Have you ever been sitting at a moment of transition with your blog? You know, that moment when you know you’re not doing something right or what used to be working for you no longer is? That feeling of “I know what I’m doing but am I really doing it?”

It’s not uncommon and the feeling seems to be spreading like wildfire with bloggers. You’re running and running, attempting to follow advice, spending your time networking, understanding your own blogging niche, and then on top of it all you sit down to look at your stats one day and realize, you’re not getting results. At least, not the results you built up in your mind or expected that you would have.

Trust me, I’ve been there. And while it may feel like a burn out and you’re running in a rat wheel, this moment can be useful for you.

On Tuesday, I posted my tips to organize tasks to be more productive. A post that was a direct result of feeling my own blog burn out even though I’m posting more than I ever have and feeling more creative than I ever have.

The realization of blog burn out came to me from a three hour phone conversation with Lori and admitting out loud, that I haven’t been practicing what I preach. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to or that I never have but simply that I didn’t have the time to.

My biggest lesson from the conversation with Lori is that sometimes, as bloggers, we need to hear a pep talk from other bloggers that we trust as a valuable resource. Such was the case with Lori, even though I’m sure she doesn’t realize the pep talk she gave me with some really inspirational advice I have dished out on my own a time or two. Through our conversation, I felt like I could get myself on track, become more productive, and do what I wanted and knew I could do.

My conversation with Lori you can repeat daily, for your own pep talk to keep yourself motivated.

1. Read Blogs

It’s easy to push reading blog posts on the back burner. But it really does help you spark creativity to keep writing. At the time of my conversation with Lori, I was more than a month behind on the many blogs I read. My simple action of dropping the ball on reading blog posts lead me to feel out of touch with what was popular conversation within the blogosphere. During this time, if I had just been on top of the blogosphere news, I would have published timeless and trendy posts.

The day after our phone conversation, I caught up on my feeds and had a huge list of blog posts that I would soon be writing and publishing here. Not that they were “me too” post but inspiration that had come with talk points from just catching up!

2. Different Perspective

Understanding your own mood can help change the way you write posts. Sure, most of the time to turn out a post that is worth anything you’ll need to feel inspired. But different moods change the way you think, feel, and react to the same topic.

Use your slump to turn out a different perspective. Debate with your own blog posts and show the other side of the advice you give when you’re feeling like you’re out to get everyone. Your visitors will love the change of perspective, you’ll provide very valid talking points, and show how diverse you can be on just one of many subjects.

3. Understanding Needs

Take your burn out time to understand the needs of your visitors. With years of archives here, do you think that I remember every post I have ever written? Chances are not likely. Go through your own archives and discover what were big topics, what created the biggest comment community, what brought a lot of sticky traffic, and what kinds of questions do your commentators often ask you?

By evaluating this type of information, you can build your own inspiration and allow your commentators to provide you with a pep talk and the motivation to keep coming up with something fresh and insightful.

4. Talk

Talk to other bloggers, your partner, your friends, your family. Be open about your slump feeling. You might find what they have to say about your feelings refreshing and inspiring. Hit up forums. Generate a new conversation with someone or reply to something that has already been said. Tweet something really off the wall that will spark a conversation with one of your followers.

The Point

Each of us will have our moment to feel a lack of confidence about something we’re doing online. Or maybe we just got sick of something and don’t feel like giving it up. If I’m feeling burned out, you can bet my reaction won’t be to close up shop on I’m Blogging That!

Understand what works best for you to keep your motivations high and use those results when you’re feeling the pressure of your niche or the downfalls of blogging. There’s a good and bad side to all of it, it’s just how you choose to use the moment that will make all the difference in the world for you.

Questions for You

Have you felt blog burn out? What did you do about it and how do you spark motivation to keep going? What creates your moment of realization to pick it up and keep going?