It’s common knowledge that most blogs don’t make it a year before they go silent. But what happens when a blog that’s been going on for nearly six years suddenly stops?
I’ve been thinking about that a lot because last week, I didn’t blog and I didn’t even go on WordPress. What was happening? Nothing, really. I was busy with work and life and trying to exercise more and get the house in order. Spring has a way of making me want to clean things up a bit. And I took a mini trip.
Time is finite. I couldn’t do all those things and also spend the usual time on my blog. It worried me. Was I tired of reading books and talking about them? Was I burning out? As the days passed and I continued to find other real world things to do, those questions nagged me.
I think I just needed a break. Now I’m refreshed and ready to jump back in. I have 107 unread blog posts waiting for me, a bunch of comments to reply to and the regular feed, so it could take a while!
How have you been? Have you ever found yourself in a blogging slump?
Thanks for visiting – come back soon!
Book Club Mom 
You’re definitely not alone, Barbara! There are only so many hours in a day, and if I’d rather go for a hike than write a blog, I try not to feel (too) guilty about it. I look at it this way: I can get a lot of closet space reorganized in the time I would have spent writing a blog I don’t want to write! Happy Spring to you, and we’ll all look forward to reading your blogs when you feel like writing them—no judgment here!
I know what you’re saying. Today I took a walk and, while I often listen to an audio book while I’m walking, this time I just walked “free” and listened to the birds. It was a lot more refreshing!
I’ve been in this position multiple times in the last two years. Luckily, I’ve popped back, but unfortunately I know in the near future that something needs to give.
Spring has a way of doing that to us it seems: house chores and yard work, etc. Glad you’re feeling refreshed now! 😉⚘👍
Hi Mischenko 😉 It’s a balancing act for sure. I think I went too hard at the end of the month and, even though I was having fun, I must have hit a wall. It’s good to take a break now and then. I didn’t stop reading, though, so I have lots of material! Happy spring to you!
I find myself in a forced slump….I fractured my right wrist last Sunday and I’ve been putting off the task of facing how cumbersome writing posts is going to be for the near future. Usually I approach blog writing eagerly, my fingers fly across the keyboard. I’m in the midst of painstakingly writing my first post and your post popped into my feed. 🤣 I am grateful my situation is only temporary and where there’s a will there’s a way!!! Sometimes life happens and blogging is put into perspective….glad you had a good “break” …in the best sense of the word! 🤣
Oh no! That’s too bad. Well even if you write blog posts, you can always read a book! I hope you are feeling better, Carol. Thanks for the visit.
You’re not alone… Glad to have you back! 🙂
Thank you Bette! Part of is that I have new hours at work and two of the days are later in the day, so I tend to do a bunch around the house and then do my shift at the library. Then I’m out of pep!
Yes, as the above comments state, you are not alone. I also have a blog that’s been sporadic at best. You’re entitled to time off. Like my mother often said, “Take care of yourself. Nobody else will.” Sounds grim but I know she meant that each of us is in charge of our own lives. So much we can’t control but there’s a lot we can and must.
So true. Thanks for the visit!
I hope your visit to my blog didn’t wear you out, Barbara! It’s great to see you. Thank you again for visiting. As my blog has grown, more comments, etc. I’ve have to cut back on my posting frequency, especially with deadlines looming.
You’re the best, Jill. And your blog is “Comment Central!”
LOL! It can get chatty. Thanks again, Barbara!
Chatty is good, Jill! 🙂
I also become obsessed with spring cleaning. This year it will really be tough – my list of projects is looooong. Blog will suffer but I don’t think anyone will miss me!
I will – but I know you’ll check in with your blogging friends. I have some outdoor stuff to do too, and it will only get worse if we wait! Happy spring to you 🙂
Well hello! I’ve been busy. I think I’ve broken that 1 year mark. I am fast approaching the end of my tenth year. And boy don’t things never stay the same. 😉
No they don’t – 10 years, that’s great. You have such a high quality blog. I love your sketches and the words you choose. Happy blogging Wednesday!
You have genuinely made me feel good about what I’ve been trying to do here. I can’t thank you enough.
Well deserved!
Thank you 🙂
It happens all the time. I feel useless and like a terrible member of this community because there are times when I just get up, go to work, go to sleep and it’s a cycle I can’t break. However, that’s life for us all. It’s important to know that the community will still be here waiting for you when you return. X
Very true, Books and Bakes there is always a spot for you with me! 🙂
Likewise my friend. 🌹
Yes! My posts are rather long with lots of pictures so they take a lot of time to get together. My schedule was 2 a month for at least 4 years but I’ve had a lot of trouble even getting out one per month in 2019. I tell myself, the posts are involved, one counts as two . . . (Oh, no, flashback to one of your last posts about the ellipsis. Hopefully, my punctuation hasn’t offended anyone.)
Hi Karen, I always enjoy your posts – they are so well thought out and interesting. Although I’m not a published writer (other than the blog), I do believe it’s important to live and experience things because that’s what gives us something to write about. I wouldn’t worry about offending anyone with your punctuation. Here’s an ellipsis for you…for old time’s sake! Thanks for the visit and comments. 🙂
Been there, done that and got the guilty blogposts afterwards to proof it. 😉
Hi Sarah, we shouldn’t feel guilty, though, because we have all been through it. I know if I try to explain it to my non-blogging friends and family, they don’t quite understand! I’m glad to be back. Thanks for stopping by and commenting 🙂
No, we really shouldn’t – but we do anyway, right? 😉 Have a lovely weekend, Barbara!
True that!
Barbara, I wouldn’t think of it as a slump rather as a much needed break! 😀We all need time away from things we love doing and after six years I would say a blogging break is well overdue! As you know I often take enxtended time away when in Sweden (as now but couldn’t help but pop over to comment on your post). What has become necessary as my blog grew is to blog less frequently – with commenting on my own and others I found my other work suffering! Happy Spring to you! 😀🌺
Hi Annika, I know exactly what you mean. I got back on WordPress yesterday, hoping to read a bunch of blogs, but I’ve spent most of the time replying to comments. That’s the sign of a good post, so it makes me happy. I keep saving the posts I haven’t read in an email folder and I will start to go through them over the weekend. I’m looking forward to catching up! I did a big house clean not too long ago and, although the yard is beginning to require attention, I’ll have some time! Thanks for your words of encouragement. Hope you’re having a nice visit to Sweden. 🙂
I wouldn’t call it a ‘blogging slump’, but more a ‘blogging break’, Barbara. I’ve taken several over the years I’ve been blogging and they’ve always done me the world of good. I’ve always come back refreshed and full of new ideas. Some bloggers see taking a blogging break as a failure but, in my opinion, it’s very much the reverse.
The only recommendations I’d make before taking a blogging break is –
1. Inform your readers you’re taking one (you don’t need to say why)
2. Give an idea of how long you’ll be away for
3. Don’t publish any posts during your break (apart from one informing your readers that you’re extending the break)
Those are good recommendations, Hugh. I hadn’t planned to stay away for long, but it turned into a week! Thanks for stopping by – it’s good to hear advice from an experienced blogger!
We all need to take a break sometimes – and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ll repeat what most said above, you’re not alone!
Hi Jina, I think this is only something another blogger would understand. Anyone who doesn’t blog doesn’t know the pressures we put on ourselves to post. I enjoy it very much – that’s the only way it can be worthwhile. But taking a break can be a good thing! Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting.
Nothing wrong with taking a little time away from your blog, and other social media for that matter.
I did notice your absence though! 🙂
Hi Jennifer, thank you for this – I’m glad to be back! Hope you are doing well 🙂
Hey Barb. So I am in exactly the same space. I have thought about putting one or both of my blogs to rest and doing other things. Especially since there is a LOT going on in my life right now. Good stuff, but still a lot to deal with. Which makes blogging a luxury that gets pushed back. But I do like it, and there is no rule that says how frequently I must post. If it’s once a week, or once a month, who cares? Truth is, I write for my personal enjoyment, not to meet any expectations. Hope you are well, and thanks for the post.
Hi Jeff, don’t stop! I really enjoy your posts, especially the Stub Collection – my family and I talk about music a lot and your blog always comes up! But I completely get it, when real life gets busy, which always seems to be the case, the blog has to go on the back burner. I’m glad to be back, though, and I continue to read, so that’s a win right there! Glad you have good things going, Jeff – Cheers! 😉
Yeah, I’ll keep it going, but just taper until everything settles, which should be around August, I’d think. Hope you have a nice weekend.
You too, Jeff!
I feel this way a lot! I used to look on my blogroll several times a day and tried to post a lot, but these days if I get on WordPress twice in a week I feel pretty good. I try to schedule a lot of posts in advance so I’ll still have something when I don’t log on.
That’s a good healthy strategy, Stephanie. I tend to get a little obsessed with the stats, but that can bite me back because, while I really enjoy seeing what kinds of posts have the biggest impact, when I don’t have time to blog, it all seems kind of useless! Still, as everyone is saying, and it’s something I also believe, the connection with other bloggers is what sustains us all. Thanks so much for reading and commenting. I think about you and your library job. We have stuff in common! Hope you are doing well.
Breaks are certainly needed and they can show you whether or not you truly enjoy something or if you’re just doing it because you feel like you should. I rarely miss social media when I take a break from it, but I always find I miss blogging and interacting with other blogs (or trying to).
Hi Tammie, I think you have it right. I don’t do much personal social media. It’s just too time-consuming, but I definitely enjoy the Twitter and FB tie-ins to my blog. I also missed interacting with you all! Thanks for the visit, hope you’re doing well.
It’s difficult sometimes to sustain a blog, follow blogs and do ‘real life’ things as well. A break is always good, although I think if we all took a break on the same week we wouldn’t have so much to catch up with when we returned.
Yes, you’re right on all counts. I didn’t intend to take a break, but I must have needed it! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Oh yes, there are times when I can’t wait to write my next post, and there are times when I wonder what in the world I’m going to write about. It’s all good….sometimes we don’t have time to blog, but that doesn’t mean we have to give it up. There’s nothing wrong with a little break now and then!
Me, too ~ six years and counting.
Have I hit a slump? Oh, yes, so I take a break (2 weeks, usually). A death in the family or intense work on my book throws me out of sync, but then I’m back at it again. I like the connections, one of many reasons I’ll keep at it.
You have a great cheering section here, enough to keep you going. 🙂
Yes, the connections are what makes blogging meaningful. It’s good to balance our cyber worlds with the real ones Thanks for stopping by, Marian.
I did miss you Barbara, but I expected you to come back. Most bloggers I know take breaks now and then, even the die hards like Sally. Everyone needs to revitalise and energise to get their mojo back – I learned that phrase this week from my son – I think it is American.
Haha – yes I believe it is an American phrase. I’m feeling revitalized now – thanks for stopping by and commenting.
I’ve definitely been there. Usually I just need to take a little break–which helps, but can also make me feel like I’m “falling behind.” I find it’s especially hard when I compare myself to all the 20-somethings who post like three times a day. I am soooo not capable of that at this stage in my life. I have young kids and other obligations, and I can’t have everything or do everything at once, so I just have to accept my limitations with as much joy as possible. 🙂
Hi Lorilin – I know. I can’t keep up with the young crowd and, although my kids aren’t little anymore, I have many time demands that come first. I remember when my kids were babies and toddlers. I can’t imaging having a blog back then. I barely got on email and I didn’t have an iPhone (that’s probably a good thing!). Thanks for stopping by – hope you’re doing well. 🙂
That’s interesting, because it’s been a couple.few weeks for me for the same reason. I just needed to not think about it for awhile. Of course the backup is crazy but I’ll just have to do what I can do. Timely post for me.
I think breaks are essential and not just to handle emergencies and a backlog of real-world tasks. I honestly believe that we need to schedule time away from blogs to recharge. A week off every few months does it for me. It feels great to come back recharged. 🙂 Great discussion.
You’re so right. Thanks for joining in!