A post for the bloggers wanting to slow down.
As someone who has been blogging for ten years, I’ve seen the ebb and flow of how blogging has changed over time. Ten years ago there was a small handful of us, supporting and reading and loving each other the best we knew how. As the industry grew, so did our support network, our friends and our responsibilities. What once was simply writing whatever we felt like, cooking, photography and occasional back end website coding turned into a machine of social media, photo props galore, SEO, sharing groups and more. Along with that came an industry we built from the ground up, where bloggers could now earn a generous living working with brands, displaying advertising, traveling, freelancing, etc. The changes in blogging have been good…the opportunity to create a career out of something you’re passionate about is a dream so many people have. I’ve been blessed to do such that.
Along with the growth of blogging as a career has also come some stress and burnout. I have been on the receiving end of multiple conversations over the past with bloggers who are stretched thin, trying to do it all. Their days of working on their passions are being buried under a need to try to keep up with the ever increasing demands of owning their own businesses. Virtual assistants are being hired to help alleviate some of the pressure, but even with that, we’re a motivated bunch who seem to not be able to let things go. We pile on more and more and more until finally, we’re so buried under the responsibilities of running a business that we not longer love what we do.
I got into blogging as a hobby and always say I ended up being an accidental business owner. I was still working full time as a recruiter when my blog was 5 years old and I made the decision to quit my “real” job to blog as my career. I’m going to caveat this post by saying I have the luxury of not being the main breadwinner in our house, however, I’ve been contributing significantly to our income since day one. I’ve never not worked…my income has afforded us things that being in a one income household with a family of 6 might not. I feel the need to say this, to defend my stance on what I’m about to share, because I have been told that the reason I can believe what I can about blogging is because I don’t do it as a business. My blog is 100% a business, I’m just choosing to run it a little differently – to keep the happy in my blogging and my life.
Conversation after conversation with bloggers lately have been about the inability to keep up with the “here’s what you do to grow your blog from zero to a million in 6 months” mentality. There are blogs out there that have seen great success with what I’m going to call “fast blogging”. We aren’t all fast bloggers…I know for me, growth has taken time. I’ve had to learn a lot on my own, especially at the beginning, and with each new change in the industry I feel like we’re all starting over. I’ve never been one to follow my stats and I’ve never been motivated by the amount of followers I have, so the business of blogging has been difficult. I’m interested in the connections – the readers who email me to touch base, or leave a comment letting me know how great they think a recipe is. I may not have grown my blog to a million page views in mere months, but I have taken the time to build lasting connections that mean so much more to me.
With that being said, with each conversation I’ve had with friends that have turned the direction of “I’m not happy blogging anymore”, I’ve had one phrase go through my mind. The Slow Blogging Movement. Of course, I thought I was onto something – the world seems full of “fast bloggers”, surely no one has thought of the slow blogging movement. Little did I know, the slow blogging movement has been around for awhile. In fact, the slow blogging movement even has a manifesto. You can read that here. The point of slow blogging is quality over quantity. Instead of churning out content just because, slow bloggers spend time crafting meaningful posts at their own pace. The goal is less time in front of the computer, more time living, therefore giving us richer life experiences to share. It’s a different kind of blogging and one I’m attempting to return to.
My favorite post on slow blogging is one by Design for Mankind where she shares:
I thought I’d share what the Slow Blogging Movement means to me – knowing that you can be a “fast blogger” and still have some of these focuses and you can be a “slow blogger” and still have cross over. But for me, my own personal Slow Blogging Manifesto is below.
(I wrote these down last month right after I got out of a very inspiring, thought filled shower).
The Slow Blogging Movement is to me…
Less about ambition, more about balance.
Less about page views, more about connection.
Less about beating the system (algorithms), more about ignoring the system.
Less about crafting the perfect SEO post, more about honing my craft.
Less about quantity, more about quality.
Less about the hustle, more about happiness.
Less about social media, more about a social life.
Less about climbing to the top, more about rocking the middle.
Less about following the path of other bloggers, more about creating your own path.
I could add more things, but this is a good place for me to start. A focus, of sorts, of how I want to be as a blogger. I’d love to hear your experiences and to know if you can relate to the need for slow blogging. If so, what would you add to your own personal manifesto? Let me know.
If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading. I love what I do and I want to be able to keep loving what I do. Happiness and balance is important to me, and sometimes on the business front that requires some sacrifice and stepping back from blogging to make that balance work. It’s not always the easy path, but it’s the right path for me.
Thanks again for reading!
Love, love, LOVE this so very much!!! So. Very. Much. Thanks for your words friend, I read every one! Great reminder that so many need, including myself. Love and hugs!
As a new blogger, this really spoke to me. Thanks!!!!
Yes, yes, yes! to your slow blogging manifesto! I couldn’t agree more.
…and I too, have some of my clearest thoughts while in the shower. LOL
I heart you. Thank you for always inspiring me over my last seven years of blogging. You are a true gem in the blogging community and I’m lucky to have you in my corner. xoxo
This has me thinking there are many more bloggers out there with the desire to go back to their roots and rediscover what they loved about blogging many years ago. I stopped publishing on my blog last October. It had become something I no longer wanted to be a part of. It wasn’t a sudden decision since disillusionment happens over time. And yet blogging is still in my blood. I catch myself constantly thinking about recipes that would work for the blog and photograph any and all food that is placed before me. Perhaps I will get back to it one day.
More awesome advice from you!! Whenever I hear you speak at a conference or read a post like this it sort of makes me press a reset button, kinda like switching my phone off and then back on to get rid of all those open apps 🙂 For now i like where I’m at..heck I even like the hustle most days but I never played the comparison game and page views against brands have never been an issue so I don’t sweat that. The fact that I don’t work for someone else and punch a time clock everyday is already enough icing on the cake for me.
Take care!!
I started a blog as a positive outlet, but was starting to feel the pressure of having my little ole blog “be something. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this piece . If a handful of people tell me how they enjoy my blog… I feel great! That’s the positive outlet I was going for. 🙂
I love the slow blogging phrase and think it describes what a lot of us are in blogging for….. I love the real connections. And although I like seeing Google bring traffic my way, that is certainly second for me.
Love some bloggers in the hustle and fully support their efforts, just know my objectives are different and different is fine!
You’re the greatest Kristen! You do a fantastic job of inspiring others with love and compassion. Your open-mindedness is very refreshing in this close minded world.
This is absolutely perfect and I have to tell you, that in the last few weeks I have been happier at blogging. I too have been blogging for 10 years. I remember chatting with you way back when my son had his snowboarding accident and broke his collarbone! We, as bloggers back then were more friends than we were “bloggers” in my opinion. While I have been fortunate enough to have remained friends with you and several others, I also have had that burn out feeling. Working a full time job that takes me out of my house 12 hours a day puts a hurting on a person’s spirit. But I won’t give that up. It’s my life. Blogging is my life also, and I won’t give that up, but I had decided it was time to not make it the most important thing to take care of when I was not at my office job. Grumpy and I need to spend time together. I need to not be worried whether I promoted a post that just went up. While I am continuing on with the blogging, I am not making it my life anymore. It is my hobby that has given me additional income and that both of my children are involved in. My children being there, reading and participating with me with my blog is what it was all about to begin with. I feel like I have come full circle now and can be satisfied with what I have without stressing myself out to have more.
Great post on an important topic. A lot of unmet expectations and burnout for food bloggers these days. And, sorry to say, a lot of marginal content. I’ve been at this for nearly 10 years as well and have always been a “slow blogger.” It’s not a business for me. )There are way easier and more lucrative ways to make money.) It’s my way of keeping my connection to the culinary arts and continuing to learn and grow as a passionate cook. It’s also my way of sharing the incredible journey with other like minded souls. So bravo to the slow blogger movement. Thoughtful, creative, personal articles are what I love to read. Looking forward to more of those in the years ahead. 🙂
I love that you’re bringing back the Slow Blog movement. It’s time. Things are much worse than then were in 2006 when Todd Sieling wrote the original Slow Blog Manifesto. You linked to my post from 2012 about it. It originally linked to Todd’s whole piece, but that has since disappeared. I can imagine he became disillusioned by the whole mess that blogging has become: a numbers game with no soul.
Also a game for the very young. I’m writing this pretty much by Braille. I can’t see the tiny font I am producing in this window. I hope it turns out to be some form of English. I have a non-monetized author blog I write to be helpful to newbie authors and maybe draw some attention to my books. But every day I get a barrage of emails from predatory monetized bloggers. I think they live in a very sad sort of “Hunger Games” world. I couldn’t bear to be part of it.
I hope you manage to bring some sanity to ot.
Very well said! I just attended a blog conference yesterday and my head is SPINNING with things I should/shouldn’t be doing. This post was a breathe of fresh air my friend!
Amen.
I feel like I could have written this. Well, not really, you put things so much better than I ever could. But I feel the same way. Since baby #2 I haven’t felt that drive or ambition, and I’ve cut way back mostly out of necessity, but also because I’ve just stopped caring. And I’m so much happier!! Every now and again I feel stressed about all the normal blogger things that I just don’t do at all, but mostly I able to just ignore it all and live my life. Heading over to read the slow blogging manifesto now. Love the idea so much, thanks for sharing Kristen!
I can’t wait to share this post with what readers i have left on my facebook fan page. I’ve been blogging for nine years. I was just telling my husband, at breakfast, that I lost my blogging mojo about a year ago. I miss the food conventions the way they used to be. Foodbuzz was a place I could meet fellow bloggers and have fun. Now, it has all gone so BIG. I started to feel as though I was put too much emphasis on how many comments I got, how many likes and then I began to fear my photos weren’t magazine worthy enough– with all the beautiful props. I still want to blog, and I guess I’ve joined the Slow Blog movement without even realizing it. I’m no longer trying to develop or post recipes that are “trendy”. I post comfort food, or scratch cakes without apologizing that it’s not “healthy enough” with kale and quinoa. I’m shutting of my laptop a lot more, now, and giving my husband and personal life the attention he/it deserves. So what if I’ll never be a food blogger rock star on the internet? I cook and bake for the shear joy of it That’s what I want to get back to. Thanks for such a great post.
Yesssssss to slowing down. Love this! xo
Oh Kristen, THANK YOU for this post. I have a very small blog, ONLY do it as a hobby and never have had the desire to make it a business. I am retired and don’t want a new business to stress me out! I have seen some of my favorite blogs change so much. I could never keep up. I just do my thing and hope a few people will like it and keep on following me. I do think you speak for many people here. I doubt that you will ever regret being with your family rather than in front of a computer.
I love this! I started out blogging as a way to document my recipes. Over time I became obsessed with the photography and became more and more involved it. I thought I needed to post at least 4 times a week but they weren’t adding any value and I wasn’t enjoying it. Now I post once a week to a week and a half. I would way rather be a slow blogger and have a quality post than 4 mediocre posts. I definitely got caught up in the social media part of it and have recently turned my Instagram account off for a few days and it feels good! My reason for blogging is a creative outlet. Thanks for this post!
I thought of one the other day — “Less documenting, more living.” It still happened even if I don’t take a picture of it. And then it’s easier to enjoy the moment *in* the moment.
Love. It.
this is amazing. xoxoxo
Very insightful! I’m what I call myself “a peon blogger”. I’ve never been in it for more than just to write things down and share what I love, and have never been as concerned with quantity. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting (online and face to face) so many wonderful people, which is the main reason I’m still here. Great perspective. Thanks for sharing.
I always appreciate your insight and perspective. This hits so close to home and I’m so glad you shared! XOXO
Totally with you on the slow blogging! I never wanted to be the kind of blogger who is in it for the page clicks and lots of followers. I always wanted it to be about the connections, sharing meaningful stories, and really, finding myself along the way. My favorite blogs are the ones where I feel like I’m sitting across the table at a coffee shop or snuggled up on one end of a couch with a glass of wine laughing with a friend.
I’ve been blogging for 6 1/2 years and just now starting to feel like I’m hitting the sort of content I really connect with. However, I’ve been horrible about keeping up with other blogs. I love your manifesto and 100% agree on all statements. My addition would be “Be authentic and they will come.” 🙂
You’ve always had great content and thank you for being such a great role model for me. I would love to meet in person some day to chat! I was a recruiter in my former life as well.
A. M. E. N.
(but you already know how I feel about all of this. ) Muah!
I can’t express how much I love this.
Happiness trumps hustle. Every time.
Thanks for the motivational words. You continue to rock.
Thank you for posting! Well said!
Love your post and I so agree, I love blogging at my own pace! 🙂 what a great read this is!
YES. YES. YES X 1000.
I’m all about rocking the middle! Seriously, so refreshing to read….you know how I feel obviously. Quality over quantity has always felt right for me (though I’ve forgotten a few times over the years).
Amen to all of this! Xoxo
LOVE this post! I’ve been around for a while too, blogging for 14 years now. I’m not the main breadwinner in our house either (thankfully, as we would have starved to death!) but I love what I do. I constantly feel under pressure from myself to do more with the blog, which is even harder now I’m writing a cookbook (again, something I love doing, a real labour of love). Your post made me take a lovely deep breath, and give a sigh of relief. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one struggling with balance, and looking for ways to slow down whilst still moving forward and growing.
AMEN!!!!!!!!
Oh, so much truth in all of this. Love it!
So well written. This – Less about following the path of other bloggers, more about creating your own path. The last thing I want to do when I’m with bloggers is talk about our blogs, numbers, building a platform. I want to hear what amazing meal just had, how was that trip, tell me those stories.
After 8 1/2 years of blogging I have a fraction of the traffic most do, but I have friends (real friends) all over the world who I’ve met in person all bc of blogging. People that I have so much in common with and would have never met without my blog or social handles.
Great post. There are blogs I stopped following because it became clear the author was posting just to have a post that day. I would rather hear real stories with meaning and develop a “friendship” or connection with the author.
Yes! Amen! I haven’t been blogging for all that long (relatively speaking), so it’s refreshing for me to hear this from someone who has been blogging as long as you. I’ve been trying to slow down more lately as well, mainly for that ever-elusive “balance” we all talk about, but I’ve always been a slow blogger. The reality is that, as a blogger with a full time job, the only way to be a fast blogger would be to make my brain explode. I’m currently lucky enough to have a job I love and that I’m in no rush to leave at the moment, so I can focus on letting my blog grow slowly into what I want it to be. But that’s the thing – I don’t want to have my blog be my job if I don’t enjoy doing it. And for me, enjoying my blog means being a slow blogger. If I can’t make it work as a business for my lifestyle by doing this slow blogging thing, then I’m not really interested. And that’s not knocking on the “Fast Bloggers” out there, it’s just not the way that I want to blog. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on this, and good luck with finding that sweet spot for yourself.
I couldn’t agree more! I’m just beyond three years blogging and this summer, your message, rang true for me. My decision to slow down was based on Mother Nature’s idea of balance…the felicitous ebb and flow that summer naturally brings…but now that we’re heading into fall I realize that the balance I’ve created for myself was the best thing I could have done for my blog, and me, indefinitely… Thank you for this beautiful post!
Love this. With all the speed in the social media world lately, it has made me feel like I want to be extra slow with my blogging. It is an ongoing challenge to balance the pace of the internet these days with my real, actual life and creativity! Thanks for posting this Kristen!
Testify!
I’m only three years in with my blog and still struggling to find my niche but with a hectic full time job and a 13-year-old son, slow blogging is the only realistic thing for me right now. These are precious times with my son. Posting more than once a week is just not possible unless I’m just throwing up a photo.
Plus whatever I do, I want it to be useful and inspiring. That work takes time.
One of my favorite bloggers posts a new recipe several times a week. It exhausts me just to keep up with reading her posts.
I just let out a big breath. xoxo
Yes. So much yes. I’ve been blogging since 2009ish and I’ve watched the fast bloggers shoot up to the top, while I slowly danced along to my own drum doing my own thing. This past year I’ve put some serious pressure on myself to take my blog (my passion!) way more seriously and, yet, at the same time I feel myself pushing back against that. Wanting more get togethers with girlfriends, playdates with the kiddos, time with my other half, and time alone to reflect, recharge, and just be. So while my experiment with fast blogging has been interesting, it’s given me more love of slow blogging more than ever. I love what it means to you and felt myself saying YES!!!! after each line I read. Hugs girly. And thanks <3
YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES.
The connection is what has made me want to be in this at all, I’ve now realized, and that has been missing for me the last couple of years as I’ve taken a step back. I still love writing and connecting and love the idea of a manifesto, and taking it slow and steady, and way more meaningfully. Love and miss you, friend.
Yes. Especially ” Less about following the path of other bloggers, more about creating your own path” . Thanks for the encouragement to keep doing it at a pace I can manage….and for the reasons that resonate with me.
I loved seeing this. I sometimes wrestle with “am I supposed to want my blog to be more”? I do it for fun, and for me, but after 5 years I do wonder if I’m not pushing myself or if I’m not ambitious enough. I think this was a lovely reminder to just do-what-you-do. Thank you!
This is everything. After I read this I just breathed for like five minutes. Thanks for the post and reminder Kristen.
This is such an amazing post — thank you for writing something so inspiring to so many of us!
I so agree!
I love this, Kristen… Your posts always resonate with me.
I think I’ve been on both sides of this. I’ve tried to stick to the slow blogging, but a few years back, I got caught up in more of the fast blogging and was trying to keep up with it all and build my brand. Fortunately (unfortunately, in some ways), I had kids right around that time, and my blog took a serious back seat. Now, I’m finding myself almost 4 years out of the game and debating if I even want to continue blogging at all. I’m bookmarking this post to read and re-read as I consider that. If I do any more blogging at all, it will definitely be more of the “slow blogging” style. If I choose to do it, and I’m still really on the fence, I will need to recreate my blog to fit my life and interests now. A lot of things has changed with 2 kids in 4 years.
As always, thanks for writing!
Good for you Kristen! In these situations I always think of the rabbit and the hare. I’ve very slowly been growing my web store and blog so I can spend time with my family. I think you are on the diamond path my sweet friend xox’s
Hi! Somehow I come in to your post and couldn’t relate more to your words. After about 6 years blogging that is pretty much where I want to go. Sure I feel curiosity about all those techniques, but many times it seems to me that the craftsmanship of early years is, by that way, lost for a more industrialized product. Some of those blogs are great, of course, but just like the professional magazines… The human factor and the direct relation with the reader is, in many cases, lost.
Great to find you 🙂
Maria
Seems I have always been a slow blogger, never monetizing or paying much attention to hits. But also never exploring the opportunity to share personal reflections in depth. You have gently nudged me into examining my reasons for blogging, and considering a
change. Thanks for sharing.
I have been blogging since 2008 and when the time came to ‘try’ to fast blog, I found that life around me and doing all of the other things that I love in life (relationships, grandchildren, gardening, quilting, simply breathing) was suddenly compromised. Life became so stressful to try and keep up. When the blogging world began to focus on all of the technical issues of SEO, algorithyms, social media shares, etc., I knew that was not why I blog. I’ve cut way back, don’t engage in the overcrowded social share groups where feelings of inadequacy take over and run armpit on my self-esteem, and now sit back and breath again.
By the way, I even decided to read the computer screen less and actually read a physical book this weekend. It felt wonderful to turn those pages and drift away in the story . . . and I never thought about my blog once!
(BTW: you have a pop up on your blog that displays that your blog has 145K likes on Facebook . . . I’d say you were a true fast blogger at some point versus my 2K likes. Maybe I’ve embraced slow blogging all along)
This was my goal this year actually!! So great to hear I am not alone! What’s interesting my page views have gone up. Tortoise wins Everytime!
I love this Kristen. You are so wise and I’m thankful that you’re a leading voice in this industry. <3 Thanks for sharing!
I’ve come to the edge of the water and put my toes in with social media, and after long time of standing, I’m about to set up a blog – this is excellent advice especially for a newbie. These tips resonate with me. Thank you.
Yes. Yes. Yes. I’ve been blogging for just under a year and totally feel this – even though I’m so new to this world! So many others have crazy followers and pageviews and sponsorships who have been blogging the same amount of time… which is hard sometimes. But I’m so thankful for you sharing this!
THANK YOU! “slow bloggers spend time crafting meaningful posts at their own pace” — this is exactly what I needed to hear. I got so buried in “shoulds” and internal pressure about blogging over a year ago and haven’t gone back to it in a meaningful way since (though I haven’t stopped writing and/or having ideas, I just haven’t published them). This reframes a lot for me. Thank you!
Great post Kristen – I am definitely on the slow blogging road as well. I have always thought the connections with readers as well as perfected recipes was more important then millions of monthly page views! Out of those connections have come great friendships which I value even more.
Music to my ears. I thought only I felt that way about blogging and I’m glad to see there are a whole bunch of bloggers feel the same way. I love your manifesto, as it put into words many of feelings I’ve had in the last year.
I thought about quitting my blog because of the ‘pressure’ to write more often, SEO, and all that stuff, but quickly realized I love writing. I don’t blog for income nor am I trying to sell anything –yet ;). So now I blog according to my own tastes (which turns out once a week, sometimes once every week and a half).
Your post brought up another reason for slow blogging. I’ve unsubscribed to several bloggers I followed because they post three to six times a week, which is too much to keep up with. I found that those I stayed with blog once, maybe twice, a week. Thanks for a great post.
Thank you for this beautifully written post! I’ve always felt like I wasn’t working hard enough and pushed myself to pump out x amount of posts a week, but the hearing people talk about the slow blogging movement made me feel so much better and realize that it’s so so so okay. It also made me think about how some of my favourite bloggers only post once a week or not even, I get so excited for those posts!
Love love love!
Man I needed to hear this right now. My blog’s been live for just over a year and, despite making a little income and having a very loyal (but small) base of readers that is slowly growing every day, I’ve been feeling blue.
In my niche, similar blogs are cranking out 3 – 5 (short) blog posts every week. Every WEEK!
However, I still work full-time (at a day job) and only publish one well-thought-out post every 2 weeks. So, I’ve lately felt like I’m getting clobbered by the other bloggers in my niche. I simply can’t post any more often than this. I tried publishing once ever week, and it put a huge strain on me and my family.
Thanks for writing this. It gave me the motivation/inspiration to keep going, and to stop judging my success based on that of other bloggers. One thing I’ve noticed: my blog posts get WAY more reader comments than my fast-blogging cohorts, so that must mean something.
I support your movement 10000%. I’ve been blogging since 2008-2009 really. I almost miss those days. simplicity.
Thank you for the honesty, integrity, and courage in this post, Kristen–and I love the idea of “slow blogging,” whether you invented it or not. Amen, count me in, and yay you.
I really appreciate this post. I started blogging a year ago and find some days that I get so wound up in how many people have looked at my page or lamenting that the only person who comments regularly is my mom that I want to throw in the towel and be done. This inspires me to step back and remember why I started this in the first place.
Your site and photos are lovely, by the way.
Ahhh Kristen, this was so timely for me. I just completely revamped my editorial calendar to deliberately leave open days. After trying to chase THE NEXT BIG THING and just churn out content, I want to be more intentional about the content I choose to share. I’ve also embraced the notion of giving myself grace – allowing myself to just enjoy life with my family, even if that means I don’t have a new post up six days a week. The burnout is so real!
SO very true on all points! I have conditioned myself to understand that when things slow down, it’s the Universe’s way of telling me to rest and finish up whatever I need to before the next big wave….which is easier said then done 🙂
This, a million times this. Thank you.
I would never have been able to sustain my blog for 8 years unless I took the slow lane. I have heard from a lot of people in those years and have enjoyed every minute. Having previously published 3 books, I can say that my blogging experience has put me in touch with more of my readers than my books have.
Hi Kristen. Thank you so much for articulating how I have been feeling. So pressured, so pushed to do more more more. Better SEO, more traffic, more readers, post more often, grow faster. I just can’t and stay sane and enjoy it. So I’ve backed off a bit. I’m happy for the big bloggers who have the millions of followers and make great money, and yes, was a bit jealous at one time. But I’ve gotten over that. It’s not who I am or where I am in my life. I’ve been blogging for about 6 years and the recipes are all my own development. That takes more time, energy and testing that just adapting someone else’s recipe, not that adapting is a bad thing. It’s fun to find new tweaks to make a recipe work better for you adn your family then share what you did and why. At times I’ve gotten so down on myself, and it’s just made my husband crazy. Time to bring back the joy, and I’m all for better connections with my readers. I truly just want to help them.
Less chase, more grace. Sounds good to me. Thanksyou again!
Great post, I may have found my tribe at last!
So well said. I clicked on this post at a time when I really needed to hear this advise. (Thank you, Universe!)
I have always felt that quality of content is the mist important factor but have also felt inadequate as a blogger since I have less time to blog than so many successful bliggers. Thank you for your ideas on the slow blogging movement!
Goodness Reading this article gives me relief!! I started blogging as an outlet. I now realised how much I love doing it. From the cooking to the writing. As a mom of 4 I can’t keep up with posting 3 times a week and have been wondering if I’ve taken too much. I suppose I got my answer?
Thank you for writing this. You should shower more ? Haha
Mira
Amazing post! Oh my god was I’m so glad I read this today. I’m blogging four months and have suddenly been sucked into the world of social media and trying to build numbers and have High stats witha million followers. I can’t handle it and hate it. I want to write and I love to write. I’m going to take a step back from all of the things people say I “have to do” as a blogger and enjoy blogging. Thank you so much
Kristen, I agree.
I post 3 times a week. On Monday, I post a recipe that I have prepared, cooked and tasted. Wednesday’s, I post an article on gardening or food sustainability and on Friday’s I post a review of some kind (restaurant, product, event). I am very conscientious about what I post. I want it to be true to my beliefs and close to me personally.
I was hoping to use my food blog to facilitate a freelance writing career, but so far, 9 months into this endeavor, I have only had 4 paying freelance clients.
Thank goodness I am not the main bread winner in our family (I was for 10 years while my husband ran his own business, till the 2008 financial downfall). I will share your post and look for more motivation to keep striving towards my goal.
Thank you.
Love this post. I’ve been blogging since 2007, pretty full time and just started making a little bit of money in the last 12 months. But the demands of writing several times a week, sending out emails that are connecting and personal, social media, and all that really drain on my life. You can sit on the computer all your waking hours and totally miss your life. Thanks for the permission to live.
You are such a wonderful inspiration and I can also say you seem to be an awesome person with a beautiful soul! Keep up the awesome inspirations of yours and of course at your own pace! 😉 I love your site! It is wonderful and cozy! Thank you for your wonderful insight into your life! 😉
Thank you
Thank you
Thank you
What a read worthy post. So, lovely to hear that slow is good. I have been blogging for 1 1/2 years and feel the need to constantly add new content. While I love cooking, photography and writing, I am finding it stressful. I need to take a break and slow down, so thanks.
Sing it, sister. Wish I had read this post this time last year. I hit a hard burn out wall and decided to stop blogging all together. The result? I lost all my content, which was utterly heart breaking. I’ve decided to jump back in but with this slow blogging mentality – that quality is > quantity and that the focus should be about connection, not popularity.
Thanks or this, Kristen.
I’ve never heard the term “slow blogging” before, but I love the concept! As another blogger who has been at it for over ten years, it’s definitely necessary to learn to pace myself and find a happy balance. I’ve been blogging much less for many reasons and find that at this point, it works best for me. Maybe in six months things will change and I’ll blog a lot more again. Who knows? Just like life, there is an ebb and flow and things never stay the same.
Kristen, thank you for a refreshing post, friend. I’ve read many posts here, but this one resonates with me so much. I especially appreciate the idea of rocking the middle rather than racing to the top.
Thank you for this – I’ve had to take several extended times away from my blog since I began it nearly three years ago, but I always return to it because I love the creativity of it and the connections I have made through it. It’s lovely to hear a voice confirm that it’s more than ok to slow down in my approach…
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I’ve been blogging since 2010. About two years ago I found myself on what I like to call the ‘hamster wheel of blogging’ – always thinking about site traffic, page views and monetizing my site. A few months ago my site was hacked and I was forced to slow down. That gave me time to refocus. I like the idea of a Slow Blogging Manifesto.
Thanks for helping me stay focused.
I’m just figuring out my path and preparing to launch my own site. This is just what I need. I don’t want my new venture to eat my life, but to be born from my love and desire to share it. Thank you for sharing how you are scaling. I don’t know what it will look like for me, but I know I want to be with you “rocking the middle” because I’m interested in something sustainable and doable, something I’m excited to approach now and ten years down the road too.
I LOVE this, and it’s what I needed to hear/read. I’ve been blogging for a little over a year, and the comparison bug is SO real. Thank you for sharing this and giving voice to something that really needs to be said and OK’ed.
AMEN. It took teaching a class this fall about food blogging for me to release just how much I hate the hustle. I’ve definitely already started to ease into this approach by necessity (in the name of sanity). But I’ve been thinking recently about doing the reverse career commute: getting a day job. Thank you for sharing, and I hope that you’re already reaping the happiness rewards of your new manifesto. xoxo
This is so inspiring, I have been a slow blogger since the beginning because I find it hard to produce high quality content in short time. I am really happy I came across your post, thank you
Thanks for these sensible words Kristen, it’s been very reassuring to read them. I started a food blog about 6 months ago. I do it because I love food and I’ve found I really enjoy writing about it. From time to time, I worry that I’m not producing enough content or content that’s trendy or likely to get a lot of interest, but even in the short space of time I’ve been blogging, I find that if I enjoy what I’m writing, ultimately, I produce better content anyway. Unlike you, I am the sole breadwinner in my house so for now, blogging will remain a hobby for me. And thanks to your article, I feel conformable in the knowledge that I’m actually a part of the Slow Blogging Movement, and will continue to enjoy writing that hopefully, others will enjoy reading. After all, what’s the point in having a hobby you don’t enjoy?!
So thank you for this article – it felt like a hug!
Thanks for these sensible words Kristen, it’s been very reassuring to read them. I started a food blog about 6 months ago. I do it because I love food and I’ve found I really enjoy writing about it. From time to time, I worry that I’m not producing enough content or content that’s trendy or likely to get a lot of interest, but even in the short space of time I’ve been blogging, I find that if I enjoy what I’m writing, ultimately, I produce better content anyway. Unlike you, I am the sole breadwinner in my house so for now, blogging will remain a hobby for me. And thanks to your article, I feel comfortable in the knowledge that I’m actually a part of the Slow Blogging Movement, and will continue to enjoy writing that hopefully, others will enjoy reading. After all, what’s the point in having a hobby you don’t enjoy?!
So thank you for this article – it felt like a hug!
Thanks so much for this. I needed it. It’s so easy to get lost in what I’m “supposed to be doing” and ignoring what I WANT to do.
I totally agree in the quality vs. quantity concept of blogging. I couldn’t keep up with all the daily posts, either reading or writing them! Now I strive for posting once a week. Very helpful post. Thanks!
I couldn’t agree more, fast blogging is just for the numbers. I love the idea of crafting my craft slowly but firm, learning, making mistakes and let go all the pressure that comes with the rise to stay on top. Suoer inspiring post!
Thank you. This entry confirmed several things within me–one of them being my desire to live a “slow” lifestyle in all aspects of living. This is an ongoing process and a challenge in a big, fast city! Yes, I don’t want to get caught in pleasing others and judging myself in this world of measurement. It can be a battle, but a reminder and encouragement like this keep me on the joyous path. My goal is for my vocation to be an outflow of my life. It’s happening. Again, thank you and be well.
Hi, reading your post was refreshing. Happy to see others in the blogosphere share my sentiments. I want a simple, yet impactful online writing experience. Mostly free of the stress, comparison, and hurriedness that online writers are encouraged to do. Slow blogging at a steady pace allows me to savor the writing experience, and deeply connect with readers. I have a minimalist blog, and try to live in this way. I want my website to be a true reflection of my values. Which are simplicity, slow and intentional living. Thanks for making this fine point. It’s conversations like this that change the culture of blogging online.