Overcome the lack of motivation that stops your blogging – once and for all!
Did you know that most bloggers experience lack of motivation at some point? When it happens to you, do you have any idea why your blogging stops? Interestingly, it isn’t always about running out of topics to write about despite of what we may think. Because even the most exciting topic won’t always help us to start writing!
Let’s face it – it can be hard to keep a blog going. Being writer, editor, photographer, blog promoter and social media manager all rolled into one can become frustrating. Especially when you started your blog because you just wanted to write.
The trouble is, your blogging success will depend on your level of motivation. Not blogging affects your stats and without a growth in views you soon wonder what the point is. It can be a vicious circle. The answer is to work out what keeps you motivated in your blog and try to be consistent. Because inconsistency is still one of the top reasons why blogs fail!
Some of the reasons behind lack of motivation
You know when you haven’t blogged for a while but may not want to think about it because it makes you feel guilty. The one thing I remember from my early blogging days is how paralysing this guilt felt. This was procrastination at its worst.
But then I also remembered something I’d learned in my teacher training days: how much we need motivation to keep us going!
When lack of motivation affects you, it is a good idea to look at the possible reasons.
What is missing for you?
Perhaps your writing has been a bit random and you miss a clear focus or direction?
Or you are too hard on yourself?
For some people it can be both. It’s easy to lose focus and even easier to feel critical of yourself.
When we are afraid to fail, both ourselves and our readers, we don’t feel good enough which makes it much harder to be creative.
At other times, life or work just gets in the way. This happens to all of us and can be such an easy way to lose motivation.
Try to be gentle with yourself and mindful about what is important to you. Where does your writing fit in now? Is it important enough to keep going, one way or another?
Creativity as a self-care tool can do wonders for our motivation!
What to do (and not to do) about lack of motivation
Some people believe that to motivate yourself just requires effort, you simply push yourself harder. Some people also believe they should be blogging having heard it’s still a powerful way to get noticed.
But here lies the problem.
Staying motivated to do something you should do – rather than want to do – is inherently difficult.
I remember how often I used to have to remind two of my three (now grown) kids to tidy their room. Only the youngest didn’t need to be told. She liked her room to be tidy whereas the other two didn’t see the benefits and ‘telling’ them therefore didn’t work. So I would often resort to the ‘carrot on a stick’ method to try and motivate them. (I was a rather busy working mum back then!)
Apply this example to blogging and you can see why some people will find it hard. They need a strong reason to overcome their inertia, whether it’s an immediate tangible benefit or the threat of negative consequences.
If you can’t see a tangible benefit, how about deciding on one of your own? (Rewards always works better than punishment in my experience.)
On a simple level this could be a special treat for when you have worked hard on a new post.
Being accountable can help too, and you could always reach out to another blogger or a coach for support. Or you could challenge yourself with new goals, even take part in a blogging challenge.
All this could give you a quick boost of motivation when you need it. (But please read on if you’d like the kind of motivation that goes deeper and lasts longer.)
2 great ways to identify your inner motivation
Here are a few ways to help you tap into your inner (also called intrinsic) motivation. Because your blogging motivation will feel so much stronger when you know the non-tangible (emotional) reason that makes it all worthwhile.
1. What are the reasons why you do what you do?
Start with the role your blog plays in your business or your life. What’s your inner driver here?
Some people feel a deep sense of personal satisfaction when they write. Perhaps they share their knowledge and express their ideas in their own unique way. Perhaps they hope to leave a legacy or write a book. Often, the blog is a stepping stone to something else.
What is it for you?
But what if the first thing that springs to mind is to make money? There is nothing wrong with that although I would try to look beyond money… what will having money allow you to do? Have a better life? Secure a better future for your family? Treat yourself to dream holidays?
One of my clients once told me she had a secret dream to earn enough money to buy a holiday home in her home country. When we explored this some more, she mentioned feeling homesick and wanting to be close to her family yet with her own space. I encouraged her to focus on the new life rather than the money she needed to fulfill her dream. She did whatever it took to build her reputation and secure the right contracts. She blogged, networked, spoke at events (often about topics from her blog) and was able to achieve her goal in less time than she had thought possible in her wildest dreams.
Can you guess her reply to why she blogged? “It is part of what I do to follow my dream!”
2. Who else other than you benefits from what you do?
Some people write purely for their readers because they love helping people. This can be a great motivator. What matters to them is the difference they make. For example, how they impact their readers’ health or relationships, their environment or business – and perhaps ultimately their life.
Do you know who that person is for you?
And how does your blog benefit them?
- How does it make your readers feel?
- What do they do or achieve as a result of reading your blog?
- And finally… what would you like to be known for?
We all have to remind ourselves from time to time why we do what we do.
Always look at the big picture
Each time you blog you have a unique opportunity to further your own dream as well as make a difference to someone else’s life. What you share has the power to be the catalyst that changes someone’s thinking. And perhaps even their actions.
All this can put a whole new spin on any writer’s motivation to blog. It should help you to reignite the passion and the motivation for your blog and understand how it fits into your life.
But that’s not all.
Remember every post you write is part of a bigger story. A story that will help you or your reader in a way that only you can, given your unique expertise and personal experiences. Every post you write helps your readers to get an idea what else you may be able to do for them. A blog post will always be so much more convincing than a factual webpage or a social media post that disappears in a flash.
Therefore, finding your real motivation is always worth it. And you are worth it too.
