What to do when you’ve hit a blogging brick wall

Last year I hit a brick wall with blogging. From September to December I didn’t post as much as I normally would or as much as I wanted to because I didn’t have the motivation. I basically hit a blogging brick wall. And it sucked. I felt like giving up on my blog because I wasn’t sure anyone cared about it, I felt inadequate compared to other bloggers and just generally felt like it wasn’t worth my time anymore. And I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking these thoughts. The blogging community is an amazing place, but it can also feel daunting to be such a little fish in an absolute ginormous pond full of talented, creative and beautiful ‘big’ fish. But having the break and hitting the brick wall taught me a few things that I thought I’d share with you all. So these are my tips on what to do when you’ve hit a blogging brick wall:

You’re only in competition with yourself

We’re all guilty of this but stop comparing yourself to others in the blogging world. There will always be bloggers who are more successful, take better pictures and seem to work with the most amazing brands, but that’s OK. Comparing yourself to others will only leave you feeling inadequate and after all, you’re only in competition with yourself. So focus on yourself and how you can improve your blog to make it the very best it can be.

This isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon

Success doesn’t happen to anyone overnight. Even the most successful bloggers only got to where they are after years and years of hard work. And I’m sure they also felt like they’d hit a brick wall at times. If you’ve just started out, it’s easy to feel disheartened if you don’t immediately create a loyal readership or start earning money from your blog within the first year. But being a successful blogger is a long term goal rather than a short term project. I’ve been blogging for three years now and didn’t start to receive blogging event invitations or working with PRs until my second year of blogging. Blogging really does take hard work and determination, and sometimes you just have to keep going.

Take a step back

If you want to stop blogging for a while, then stop. It’s OK to take a break and gather your thoughts or go and seek inspiration. A brick wall can often be seen as an obvious sign that something is wrong and that we should be doing something better. So use it an opportunity to slow down and think about what changes you’d like to make to your blog. It could you’re not happy with the content, or feel like you rush each post to ensure you’re publishing a new post every single day. Whatever it is, if you’re not happy blogging then it’s OK to take a break while you work out what make you and your blog happier.

Reach out

There’s nothing wrong with reaching out to people when you’re stuck or need help and advice. If you’ve hit a blogging brick wall because you’re not sure what to write about any more than ask your readers what they’d like to see on your blog. If you’re not how to take your blog to the next level, then ask your blogging pals for help and advice. The blogging community really is full of such lovely, friendly and helpful people so don’t be afraid reach out to them if you need some help.

Remember why you started your blog

There are many reasons why I blog and when I hit my blogging brick wall, it really helped for me to remember why I started Merry Musing in the first place. I started this as a creative outlet to share my passions. And despite the down days that can come with blogging, I still feel a huge sense of achievement for having started this blog and committed to it for the past three years. Looking back I really have come so far in the past three years and remembering this makes me excited for what the next three years could bring.

What are your other tips for what to do when your hit a blogging brick wall?