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Lesson Learned: It's OK to take a blog break

Freelance Journey

This is one lesson that I am still learning, everyday. A lesson that after almost 5 full years of blogging (1.5 here at The Veda House and several others while in college) I am just now starting to be ok with the idea of letting loose. I used to be a person that would check my blog stats daily and freak out when the numbers weren’t where I was expecting them to be. I was mentally and physically ALWAYS connected to the blogging interface. These days, I hardly EVER check my stats, and let me tell you something…it’s a game changer. You blog because you love it, and it’s as simple as that.

So now that I don’t freak out when numbers yo-yo around it’s time to be okay with disconnected from the digital space all together.As time goes on, it has become easier to just step away, and I look forward to it getting even easier. The fear of losing all my readers overnight is no longer there, thank golly, but it sure is hard to get mentally back in the game after being away for any extended amount of time. This means that I do fear that I’ll lose my groove, my daily rhythm and I fear that when I return from mini breaks I will return with zero motivation. Sometimes breaks are good to clear the mind, but I’ve had situations where I clear my mind so much that I’m empty of ideas. Ever happen to you?

Do you guys take blog breaks? Do you feel like you can or is there a constant fear that taking a break means you are a sucky blogger? I’d love to hear your thoughts because it’s definitely something I’m still learning.

* I’m considering this a “Freelance Journey” post because blogging is such a big asset of my blogging life. Not sure why I felt the need to justify that….oh well!

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18 comments on “Lesson Learned: It's OK to take a blog break”

  1. I´m really new in this world. I mean, I´ve started reading blogs 5 of 6 years ago but I finally decided to have mine 3 months ago. I´m like in the beginning, trying to figure out how could people read me and follow me. Some days I´m obsessed, looking at the stats and asking why people didn´t notice i´m here. But most of the days I don´t think about it and just let it be. Post about what interest me, what I think it worth it. Beside that, I´m trying not to be shy and start participating with opinions and comments in the blogs I normally read.

    As you said, it must be simple, you do it because you feel great doing it. The rest, will happen alone, with time. Today I found two phrases I think are perfect for these moments: “nothing great ever came that easy” and “It may not be easy but it will worth it”.
    Greetings from Argentina!

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    1. I’m so glad you stopped by today. I remember my first months of blogging and the overwhelming frustration that came along with it. It’s taken me a long time to be ok with how the social blog world works, and now that I’m gained a better understanding of how growing a readership works, I’m much more comfortable being patient. You’re absolutely right when you quote that it will be worth it!

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  2. Cassie, I love this post. This is something I struggle with too (and I think many bloggers feel the same!).

    I won’t lie and say I don’t check my stats often, but I am certainly of the belief that I blog for MYSELF, first and foremost. Mini breaks are great to recharge. I applaud you for your more laid back approach overall though. I hope to incorporate some of these attitudes to my blog as well! 🙂

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    1. I’m glad you see my attitude as being laid back. I’d call myself a high stress, restless type of person, so it’s nice to hear that that energy isn’t pushed into my blog. I appreciate your feedback!

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  3. yes!

    i do it all the time. i’m not completely ok with it, i’m not relaxed, and maybe sometimes i’m not enjoying it as much as i would like (it’s my few days off and i’m obsessing with my stats), but with every break things just get easier.

    thank you for posting this, i find this comforting. 🙂

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  4. It’s funny that I came across this post, because I’m going through a similar phase. I am still a lot more connected than I would like to be… Blogging was becoming more of a chore than a hobby, so I’m posting less and not worrying about all the things that are involved with it.

    I think it should be fun… And if it’s not, then a break to get your groove back is absolutely normal… And necessary!

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  6. I’ve been blogging for 4.5 years and I DEFINITELY have had to take some breaks! I’ve even had a few extended times away (like 6+ weeks) just to refresh and recenter. And yes–every break I feel just a little bit guilty. But I figure that blogging is a marathon, not a sprint, and that it takes a lot more energy to create the content than to consume it! Right now I’m posting 3-5 times per week and I take off every Sunday No Matter What. I need it, and I’m a better blogger for it:)

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Stephanie. It’s nice to hear that even a blog of 4.5 years understands the importance of occasional breaks. Your comment brought some things in perspective for me. Happy Wednesday!

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  7. I really struggle with these exact same things. Funny enough, the days where I’m busy, or too lazy to check up on my stats constantly, are always the days in which they’re up. I swear, people can smell desperation.

    It’s tough to find that balance and it’s something I definitely need to work on. The world won’t end if I miss a day of blogging but I often find myself burning the midnight oil to crank a post out. Not good! I always tell people that quality over quantity is important but I need to take my own advice

    Thank you for making me feel less alone!

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  8. It’s so funny that we feel bad when we take a break because as a reader, if a blogger takes a week off it’s really no biggy. I’ll always be coming back! So please please have a great break and forget about all us readers.

    I went away for a weekend a few weeks ago. Just three days. But it was amazing how moving away from the city let the brain buzz settle. I don’t think I even realized how blog-centric I’d become and how it permeated almost every thought like a constant stream. It felt so good not step out of it. To stop my compulsive email searching or the lookout for new ideas. When I got back, I felt like there was more clarity, which ended up helping my blog.

    But at the end of the day, breaks are good, not just for the blog, but for ourselves and our own well being. I think we all need to take them more often and quit feeling so guilty about it!

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    1. Thanks Ella! I really loving hearing your perspective and story. I totally agree that we not only need breaks in the blog world, but everything we do.

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  9. Thank you so much for sharing this Cassie. I have been struggling with this ever sense I started my Blog two months ago. I started it to keep my creativity growing and design things I wanted to look at as well as keep my family updated on my life and what I am doing. It quickly turned into me looking at the stats too much and those questions coming into my head of what do people think and why aren’t they stopping by. In the last month I keep reminding myself that I blog because I enjoy it! I think its important that we separate ourself and make sure we do not put all of our worth into our blog at least thats been an important reminder for me. Also it’s nice to remember that our biggest fans will always keep following no matter how much of a break we take and that sometimes our Blogs as well as work are better when we step away give ourselves a rest and let our creative ways come naturally.

    thank you so much for sharing this it really reminded me of why I blog and that is really important. I really appreciate all of your lessons learned and freelance post. they have been so healthy for me so thank you!

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    1. Casey, So glad you’ve enjoyed the lesson learned series. We’re always learning what works best for us, so I appreciate hearing your side. Thanks for stopping by. Happy Tuesday!

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  10. You know what, thank God you “open that gate”. It makes you realize you aren´t the “only onE”. I started a blog in spanish focused on my Mexico and I tell you girl, this blogging thing is not the same as in the US, but somehow I got 2 great fans. YEAH… T-W-O!. And I took myself to this point where I would just submit any content to make “those two” happy. How sad is that! Thank God I noticed that pathetic behavior and I end it up. Anyway we know it wasn´t “those two” the ones to blame, but me to thinking I was SO IMPORTANT they wouldn´t make the day without my posts.
    Finally I would like to say that You are not disconnecting girl,what happens here is that you are actually aiming to get back to real life… to reconnect to the real world.
    Cheers from Mexico!

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  11. Dear Cassie,
    I’m a new follower of your blog – led here by the lovely Breanna’s blog, and I can say for certain, yours is a blog I will check regularly. 🙂
    Anyways, as a new blogger, I can already partly understand what you’re saying in this post! Of course, I am sure I don’t have as a complete of a grasp on it as you do, but what I am realizing about blogging is that it is time consuming. The editing of photos, the finding the pictures / graphics, and then actually writing the post can take a while, more time than I realized. After I’m done with a post, I am thankful for the break, but at the same time, I’m proud of what I see on the screen. But, I can definitely see how necessary breaks are. I think I’m at that early phase of bloggers, where I’m on a sort of high and I just keep plotting my next post, but I am going to try to moderate myself. After all, I should blog like I eat ice cream: it’s definitely something I enjoy doing, but I should never overindulge. ^^
    Thanks for this great post, and take all the breaks you need! Your readers will still be here.
    ♥ xixia

    Reply

    1. Thanks so much for stopping by. I think you’re right on track. Blog when you’re passionate about something and when things start to feel forced…take a break. When you’re just starting out it’s easy to feel like all your followers will leave if you take a mini break. It has taken me almost 2 years to be able to finally take a break without having mini meltdowns. Hope to see you around!

      Reply

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