A couple weeks ago, I took a short break from blogging. It was eye opening to me in several ways and I thought to share some of my realizations with you today.
ALLOW YOUR BRAIN TO RELAX
Ever felt like your creative juice are more of a drip than flow? It takes a lot of brain power to constantly be coming up with fresh content for blogging and that is on top of keeping up with your inbox, posting on social, interacting with readers, pitching brands, the list goes on. Then there’s your actual 9-5 job and other life responsibilities. Needless to say, it’s a lot.
Taking some time off blogging allows your creative brain to rest up a little and feel less like a wrung out sponge (is it just me?). This doesn’t mean you have to stop thinking about blogging but, in my case at least, it helped me stop obsessing over it. Rather than constantly racking my mind for ideas, I allowed them to come to me naturally during this period.
Need help with this? Carry around a small notebook and simply jot down any ideas that come to your throughout the day. This way they are saved somewhere and ready for you once your break is over.
ACTIVELY LIVE LIFE
Taking some time off from the digital world also means actually living in the real one! It was amazing to me how once I put the phone away, I realized just how much I was on it. This also meant time away from constant agonizing over numbers and followers and growth rates, and more time face to face with actual people!
On a slight side note, I’ve noticed a lot of people talking about taking social media breaks or cutting back on phone time and I think this is a really interesting conversation to have. Let me know your thoughts on social media time outs in the comments.
ITS OK TO SLOW DOWN
Surprisingly the world keeps turning even when you’ve not instagramming. I know right? Total shocker. But it is amazing how often I wanted to reach for my phone “just to check” or “just to see”. Being wired in is a habit that, once broke, allowed me to slow down a bit.
Slowing down for me meant making a point to go to bed early (and not get in bed early then scroll social for two hours). It makes me an overall better human. It also means removing some of the things in my life that forced me to stay up until midnight day after day.
Have you ever taken a blogging break? Did you come out the other side with some new revelations? Let me know in the comments! I’m interested to hear your side of the debate.
Until next time,
Ana Luiza
DRESS: Goodnight Macaroon (similar here) // JACKET: Nordstrom // SHOES: Jeffrey Campbell // BAG: Celine look-a-like (more on that here)
*All photos by Megan Montalvo Photography
Such great advice! I find my best ideas come to me when I allow myself to wind down a little!
Glad you liked the post Niki! I feel the same way. When you don’t try to force your creativity, it flows naturally!
xo – Ana Luiza