My summer blogging break is over and I’m getting back into the swing of things by first sharing with you what I learned whilst taking a break.

I’ve been blogging for over three years now and for the first two years I blogged anywhere between 5-7 times a week - which feels absolutely crazy looking back. I wasn’t running my coaching business back then so I did have a whole lot more time and creative energy to focus on the blog, but even this year I’m usually creating anywhere between 2-4 pieces of long-form content each week.

It’s a lot. I see so many of my clients struggle with content creation when we first start working together - how to make time for it, how to enjoy it, how to share ideas and advice and stories that they’re actually excited to share. It’s a struggle so many of us share.

When I’m in the day-to-day routine of my business, I can sometimes forget how much energy it takes to maintain a consistent posting schedule. Taking a step back gave me the space and time to accept, explore, and dig into some of the thoughts, frustrations, and struggles in my content creation process that have been happening behind the scenes this year.

1. I realised I was facing resistance when it comes to creating content

When I first planned on taking a blogging break this summer it wasn’t because I didn’t want to blog anymore - I just needed to prioritise my energy and time a little bit over the summer so I could work on my podcast and keep on living my life without working all of the time too. But once I was out of my usual posting schedule I realised that there has been some resistance growing underneath the surface for a while now.

What if what I have to say isn’t worth saying? What if I’m just adding to the noise instead of saying anything useful? But I’d rather be outside living my life some days than inside creating content? I’m so burnt out by the internet sometimes, do I even want to be a part of this anymore?

These were the questions that I was asking myself over and over again in my mind. Accepting and realising that I was actually facing some resistance in my content creation process was the first step to helping me move through it instead of just staying stuck.

2. I realised how much time, energy, and focus it takes to create content each week

After three years of blogging and never really taking a substantial break until now, I think I didn’t truly realise how much energy and time it was taking from me each week to maintain the schedule I had set for myself. Taking this break allowed me to see that content creation is a substantial part of my work - sometimes it can just feel like a secondary task or something that shouldn’t feel draining whereas now I’m realising that it’s absolutely a-okay if it feels tiring at times.

To bring a piece of content to life we are trading our energy to do so - this break just helped me to realise that it’s energy I’m excited and willing to give.

3. I accepted that there will always be ebb and flow

Sometimes I am bursting with ideas and I can’t wait to bring them to life for my blog, podcast, and Weekly Letters. Other times I just never want to write a single world ever again. That’s the reality of creative living - there will always be ebb and flow. Especially in this season of my life where I’m really excited about living my life instead of just working all of the time, it’s no surprise that my energy is more naturally inclined to be directed elsewhere.

I realised that I have to honour my own natural ebb and flow, but to also work through it when it’s something that’s a priority to me even if there may be some creative resistance at first. I’m learning to lean into my preferred routine of batching content in advance when I am in the best mindset and creative space to do so, and then giving myself space in-between to navigate the ebbs in my energy and focus.

4. I’m giving myself permission to navigate my content schedule in the best way for me moving forward

It’s okay if I don’t want to post a blog post some weeks. It’s also okay if I want to post two, or three, or five blog posts some weeks - although I rely on structure and routine in my business, I need enough freedom and space to be spontaneous from time to time.

Accepting that I only want to share content, ideas, and conversations that feel meaningful - and that it can’t always be forced every single week - was a big breakthrough for me. Taking ownership of the fact that I want my content to be more than just a tick in the box of my content schedule but instead something I can be proud of and excited about, and something that stays true to the core message and vision of my work, has helped me to move past the resistance I was facing and instead feel focused and inspired again.

If you’re feeling stuck in a content rut right now, or if you’re facing some resistance of your own, here are five questions to ask yourself to hopefully get you moving forward in the best direction for you:

What kind of content would you be proud and excited to create right now?
What do you want to share with your community in this season?
What fears, resistance, and doubts are holding you back in your content creation process?
What are 5 conversations you’ve had recently with clients and friends - or even just with yourself in your own head - that you would love to explore in your content?
How can you switch up your content routine and schedule to serve you better moving forward?

To finish

It’s absolutely a-okay to find yourself in a content rut sometimes, to have to ask yourself the hard questions, to take a break to recalibrate, to switch things up and change your routine. You owe nothing to no-one but yourself, but if showing up online and creating and sharing content is important to you in this season of your life, my biggest encouragement to you is to work through the resistance you might be facing so you can keep on bringing to life content that you can be proud of. Always remember, the only rules you have to follow are your own.

Here's to creating content that we're crazy excited to share.

Every Sunday I send thoughtful insights to my community through Weekly Letters. If you're not already on the list, you can sign up below to receive this weekends letter straight to your inbox.

The Other Side Of A Blogging Break + Five Questions To Ask Yourself If You’re In A Content Rut