NEWSFLASH: I stopped blogging and the world didn’t end.
Who knew?!
Late last Monday, I was putting the finishing touches on my post for the next day, when suddenly the back end of my blog kicked me out.
How rude!
Why I Stopped Blogging
Turned out it had good reason. You see, unbeknown to me, my computer had a virus – a virus which wanted to infect my website host.
By the time we’d managed to rid my computer of the virus, and my blog was allowing me to visit again, most of last week had gone by.
It was Friday before I could access my blog again.
Which meant I had a bit of an “enforced holiday” from blogging last week.
What I Learned When I Stopped Blogging
And do you know what I learned from it all?
That the world didn’t stop!
Amazing!
And even more exciting (for me at least), was that my blog didn’t stop! It was still attracting lots of visitors each day – nearly as many as if I’d worked my little tushie off, adding three whole new blog posts into the mix.
Now that was a bit of a revelation for me. I’ve been pushing myself to post four times a week, thinking that if I didn’t post, nobody would visit.
It was kind of freeing to realise that this wasn’t the case.
I suppose it’s only fair enough – with a stock of over three years of blog posts to fall back on, surely some of them will be found and read and enjoyed each day, even if I’m not posting anything new.
And do you know what else?
Even though I was worried I was letting my readers down, the fact is – not one single person asked why I’d stopped blogging so suddenly!
Although the blog experts all say that posting regularly and consistently is important – if you are usually consistent, the occasional hiatus is okay.
I realised that even though this blog is my reason to get up in the morning important to me, it’s (shock, horror!) not so important to other people. Life goes on. Although you may have noticed I’d stopped blogging, you were smart enough not to panic, or think the world was ending. You probably just thought that “something suddenly came up” (as Marcia Brady once famously said).
Sometimes we are our own worst enemies, and impose such stringent rules and expectations upon ourselves – when the truth is, nobody else really notices, and if they do notice, they understand!
So that’s why I stopped blogging last week.
Did you miss me?!
I’ve been on a bit of a forced break too, although more social media rather than just blogging.
Glad you managed to get it all sorted and the world didn’t end. I had the blog hacked and down for over a week last year. It would have been ok, if I hadn’t only just launched a time sensitive campaign with a client. It was the longest week of my life.
It’s horrible isn’t it x
I have to confess I didn’t notice, but if it was longer than a week I’m sure I would have!
I think people would be more shocked if I actually blogged consistently than if I didn’t. I’m so ad hoc lol As a matter of fact, I think it’s probably good for us to have a social media detox now and then and we probably should do it more often, but apparently it’s a sickness. SO addictive! Well, it is for me anyway. And I don’t even have the excuse that it’s my job! Glad you got the problem sorted.
See? I knew people wouldn’t. And that’s okay 😉
Sometimes as bloggers we just put way too much pressure on ourselves to blog consistently! I know I’m guilty of this! It’s good to know the world doesn’t end if we take a break lol!
Yes, a real lesson learned for me. And this week my stats are better than ever so maybe absence makes the heart grown fonder?!
I nearly go into meltdown when our i/net crashes for a day or so – I feel completely cut off and I feel like I’ve deserted my little blog child. I read a few of your older posts when you put them up on fb so you still got visited by me 🙂 Nice you’re back and the virus is gone x
Thanks for visiting I love getting your comments x
I shut down all the time – weirdly the stats on the travel blog continue regardless but the Wild things audience disappear…but they jump back up as soon as I come back so I just don’t worry about it all anymore…
What’s your travel blog Lydia?
I confess… I didnt notice but I recall you mentioning it on FB..sorry that it happened. I have become totally dependent on my blog because it IS my one regular and daily activity and I like writing on line. I admit I post for myself and for others to come and have a chat! I hope you pop over when I get my link up sorted starting on 12 September!! Doesn’t have to be a new post either!!
I’m looking forward to it Denyse!
I’m hoping people will still come by my way without the linkup to lure them there, although I know there are so many blogs to visit and so many blogging commitments to keep up with (which is why the world keeps going, whether we blog ot not!)
I think you’re doing the right thing, focusing on being valuable to your tribe. If you lose any by stopping the linkup, I’m sure you’ll gain many more!
Good to read because my Hello Sydney Kids site is down today for the first time ever! My own name one is still up I think. Reassuring that people still visit. Takes the pressure off.
PErfect timing LOL
I kept putting off my break because I was worried that everyone would disappear if I wasn’t blogging at least once a week (I can’t imagine posting four times a week!) and after a month of no posts my stats were only marginally less than previous months. I’ve learnt that we don’t need to keep posting, but can promote our existing posts, re-hash things, create products and so much more when we are not under pressure to post. Hope you will enjoy this new found freedom and keep posting only because you want to!
Yes! I’ve been rediscovering the joy of sharing old posts on social media too, I really only started doing it this year and it really does work.