Anyone who’s a regular visitor of this blog (hi, parents) may have noticed that my posts have become a little less frequent lately. I wrote earlier this year about taking a different approach with this blog and slowing down, and there have been some changes with my day job that have made things even busier lately, but I also have just been feeling pretty…meh… when it comes to blogging.

In fact, despite having recently had a three week (mostly work-related) adventure in Europe, which came only weeks after having traveled around Asia for two weeks (no work, all play!), I feel like I have so much more I want to say about both trips than what’s currently on my blog, but I just haven’t felt particularly motivated to write more. Perhaps I’m just tired; it’s hard to say. Right now, I just don’t feel that usual push to get information out like I typically do. Instead, I want to spend my down time doing other things besides writing. I guess you could say this is writer’s block (or blogger’s block).

Anyway, I figured if I write a blog about what to do when you don’t feel like blogging, maybe it will motivate me to blog more, especially now that I actually have the time. We can work on this together!

Try Something New
It’s easy to get caught up in our everyday routines, where we may feel uninspired by all that’s around us. By trying or doing something new, it may shake up our perspective and motivate us to think (and hopefully blog) about something we would not have before. I admit, I’m not a podcast person. I want to be, but I’m too inconsistent about it. That said, I was recently listening to a great podcast with the founder of my favorite fitness studio, 305 Fitness, and at one point she was speaking about what drives her. Listening to her podcast motivated me to write this blog post (among other things), but without listening to it, I probably would still be vegging on my couch like a bump on a log.

Look for Inspiration in the Every Day
On the flip side, maybe your routine is perfectly fine and you just need to force yourself to look at your routine through fresh eyes. I take the New York City subway to and from work most days, and I’ve grown so used to it that I tune out so much around me while I scroll and type on my phone, oblivious to so much potential material. I’ve been really into yoga these days, and of course one big thing about yoga is its focus on mindfulness, which is essentially bringing one’s full attention to the present. I bring that up because I think being more present, more mindful, could also help with drawing more inspiration from the every day.

Dedicate the Time to Getting It Done
Let’s be real - if blogging were my real job (i.e., the one that paid the bills), I would be getting it done. Period. No questions asked. Because it’s my job. But, as I’ve written about before, blogging is my hobby, therefore I have the choice of whether I blog or not. The dangerous thing about that is that lately I’ve been saying to myself that I just don’t have the time or the inclination to write, but I haven’t made any plans to make the time. I used to dedicate the time, and I think I need to get back to that because I do actually like writing, I just need to give myself the kick in the pants and the time to do it.

Be Ready to Write When You’re Feeling Inspired
Last night, a blog post idea came into my head while I was laying in bed, and I immediately sat up and started writing in the Notes app on my phone. After a few paragraphs, the words stopped flowing, so I put my phone down and left the blog post for another time. That’s kind of how my blogging has been going lately - in fits and starts. Again, not something I would be doing if blogging were my actual job, but in general, it’s better than nothing. That’s why I feel strongly that it’s better to be ready to write something when you’re feeling inspired than to write nothing at all. Just make sure you come back to it so you don’t have a ton of half written posts building up.

Bring in a Guest Blogger (or Several)
I’ve debated this myself in the past, but ultimately decided it’s not for me at this point in time. That said, it could be for you if you’re a blogger who doesn’t want to do all the blogging yourself – bring in some guest bloggers! It certainly achieves the goal of keeping content flowing while taking the pressure off of you to keep generating content. It also helps from an awareness standpoint because those guest bloggers are likely sharing the posts they’ve written with their respective networks, which only drives traffic to your site. So…hm, why am I not using guest bloggers again??? I need to think about this…

Take a Break (or Stop)
One of my favorite bloggers, C’est Christine, wrote earlier this year about taking a break from blogging. I love this post because it was just so honest about feeling overwhelmed with life’s demands and feeling as though posting on Instagram and on her blog was feeling more forced than anything else. I say this not to say that I feel the same way (though at times I definitely have), but to say that if something isn’t enjoyable – it truly isn’t enjoyable, and in your heart you know it’s not adding to your life – step away from it. Take a break. And if you find that the break is actually working out for you, stop doing it. Close that chapter of your life and move on from there. Easier said than done, I know, but I think in the long run, you’ll be glad you did it.

Ultimately this is about motivating yourself to do something, whether that’s blogging or something else entirely. How do you motivate yourself when you’re simply feeling unmotivated?