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5:23 pm
February 18, 2011
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Andi B.
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I'm wondering how everyone manages burnout. I see a lot of blogs go temporarily stagnant, and I hear a lot about burnout. I know I've had difficulties keeping regular on my writing lately. What do you guys do?
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Andi B.
Make the life you want.
Enjoy good food.
Enjoy good friends.
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5:55 pm
February 18, 2011
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Budgeting in the Fun Stuff
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I take a full 3 day weekend off every 6-8 weeks and a full week off 1-2 times a year. So far, so good, but I've only been blogging for a year.
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7:55 pm
February 18, 2011
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JT_McGee
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Slow and steady.
Really, I think the best defense is a good offense. I've several weeks of blog posts already planned that aren't time sensitive. If something interesting pops up as well, I just throw that in on one of the other days.
I'm a patient person though. Having launched more than a few sites, they start to get routine after awhile and throttling back doesn't seem like the biggest deal in the world. I'm happy with my slow n' steady 2 posts per week + 1 round up. That's 104 posts about things I really care about per year, and I don't have to stretch my time or ideas too thin. :)
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8:54 pm
February 18, 2011
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Buck Inspire
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Great question. There were times when life got challenging… I think you have to keep your wits about you and also learn to do things other than work on your blog. After moving, I forced myself to use the new gym. Sometimes just stepping away from the computer helps. I work on it all day and blog on it all night. I would say computer burnout could be the bigger issue. Good luck. Slow and steady is great advice, too! 
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7:31 am
February 19, 2011
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dealerity
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To me it's about not being so committed to my posting schedule that it becomes a pain to write. Also, sounds obvious but I write about things that I'm truly passionate about. If I weren't passionate, it would be hard to fit in blogging into an already hectic slew of commitments.
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9:05 am
February 19, 2011
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Invest It Wisely
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moderntightwad said:
I'm wondering how everyone manages burnout. I see a lot of blogs go temporarily stagnant, and I hear a lot about burnout. I know I've had difficulties keeping regular on my writing lately. What do you guys do?
Do what you can! I've dealt with a crazy move and over the past couple of nights stayed up late putting together a desk that had 200 parts to it… :P
Just be aware that you can't do everything so focus on doing what you can in the activities that add the most value, and there's nothing wrong with taking a break or going slow for a while!
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9:35 am
February 19, 2011
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Barbara Friedberg
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I resonate to Kevin's ideas. You also have to let go of the focus on "ranking" on a day to day basis. Realize that blogging is extremely time intensive. Decide what "your personal blogging goals are." Stop comparing yourself to others and focus on what your own personal motivations are. Also, most blogs are short lived. I believe if you want to endure in the blogging world, you must take a "slow and steady approach." I only look at my portfolio value every 2 months or so. Use a long term viewpoint on blogging as well. If you want to be around in several years, you can't keep up a hectic, high pressure pace unless you have more than 24 hours in a day.
Trust me, we all think about this issue. Kudos for bringing it up!!!
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10:30 am
February 19, 2011
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JT_McGee
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I should have mentioned: Consider the benefits of 1 more article vs something else you could do to improve your site.
People get burnt out because they do the same thing over and over again. That thing in blogging is creating new content. But what if you cut from five posts per week to four, and spent the extra "article's worth" of time commenting on other blogs, building links, or just making new connections to people in your circle?
That's one thing I've really been happy with in my slow-building mode: I have sufficient time to make the Yakezie rounds, read what other people are writing about and leave a comment if I feel compelled. Also, since I post only two unique articles per week, every single article of mine is submitted to a blog carnival. That helps a ton on the promotion side, I think.
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3:44 pm
February 20, 2011
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retireby40
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Life had been crazy this week and I didn't have time to update my site at all.
In these situation, Yakezie members can always help out with a guest post to carry you through the tough time.
Don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it.
Thanks to Crystal, Jake, Broke Professionals and others. I was able to get a few guest posts up and my site didn't go completely stale.
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7:47 pm
February 20, 2011
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Andi B.
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I had no idea this was on everyone else's plate too. It's nice to know that everyone's got thoughts on this (and several plans I can implement), but I think I want to add, do you ever lose passion for your topic?
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Andi B.
Make the life you want.
Enjoy good food.
Enjoy good friends.
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11:54 am
February 21, 2011
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Barbara Friedberg
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That's the benefit of the forums, it gives us community in what is in essence a solitary pursuit. It's a great support to realize what one is going through others experienced or are experiencing. I regularly try to remove "shoulds" from my lilfe. One of my early blogging pals, Jacq from single mom rich mom, talked about this very issue several months ago. Let's keep the conversation going.
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11:27 am
February 22, 2011
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Buy Like Buffett
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I agree with JT and Barb. I try to write a lot of content so that if I don't feel like blogging I don't have too. Every blogger goes through burnout at one time or another. You have to step away and recharge your batteries(do smething totally unrelated to blogging).
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11:44 am
February 22, 2011
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Aloysa
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How do I manage burnout? I delete my blog!
I experienced burnout first hand. But you probably know it… I burned out, deleted the site, sat on it for a week, came back…. It was the best thing I ever did. I mean coming back. What I did was quite extreme but I don't regret it at all. Opened my eyes to a lot of things. I would not recommend this move to anyone. I wouldn't do again. I just could have given myself a break. If you need help, ask for it and don't do anything drastic. Take a break and come back when you are ready. Talking on Yakezie forums also helps. Good Luck!
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1:46 pm
February 22, 2011
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Buck Inspire
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Sorry had to laugh. That was kinda funny.
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9:04 pm
February 26, 2011
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Sustainable PF
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Hi folks …
I am a blogger, and i'm burnt out.
Weird for someone as young as our site to say …
Thing is, we're posting 10 times a week …
I am responsible for all things cosmetic and back ground for the site …
I deal with all guest posters and advertisers and affiliate programs …
I am burnt out I think, and I need help from this network.
Given i'm an IT guy by trade, I fix up Mrs. SPFs posts (adding GOOD images, SEO, links we like to our tips (this takes about 60 mins PER tip – so 5-7 hrs per week)
Plus our weekend round up, which SO many appreciate i'd hate to turn into a cow's meal of posts …. I really like to discuss why I picked each and every post – but the weekly reading takes 3-4 hrs.
Thing is, we're TWO. But Mrs. SPF only has enough time to write 5 tips a week and 1 post every 2 weeks. So I end up shouldered with everything other than the production of her writing these pieces …
Help?
I've thought about giving up recently. We are so "addicted" to success that I feel I cannot stop my activeness (here, other forums, posting on sites I love, reading, learning, etc etc etc )
UGH
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12:03 am
February 27, 2011
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Buck Inspire
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Hey SPF,
Hang in there buddy! Very big of you to admit it to everyone and yourself. I totally understand where you're coming from. Blogging is great, but can be addicting, which can take its toll, too. I've struggled a bit myself. Had to mentally scale back. Still keeping my post schedule, but I was almost burning out on the other stuff, commenting, reading, promoting, guest posting, learning, improving, knocking down Alexa, lots of stuff…
Plus, didn't you go through a terrible break in? Give yourself a break. Plus, your posting 10 times a week, is a little insane  . You've netted the fruits of your labor, but at a very high cost. I think you might have to scale back. Burning yourself out isn't worth it. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
Hang in there. Rooting for ya guys!
Buck 
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12:29 am
February 27, 2011
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Adam Gottlieb
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Post edited 12:34 am – February 27, 2011 by Adam Gottlieb
Hi all,
Here are a few tips that have helped me… usually, sometimes I slip
-Sit down and make a list of your major tasks (daily and weekly)- for example: posting to your blog, commenting on other people's blogs, social networking, following up on leads, working on projects, etc.
-Now, take a look at your week and create a schedule, allocating a block of time and a day for each task- for example: Mondays and Wednesdays in the morning write a post for your site and respond to comments in the afternoon; Tuesdays and Thursdays in the morning comment on the blogs of others, spend the rest of the morning and afternoon working with clients; Fridays- tie up loose ends.
-You MUST have some system in place to measure the ROI on your online activities so that you can cut out anything that you are doing that is not giving you enough return for you effort
-Make sure you take breaks, have down time, go out for a walk, hang out with friends and family- especially if you are working from home.
-Get support, encouragement, and advice from those who have "made it."
-@Sustainable PF I understand you don't want to compromise on the quality and pace of your site's content, but can you outsource some of your duties? Maybe hire someone to take on some of the editing or even the write-ups
-And, please everyone keep in mind that just because there is Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, this social network and that social network, it doesn't mean that you need to be involved in everythingto be successful online. Pick your initiatives and your networks carefully! It is better to be fully involved in a few online places than half involved in many of them… and imo it's better to leave a few quality comments than many that say basically nothing.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
Adam Gottlieb
The Frugal Entrepreneur
@frugalentrepren
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7:27 am
February 27, 2011
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Jason@LiveRealNow
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Sustainable PF said:
Given i'm an IT guy by trade, I fix up Mrs. SPFs posts (adding GOOD images, SEO, links we like to our tips (this takes about 60 mins PER tip – so 5-7 hrs per week)
Ick.
Images: Get something like the Zemi plugin, that hits flickr and a few other sites for images relevent to what you are writing. One click insertion.
SEO: What are you doing? keyword research, link building?
Links: Can you just use a custom search for your favorite sites, or the Yakezie custom search? It makes finding links easier. When I'm feeling rushed, this gets neglected.
What can you cut? Mr. Pareto knows you are getting 80% of your benefit from 20% of your labor, so cut whatever isn't contributing to the 80%.
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9:19 am
February 27, 2011
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Invest It Wisely
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Jason@LiveRealNow said:
Sustainable PF said:
Given i'm an IT guy by trade, I fix up Mrs. SPFs posts (adding GOOD images, SEO, links we like to our tips (this takes about 60 mins PER tip – so 5-7 hrs per week)
Ick.
Images: Get something like the Zemi plugin, that hits flickr and a few other sites for images relevent to what you are writing. One click insertion.
SEO: What are you doing? keyword research, link building?
Links: Can you just use a custom search for your favorite sites, or the Yakezie custom search? It makes finding links easier. When I'm feeling rushed, this gets neglected.
What can you cut? Mr. Pareto knows you are getting 80% of your benefit from 20% of your labor, so cut whatever isn't contributing to the 80%.
I have the same issue with images as SPF, so I'm curious about this Zemi plugin. I searched for it but couldn't find it. I also wonder if it might just be time to sign up to something like iStockPhoto to save myself the time searching for a suitable image.
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11:25 am
February 27, 2011
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Jason@LiveRealNow
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