What I Learned From My Brief Blogging Hiatus, And You Should Too

As you might have already known, I’ve been on an unexpected blogging hiatus for the last two weeks or so, for reasons very unexpected and bamboozlizing(is that a word? heh). But, one of the reasons for me not writing here is one which is VERY important and deserves some due thought. Let’s look at what it is.

It’s important to give your blogging a break

Pretty straight forward and easy to understand, right? Heck, no!

I like to relate blogging concepts with real life examples, as they help in better understanding. So, take a look at the following scenario:

You’re eating lunch. There comes a time when you’ve eaten enough and can’t eat anymore. You stop eating. And then you eat again after a few hours when all that food has been digested, right?

What if you forcefully push the food down your oesophagus? What then comes up is a mess, if I’m not wrong?

It’s the same thing with blogging. You’ve been blogging for quite a few weeks, or months now, and now comes a time when you should give your blog a break. You’ve blogged enough, and there’s no space left now in your bloggy stomach.

Along with giving your blog a break, it’s important that YOU should take a break yourself! After all, you’re a human being and need some rest.

The most important danger of continuing on with your blogging when it’s time for a break is that you start producing third-quality posts. The exhaustion begins to take its toll on you. That’s why it is very important to take a break sometimes, just like I did.

Another reason to give your blog a break is that you might not have any ideas to write about. You’ve exhausted all the possible ideas you had, and now it’s time to take a break to refill your ‘ideas basket’.

After a nice and relaxing break, you’ll probably be brimming with ideas and therefore will do your blog good.

BUT, before I end this post, I need to answer 1 myth which have forced bloggers to not take the breaks they deserve. Notice the the word ‘myth’ in italics.

• Myth: My readers will leave me if I don’t write for several days!

Answer: Your readers are humans themselves. They’ll probably understand that you need a break and are rightfully taking one. You might lose a few readers, but the most loyal ones will stay. And if they’re bloggers themselves, they’ll understand the importance of taking breaks all the more.

Along with giving your blog a break, it’s important that YOU should take a break yourself!

However, you can alert them beforehand that you’ll be taking a break, so that they won’t be surprised when they don’t find posts for several days. Moreover, write posts beforehand to fill up the empty space or use guest bloggers.

So, there you have it. I experienced the same thing as above. I’d being blogging for around 2 months without a respite, and it had its toll on me, and I had to take a 2 week break. And now I’m back, and brimming with new ideas!

So, have you ever taken breaks from your blogging, and if yes, have they done any good to you and your blog?