February 29, 2016

5 Reasons it's Hard to be a Blogger



I've been thinking about this space a lot lately which you wouldn't think by the amount of times I've been showing up in the last few weeks. It's true the new job has limited my blogging time and I can't quite get in a groove yet. 

I keep making up excuses why I'm not blogging. But the truth is, in all honesty, being a blogger is just hard. Even for a not that big or famous of one.
Here are all the reasons that have come to my mind lately that make being a blogger hard, really hard!

1 | Let's start with the most obvious of all. It takes a lot of time. Even as a blogger who isn't out their promoting every post, scheduling content and going after the big bucks, it's a time suck. Writing a post just about how your weekend was or confessing the latest random things in your life takes time. It takes extra hours in front of the computer and away from your everyday life. And that's not even counting the communication it takes to keep your community thriving! Reading and commenting and responding could be a job itself.

2 | It's not the most thrilling of hobbies. Look, I would never be bummed about spending a weekend playing volleyball, travelling or hanging out with my friends or family. But spending a weekend blogging? No, thank you. It's just not the sort of thing I want to spend all my time doing or that I'm proud to talk about with others. I mean I'm not ashamed of my blog, but it's not something I would advertise as the thing that took me away from another activity or just living life.

3 | While we're on the theme of living life, that's another thing that blogging makes hard. Why? Because every other moment there are wheels spinning in the back of my head saying "you should be taking pictures of this" or "this is so going on the blog." And you know what happens to those live-worthy moments? They are lost because I'm not truly living them or being present in the moment. 

4 | Originality is a myth. I know we all want to sit here and say "ever single blogger is unique in their own way" and yes, maybe there's a tiny bit of truth to that. But I don't really feel that way. It seems when I spend time in the blog world reading or sit down to write there's a big red light flashing "It's been done!" In a world where content is king I just feel like, I especially, am lacking anything worth putting out there. Sure I love to write about myself and my dog as much or more than the next person, but that hardly keeps me coming to this space everyday. I feel like if I could make a difference and stand out maybe it would be a lot easier. But that is so very hard these days.

5 | You get very invested. I know all these previous points may make it seem otherwise, but it's true. I feel very invested in this space. The community I've built and the friends I have made are really important to me and every day I don't show up or read their pages I feel like I've dropped the ball. And I hate more than anything to feel like I'm failing in some sort of way. That's how I feel right now, like I'm not present enough for the people who deserve it because they've supported me all this time. And it's killing me. 

So for all of you out there doing this thing called blogging, and rocking it, I salute you. Because it is hard. It is a challenge. And it is worth it.

Thank you for taking on this hard little hobby with me. Thank you for reading, commenting and making it something that is even harder to give up than it is to do. It's all of you that make it that way. 

Now if only I could find a few more hours in the day...

TTFN,
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18 comments:

  1. This is toooo true. I think the hardest posts for me to get done are Monday posts (unless I have something done in advance) because I just don't want to blog on the weekends. And I definitely put a lot of pressure on myself to comment on blogs too. Somehow I used to always be on top of replying to comments, like I never let them pile up...but now like a page and a half of my inbox will be full and I'll have to spend so much time going through and replying to clear them out.

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  2. I always think "this is totally going on my blog!" then when I get home at 7 pm all I want to do is drink some wine + go to sleep. then I feel so guilty for neglecting the blog life. I feel you SO much

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  3. Oh the truth! Thank you for posting this, I have been struggling so hard lately an this made me feel better.

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  4. i used to worry about my blog and content and what i could write but i've since let all of that go when i decided to start my smaller, i'll blog when i want to, blog. it's so liberating! it's also why i always forget to take pictures - because i'm too busy having a good time to remember to take out my phone.

    blogging is just a hobby for me when i have nothing else to do. i really like reading blogs more than churning out content. sometimes when i have nothing to write or i'm too busy, the blog gets kicked to the curb but i always come back for the people!

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  5. Yes... you are actually in my head right now aren't you? I keep thinking I need to write a post about why I am struggling with my blog and you beat me to it. Thanks a lot, now if I write one everyone else is going to think I just hijacked you lol... But seriously it takes forever and a day to commit to this. I am losing my mojo.

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  6. Blogging is hard and it's just trying to find that balance of having content and not letting finding content rule your happy moments and time. I just can't walk away because of all the great people, I love the bloggies.

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  7. Couldn't agree more with this! Blogging is tough (so much more than most people realize), but it's also the best!

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  8. i agree with all the things... but i also think that as long as you enjoy it and see it as a hobby, those things don't matter. as soon as i start to think 'i should be taking pictures of this' instead of enjoying myself, i step back. as soon as i dread opening blogger.com, i take a step back. i applaud those who make this their job or make a lot of money, but it is 100% not for me. i enjoy this, it is fun, i enjoy the friendships i have made.. as soon as it becomes a chore, by felicia.

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  9. These are all so true. I do find it fun though because I love writing. Sometimes I do have to step back and take a few days off for it to be fun again!

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  10. Great post! I don't know how people work full time & can blog five days a week. Unless they are spending their weekends writing posts, taking pictures, etc. I read a lot of blogs on my phone & then go back later to comment (because commenting on my phone sucks & I'd get fired if I used work internet for something other than work related stuff) but then that ends up taking a lot of my evening. It's a fun hobby but you can't let it take over your life too much!

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  11. #3 is my daily struggle. I will be doing something fun and living in the moment and then this voice will go off in my head saying "you should really be blogging about this!!!". Usually I ignore it... but I shouldn't :/

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  12. Ugh, I feel you on ALL of this! I have such a weird relationship with blogging right now. I feel kind of guilty because I haven't blogged regularly in forever (and I feel guilty because I don't really want to blog), but then I also feel kind of sad because I used to love it so much, and I kind of miss it. But for some reason lately, I just have no motivation to get back into it. I love the freedom of not having to take a bunch of pictures when I'm making a new recipe, and I like not being chained to my laptop when I get home to get posts written, especially after being on a computer all day at work. I guess I'm really just enjoying living right now, and I'm getting used to feeling ok that maybe one day blogging will be part of my life again, or maybe it won't. That said, I still LOVE reading your blog (even though I'm the worst at commenting, I'm always reading!), and I'm always happy to see when you have a new post :)

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  13. Amen. Although I took last week off and while the lack of pressure to think and create was nice, I did miss creative writing.

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  14. Totally agree with all of these girl, I never promote my posts on social media or do all of that, but just coming up with content, writing the posts and commenting/responding to comments takes sooo much time.

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  15. I've definitely struggled with the balance of "living life" and documenting for the blog. I try to do a weird mix of both but I've missed out on a lot of good blogging opps because I've made myself disconnect from iPhone/camera and then missed out on great moments.

    I honestly find it a thrilling hobby. It makes me step outside of my comfort zone with buying a camera, documenting, trying new recipes, sharing make-up tips, and a whole lot of other things I never thought I would be doing. I truly love sharing with everyone via my blog. However, I'm not hanging out with friends and saying, "No, sorry I have to go home to blog." I have dedicated time for it because I think of it almost as a part-time job or something like that.

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  16. I want to flyer this everywhere. I have so many friends that are like "Gosh Kati why aren't you out there making lots of money blogging, it's so easy!" Wrong. The worst for me is the balance. I often feel guilty when I'm sitting around at night on my computer working instead of giving those around me 100% attention.

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  17. #preachit
    I have more guilt about not reading all the blogs I follow than I do not posting. As if the bloggers I read have been waiting with baited breath for me to comment. I mean, I'm funny and awesome, but I'm still somewhat of a stranger on the internet.
    As for blogging, there are times that I tell myself to turn off the blogger brain so I can fully enjoy something. I was looking through my phone for photos of last weekend to blog about and I realized there were ZERO photos because we were having a good time and taking photos wasn't the first thing on my mind. Instead, I was focused on Teh German and making sure that his birthday weekend was spectacular. It was nice until I came back to Teh Blog and was all wtf am I going to put here in this space? #bloggerproblems

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  18. I and my partners have totally taken pleasure in this blog.
    Resumeyard

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