Burn Baby, Burn!

You may or may not have noticed the absence in post the last month. Although we were busy with vacations, Christmas and the common cold and flu that has plagued this winter, I had a complete and utter BLOGGER BURNOUT.

I think I read one book between October and New Years. The thought of reading made me nauseated. Just thinking about blogging caused anxiety and dread.
 

Where the heck did it come from? Have you ever had these symptoms? I even considered calling My Life With books quits! I’ve been going for 2 ½ years I really don’t want to stop. It’s not a lack of ideas or things to say – it’s just that blogging is just one more thing that I have to do on top of all the other responsibilities I have in life. Somewhere along the way, blogging became work. And THAT is not why I started blogging about books. This blog is meant to be a creative outlet for my favorite hobby – not work.

The pressure of being a “Super Mom”, housewife and blogger got to me. I admit winter is painful for me. I miss the sun and the opportunity to send kids outside to play, soak my feet in the pool and read. Recognizing that I may have a bit of seasonal depression I have been evaluating the necessities in my life. What must stay and what must go. When I stripped away all of the unnecessary items on the to do list, I realized that blogging is the one and only thing that is completely mine and I truly have loved doing it. I love meeting new people and I absolutely love helping people. I love being able to be a small part of another person’s success by spreading the word about incredible up and coming authors who just like me, are doing the best they can and working hard.

I have spent countless restless and sleepless nights wrestling with this inner blog turmoil. My conclusion is that blogging must stay. Blogging must stay because deep down I really do enjoy it. Blogging must stay because it honestly keeps me sane. Blogging must stay because I want it – I choose to do it.

Once the decision was made to keep blogging I thought about what caused this breakdown? How did I get here and what can I do to prevent it from occurring again? In an effort to help fellow bloggers I am going to share my thoughts.

 

1. I am a completely private person. I don’t share very much about myself. Besides being private I have always tried to be very professional in life and blogging. I started to feel like I wasn’t inserting myself into blogging anymore and I need to do just that. My favorite post to read on other blogs is those that are personal, not just professional. So I am going to have more personal post. If readers don’t like it, oh well. (You have no idea how difficult this post is for me to write.)

2. I HAVE TO HAVE A SCHEDULE. Sometime in November I misplaced my planner. I had no idea where I was needed and what was coming up. I found it yesterday and discovered I have missed a few things and I feel horrible about it. :(

3. I need to learn to stop reading a book I am really not enjoying. I think this is most important, I have been too polite and it added fuel to the burnout fire.

4. Learn to say no – not interested.

5. Schedule my blog. I don’t want my blog to be overtaken with meme’s, but they are really nice to have when I don’t have time to sit down and write. Plus having someone say “blog about this topic” takes most of the work out of writing.

These are just a few of the things I have committed to doing to stop another burnout. I hope you find the information helpful. I would really enjoy hearing your feedback on this and how you keep from getting to the burnout zone, if you have had a blogger burnout and what you do to prevent and repair it when it has happened.

Happy Reading!