(Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway to win a book swag bundle or £10 Amazon voucher! You've got TWO DAYS!)
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Do you want to raise the standard of your blog posts? Are you getting sick of parroting the same-old content and want to make a change? Or are you just always looking for blogging advice?
Then read on, my friend. Read on.
It's easy to feel washed out when you're churning out blog posts regularly - I know I do - and that can lead to believing you're not doing your best all the time. No-one wants to feel like they're filling the internet with fluff, but that's okay. There are lots of things that you can do to re-invigorate yourself and your content.
I like to go through these steps one by one when I'm feeling stuck - it happens at least once a month, because apparently I'm not very good at squeezing through small gaps - and then I feel at least a little like I know what I'm doing (in my case, this is probably pure delusion, but . . .)
Would you like to take a look?
#1 - Take A Break
Depending on just how stuck you are, this break does not have to be long. Maybe it would be better just put off writing the post until tomorrow if you feel a little washed out, but if I warned you against the whole "take a week out and tell everyone" approach, that would make me a hypocrite, so take as long as you need. The idea is to step back and take stock, so your creative juices can get flowing again and replenish themselves.
Itching to blog yet? Never fear, there are nine more steps to go.
#2 - Ask Yourself . . .
Try to narrow down a couple of reasonably short-term goals that you feel you can achieve, and that will motivate you to keep on blogging. Trust me, it helps.
#3 - Identify the Problem
If you know what the problem is, then you can work out how to fix it. Sounds deceptively simple, right? That's because it is. Once you know what's gone wrong and derailed you, most of the hard work is done: just decide what you have to do and get it done!
#4 - Take Advice
The main reason Google helps is that I can promise you other people will have the same problem and be willing to help you. Plus, won't you feel a bit less alone knowing that you're not the only one suffering, and that you won't have to fix this alone?
The internet is wonderful.
#5 - Ignore Advice
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| It's not completely relevant, sure, but I love this too much not to put it in. |
I never said I wasn't going to confuse you.
Basically, it's brilliant to look for and take as much advice as is useful to you, but it's also impossible to follow everything out there. You'd tie yourself up in knots. I've found that it's best to look at information through the filter of "Will this help me do what I want with my blog?". If it doesn't, or you're convinced you won't be able to follow through, my advice is simple. Let it go.
#6 - Change It Up
There's no use taking a break to get some perspective, identifying what you want, working out what needs to change for that to happen, and researching how to make that change if you don't actually . . . um . . . change anything.
Take the plunge! Make some edits! Try new things! I know it's scary, but changing stuff is the only way to pull yourself out of a rut. And the great thing is that you choose exactly what you want to change, so although you have to do something different, it doesn't have to be rainbow-spotted-alien levels of crazy. You could even change something as superficial as a blog template, if that's going to help you.
and finally, because it basically sums up everything I've ever said ever . . .
#7 - Don't Be Afraid to Try Something New
Bravery! A new frontier! Awesomeness!
Good luck with your blogs, everyone (and if you haven't got one, start. It's the most fun you'll ever have) and I want to say one more thing. If you want to ignore everything I just said, down to this very sentence, then do. It's your blog, so play by your rules.
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In the comments: How do you like to get yourself unstuck? Why? And what are you thinking of changing on your blog?
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