Some people aren’t cut out to be bloggers. There, I said it. If you’re reading this, you’re a blogger wondering when to quit blogging.
I’ve often thought this over the years, particularly when nothing I did seemed to work or was moving at a snail’s pace.
Almost every blogger thinks of giving up their blog at some point. So, you’re not alone.
But is it the right time to quit blogging?
I’ll run through the top reasons it may be time to call it quits, the top reasons why you should stick it out and what to do next… and instead!
DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links, meaning if you click on a product or service, and decide to purchase it, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. All recommended products and services are based on my positive experience with them. For more information, please read my Disclaimer.
Bookmark this post for future reference on Pinterest.
Should I Give Up Blogging?
You’ve probably been mulling this question over for a while.
Things aren’t going according to your plans with your blog. You may have set goals for yourself and you’re not achieving them.
The question is a very valid one.
I’ve almost quit several times, however, after thinking things through, I forged on ahead with my blog.
And thank goodness that I did!
The best thing to do next is to ask yourself several key questions. Grab a piece of paper and pen, and jot down notes: the pros and the cons.
Answer the questions I’ve listed below each reason as truthfully as possible.
So let’s look at whether it’s time to give up blogging.
How To Know When To Quit Blogging: Top 4 Reasons
Going through this exercise will help you determine whether it’s the right time for you to quit your blog.
1. You’ve Lost The Passion For Blogging
This is a big one – one of the top reasons to quit blogging is no longer having the interest to do it.
Let’s face it, blogging is a labour of love, and the rewards come after a whole lot of hard work.
It’s easy to lose the passion for blogging with a self-hosted blog because there are so many technical things to consider. And marketing, and promotion and so forth.
Some people just love writing. But blogging is so much more.
If you’re finding yourself not wanting to write and publish a blog post, it may be time to quit blogging.
You may also be suffering burnout, which leads to a lack of interest in blogging.
Your blog topics and niche may no longer interest you as much as they did before.
If you’re not enthusiastic about blogging, it will show in the quality of your work.
QUESTIONS: Are you still excited about writing and publishing blog posts? Are you finding it hard to find blog post ideas that excite you?
| RELATED: 10 Self-Care Activities For Busy Bloggers And Entrepreneurs
2. You Don’t Have The Time To Blog
This reason to quit blogging is a tough one.
You may still WANT to blog, but life’s demands are keeping you so busy you just can’t.
If you’re working full-time or are a new parent, the idea of starting and growing a blog may seem impossible.
It’s extremely hard to balance motherhood with blogging. Same with fatherhood!
Throw in a full-time job, and your time to start and grow a blog is very limited. At most, you have an hour or two each evening to get things done.
Is it impossible to blog under these circumstances?
Of course not.
It’s just that it takes much longer to grow your blog and achieve your goals. This can be very disheartening.
QUESTION: Do you have 1 to 2 hours in the evening or early morning to dedicate to blogging regularly?
3. Your Blog Isn’t Growing And You’re Impatient
My saying is this:
Rome wasn’t built in a day. Neither is a great blog.
You can quote me on this (just give me a do-follow backlink, thank you very much).
If you’ve been blogging for 6 months to a year, and you’re not seeing any blog growth, there may be valid reasons why.
For example, you haven’t put enough time into promoting your blog.
Or you haven’t published enough blog posts regularly. Your blog content is thin.
If you’re impatient, it makes things all that much worse.
Successful bloggers know that growing a blog takes time. They know it’s important to be consistent, organized and a risk taker who may sometimes fail.
If this is not you, blogging may not be the right hobby or entrepreneurial venture for you.
| RELATED: Best Tips For Growing Blog Traffic For Your New Blog
QUESTION: What could you be doing differently to grow your blog that you haven’t tried before?
4. You Need A Quick Way To Make Money
Tied to the previous reason is your reason for blogging. If you’re looking to make money blogging and you aren’t, it may not be the right income stream for you.
Blogging for money is a long-term activity.
Bloggers can blog for 2 to 5 years before they’re earning enough to leave their full-time jobs.
Diversifying your monetization strategies is important – you can’t put all your efforts into ads. They just don’t produce the same income as for example selling digital products and services.
That can take a whole lot of effort, trial and error and adjustment in strategies.
So, if you’re looking for easy ways to make money, blogging isn’t it.
| RELATED: Can You Make Money Blogging In 2024 – The Real Truth
QUESTION: How many different ways are you monetizing your blog now – and what could you be doing more to generate an income?
When To Stick It Out With Your Blog
Now let’s look at three top reasons to keep blogging, even though it feels like it may be time to quit.
1. Your Available Time To Blog Will Improve
So you may not have the time right now for blogging.
But what about two months from now? Maybe six months?
Why get rid of a blog when you’ve put so much effort into starting it? It may make more sense to let it go “fallow” – just like a field on a farm.
Even if you’re not doing much with it, it’s aging and with age comes more domain authority.
While you may be extremely busy with life, work and family commitments now, your free time may open up in a few months.
Even a couple of extra hours a week to dedicate to your blog can make a huge difference in what you can accomplish.
2. Trying New Strategies For Blog Growth
So what you’ve been doing so far hasn’t worked out so well when it comes to blog growth.
Your organic traffic is at a standstill. Social media isn’t cutting it.
Do you quit?
No… you get help.
Sometimes it’s hard to see the big picture and determine the best strategy for blog growth.
It may be time to work with a blogging coach to create a blog promotion plan that works.
Maybe you need to brush up on SEO for blogs or create fresh content that readers are seeking. Whatever the strategy, it’s time to get serious about growing your blog.
Seeing results will change how you think about your blog.
| RELATED: How To Use Pinterest To Explode Your Blog Traffic
3. Getting Past Burnout
Sometimes you lose the passion for blogging because you’re tired.
Working hard on building your blog, marketing it and everything else in your life can take a toll on a person’s wellbeing.
Are you suffering from burnout?
Don’t quit. Instead, take a break from everything and anything related to writing, publishing and promoting blog posts.
Here’s what I do when I get hit with feelings of being burned out: I watch movies or TV series with my family. Or we take a day to get outdoors or do a short drive to see the world.
We can get so easily sucked into the idea that we need to use every spare more to build our hobby blog into a business. But at what expense?
Your blog will be there waiting for you when you’re feeling mentally and physically refreshed.
You Still Want To Quit Blogging: A Smart Way To Do So
If my points haven’t convinced you to not quit blogging, how can you do it smartly?
Sell your blog.
There are platforms such as Flippa that sell websites and blogs. You can make money by selling your blog.
And if you weren’t passionate about your blog niche, you can take that money you’ve earned and reinvest it in a new blog.
One Last Thing: Congratulate Yourself
Now that you’ve read the pros and cons of quitting a blog, you need to also congratulate yourself.
You’ve done something that many people don’t know how to do, or are just too lazy to do.
You created something! Sharing your thoughts online with a blog is not an easy thing.
So feel proud that you started your blog.
Take all the skills you’ve learned: content creation, editing, digital marketing and so on, and add them to your LinkedIn profile, like I did with mine.
So ask yourself “Should I give up blogging?” or should you take a break or get support to motor on through with your blogging challenges?
As for me, I rose to the challenge, and here we are with you reading this blog.
QUESTION: What is your reason to quit blogging?
Like this blog post? Share it with others on Pinterest!
Great post! I repeatedly get bogged down in the technical side which steals my motivation. I’ve had a self-hosted Wordpress site for years. All the advice says that not having a .com is a bad idea, but I’d rather have not spent that money over the years. Every time I didn’t meet goals, the money hung over me causing feelings of shame and guilt. It was another thing I’d failed. Blogging became something I should do, a task. Then life exploded with 4 cross-country moves, several surgeries, and the loss of our daughter. The blog has been sitting. There are a couple of posts I’d like to save, and there are others that soulless and need the big delete.
Doing a big delete, or a big upgrade is fine. It happens all the time. Happened to me too. Think of it this way: every time you overcome a blogging challenge, it’s not a failure, it’s a win. You now have more knowledge than you had before.
This is such a great post. We need to hear this every now and then.
Don’t we all? Sometimes it’s hard to get through a slump… but sometimes it’s best to stick it out.