Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
People have blogs for all kinds of reasons. From sharing personal experiences to trying to make a few extra dollars, many of us take to the Internet. However, there are times when the motivation just isn’t there. Whether it’s from a lack of confidence or a lack of content, it’s easy to go into a tailspin when blogging stalls. However, it is possible to pull back on the stick and begin to climb once again.
What Causes Blog Writing Stalls?
In reality, there are a number of things that play into why a person finds themselves hesitating when updating a blog. I, myself, have suffered from many of them over the past few years. Here are some of the things I’ve discovered while looking at myself and the success of others.
Lack of Motivation
Many people suffer from a lack of motivation. This is perhaps one of the most prolific issues in any industry. Whether it’s because a person lacks interest in what they are doing or simply cannot be bothered, it can be quite problematic.
I usually wind up getting sucked into things like YouTube or Netflix before I realize what time it is. By then, I just cannot find the energy to write a blog. It often gets to the point where I get upset with myself because I wasted so much time. If I would keep the same focus on my own blogs as I do for my clients, I would have some amazing websites.
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Procrastination
Another cause for stalls in writing is procrastination. Why not put off tomorrow what you can do today, right? It’s not necessarily a bad thing if it happens once or twice a year. But when you keep putting off writing your blog day-after-day, then nothing gets done. You wind up writing one entire blog post the entire month.
Because I operate niche websites, procrastination is exceptionally harmful. That’s because I try to plan my content according to trends and what people find important. Unfortunately, putting them off leads to content being irrelevant. The pieces have less of an impact because they are too late to jump on the trending train.
Site Doesn’t Meet Expectations/Lack of Results
A lot of people believe they can make it rich by blogging. While there is no doubt that some bloggers have potential to replace a full-time income, many more struggle to bring in just a few cents per day. As a result, they wind up giving up or suffering from stalls in writing content.
Frustration caused by a lack of results can easily dissuade someone from writing.
There have been times when I would be upset at the performance of my websites. In reality, though, I haven’t really put in a great deal of effort to reach those amazing numbers some bloggers will boast about. And I’m not just talking about bringing in money, either. I often get upset at the lack of traffic.
It’s nice to dream about a million visits a month, but that’s not going to happen unless you put in the effort.
Getting Too Busy
Blogging is more of a hobby for many people. It’s easy to become sidetracked with other tasks or projects that take time away from writing. This is especially problematic for those who work between eight and 12 hours per day.
Speaking from experience, I often find myself too drained to write after a long day of working. As I am a full-time freelance writer, my eyes and mind feel like mush after nine hours of sitting in this god-awful chair. Then, I often find myself doing other things with friends and family or simply wanting to relax with a few episodes of Supernatural on Netflix.
Feelings of Self-Doubt
Many people suffer from self-doubt when it comes to writing of any kind. This can affect blogging as well as writing in general. Instead of publishing a piece on Wattpad or submitting a novel to a publishing house, these people don’t think their work is good enough.
Yes, I am in that group of people. In the past, I often viewed my work as substandard and would wind up deleting something I worked months on. I don’t do that anymore, but I understand how people can doubt their own work when compared to writers they idolize.
What Can You Do to Avoid Stalls?
Being able to avoid a tailspin when writing can lead to all kinds of improvements you may not be aware of. For example, keeping up with a consistent level of effort can easily grow a blog into something spectacular. The truth is, you never know what you can do until you put forth maximum effort.
Find What Keeps You Focused
Keeping focus is one of the best ways to overcome a lack of motivation. The problem is finding that one thing that can continue to inspire you to write. Instead of looking at a much larger picture, perhaps focusing on smaller goals is more ideal.
One thing that often drives me to write is watching the blogs grow in tools like Google Analytics. Although my numbers are not exploding into the hundreds of thousands, it’s nice to see how some articles continuously grow in traffic as time continues. This is what often fuels my drive to write.
The thought that any of my articles are able to help even just one of those people is inspiring to me.
Just Do It!
For those who are expert procrastinators, this can be exceptionally difficult to overcome. Perhaps one of the best ways to surpass procrastination is to simply just do it when you think of it. Eventually, it may just turn into a habit.
There are a lot of posts I’ll wind up starting but then get sidetracked. I think to myself, “I’ll finish it later.” Unfortunately, I often don’t. I find that if I just write as soon as the idea comes into mind and continue until it is done, I get more content published for myself.
As for developing habits, here is an example. Since moving to Los Angeles, I’ve started washing dishes as soon as I was done cooking a meal. As a result, it takes me less than a few minutes to clean everything and my kitchen is always spotless. Now, I do this without even thinking about it. The same can be said when you focus on writing.
Understand Your Expectations
I’ve seen a lot of people give up on excellent opportunities simply because the project didn’t meet immediate expectations. These stalls occur because the writer didn’t understand what all goes into maintaining a site. What people fail to realize is that writing isn’t a guaranteed success. You can’t expect to start something and have it bring in thousands of dollars a day.
A few months into developing my health blog, I was getting frustrated because the income wasn’t what I expected. Then I sat down and realized the actual reason I built the website in the first place. I wanted to do the blog as much for me as everyone else. Once I adjusted my thinking, I was able to avoid many stalls in creating content.
It can take a writer years to achieve grandiose levels of success. If you expect a get-rich-quick platform, your time may be better spent doing something else.
Keep Schedules
Even for a freelance ghostwriter such as myself, schedules are vastly important to success. A lot of people believe working from home gives them ultimate freedom in working hours they want. This isn’t entirely accurate. Some type of scheduling is ideal if you want to try to juggle everything that is in your life.
As a ghostwriter, I found working normal business hours made me far more money than writing at night. When it comes to the blog, I find that scheduling time in my mornings and right before lunch to be the most opportune times. It’s all about creating balance if you want to increase your blogging efforts.
Develop Confidence
Confidence can be one of the biggest contributors to stalls whether you’re a blogger or trying to create that perfect novel. You need to find a way that can help boost your confidence as a writer. Setting daily goals is a good way to build this. The more often you break your own records, the more you realize your own potential.
For me, it’s all about producing a certain number of words. If I can surpass personal records, I give myself a proverbial pat on the back. And yes, I feel like a bad ass when I surpass weekly records. And that’s what it’s all about: making yourself feel good through your own accomplishments.
Why Do You Blog?
Perhaps one of the biggest questions you need to ask yourself is, “Why do you blog?” Is it for money, celebrity, helping others or just because you like to share? There are a number of reasons why people take to the Internet to write. Understanding why you do may help prevent stalls in your own writing.
Don’t doubt that you’re making an impact in the world. Even if one person reads your post, you’re making a difference. Success isn’t always measured with money or traffic.
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