Starting a blog is easy. It’s fun to write in your voice and topics you are interested in, and to have other people read your writing.

But soon, blogging burnout creeps in and kills your creative output — and your readership. Here are some easy tips to avoid blogging burnout and get back to having fun with blogging, and being able to blog on a regular basis.

- Have realistic expectations: Many writers become disenchanted with blogging because they set their sights too high. Unfortunately, except in the most miraculous situations, a blog will not become an overnight success. Building a readership takes time, effort, and patience, so do not be discouraged if you’re not receiving instant returns on your hard work.

- Take a short break: Power down your computer, log out of Blogger, and do not talk about or do anything related to blogging for a few days, even just 3 or 4. Though it may feel like an eternity in the blogosphere, where everything moves so fast, it’s really not. Plus, you’re bound to stumble upon a good idea somewhere during your time off.

- Plan, plan, plan: If you have not already, take a minute away from writing to plan out your strategy for developing content and building a readership. Too often bloggers get burned out from trying to do everything at once. Set a reasonable plan for yourself, like 3 posts a week, so much time spent on social media, so many comments on other blogger’s posts, etc.

- Try something new: Burnout comes from being stuck in a rut, where you feel like you’ve been doing the same old things to no avail with no reward in sight. Have fun with your writing and try something different. Write an open letter to someone relevant, write from the perspective of some current or historical figure, be creative. For those who are more ambitious, create a podcast or a video blog to post. Do something out of the norm to recharge your batteries — and spark interest from your readership.

- Write shorter posts: If time is your biggest constraint to blogging regularly, write posts as frequently as you would but trim down the length. Your readers do not want to read a college essay anyway, and many will click away if they see what appears to be one. Be brief, and be concise; trim the fat and get to the point.

- Invite guest bloggers: It can be hard to let others add content to your blog, but if you want posts but are not feeling motivated to write yourself, get guest bloggers to inject some new life into your site. These guest posters may have followings of their own, which will now gravitate to your blog. Plus, what they write may inspire you to respond, go in a different direction, or just give you new ideas for topics to explore and write posts about.

- Take a look at old posts. If all else fails, feel free to re-post what you consider your best work, or work that is particularly relevant in the present. Also, re-write old posts. Add updates, and follow up on events or topics covered to see how things have changed, progressed, regressed, or stayed the same.

This is a guest post by Joe Gustav who is a guest blogger for Pounding the Pavement and a writer on the subject of vocational schools for the Guide to Career Education.

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