Blogging Mindset: Shift Your Thinking For 2022

Bounce back with a better mindset for blogging! Can that be done? 🤔

Blogging really took a backseat for me in 2021. While I have no regrets about this decision, I am extremely eager to get back into creating content. And I am hoping to make the biggest blogging comeback in 2022!

Yes, it sounds a little daunting. And yes, a part of me is worried that I might be setting myself up for disappointment. Especially because life can be irritatingly unpredictable at times (hello, miss corona 🤢). But for 2022, I want to choose optimism and a can-do attitude. Moreover, I believe that with the right mindset, change can be materialized. 😎

A purposeful shift in mindset can go a long way, methinks. Or at the very least, it can help nudge you towards the right direction. With that, I think it’s important to start shifting my blogging mindset as early as possible. And just for fun, I thought it’d be nice to share my ✨ new thinking patterns ✨ with you.

Pain Points of Blogging

When I first started my blog, there were definitely a lot of things that I did not know about blogging. Over the years, however, I’ve picked up kernels of knowledge (or so I’d like to think 😜).

One important lesson I’ve learned is that many bloggers face similar challenges and hardships, regardless of their niche. More relevantly, several of these struggles seem to have been exacerbated by the socioeconomic conditions of today (and yes, I’m mainly pertaining to the ongoing pandemic).

I believe most bloggers would agree with me when I say that blogging burnouts and creative blocks are inevitable. Try as we might to avoid them, they are unfortunately part and parcel of this hobby. Whether you’re fresh from the blogging gates or a certified veteran of creating content, you will, at one point or another, stumble. And that’s perfectly okay! You do not need to feel inspired all the time. And you should take breaks whenever you can.

However, burnouts and creative blocks become a major problem when you find it extremely difficult to bounce back from them. And while it is overly simplistic to blame all bad things on the coronavirus, I do think that its aftermath has birthed a hostile environment for creativity, productivity, and any kind of normalcy.

Not only are bloggers getting drained more frequently, but we are also finding it much harder to recover. And this is alarming for obvious reasons. Since the start of the pandemic, many of my own blogger friends have taken indefinite hiatuses — and in more saddening cases, some have decided to quit blogging altogether.

Blogging Mindset: What It Is & Why It Matters

Your blogging mindset pertains to your mental attitude, which consists of core beliefs that you hold onto. It shapes how you make sense of yourself, your work, and the spaces you are participating in. In addition, it influences how you approach and navigate blogging.

In an increasingly hostile environment, further exacerbated by the pandemic, we’ve all become more vulnerable to exhaustion and declining mental wellness. For bloggers, when our mental health fails us, so does our ability to create and to feel inspired. Thus, now more than ever, we should be taking conscious and actionable steps towards protecting ourselves and our minds.

Mindset Shift #1: Curate what you create

When I’m not writing blog posts, I’m usually writing research papers. (Or at least I used to before I started my career as a humble cog in the giant corporate machine. 😬) One thing that my college professors repeatedly warned me against was falling in love with every research idea I had.

And I believe the same can be said about blogging: Do not fall in love with every single idea that you have. While it’s important to like what you create and enjoy what you’re doing, you also have to be conscious of your own limits as a content creator.

Sure, your ideas might be grand and great, but do you have the time and energy to actualize them? How much effort would each idea require from you? And are you truly equipped to take your idea to completion? These are tough questions to ask, but they need to be answered. Otherwise, you might bite off more than you can chew. Which can lead to horrible burnout.

In a world gravely impacted by COVID-19, we are more susceptible to fatigue and exhaustion — not only from work or school but also from other day-to-day activities, including our hobbies. Our bandwidth to act and do things can sometimes be constrained by our current circumstances. And there is no shame in it. But we must learn how to work around it. Do not be afraid to be selective and intentional in what you do as a blogger, especially when it comes to creating content.

Mindset Shift #2: Curate to create

With many of us spending more time indoors, it’s no surprise that we are also spending more time online. In an age where face-to-face interactions are ill-advised, social media has become the preferred highway for building and maintaining connections. However, much like how urban highways are congested with pollution and noise, social media is also teeming with online clutter.

Not all content is important or value-adding. It’s worth pointing out that what powers social media is its profitability. From its complex algorithms to its increasingly personalized features, social media constantly strives to cement its relevance. Because if it stays relevant, it stays profitable.

Relevance is unfortunately measured by engagement. I use the word ‘unfortunate’ because recent research from Harvard supports that Twitter users are more likely to engage with negative or polarizing content. Hence, Twitter incentivizes outrage by deliberately exposing us to the clutter of misinformation, bigotry, and other similarly triggering content.

Being constantly bombarded by online clutter affects us more than we may realize. From disaster fatigue to doomscrolling, the overconsumption of content can worsen our mental state. Negativity breeds more negativity. Rage fuels more rage. Anxiety can lead to more anxiety. And yes, this can hurt our creative flow, too.

The truth is that you do not need to be perpetually connected to create. Likewise, constantly consuming content will not necessarily inspire new content. On the contrary, the more clutter you take in, the more cluttered your mind will feel. And it’ll be harder to do things clearly and with intention.

With that said, be proactive! Curate your feed and limit your social media use. Become friends with your mute and block buttons. Learn to disengage when needed. And realize that there’s liberation in choosing to not respond. Especially to strangers who aren’t worth your energy. ✨

Mindset Shift #3: Trust the process

It sounds cheesy and cliché. But it’s worth repeating. Blogging is a delicate balancing act between what you want and what your audience expects. Of course, some bloggers lean towards one way or another — and that’s perfectly fine, too. ☺

What I’m trying (and failing) to get at is this: The balancing act is very tough, and achieving your desired equilibrium is a process. And more often than not, the process can get messy. Progress isn’t always linear. Time is relative. And most importantly, there will always be things beyond your control.

Amidst all the chaos, it is important to stay centered. In staying grounded, you need to start trusting the process. Particularly your process. Be mindful that everyone’s equilibrium point looks a little different, and finding yours will take time. Understand that your blog is a work in progress, and so are you. And above everything else, trust that you will get to where you’re supposed to be.

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I’d love to hear from you!

🌻 Did you find this post helpful? Were any of these mindset shifts relevant to you?

🌻 As a content creator, do you think it’s important to have a blogging mindset? From your experience, how else can you improve your approach to blogging?

🌻 In times of blogging burnouts and creative blocks, how do you resolve them?