Oh, hi there. I don’t want to be writing this post. Actually, that’s a moderate lie- I didn’t want to write any posts because I could not come up with a topic. Seriously friends, the well is dry over here. So I opened a blank post, looked at the screen for awhile, then made fun of clothes with Val for a half hour to procrastinate. (When clothes make even the models look like crap, it’s time to reevaluate. Just saying.)

(Low key almost just posted about these “fashion” disasters, I won’t lie.)

I digress. I have been pretty good at being chill about the blog lately. But I hate to go too many days in a row without posting something. And what happens when you try so, so hard to come up with something? That’s right- your brain freezes, and you turn into a mess of a person who can’t even remember her own name.

But whilst bitching to Val, she said “just don’t post!” and I fake gasped in horror, because no, that is not an option! Only… of course it is, because it’s my blog and I can do what I want. Then I started to think: What do others do when they flat out don’t feel like posting? I figured there were a few options.

  1. You don’t post. Obviously, this is easy. You can’t think of anything, you have nothing scheduled, so you go watch Netflix. It’s fine, it’s what I was about to do.
  2. You power through. This I definitely have done when I have to have a post up. Sometimes there are blog tours, or reviews due by a certain date, whatever. I suppose it’s technically what’s happening here?
  3. The third option is that you are looking at me right now with disdain written all over your face because you have scheduled blog posts through sometime in mid-2019. Look, I get that some people have their shit together, but I am not those people.

And is one a better option than the other? I am not sure, I suppose that there are pros and cons to each. Posting equals content on your blog, which equals traffic, views, comments, etc. But if you post when you kind of have zero fucks to give… doesn’t it kind of show? I don’t know for sure- and this post is skewed obviously, because I already told you I was feeling “meh”.

So, what are your thoughts? Do you post when you frankly just can’t come up with anything and/or plain don’t feel it? Or are you the person who’s scheduled through the next decade?

Posted September 8, 2017 by Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight in Discussion, Discussion Challenge / 57 Comments

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57 responses to “Do You Post When You’d Really Rather Not?

  1. I am a very scheduled person, I have to admit, so I don’t come up with blog posts on the fly! I know my blog post schedule, so I’ll usually have written and edited posts one to two weeks before it goes up! BUT I have posted when I didn’t feel like it, and it ended up being a terrible idea because every single one of those posts has completely flopped, and I end up deleting that post at the end of the day! So, yeah, I definitely feel this! I know I feel like I have an obligation to have something ready on my scheduled days, which is probably why! ?

    • You know, I figured you’d be a scheduled person! Idk why, you just seem like the organized sort 🙂 Also, editing, that is impressive! I feel the same though- even though I don’t have scheduled days per se, I HATE when it has been a few days and I haven’t posted- I feel so anxious!

  2. It happens. Although I don’t post too many cool discussion posts… so whenever I’m like meh, I just post reviews xD reviews are much easier to power through, and I have an *endless* backlog, lol. I do, however, schedule my posts, because otherwise I would not get anything done at all… life is just too busy to post without scheduling, it would be too stressful. Speaking of which, I need to do another batch soon, cause I will run out in a week or so… grah.
    I think not posting is indeed a better thing than posting something half-done. I know quite a few blogs that post every day (I know right??), but their content is dubious at best. I would rather post less, but let it be better content.

    • I do agree, reviews are MUCH easier! Well- after I start them, anyway. For awhile I sit looking at the screen feeling like I *have* to write them and I get pissy 😉 I too have an endless backlog- though by December I’ll have none, which is a foreign feeling, so who knows what I’ll do then!

      I agree about the content of daily posting- it’s often just filler. I know when I used to try to post like, 6 days a week, it was a mess. I was a mess! Definitely better, less frequent content is the way to go! I am glad you have done so well with scheduling, too!

  3. I am not scheduled through next year. I am not scheuled through next week. I do post when I don’t want to but still less than I would like. I feel like people will forget about me if I don’t post somewhat regularly. Not sure if it is true or not but I can’t help it.

    • Bwhahha I feel you. Frankly, I’m lucky if I have ideas for tomorrow most of the time! And YES, Grace! That is my fear too- that if I take breaks or whatever, I’ll become less relevant, that no one will care anymore! It probably isn’t true, but try telling our minds that 😉

  4. I am probably the most disorganised blogger ever. I have 26 half written drafts, some of which have been lying there neglected for a year. I very seldom blog if I am uninspired because writing is hard enough for me even when I am feeling creative. So instead I write rough drafts when I feel inspired or when I have just finished a book, sometimes two or three at a time. Then I go back another day to polish them up.

    • This is often what I do, too. If I come up with ideas, I write out a super rough draft and then spend a few days thinking about the topics. Then when I’m in the mood to write, I come back and actually write those posts and make them better. Then schedule away.

  5. This post made me smile, Shannon, you truly are the queen of gifs! I know how you feel, I’m trying to get back into blogging after a couple of months of feeling ‘meh’ about the whole thing.

    I try to schedule ahead, but if life gets in the way then I tend to just leave my blog until I have something new to post. If I suspect it’s going to be a while before I get back on top of everything then I’ll go on hiatus for a month, and announce it, so that way I don’t feel bad that I’m not posting.

    I suppose it’s different for everyone depending on what their blog is for. I don’t make any money from my blog and I don’t think I have a particularly wide readership, it’s something I do just because I enjoy doing it and I like having a space to share my bookish thoughts, but for someone who’s turned blogging into a career I imagine they literally can’t afford not to post anything. Ultimately for me if I wasn’t enjoying it then there wouldn’t be any point in blogging at all, so I try not to feel bad when I’m just not feeling it – we all deserve some time out once in a while!

    • Awww you are too sweet!! ♥♥ I STILL feel pretty “meh”, tbh. It’s like- I WANT to blog, but the well of creativity is EMPTY. And then I just get annoyed, you know? I like that you’re able to schedule ahead, I REALLY wish that was something I could do. Like if I could just GET ahead, maybe I could stay ahead? BUt I am always playing catch up so that is not going to happen- unless I was somehow able to hole up for a week and write ALL the posts hah.

      That’s a good point about people who make careers out of it too! I think I do take it too seriously sometimes- which I have tried to calm down with, and to some extent, definitely have. I think I worry because it seems like the longer the slump lasts, the more desperate I feel- and then I wonder if I am ever going to have ideas again!

  6. I always post. ?? Although I DO have drafts so I can like fix something up if I’m really brain dead, but like??? Often times I’ll just look at the screen, cry, write 938 crappy posts, cry some more, and then publish something and PRETEND IT’S QUALITY AND HOPE PEOPLE DON’T NOTICE I GOT NOTHING. But honestly this year has been kind of hard for blogging gah.

    (Also those people who are like scheduled in advance?? Dark wizards. DARKEST OF DARK WIZARDS.)

    • Well Cait, I have never ONCE thought “hmm this is crap” on your blog. EVER. I think “damn it, how is she such a freaking genius ALL. THE. TIME. and maybe will she sell me some secrets?” if that helps. DUDE why is this year so impossible?! Because it has been the WORST for me, no question.

      (They ARE dark wizards, and frankly, I can’t compete with such sorcery!)

  7. I like to think I am a scheduled person. I have a calander though of ideas and blog tours I need to do things for right though to mid November. However its all written down in a schedule but not actually written or typed. When I dont want to post anything or have an idea I either dont post or I usually read some blogs and watch some YouTube and usually an idea comes.

    • Wow, that is IMPRESSIVE! I have a date scribbled down on a post-it that says something like “get your shit together, Shattering Stigmas starts soon”. That’s it bwhahah. That is how I use to be, too- I could sit on it for awhile, and inspiration would eventually show itself. Now… NOPE. Sigh.

  8. Jo

    I hardly ever schedule in advance, literally the only times I have ever done so is if I’m going to be away on a Tuesday and then I do my TTT’s in advance, but that’s easy because I know the topic, so it’s quite quick to get done! I admire people who can schedule in advance but I usually only know what I’m going to do when I sit down at my laptop to write it. If I don’t have anything to write about, I just don’t post.

  9. I try really hard not to stress about my blog. It’s a hobby, and I don’t make any money from it, so I don’t HAVE to do anything. I’m a binge blogger. When I feel like blogging, I write a ton of posts and then schedule them. If I don’t feel like blogging, or don’t have time for it, I don’t post. Everything seems to work out okay.

    • This is exactly what I do. When I’m in the mood to write posts, I write a bunch and schedule them. Then when I’m feeling super lazy, I’m grateful to myself for being prepared. haha 😀 It’s a constant circle! (Writing, scheduling, laziness, writing, and on and on.)

    • I have to try not to stress for the same reasons hah. I WANT to be a binge-blogger, because honestly I think I’d probably work better that way? But TIME, you know? There just isn’t a lot of time, and so I kind of have to use what I get when I can, so it makes things extra hard- plus I think I put too much pressure on myself to come up with something!

  10. So I’m one of those people who schedules EVERYTHING in advance. I’m talking about months and months in advance because I realized early on that if I didn’t write when I felt like writing nothing would ever be written and no posts would ever go up on my blog. I spent a whole year procrastinating only to realize that I was getting anxiety from the mere thought of not having anything written up for a certain day of the week. It’s gotten better, but even scheduling things months in advance I still catch myself thinking that it’s “still not enough”. At the end of the day, I agree with the comment above me: Blogging is supposed to be a fun hobby. It shouldn’t be causing this much stress 😉

    • Wowww so you are one of the 2019 people? Consider me impressed, you may be my actual hero. My problem is, the times I WANT to write are the times i CANNOT write. Like while driving, showering, trying to sleep. And then during those little pockets of time where I CAN blog… there’s nothing. The well runneth dry. And yesss I feel you with the anxiety! It’s so hard when you feel like you “have to” write something and can’t. I dislike the pressure. And yeah, you’re very right, it SHOULD be fun!

      • I’m currently halfway through 2018 with reviews and discussion posts. I’ll get into 2019 in a few months probably! I totally feel your pain. It sucks when you want to write but due to the circumstances simply can’t. Have you tried recording your train of thought? That way you can eventually sit down and type up what you spoke when you do have time. 🙂

  11. Honestly, I think this topic is a huge reason why I stopped blogging. I often would overwhelm myself. I always felt like I HAD to post. I would push myself, which only lead to burning out, and I ending up just giving up on posting completely. I don’t understand why I did that to myself. Is it the end of the world if I don’t post? Not at all. Sometimes I miss blogging, but I think my personality prevents me from making blogging fun. And to those people who manage to schedule posts? I never understood HOW! It took me so long to write a single post that I can’t imagine actually having multiple posts prepared. lol

    • Ugh, YES. I feel you so much, because I won’t lie, I have thought about it myself. The stress over posting SUCKS. I am feeling it again, and I just…. it’s exhausting. So I don’t blame you, it’s a hard thing to deal with.

      And EXACTLY- I don’t understand how people even have the time to get ahead? Like- if I spend an hour doing a post, and then an hour commenting/responding… welp, I’m all out of time. So how do I find 5-6 hours to get ahead even a week or two? I DON’T KNOW. Maybe I invite one of those people with the schedules over to take care of my life while I blog 😉

  12. I have literally never managed to have anything scheduled more than 24 hours ahead of posting (I can only dream of being that organised!), so generally if I really, really don’t feel like posting I just don’t. If this goes on for too long, I eventually just try and power through, but for the most part I don’t force it (although I do get super stressed when it has been more than a few days since I last posted!).
    Great post! I think people do just need to admit sometimes that blogging is hard, and you don’t always want to post 🙂

    • Hahahh SAME. Like seeing ANY post in queue makes me giddy- even if it’s 11:30 and I’ve scheduled it for midnight ? I keep trying to power through and UGH it is not going well. Like- this post was 10 days ago, and I still have ZERO ideas. SO… who knows. I get so stressed too. I am going to do a TTT tomorrow just because I don’t know what else to DO- and normally this is one I’d skip for sure.

      Awww thank you so much! I agree- I think it actually helps to hear that other people are going through the same bullshit, you know? Makes me feel like… okay, I’m human, they’re human, they get it, I can relax a little.

  13. I’m not pre-scheduled for jack. It’s a lovely thought but will never happen.
    If I don’t feel like posting, I don’t. Simple as that. Sometimes It’s because I have too much else going on (work, other commitments, Life), but sometimes I am just not in the mood. I don’t have anything to say, I don’t feel like writing a review, I have no motivations, or I just plain don’t feel like it. Whatever the reason, I never fight it or worry about. The second my blog starts feeling like a job or an obligation is the second I quit.

  14. I don’t know how anyone can come up with posts on the fly. That is an amazing skill I wish I possessed, which is why I am the ultra scheduler. It allows me to stay on top of the blog and have content readily available for publishing. Without it, my blog would turn into a ghost town. It also helps that I tend to post on a weekly basis because it takes me WAY too long to write just one post.

    I don’t think we should force ourselves to post when we aren’t feeling it because like Mikaela said it usually shows through when you don’t put your best in a post. Plus…the people who really love your blog won’t mind waiting a little longer for your next gem.

  15. I’m definitely not looking at you with disdain and I understand how you feel. In reality, I do schedule a lot of posts but there are plenty of times I just don’t post but slowly I get back into it again. We shouldn’t force ourselves to do something we don’t want to do, especially since this is a hobby and should be fun.

    Thanks for sharing,
    ~Brittany @ Brittany’s Book Rambles

  16. Gosh, how familiar this feeling is for me… I have to be in the right mood to write a quality post. The bloggish muses have to be speaking through me, basically. Which doesn’t happen too often. So I can never just sit down and write a post when I’m not in the mood unless I want it to be awful quality and very uninteresting. So when I’m in the right mood, I usually write a few posts in one sitting, for about a week out.

    At the current moment though, I’m out of discussion post ideas and I’m totally not in the mood to write anything. So there’s my current struggle. I only have a few days left before I’ve got nothing to post so I need to get on it… Ugh.

  17. I have powered through and basically “phoned in” some reviews because I just Did NOT feel like writing any posts. I also have just abandoned my blog for a couple weeks. I’m pretty loose with my blog, and if I can post as least once a week I’m pretty happy, but even if I don’t it’s fine. Like I have a ton of reviews to write, but I’ve been having a crappy week at work, so I just want to play video games and kill things instead. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

  18. I am disappointed you did NOT write about these fashion disasters Shannon. For for reals, I find that when I force myself it’s crap! If I need inspiration, I usually participate in a blog challenge or twitter chat. Do you girl!

  19. Kel

    First, post about the fashion disasters. It sounds fun and silly, and I love fun and silly! Second, I feel a little sad when I look back and see I only posted a couple of times during the last month, but generally I don’t force it when I have nothing. Like recently, I haven’t felt like writing long reviews as much (except for review copies…have one of those to write now >.>), so I’ve just moved them into my monthly wrap-up and made them super short. It’s kind of, I wish I had more to say, but I’m not going to kill myself over it. 😛 Especially with school and OTSP Secret Sister and all sorts of other stuff going on. Maybe I’ll check out changing my blog theme instead so I feel productive? 🙂 Also, I see you’re reading Unearthed! Liking it so far?

  20. Well my problem is outside memes, I never know what to post! I joined the discussion challenge this year to help me out and it works sometimes. I frequent the topic idea list a lot. I do book tags when I see fun ones. But when it comes down to me posting something totally mine…uhhhh…yeah…there’s a pause! Mostly because I think who’s going to want to read this? So I try to keep to fun posts like tags and memes that generate a nice deal of blog traffic. But yeah, I need a place to get ideas on what to talk about more! Lol!

  21. OK, right now, I am one of those people who is scheduled through the end of the year… but this is because I a. do a lot of memes, b. have no life outside of work and my blog, and c. know that my November & December are going to be incredibly busy and if I don’t want there to be crickets singing on my blog, I’d better schedule some posts now. But this is actually an anomaly for me… I’m usually that person who is up at the last minute trying to get her post published before the end of the day it’s due {I was the same way in school… up all night completing the essay I had 3 weeks to write}.
    But my general philosophy is to not force myself to write something just to get a post out, if I can’t come up with a topic, I just don’t post.

  22. I don’t stress anymore about not having enough posts scheduled. I know if I rush a post it doesn’t feel like I put any effort into it. I wish I could blog ahead but work get’s in the way of my blogging time. I’m going to try to participate in more meme’s to increase my blog traffic, but if I don’t have anything to share then I won’t post it.

  23. I am not scheduled through the next decade AT ALL, although I do have a few in the can. If I’m two weeks ahead I consider that pretty damn good. My biggest problem lately is discussion posts- I’ve been kinda struggling to come up with topics. Like I am drawing blank completely. So I’m just not doing any of those? It’s pissing me off though because I want to do some DP’s, I keep thinking inspiration will strike? I need like a potion of inspiration or a elixir of super badass bloggyness, where the ideas would just flow! But I just did finish up my Sunday Post so now I can go watch The 100 lol.

    • Yeah, that’s my approach. Occasionally I have 4-5 posts scheduled, but usually I have nothing scheduled, write something that pops into my head, post it, and then realize how many typos there are, or that I forgot to add a title, frantically edit it, and re-post. I have a job, I have kids, I want to read even more than I want to blog, so—it gets done when and if I have time and inspiration simultaneously.

  24. I might be one of those people who has posts set up at least a month in advance…. But, seriously sometimes I don’t blog for weeks and I don’t think anyone can tell. (Though it helps that I have a co-blogger.)

  25. I’ve been so slack with my blog posting ever since high school started getting intense. I want to blog and I do have ideas but I don’t seem to have time and energy to write up many blog posts because school can be quite exhausting! I’m doing a gap year next year, though, so I’m hoping to post a lot more then! 🙂 I do put up book reviews, memes and tags but I want to start bringing more unique content to my blog. I just need to find the time!

  26. This post is awesome! It’s not that I don’t want to post. I have tons of reviews (I even started doing mini-reviews), but I am trying to do discussion posts and they are killing me. I talked to one of my co-bloggers about it, and she said, “We don’t do those because you need opinions to do those.” I wasn’t sure how to respond, since they are bloggers, for a book blog, that posts book reviews, which are opinions. So, I feel your pain with respect to discussion posts.

  27. I am one of those people who try to have things schedule in advance…for a month and then it all falls to shit again. And I’m stuck where you are. It’s why I did not participate in Nicole’s discussion challenge this year. I literally can never think of anything on my own to discuss. Yes, I do post against my own will. Because The Schedule. And then there are days (weeks?) that I’m just like IDGAF. I live in this perpetual circle of getting my ass together and oh, look 67 scheduled posts to do I even have the energy to write a Sunday Post this week?

  28. This is a great topic! I think a LOT of bloggers, especially ones who have been around for several years, are feeling burnt out and creatively dry right now. I try to only post when I have something to write about, but I’ll admit I do get anxiety if I go to long about posting because then I start worrying about my page views. Sigh. However, it’s usually pretty evident if a blogger is just posting to post and their heart isn’t in it, so I try to only come up with posts and content that I’m excited about, because if not I think it shows.

  29. shooting

    Oh gosh, I WISH I had posts scheduled out. I have none. Zip. I’ve done better in the past, but I really need to get it together – especially since I HAVE some reviews written; I just don’t have things scheduled. Sigh. As for your main topic here though, I’ve definitely posted when I didn’t feel like it but usually if I HAD to post something, like a review, but otherwise? I skip a day or two and then try and get it together. LOL

    -Lauren
    http://www.shootingstarsmag.net

  30. YES!!! I have been feeling kind bleh lately. Just, my depression and anxiety along with the other fun stuff kicking my butt. Mostly, I have been sleeping. And, like, I feel bad because my blog is not that “huge” anyway, so no one is waiting for my content. But, even when I do post, my content is not amazing. It’s just kind of hard to push through these difficult times. As always, your blog is just GOALS and I love it. (You’re awesome, is what I am trying to communicate). (Also: you’re right. I may be starting to like Murphy. o.O!).

  31. This is a GREAT post – it’s really making me think about the way I post, ahah. I’m the sort of blogger that likes to have a schedule and things planned, but…not until 2019 ? I can’t think that far, I can only think as far as the next week, and sometimes it is a struggle to try and plan something when I basically have no idea what I should talk about. Usually, I power through, or let it sit for a day and end up with an idea to post something regularly anyway…because I’m a blogging freak like that ? but I don’t really think that anyone should force themselves to post if they don’t want to or feel like it. I get the feeling of … being scared, I mean, I’m terrified when I can’t come up with an idea because I think people will forget me,even if I just miss one day or something. Blogging makes us crazy. BUT we’re doing this for fun and we all need a reminder to chill, relax, let ideas come to us…or not. It’s also okay to skip a day 🙂

  32. You can tell when someone is posting for the sake of posting. Or when someone has rushed through a post. It becomes obvious. If you haven’t cared about what you’re writing about whoever’s reading it will be able to tell. If the well is dry for post ideas then don’t post. It’s ok. I may not always be 100% happy with every post which goes up on my blog but I do like to make sure I at least like the post and am interested in what I have to say.

    I’ve just taken some time off while I was on holiday and sure my blog didn’t get folks stopping by and I probably won’t have anything new up until next week but I’m ok with that. Time off is good. If you’ve got to get a post up for a tour or whatever because you’ve made a commitment that’s one thing but if you’re the one putting the pressure on to get something up then don’t stress out over it. I am determined to make sure blogging isn’t something which stresses me out because it’s my hobby. It’s what I do in my freetime and there is nothing worse than making it feel like a job.

  33. I try not to post when I don’t feel like it because I am the kind of person who my blog is my happy place so I kinda want to be happy while doing it. But then again, like you I don’t like to go too many days without posting so there is a bit of a dilemma there sometimes :/

  34. I have a goal to post each day BUT if I don’t post I don’t feel bad about it. One of the ways I can post each day is through memes but I only do ones I like and only if it makes sense – so for the one where I am asked a question, if I don’t have anything to say in response, I don’t post.

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