The real risk of Blog Burnout - Enforced Post Writing.

Just a post inspired by another article by Brian at Elitebydesign. For some reason, every time I leave a comment on one of his posts I end up with an idea for a post myself. Not complaining mind.


Brian notified his readers that he had to take a few days off on business, and I got the feeling that to a degree he was fretting about leaving his blog unattended, even for a few days.

Everyone needs to take a break from most things in life. Even if it’s a unscheduled non-holiday break, taking a few days out from blogging is not a bad thing at all.

The problem is when we enforce this notion on ourselves that all will fall apart during this period. That loyal readers will suddenly take flight and abandon in favour of some other Blog who does not dare take a few day’s off now and again. It’s a pressure that we put on ourselves.

But others who are more involved with their Blog and their readers (that’s not to day I am not, I just try to be a little chilled about it) feel a need or even convince themselves (maybe) that they have to post to a strict schedule and not to will cause instant meltdown and loss of readers, culminating in Blog Suicide.

Yes, Google loves frequent posting. And for that reason alone people will post often and often more than often.

But think about why you are posting and why you are blogging and the pressure you are putting yourself under. Because it is pressure.

Are you posting for yourself, for Google or for your readers? What’s the main priority. If you had to list in order of importance what would be first?

When we get to the point where we are driven to post at all odds, and get into the mindset that the Blog will fall apart if we don’t, that Google will abandon us and that our once loyal readers will take flight… that’s a real problem for our own peace of mind. And ultimately, and this is a very real issue, our ability to post new, novel and interesting posts will diminish. Possibly even our motivation as in time, possibly, we may start to resent the pressure, we may start to resent the endless toil of trying to get another super post together. And this WILL cause readers to abandon you.
It has happens all the time, Blogs being abandoned for this very reason. Or sold.

I have seen many Blogs, that have been around for ages, that are just becoming boring and repetitive. Blogging Burnout.

Feeling you must Blog everyday for the sake of keeping readers is a BIG Blogging myth. As I said previously, frequency is important for Google maybe, but I really feel it’s not important for maintaining true reader loyalty. I subscribe to some top blogs that only post once a week, sometimes once a fortnight. Even then, it may not be of interest to me, but I know that once and while, a top post will be written. That’s enough for me to stay subscribed.

Give your readers some credit. They will not leave you just because you decided to take a few days off, or reduce the frequency of your posting.

Personally, I feel constant, predictable and regular posting can actually risk becoming just that… too predictable. Through in a curve ball now and again. As they say ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’. And as humans we often naturally rebel against the very idea of predictability although many Bloggers strive for that very thing.

Just a thought to have.

Unless I am just odd like that. Interested to get other reader’s view on this thing of maintaining almost near constant and predictable posting at sometimes any cost.