As I write this post, it’s only a few days until Christmas. I love this time of year as it’s great to be able to spend some quality time with the family. Christmas is also a good time of the year to recharge the blogging batteries, so to speak, and plan on what you will get up to in the following year.
Tis The Season To Be Refreshed
This year seems to have flown by and I seem to have done quite a bit. It’s certainly been a busy year work wise, what with helping to setup Bizzebee and The Hive, running my own sites and setting up lots of client websites as well. I have learnt so much within the last 12 months, it’s been great!
If I’m honest though, I am really looking forward to taking some time off over Christmas and New Year to recharge the batteries. The last few weeks have been pretty manic, so it will be good to spend some time away from the laptop for a bit.
Whether you are self-employed or not, it is very important to set aside some time for yourself away from the pressures of work. It is easy to get bogged down and stressed about business related issues, but too much of that can be bad for your health. Of course, that is easier said than done. As a business owner myself, I know just how difficult it can be to switch off at times. There is always something else to be done or task to be completed – it’s never ending.
Now, I’m not a very religious person, but I really love Christmas as it’s great to be able to spend time with the family. There really is no better way (in my view) of forgetting about work than getting together with your loved ones and having a great time.
A Break Helps Refocus The Mind
Taking a break isn’t just about recharging the batteries though; it can help you to refocus on what you need to do in the future. Being active every day at work is great, but it is easy to become short-sighted on the little tasks that need doing. Being able to take some time out can help you to re-evaluate everything and see things in a different, much broader perspective.
Cliché as it may be, New Year’s resolutions are a great way to do this by setting new goals for the upcoming year. This could be things like;
- Taking your business/career in a new direction,
- Learning a new skill that you can use,
- Perhaps ditching something that you were doing that wasn’t working,
For any other blog/website owners reading this, you may want to include things such as;
- Launching a new product,
- Looking at new/different ways to increase traffic/revenue.
- Expanding your site by adding something new (e.g. a forum, membership area, newsletter, etc.)
- Reaching out and expanding your networking connections,
Whatever your goals may be, try setting them AFTER you have taken a break to reflect on everything. It really can help you to make better decisions on where to go in the future when you do this.
Is It OK To Take A Break From My Blog?
Before I “wrap up” this post, I just wanted to touch on a question that often comes up when talking about this subject. Often people think that you mustn’t, under any circumstance, leave your site for too long otherwise everyone will leave for good. Bloggers and website owners can be a little too obsessed with this and feel like they must work on it constantly.
Regular content is vital, don’t get me wrong, but that doesn’t mean you need to be chained to your desk 24/7. You can take a break from your site whenever you want, just be sure to let your viewers know. I think most people are focused on Christmas anyway at this time of year, so I wouldn’t stress about it too much at the moment.
If you are concerned though, you could always write some posts in advance and schedule them to be published whilst you are away. That way, you get to have a break doing whatever you want and your site still gets content.
Personally, I don’t see the harm in missing a week or two (in the context of a year that is, not just taking a break whenever you want). Like I say, just remember to tell your viewers, via a post or newsletter, that you’ll be away for a bit and they will understand.
Merry Christmas!
So enjoy your blogging break. Recharge those batteries and plan out what to do for next year, so that when you come back you are ready and raring to go!
From me (Matt) and all of the rest of the Bizzebee team, we want to wish you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!
6 thoughts on “Recharging The Blogging Batteries & Planning For The Future”
Hi Matt, great post, taking time out is very important, we can work, work and work and by doing so miss some vital planning which could be a complete game changer. I intend to do less physical work such as writing posts and creating content and do more sitting in front of the TV watching films with a pen and a notepad drafting up ideas, schedules and just simply do some brainstorming for the forthcoming 2014 with plenty of nibbles, tea and maybe the odd cider.
I like my cider as well! Think I may have the odd one over the festive break… OK maybe two 😛
Merry Xmas!
Merry Christmas John 🙂
I completely agree that it is important to take a break. I had some posts already scheduled on my party site, but decided not to start getting serious with my new blogging site until the New Year to give myself a real break. I also missed some regular posting times , but I think if we go at it 24/7 the burn out rate would be very high. Blogging is not an easy job, and if you want to make it in the long run, you need to take time to refresh and give yourself the break to do this.
Hope you had a great Christmas and New Year and feel all recharged for the year ahead!
Hi Catherine,
Yes, good thanks. How was your Christmas & New Year?
Take time out can really help to refocus the mind. I know before Christmas I was starting to get a bit demotivated, but taking some time out helped me recharge the batteries and am now raring to go again.