It's probably pretty obvious that I quit blogging. I don't even know where to start... it's been over two years since I've posted on my little corner of the internet, and so much has changed in my life. Today, I'll dive into why I quit blogging, why I'm back, and what you can expect from my blog moving forward!
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It's Been 2 Years... (Why I Quit Blogging + Life Update)
Honestly, this post is more for me than for my readers (or what's left of them) because I want to create a segway for myself to ease myself back into the blogging world. I know this post won't perform well on Google, and it's never going to be my most popular post...
But I've been doing some research and there aren't that many posts written by people who have quit blogging, so I want to share my experience and the reasoning behind why I quit blogging.
Even though this blog post is very different than most of my other content, I still want to post it. I didn't feel like I could just jump right back into sharing my bullet journal layouts, and new productivity tips.
I needed a transitional post to gap the TWO years! So, this article is going to catch you up on my whole journey (maybe)! Two years is a lot to cover in one go! I'll start with why I quit blogging.
Why I Quit Blogging
Why I Quit Blogging #1: Burn Out
Two words: BURN OUT. I know you might think this is just laughable. 🤣 A productivity blogger got burnt out from blogging, but yes, it can happen, and it did happen to me. I want to be real. Everyone gets burnt out. Even the productivity gurus are unproductive sometimes.
It actually is laughable though because I have a draft post from two years ago that is talking about how to stay productive when you are feeling burnt out. Maybe I'll still post it. 🤣
With burnout came the feeling that I had nothing to say, nothing important to share with the world. I still had content to post, but I didn't feel that happy about posting it because I felt like there was so MUCH work that I still needed to put into my blog to make it better. Blogging is very time-consuming, like two to three hours a day time-consuming.
Why I Quit Blogging #2: Spreading Myself Too Thin
I stretched myself too thin. From opening up an Etsy shop, to trying to create new articles, to posting an endless stream of content on social media, to creating new products, to updating old articles. The list of things I thought I needed to do went on and on and on.
I had been posting on this blog pretty consistently for four years, and I never saw the to-do list ending.
Why I Quit Blogging #3: Comparison
As a blogger, it's hard sometimes to watch other newer bloggers growing their blogs faster and becoming bigger than your blog. With that comes watching your traffic dip, and people unsubscribing.
Side Note - I've come to the conclusion that I need to focus more on writing good content, and less on keeping track of statistics. My blog is way bigger than I ever imagined it would be, and if you create good content, people will come eventually. :)
It's also important to note that you don't know how people are growing their blogs. They could be doing advertisements, promoting content, or paying for followers.
Why I Quit Blogging #4: Income Versus Time Spent
Another reason why I quit blogging is because my blog was earning around the same amount of passive income whether I was working or not. In fact, during the time I stopped working on my blog, my pageviews more than doubled, and I made more money than before.
I was spending so much time online keeping up with all the little mundane tasks, I felt like I was missing out on real life because I spent so much of my day-to-day life behind a screen.
Why I Quit Blogging #5: Influencers
Another key reason why I quit blogging is because I didn't want to be seen as an influencer. The blogging world has changed over the years, and influencers are everywhere on the internet making cringe and worthless content (unethical sponsored posts, pranks, perfect life portrayals, etc). I didn't want to be grouped in with those people (in my mind or otherwise lol) so I had to figure out where I stood in the blogging world.
In conclusion, I didn't want to contribute to all of the noise out there.
I Quit Blogging + Took a Break
Ultimately, I love writing, but not when I'm feeling uninspired, burnt out, and unmotivated.
Maybe you've felt like me sometimes. Like your to-do list just never ends. So, I took a break, and it turned out to be a long break. If I had known I was going to quit blogging for that long, I would've posted something about my break! I never thought that I was giving my blog up for good though. I still wanted to keep on blogging, and I just needed to take some time to figure out the direction of my blog and my own life goals.
The choice to quit blogging was definitely not made lightly or on the spur of the moment.
I want to share a few thoughts for other bloggers (maybe you!) who are thinking about quitting their blog.
Should You Quit Blogging?
As I said before, blogging is a HUGE commitment, and it just might not be something that you want to keep on doing.
There are a lot of bloggers who have thought about quitting but pulled through.
Below are some factors you should think about before you decide to give up on your blog.
1. Are You Driven + Passionate About Your Blog Topics?
Blogging for money is definitely not a hobby. You have to treat your blog like a business and stick to it consistently to make any sort of significant income. You'll probably have to commit at least an hour a day to your blog to see any growth.
But with consistency, you need to have passion too! If you just half-heartedly slap some words in a row, and hit publish, people aren't going to want to read that. Readers can tell if you are passionate about the topic or not.
Plus, why would someone want to read an article written by someone who is not passionate about the subject?
Do you love (and are naturally curious about) the subject you are writing about? If not, it is time to re-assess and pivot. You don't necessarily need to quit blogging, you just need to take your blog in a new direction.
2. Do You Have a Clear Focus?
Maybe, you are feeling like quitting your blog because your efforts are all over the place. I was trying to handle sooo many things at once, that blogging seemed overwhelming and all time-consuming. That is one of the reasons why I quit blogging myself.
I think that as a blogger (especially in the beginning), you should pick 1-2 social media sites to focus on along with an email list and publishing great content. Now, that might seem like a lot to you, and it if it does, you can focus on even less. Maybe focus on just one social media site, and new content on your blog.
Don't try and make money from every different thing at once. If you are trying to do affiliate marketing, ads, and a shop all at once, it is going to be hard to become proficient at doing any of those. Just focus on becoming proficient at one. Set up automations, and then you can test out the next one.
3. Are You Feeling Discouraged by Low Income or Not so Great Statistics?
Let's face it. Every blogger has dealt with this on some level. And that's because traffic fluctuates drastically throughout the year. If you are creating great content and promoting it consistently, then readers will come eventually.
If you aren't seeing the results, you want today, just think of all the work you are putting in as an investment.
Then again, if you are blogging just for money, you are not going to see great results, and this goes back to having a passion for what you do. If you are just in it for the money, you should pick a different job because blogging isn't overnight success. It's a TON of hard work.
If you love blogging but have low income or not-so-great statistics that's okay! Everyone's blog grows at a different rate, and all you need to do is keep on being consistent. I know. There it is again. How many times am I going to mention consistency in this post?
You might be thinking, "Well, who are you to be talking? You just quit for two whole years!"
Hear me out. I was consistent for four years before I took a break. That is why I'm seeing results. I showed up and worked hard almost every day for four years before I took that much needed break.
4. Are You Comparing Your Blog to Other Blogs?
It can be so easy to look at other blogs and see people who have a lot more followers or views. These are just vanity metrics! It's more important to look at your own blog statistics. Did your blog have even a 1% increase in conversions (shares, subscribers, income) from last year?
It can be great to have a lot of followers, but they can be gone in an instant. I had an email list with hundreds of people on it, and it all got deleted. I'm able to build it back so quickly because of the content on my blog.
It provides value to people (I hope!), and so new people who are passionate about the same things I am will sign up!
5. Are You Feeling Overwhelmed by Blogging?
We've already touched on overwhelm a little bit in this article, but I think it needs to be addressed here too. Because blogging is a business, there are many aspects to it. If your blog was a brick-and-mortar store, there would be a team of people to keep the business running. A lot of bloggers work on their own, by themselves. All of the work falls to you.
If you are feeling overwhelmed. Go back to the basics. Pick 2-3 things to work on. I like to set aside 2 hours to work on my blog daily.
There are the things I do daily (Pinterest pinning, and updating old articles), and then after I complete those, I do a little bit of work on other blog tasks. The only two things I need to do are Pinterest Pinning and updating an old article. These are limits I set for myself to keep myself from feeling burned out.
If I do those two things daily, then my work was successful.
6. Do You Have Time to Blog?
Speaking of daily, you need some sort of blog schedule. If you aren't consistent, you won't see results. With that being said, you don't need to devote eight hours of your life to blogging every day in the beginning. That could very quickly lead to you wanting to quit blogging.
I think it's best to give yourself a time limit, and then to strictly stick to that time limit. As with anything new, if you do too much of it too quickly, you will become bored. Try limiting yourself to only an hour or two a day for your blog, and no checking statistics outside of these times either.
What You Should Do Before You Quit Blogging
Take a break. I can't stress this enough. Everyone needs breaks at times, even from the things they love. So, take a break, and think about why you are blogging. Once you have had a good break (at least a few days) see if you miss it or not.
If you miss blogging, then obviously you shouldn't quit, and maybe you just need to pivot your content or reassess where your blog is taking you. Or maybe, you just need to blog less. I found out that once I had a two-year break that I missed blogging, and that I want to pursue writing as a career!
You never know what you will figure out, just by taking a break!
For Those Who Do Want to Quit Blogging
So, you took a break, and you still feel like quitting? Consider selling your blog on a blog selling website.
If you hosted your blog on a website that has minimal costs, you could also consider just leaving your website up. That's what I did, and I got more people reading my website than before! Plus, my income went up!
Creating and running a blog takes a lot of effort, so you should feel proud of yourself, and all the hard work you put into your blog, even if you stop doing it!
What I've Been Up to in the Past Two Years
I knew with the next stage of my life (college!) I wouldn't have enough time to blog regularly anymore, and I wanted to spend more time with my family before I moved to a new state, so I decided that it was best to take a break from blogging.
Have I still been bullet journaling?? Absolutely! I have so many new layouts, and ideas to share with you! Plus, I feel really excited, and motivated about bullet journaling, productivity, and personal development. And need I say new life experience as well!
After, I quit my blog, I graduated from high school! Yeah, it's a little crazy to say it, but I started this blog in eighth grade, and I'm really proud of how far it's come! I feel a little hesitant to say that because it might make my tips and advice seem less real or from someone that doesn't know much, but I'm just sharing what has been helpful and has worked for me.
I got a 9-5 job, which was a great learning experience.
And then, I started college, which has been amazing so far! During my time at college, I've realized that I want to pursue Journalism, and that has helped me decide on what direction I should take The Productive Pixie in.
It wasn't all fun though.
There were also a few downsides to this period in my life because I was dealing with my own health issues, and the health issues of someone close to me. My entire email list also accidentally got deleted so I no longer have any email subscribers, which I thought of as my most loyal blog readers. Anyway, I have to start from scratch, but that's okay!
I plan on giving my blog a small renovation so it will probably look a little different!
What You Can Expect from My Blog Going Forward!
Through all of this, I've come to the conclusion that I love writing, and that I don't need to do what other bloggers are doing. I don't need to do affiliate marketing. I don't need to have a shop. I don't need to be doing XYZ just because other people are doing that with their blog.
My aim was to figure what I wanted to do in the online world, and I have figured it out!
I am not an influencer. I'm a writer. I write to inspire and to inform, not to influence.
The content on my blog will still be about bullet journaling, productivity, and fashion, but I'm going to adapt it to the new stage of life I am in! In the future, you can expect a lot more college content!
My posting schedule is going to change as well. I'm definitely not going to be posting every week, but I will probably post around twice a month or so. I also plan on writing more in-depth blog posts.
I would love it if you would join me on this adventure!
You can sign up for my newsletter here, and you'll be notified every time I publish a new post.
It's Been 2 Years... (Why I Quit Blogging + Life Update)
At one point, I quit blogging, but now I'm back! I'm happy to be creating content again! I hope to publish my next post soon! Leave me a comment if you have any ideas or topics you would like to see covered on the blog. :)
If you liked this post, you can also read.
- 4 Years Blogging Q+A Plus a Giveaway
- 3 Years Blogging + What I Have Learned
- Bullet Journaling for Bloggers
- 2 Years Blogging + What I Have Learned
Thank you so much for supporting my blog by reading this article! Until my next post!
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