spot on! I have felt all of these emotions and stresses too, it’s so good to know you are not the only one. Thanks for the tips on how to stay positive Lindsay!
you’re definitely not alone!
Simply put- Thank you 🙂
xo!
Great post! Yes to all of them!! I’m currently in a minor rut myself, haha! One thing I really need to work on is spreading the love…so often I see something great and think, I need to share that! But I’m typically on the go, etc., and never get back to doing it.
i hear ya! i’ve resorted to not ready things i “think” are gonna be good until i’m sitting at my computer so i can share otherwise my mom brain kicks in and there’s no way i’ll remember!
Thanks so much for this Lindsay!! I’m only starting it out but it’s comforting to know that everyone gets stuck in a rut sometimes. And that numbers are not always the most important thing! I think it’s important to always give back and support other bloggers. Finding a community has made this so much easier for me!
the community is the best part for sure!
Man, this is just so real and so perfect for a new blogger like myself and even old bloggers! <3 The discouragement can come, but it shouldn't get us down.
for sure. chin up!!
YES YES YES. It’s SO easy to get discouraged while blogging. Someone is doing it better, more frequently, with more fans and well, comparison IS the thief of joy.
I always find it amusing when I think “WOAH. Like, THIS RIGHT HERE is my life’s greatest work.” And then crickets. But then I’ll spend five minutes on a post and just publish without thinking and BAM! In roll the comments. The hell? LOL
I love this: “Inhale determination, exhale stress.” Thank you for sharing this today. I needed it 🙂
so glad it helped!
I LOVE this post, Lindsay. It is so true. Blogging really isn’t as glamorous as everyone may think. And I think the comparison game is the hardest — there will always be people achieving, and it’s important for us to know that there is room for everyone to achieve! Thanks for the tips. I definitely think being out in real life and realizing you don’t have to be a pro at all the social media help a lot. Thanks for the honesty!
there is DEFINITELY room for everyone!
Thank you for the encouragement! We are just finishing our first month of blogging and there is so much I want to do! It can be so overwhelming, your perspective lets me just sit back and relax.
there’s pretty much always a never ending to-do list…but just tackle things one at a time!
I am pretty sure the universe sent this post to me. Right now I am in the busiest part of my semester and I just so happen to be the busiest I’ve been with the blog in a long time too. Things seem to keep piling up and I am certainly getting overwhelmed. This post gave me so much perspective though. Not everything is going to be perfect. We do the best we can as bloggers and we can’t please everyone. It’s so important to cut yourself some slack and remind yourself why you started to begin with. Sometimes I feel like I put all this work into my blog and it’s not recognized…I don’t get a post featured in a link up, I don’t get a recipe excepted, I don’t get ‘x’ amount of RTs, I don’t get a certain amount of page views, etc. But if I choose to only focus on the negatives and the numbers than I am losing site of what blogging means to me! It’s my passion, my outlet, and something I am very proud of. At the end of the day, I have to blog for me. Thank you for the reminder!
you’re welcome! glad it helped a bit!
I absolutely love this post Lindsay. I’m definitely in a big blogging rut and I’ve been feeling it lately. I appreciate reading this and the reminder that we all go through these phases. xo
hang in there, lady! it’ll pass. You’ve had some amazing posts lately!
Thanks so much for keeping it real, Lindsay! I love blogging, but there are days… ohhh there are days… where I seriously want to throw in the towel because of how overwhelming and frustrating it can sometimes feel. I’ve definitely shed a few tears (and a fair amount of curse words) over failed recipes, and the comparison game is a hard one to avoid. But it’s definitely comforting to know that everyone experiences those kind of thoughts to some degree, so thank you for sharing <3
Great post!! Thank you for always being so open and inspiring. I haven’t been able to blog as much due to other pressing things, and I’ve felt horrible about it. But it’s OK, I will make up for it at some near-future point.
I remember back when I first started blogging… I let stats dictate my mood and success. The second I stopped looking at numbers = the second I started to truly LOVE blogging! Numbers should NEVER EVER define who we are!
exactly!!
Such a great post, Lindsay! It’s comforting to know that someone with so much blogging under her belt and who is spending a lot of time blogging still gets behind and hits roadblocks. Thank you for being honest!
absolutely. happens to the best of us!
LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS.
Im edging toward ending blogging for myriad reasons (none here. other stuffs :-)) and were it a passing feeling this pickmeup would have been perfection.
<3 <3 <3
Yes to all of this! I have definitely found myself hitting these bumps, especially since having baby #2. It’s full of ups and downs, but I’ve learned to roll with it (and I so rarely check blog stats these days!) Great advice, Lindsay. Thanks for keeping it real!
you’re doing great mama!
Oh my gosh—THANK YOU for this post. I’ve been going through a lot of blog/social media-related soul-searching lately and feeling overwhelmed. This brought me back down to earth : )
glad to help!
Thank you so much for this! It’s so nice knowing I’m not alone! Also… love the Field of Dreams reference 🙂
best movie 🙂
That’s a great post, thank you! My wife knew I was down about my blog and that I was thinking about throwing in the towel, so she sent me your link and maybe I’ll stick in there a little longer. Again thanks!
good luck!!
Such great advice Lindsay! Thank you for writing this as this is how I often feel and sometimes I am ready to throw the towel in. There is always room to improve and room to breathe and we should not compare ourselves in a way that is damaging to our own self worth. Than you thank you thank you 🙂
so true! you’re welcome!
LOVE everything about this post. Thank you so much for taking the time to put it together. I’m a “recreational” blogger. Meaning I make 0 dollars. Oh, I tried the affiliate link thing but let’s face it–I work full-time outside the home so blogging often takes a very far back seat. I do enjoy it and the community though! I share your goodies often 😉 you’re my “go-to” for healthy eats!
thanks so much Jess!
I feel this! Thanks for this post, Lindsay. I have been blogging for only a year, and it is inspiring to see that you have been blogging for five years, and still have challenges. Thanks for pointing to solutions as well.
Love this, Lindsay! 🙂
Love this advice! I think everyone needs to hear that they aren’t the only one feeling this way. I think the biggest thing is to create your own personal blogging principles and stick to them!
so important!
Lindsey, thank you so much for writing this! It really hit home. I was just telling myself the other day that the number of followers I have on social media or how many page view I have on my blog, does not signify my worth. They are just numbers. I’m now focusing on baby steps because baby steps are steps forward! xo
yes! that’s a great mindset! good luck!
I can relate to this so much right now. Blogging has been so hard for me this year since becoming a mom. I feel like my whole blog changed since I had Claire and I’m not sure if my readers like all the mom posts. I think most of them do, but at times, I wonder if my blog stats went down because of this. I also have like no time these days to be part of the blogging community sometimes, so maybe that’s why.
I’m glad you offered great tips on what to do instead. Lately, it’s so easy for me to focus on how blogging is hard that I don’t really do anything about it.
I feel ya! Hope some of the suggestions help!
So Christine from Love Life Surf shared this on her high five friday post. I’m behind (like I always am), and how I could relate to this post (so much so I’m bookmarking it to read again in the future).
Blogging is hard work, but I like it, so I keep doing it. I do it more for me than anyone else, and if I help just 1 person then my blogging is done.
so so true! keep up the great work!
This is just what I needed to hear! Thank you for the amazing advice and words or wisom. ☺
I just started blogging in October of 2015, it wasn’t that long ago. And well, it IS hard. It’s really hard. But I love it. I’m so glad to have tips and inspiration like this to follow 🙂