Tag Archives: burn out

A Whole Lotta Nothing

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A Whole Lotta Nothing

Hi!! Johnny and I have a very strict work week schedule. We are both up around three o’clock so he can prepare for work and I can work from home before visiting clients, then we are in bed by six thirty at the latest to do it again the next day. Needless to say, we don’t do much during the work week unless we absolutely have to to maintain our regularly scheduled programming. Then, on the weekends, we are usually booked solid with plans with friends and family to make up for our five day all work and no play cycle. After what felt like weeks of nonstop work and hang outs we, blessedly, had a low key weekend and it was amazing!!

Outside of stopping by my sister’s house on Friday for a rousing pizza party and viewing of the new Descendants movie, Johnny and I were free as birds this past weekend. And these birds wanted to stay right in their cage! We spent our days off playing games while the other one was sleeping – CyberPunk for Johnny and Pokopia for me and had TV marathons with movies and shows. I was SO excited to finally watch Obsession with Johnny which we both loved and we binged on Blockbuster and Supernatural. We just started watching Supernatural a couple of days prior and had a lot to catch up on… Only fifteen seasons but who’s counting?! 😀

I knew our tanks were running low but I don’t think I realized how much so until we had some free time to veg out. In fact, we even had plans on Saturday but cancelled because we had already become one with the couch. Because of the constant craziness of our schedule, I often begin my work day on Monday feeling like I just didn’t have enough time for myself. That is so not the case as I type this at four o’clock on Monday morning! I feel refreshed, renewed, and wide awake and it is a most welcome change of pace. That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy our weekend outings but it’s to say that sometimes it’s nice to do A Whole Lotta Nothing!

Oftentimes, we don’t notice that we’re getting burned out until it hits us all at once. I think this weekend qualifies as preventative care because any burned out-ness I was feeling has been stopped in its tracks. I’m ready to get back to the grind so bring it the heck on!!

How do you like to spend lazy days? Are you a weekend planner or do you go with the flow? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

How To Avoid Blogging Burn Out

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How To Avoid Blogging Burn Out

Hi! In thirteen short days, I will complete my 1,000 day writing streak on lifewithlilred and I am SO beyond excited! One of the questions that I often get asked, especially as my blog has been going strong for almost seven years now, is how I avoid burn out when it comes to writing. So, today, I thought that I would go over my tips and tricks that help to keep myself fresh and inspired so I can sit down and write every day. Let’s get to it:

It’s All Good:

Are my blog posts always the most insightful? No. Are my pictures on my page the best? Thanks to my old school phone, still no. But do I let those factors stress me out? Definitely not! I write purely for the joy of writing, which is why all of the extra things are not even on my radar. Of course, it’s important for your blog to look nice and presentable but the bells and whistles can get you distracted from the main goal of content creating if you stress about them. Take a breath, relax, and let the words on your posts do the talking.

Keep Your Motivation Up:

I write every day strictly because I want to and that’s what keeps me waking up extra early to blog before work. I want to check in with my readers and friends and I want them all to have daily content to look forward to. This gives me tremendous drive and I wouldn’t be nearing a 1,000 day writing streak without it.

Setting goals for yourself or simply crossing “blogging” off of your to do list every day could be motivating enough. But, if it isn’t that’s okay too! Writing should be a fun activity and not something that you feel like you have to do. If you are feeling burnt out or that you are running out of content, it is always a good idea to take a few days off and then try again. Have a breather, find content inspo, and blog later with a clearer head. There is never any shame in that. ❤

Newsflash:

One of the main pressures that writers put on themselves is having absolutely groundbreaking content and I am here to tell you that you don’t need it! While ultra profound posts are great, that isn’t why your readers keep coming back to you. They visit your page again and again because they like you and feel a connection through your writing. This is extremely comforting to me and, therefore, it makes me feel comfortable with posts where I just have something silly or random to say. Remember, writing becomes more of a chore than a joy when you are too hard on yourself.

It’s The Little Things:

I struggle with writer’s block just as much as anyone and a surefire cure for it is to think outside of the box. You don’t need a major event or a bunch of vacation pics to have a good post. Rather, always keep your eyes open for the little things that happen throughout your day because the content is there if you pay attention. When your blog is a healthy mix of this, that, and the other, it keeps your readers excited to tune in every day because they can’t guess what will be posted on your page next.

For me, blogging on lifewithlilred is all about keeping it footloose and fancy free. This helps eliminate the pressure, keeps my motivation high, and makes me love writing even more every day! ❤

What are some of your tips and tricks when it comes to blogging? What motivates you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah