The Lazy Girl's Guide To Blogging

First, let me start off by saying that no one who is actually truly lazy will be able to pull off a successful blog. This post is, instead, about those times when you have a had a long, hard day and the last thing on your mind is posting something, and creativity and motivation avoid you like the plague. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that I am fairly certain that this is not unknown to probably 90% of the blogging population.

But before I give you my tips for those situations, let's cover a thing or two that might seem pretty tempting at first but you should AVOID if you want to maintain a good standard of blogging:

• On those days when you feel like you need to post something and are not coming up with anything, it might seem tempting to go over to other big blogs and try to "adapt" their content (nice word for plagiarism!). Of course there will be plenty of times when you'll be reading someone else's blog and suddenly inspiration hit thanks to a word, sentence or picture you saw on there. But there is a fine line between creating your own content based on someone else's, and just plain rephrasing what was already written. No one likes to read the same several times!
• Desperately trying to find those "wildcard" posts on other blogs: Don't get me wrong, those are usually a bit of fun and a nice change of routine (I've actually done it once or twice), but doing it on a weekly basis is really not providing much content to your blog.
• Quality can be severely affected by doing some rushed, uninspired post. Readers are quick to tell if you are just writing for the sake of it, so avoid doing it at all costs.

Now, what I think you should DO in my opinion:

• I'm not going to lie, there are many times when I can't be bothered grabbing my big girl camera and capturing a truly great picture. So when I actually go on a "photo" spree, I will shoot several scenarios and environments so I have something to come to when I urgently need a pic for my post. Original photography is much better than resorting to Google images, although of course it is infinitely helpful and necessary at times. What I'm trying to say is that using Google or stock images more often that not for your blog will make it flat and uninteresting pretty quickly.                                  
• Give yourself time. When I first started last year, I felt compelled to post something every single weekday. Let me tell ya, it is hard work! And the worst part is that you end up with a bunch of posts that are not adding anything to your blog, nor providing your readers with anything worth reading (here is a cringeworthy example!). I learned eventually that it is significantly better to not post for a day or two if you need to, instead of posting something of poor quality. This month, for instance, has been crazy busy at work and we are going through some changes, so instead of just throwing some weak post at you, I have taken "days off" as you may have noticed. I do feel a bit guilty about it, but then I am reassured that when I do post, it will be something I am proud of.

• I have found that the surefire way to ensure that you are not always feeling lazy and bored about the prospect of writing a post is simply to love what you write about. For instance, sports are not a passion of mine, so writing an entire post about it probably won't be too inspiring for me (nor enjoyable for others to read!). Books, beauty, and home decor on the other hand, are a completely different story, because they are things I am very passionate about and writing about them actually excites me. Find what you love and write about it, and you will have fewer (although, you will most likely have some) of these lazy episodes.

• Plan ahead. Keeping a blog calendar is a very helpful tool for you to become organized and create a system that works for you. 

• If your blog isn't inspiring you anymore, don't force yourself to keep writing. You might just be in need of a redesign: maybe revamp your header or update your color palette; even just changing your layout might make it more fresh and easier for you to get your creative mojo back. 

Let me know if you find this helpful, and if you have any more tips for those days!