Can’t Write? – 4 Ways You Can Still Be A Productive Blogger

Can’t Write? – 4 Ways You Can Still Be A Productive Blogger

Hey there. I’m taking a slight detour from my usual content today. You see, I’m finding myself in a bit of a conundrum. I have been struggling the last few weeks, and what I thought would be a very temporary setback doesn’t seem to be getting better. My problem: I can’t write.

Ok, that probably isn’t the best way to describe what is going on.

I can write. I have been publishing a weekly blog post right here on this blog every week for the last 6 months or so.

That is until last week.

Last week was the first week in 6 months that I didn’t publish a weekly blog post.

And I can’t tell you exactly why, except that I can’t write, which is very frustrating.

It’s not because I am struggling with writer’s block. I have pages of topic ideas.

Heck, I even have outlines and some research done for what will be 2 kick-ass blog posts shortly. If I ever get them written.

But, lately, it seems that every time I sit down to write, the words just won’t come.

Well, words come, but they aren’t the words I want.

When the words I want don’t come, I get frustrated.

And I am easily distracted.

I can’t seem to focus on writing.

Even writing posts with tips to help you focus and what bloggers need to focus on hasn’t helped me get over this hump. I haven’t even been able to follow my own advice.

So, what’s going on?

Well, I have a couple of theories.

Personal Stuff

A few years ago, I started reading up on personal development. Studying personal development has been life-changing. My mindset, old beliefs, ideas I have/had about certain things needed to need to change. I began to do some internal work on myself.

When I started blogging, I realized that there was still more work for me; this wasn’t a journey exclusive to learning how to blog.

The more internal work I do on myself, the more layers get peeled away, the more I discover that there is even more work to do.

The last couple of months has been especially hard in this area. I become easily distracted as my mind wants to focus on what is happening internally and not on the tasks that I need to get done physically.

Could this be why I can’t write? Maybe.

Add that to everything else in the world right now, and it becomes a definite possibility.

Chaos, Everywhere

I have been trying to stay away from social media as much as possible. Still, it seems that no matter how hard I try, I can’t escape the neverending opinions about current events. I say opinions because who knows what is real and what isn’t anymore.

Why am I bombarded with political propaganda when I go on Twitter to engage with my followers and fellow bloggers? I specifically stay away from such stuff on Twitter and block any political account that Twitter deems worthy of my time. Yet, it is always there. I also find this very frustrating and distracting.

Maybe this is why I can’t write?

My mind is all over the place.

Talk about having a monkey mind!

Monkey Mind is a Buddhist term meaning "unsettled; restless; capricious; whimsical; fanciful; inconstant; confused; indecisive; uncontrollable".Can't Write? – 4 Ways You Can Still Be A Productive Blogger Click To Tweet

I have this boulder sitting right smack in the middle of my chest to top things off. Oh, it isn’t constant. It isn’t always a boulder either. Sometimes it is only a tiny pebble. Regardless, it lets me know it is there quite often. I know it is from stress, and I am taking steps to deal with it. I am just mentioning it now because I feel like it is a part of the big picture and the reason I can’t write or focus.

Fortunately, as a blogger, writing isn’t the only thing that needs to get done.

So what are some ways I am still being productive in the blogging space, even when I can’t write?

Can’t Write? – Engage

I can’t write blog posts but I can still write comments on blog posts.

I can visit and engage on my favorite blogs, blogs I haven’t seen in a while, and maybe even discover new ones.

Blog hopping is, after all, my favorite part of blogging.

I love reading and commenting on fellow bloggers’ posts.

It is also a key component to establishing a successful blog.

The best part is there is no end to the blogs and blog posts you can engage on.

Can’t Write? – Update Old Blog Posts

I have some blog posts that need to be updated.

Updating old posts is the next step if I don’t get stuff figured out with this writing issue.

It is much easier to update old posts than to come up with fresh content.

I figure that I have at least 5 or 6 old posts that I could update, so that will buy me some time to continue to get things figured out.

Not only will this take some of the pressure off writing fresh content it will also be good for my site’s SEO. I have learned a lot about SEO since I started blogging, so updating some old posts would be helpful in more ways than one.

Can’t Write? – Do General Website Maintenance

This time has been good for doing fiddly website maintenance things that I regularly don’t make time to do. Things such as,

• Checking and fixing broken backlinks.
• Downloading a recent backup.
• Check page speed.
• Make sure all forms and options are working correctly.

I had one blog post that none of the links worked on for some reason. Not sure what was going on there. I usually check the links before publishing. Anyway, this was an excellent reminder to stay on top of this.

I am still on the hunt for a new social media share plugin but can’t decide what I want to do. I will probably keep the one I have, and they will figure things out, or it will stop working entirely, and I will have to change it.

Can’t Write? – Change Strategies

As I was writing this post, I realized that I hadn’t made a YouTube video in quite some time.

Now maybe a good time to focus on doing more videos.

I sometimes forget that blogging doesn’t have to be written content only. It can also be videos and podcasts.

Making videos may be the way out of the I can’t write rut.

Hmm…Let’s see how this plays out, shall we?

What This Situation Means To Me

Every time we hit a roadblock like this, it provides valuable lessons.

I look at this entire situation as a learning experience and an opportunity for personal and professional growth.

Firstly, to learn about myself.

But also to learn how to manage these difficult situations that threaten to derail us personally and professionally.

To learn how to adapt. Take a step back to see what we can do differently to overcome obstacles.

Oh, I am sure there are more lessons to come out of this; I don’t know what they are yet!

In the meantime, while I figure things out, I will be extra kind to myself and everyone else I contact. It doesn’t cost anything, and a little goes a long way. After all, this world could use more kindness right now.

What This Situation Doesn’t Mean

It doesn’t mean I have failed at anything.

Or that I’m not a successful blogger or won’t continue to experience success. I have a couple of things coming up shortly that I am pretty excited about.

It DOES NOT mean that I throw in the towel and walk away from all this. That is plain crazy talk right there, and the thought has never even crossed my mind. I have to keep plugging away until I get through this!

Conclusion

It isn’t about whether or not we will face challenges because we all do; in all areas of our lives.

It’s how we overcome the challenges that matter.

So, if you feel like you hit a brick wall, remember,

• You must keep going to reach the other side.
• It won’t last forever.
• You are experiencing a great learning opportunity, don’t waste it.
• There are always ways you can be productive.
• Be kind.
• Blogging isn’t always about writing.

So, hang in there. You got this!

Spending Much Love and Peace

Thank you so much for being here.

I wish you all love and peace.

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please feel free to pass on some love and encouragement that I believe we all need right now.