14 Ways to Find Blogging Motivation

When I opened my computer to write a post today, I realised that I wasn't really feeling it. All the ideas I had roughly planned out just kind of bored me, and the thought of actually typing something felt vaguely ridiculous.

In short, I was in need of some serious motivation.

I went out to find some, and admittedly it took a while (I've spent most of my blogging time today self-motivating, and while that is a perfectly awesome thing to do, it might mean today's post is a little more rushed than usual), but now I've written three paragraphs! Behold! It can be done!

Because I actually care about you people - a lot, actually, but don't tell my IRL friends or they might get jealous - I thought I'd tell you what motivation worked for me today, what's worked in the past, and what I've bookmarked in the hope that it'll work for the future. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the master list:

Read old blog posts and comments. Maybe even the very first post you wrote or the first comment you ever received. Remember how awesome it felt. Feel awesome again.

Noodle around in an empty draft post. You might be able to tell that this post started with me basically describing my bloggers' block. Write about your day, or how frustrated you are, or literally anything, and you never know. Just starting to write can be surprisingly helpful.

Choose a reward for when you've finished. If I've got a perfectly good idea for a post, but for some reason am just too lazy to write it, I like to load up a YouTube video (check out Spirit YPC if you're into musicals or recognising any kind of talent whatsoever) and tell myself I can only watch it once I've written that post. You could also reserve a bar of chocolate, a book you've been anticipating or even a trip to the loo. (Just give yourself a short-term goal on that one. No wetting yourself.)

Have a look at this amazing post from Amber @ The Mile Long Bookshelf. She gives some specific tips about getting a review going as well as some more general ones to get you started.

If you have a little voice in your head telling you you're not good enough, or should be enjoying yourself more or whatever, have fun telling it as rudely (or politely) as possible to go away. That could even make a post!

Look through any old post planners to find an idea you had but never used. It might be gold.

Instead of starting right from the beginning, create a title graphic for an existing idea first. That way, you're still doing bloggy work, but don't have to start grinding out words just yet.

Are there any other things you have to do today? Blog promotion? Finding a birthday present for someone? Homework? Get your other work done first. Not having the thought of "oh, and I have to do this afterwards too" hanging over your head while writing can be really liberating and motivational - and ideas will often fly in while you're doing something entirely different.

Put some key words into this post title / idea generator. See if you're inspired by what comes out.

If you really can't generate any content right this minute, spend the time increasing your blogging knowledge or adding details to your website. Just because you aren't writing doesn't mean you can't grow as a blogger.

Look up some GIFs from your favourite fandom and use them to inspire a post. Do they sum up your opinions on or reactions to something?

Research the latest news in your blogging niche. (If you're following the right people, your Twitter timeline can be a great place to do this.) Is there a topic you feel passionate about and want to discuss, or some interesting information you want to report?

Do some photography to use in the post. This gets you up, moving, and thinking about what you want to say without actually saying it just yet.

Write yourself a list of all the reasons you started blogging, and all the things that make it awesome.

Before I go, I will say one more thing: Motivation is great, but only until the moment when it turns into procrastination. After a while, you just need to choose a topic, close all the other tabs, and WRITE. So, by all means, try the points from this list that interest you, but don't do every single one - don't even wait until you feel 100% pumped and ready to write. If you're anything like me, that happens about twice a year when the sun and moon are perfectly aligned and my computer is facing due north and . . . well, I probably shouldn't admit to the virgin sacrifices.

But that's okay. I started writing this at about 50% motivation, and by now I'm actually pretty proud of what I've come up with. As soon as you can actually see yourself mashing words together, no matter how painful that vision might be, just think of the first sentence. Write it down. And keep going.

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In the comments: How do you like to find motivation? If you were going to give me just one or two of the most important tips, what would they be?

Labels: Tips & Tricks