You may have noticed that Studs and Dreams has been a bit on and off for the past couple of years, with a few gaps of no content, a little on the larger side than I would perhaps have liked - but I'M BACK BABY, I've got my mojo back and I've got a few tips for how you can get here too.
I started this blog back in 2012 - just before I started Uni and just under 6 years later my life is completely different. And finding the place for this little space on the internet in my life has been super difficult hence the irregular content. Not for the lack of trying, but life gets blooming busy. I started this blog when I had a lot of time for it but for the past few years I've had a full-time job so finding time to blog, relax and socialise has been blooming tough.
If you're reading this, then I expect you've got a blog too and are feeling the same... or perhaps are thinking about starting one and are a little daunted about the task at hand. But don't worry gals, WE'VE GOT THIS.
Read on for a few tips to find your blog/life balance...
Don't pressure yourself
I got myself into a bit of a pickle back when I was blogging regularly. The norm seemed to be to blog every single day and I tried to keep up with that. I'd find I'd blog in bulk and schedule it all only to find myself without time to keep up with it... and with that I always felt super negatively about getting on my laptop and writing something up. All that pressure does not make for good content. When you force yourself it's easy to feel uninspired, and if you're feeling uninspired writing it then whoever is reading it is bound to feel that way too.
Take some time away from the blog
When you're ready to come back to it, you'll know. Give yourself time to rest and recuperate away from the internet. A social detox if you will. Trust me, you'll come back with a fresh mind and lots of things you want to talk about. And really don't worry if that isn't just a couple of weeks, if it's a couple of months or longer, that's okay too - I did it, and my blog is still here and waiting for me and I feel more inspired than ever.
Take a couple of days off work
Now this has been the absolute game-changing factor in me getting my blog mojo back. I know not everyone will have the luxury to be able to do this, but if you work full-time alongside your blog like I do, it's perfect to give yourself some time to relax and solely think about what you're doing. For me, my job is very similar to my blog - I work in Social Media for beauty brands within a PR agency at the moment and I found it tough to feel inspired to come home and continue to think and talk about products. So finding that separation with a bit of time off to get some life admin done and work on my blog has truly inspired me.
Go to blogging events and talk to other bloggers
With feeling so out of the blogging loop, I didn't really feel comfortable going to blogger events but lately I've forced myself to go out to a couple and I've been chatting to a few lovely girls at work that have inspired me (you know who you are!) and this has inspired me second to none. Chatting to others that are in the same position as you can help more than I can even tell you. If you can't make it to any events in person, get on Twitter and see who's out there, and see how that helps.
Read through your previous blog posts
Have a look at the content you used to create. I adored looking through my previous posts and it truly made me feel inspired to get everything back up and running. Looking at the amazing experiences I've had, previous favourite products and everything I used to do gave me lots of new ideas and gave me inspiration to get creative again.
Check out what your favourite bloggers have been writing
Seeing what other people are up to seriously helps to give me a boost to get involved. If you're feeling stuck in a rut, check out the other bloggers in the blogosphere and see how that makes you feel. Don't replicate what they're doing, use it to inspire you to create your own ideas and get your emoji back. Are there any new trends? New tags (do people still do this?!)? New products everyone is talking about? Seeing what else is out there can really make you feel back in the loop and ready to get your blog on.
Don't say yes to everything
It can get incredibly overwhelming. Saying yes to trying all of the new products, going to all of the events. When you work full-time, it's impossible to do it all so try to be selective about what you agree to to ensure you don't burn out and end up doing nothing. You're hearing this from a girl who has been there time and time again, and trust me, it never works.
Ease yourself back in with Instagram
If you've taken a bit of time out of the blogging world, it can be hard to jump back in and get back on with all of the channels. I found easing myself back in with updating my Instagram @studsanddreams the best way to test the waters. Giving this a go again, really helped and it made me miss using my blog as a space to truly write all of my thoughts down.
Write a blog post like this
It is so therapeutic and it makes you realise everything that has been going wrong with what you're doing. List it all out and perhaps you'll help a couple of people along the way too.
Finally, you have got this! Don't feel like you have to do anything, as soon as you do everything can go wrong. Take it easy and get ready to get your blog mojo back!
Lorna x
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