Lately both of us have been finding ourselves wanting to take our personal blogs back to basics. We miss sharing fun one-off creative projects even if they might not bring in a ton of views, and writing whatever interests us at the time, even if it’s not the most Pinterest-worthy. It might seem like a great way lose followers, but I actually see going back to basics as a great opportunity to hone in on what you truly want your blog to be.
Going back to the basics (see below for how to do it!) can give us a refreshed perspectives on the things we post, and it’s a great way to fall back in love with blogging. I think every business can benefit from that “remember why you started” reflection, and once you let go of formulas and rules for just a bit, you rediscover your purpose, voice, and vision. Here are a few ways I go back to basics when I get off track, and why they help!
Focus *just* on written content
With blogging comes photography, social media, web design, SEO, and more, all of which help grow your traffic. However, for me, the article itself is really at the heart of it all. You can’t really have a website with nothing on it! So when I’m feeling unorganized I’ll give myself a pass on those other duties for a couple days, and make huge brainstorm lists and hand-write a ton of drafts. Stripping away the other components of a blog helps me take the leap and dive in.
Ignore the “shoulds”
In addition to those more concrete responsibilities that a blog comes with, there’s also a ton of blogging rules. If you scroll through TBM you’ll see that there are a lot of rules we give advice on how to follow, but there are a lot of rules we break! As important as things like niche, audience, and even catchy blog titles can be, it’s helpful to ignore all those for awhile and come up with content that isn’t dependent on trends or expectations. Then, if you want, you can work all those other things in before posting. Sometimes it’s easier to write the piece and then find a way to present it so that it will perform for your blog’s needs .
Interrupt your current schedule
I think more people are realizing this now, but for awhile it seemed that world events or things that happen to you personally weren’t allowed in blog world. Maybe you blog about food so it doesn’t seem quite right to talk about social issues. And you totally don’t have to (and if you end up doing it just because you think you should, re-think the point above). But if you do want to get personal on your blog, don’t let your current schedule of content stop you. Don’t be afraid to let readers know that there’s an actual person behind the computer. It’s kind of an old school way of going about blogging that I think is still really important and relevant today.
Does going back to basics ever cross your mind? What do you do when you’re stuck?
Gemma says
Brilliant!
Gemma
http://www.fadedwindmills.com
Marieke | Bluebell Forest says
I totally agree with you! For me blogging is all about creativity and writing about what interests me or what is happening around me. This makes my content not focused at all, but in the end these are the things I think are worth it writing about… I’m breaking a massive rule I know haha. Also I just can’t really use instagram. How important it may be, for me it’s just nog interesting and even no help at all…
Michelle says
LOVE this! I have been feeling so un-motivated and overwhelmed and wanting to go back to blogging for the love of blogging. I don’t depend on my blog for an income so I have the freedom to do whatever I want with it. I think it’s time I do that…
Angela says
I agree! Thanks Michelle!
Michelle says
Really loved this post!
Kelsey says
Great post! To be honest, when I feel stuck, my blog goes quiet for like a month. O_O But these are some good suggestions, especially focusing on the written content and letting the other stuff take a back seat for a minute. Thanks for this! :)
Briana says
This is such good advice! When you get caught up in photos, SEO, and all that stuff, it can be hard to focus on what the blog is all about: written content!
Thank you for this!
xoxo
Iida says
This is a great post! I’m currently blogging for my business and sometimes I just wish I could post some personal stuff there but at the same time I know it’s not actually appropriate. But since I love personal blogging so much I’ve been thinking about starting a whole new blog which is going to be all about me and the stuff I enjoy blogging about. No specific niche, no SEO rules or anything. Just me having fun blogging.