Having a blog while being unmotivated or uninspired can be super difficult for any blogger out there. How can you continue to create engaging and enjoyable content when you don’t have any sort of idea of what to write about? I have been blogging since 2011, but it’s only since 2016-2017 that I am really thinking about my content strategy and the message I want to send out. From 2011 until 2015 I was basically winging it and didn’t have any sort of plan. That’s why it’s good to have a strategy when creating content. So it’s only since I went to university where I was taught about strategies that this has become a priority of mine. It makes it easier for you to know what sort of posts to write about when you actively think about your talking points.
That is the first way to make it easier to find new blog post ideas. Some days I can go through creative ruts even though I do have my strategy and talking points written down on a piece of paper. But it's always good to then have some tips in life to find back your creative juices.

Keep a notebook with content ideas

Some days my content ideas seem to be overflowing, which is why I still have an old school notebook with all of my content ideas written down in it. I also like to make some bullets with some talking points, so I know what I want to discuss in that post. Having a notebook with content ideas helps me to find the topics I can still write about whenever I feel a bit uninspired. Sometimes these are quite heavy topics that I try to avoid writing about as they are a bit emotionally heavy. But other times it can be super light-hearted, such as writing about my favourite items of the month, my style favourites or styling tips. If there’s no topic in my notebook I feel passionate about to dedicate a blog post to, I actually try to look for inspiration elsewhere.

Focus on seasonal content

It’s where seasonal content always comes in handy. I always find that seasonal content is super fun and inspiring to write about. There are lots of topics to write about every new season. The upcoming festive season is always fun topic to find new inspiration for and write blog posts about. Autumn/winter is when my personal creative flow goes into overdrive with lots of autumn-related style blog posts. It’s probably because I love autumn fashion so much. I also find it easier to write about mental health during autumn and winter, as it’s dark and moody outside as well as it just being super busy and everything with deadlines Christmas is also always a great time of year to share fun new content such as Christmas recipes, festive style-related posts and Christmas gift guides. So if you’re in a bit of a creative rut, it’s good to focus on the things you like to write about during a particular season. This actually brings me to my next point when people ask me how I started with my blog and where I find the constant inspiration to write new posts. I only ever really write blog posts I would also like to read about myself. It’s why my blog is now focussing on my personal styling tips for mid size girls, mental health and travel or life related posts. Occasionally I like to throw in a skincare routine or recipe post after sharing some things on socials such as Instagram.

Finding inspiration offline

If you are really in a creative rut, just know you’re not alone. I often have my creative ruts where I don’t want to write about anything and just don’t have the energy to sit behind my laptop and write blog posts. The only thing that really helps me then is to take a step back and go offline. I usually also talk about going through them on Instagram and tend to have a little one week, two week or month break from the blog to regroup, find out why I am so in love with creating content et cetera.
It’s often hardest to get back into blogging during this time after a creative rut as often insecurities get the best of you. Once I have convinced myself that I am blogging because I truly love writing and creating content is when I go back to finding inspiration offline again. Obviously we can find inspiration for new blog posts by reading other people’s blogs or magazines. But I also find that reading fictional books can really help boost your creativity as well. The books you are reading can often spark some sort of new idea when you’re reading. If reading a book isn’t really your thing, I personally also always find inspiration by actually going outside. My favourite activity for switching off is by going for walks in nature. Sometimes by just moving your body and stepping away from your desk a new topic might pop up.

Another way I find inspiration for new blog posts is by talking to my friends. We’re all very talkative and love to have super deep chats with one another. So it’s often during these chats that I am inspired to dedicate a blog post to our chats. This summer for example I wrote a whole blog post about summer style hacks after opening up about my struggles with thigh chafing to multiple of my friends and them relating to it. My friends all had input into those summer style hack blog posts and they were one of my favourite blog posts to write about.

Obviously I am privileged at the moment, as I currently don’t have a fulltime job and am in university. This means I have lots of time on my hands to read new magazines and have lots of time to see my friends and to talk with them. If you actually have a fulltime job and don’t have a lot of extra time on your hands, then there’s still a way to find new blog inspiration in your everyday life. While in my third year of university I spent 5 days a week interning and going to an office by public transport. It’s where I actually found lots of inspiration, as there’s just so much to see if you look up from your phone when you’re on public transport. During those six months of interning I had lots of inspiration ideas for blog posts about fashion, mental health and just my whole interning experiences in general.

It can be difficult to find new inspiration for blog posts when you’re in a creative rut. I think the whole blogging world has become a lot more honest about creative ruts so it makes it easier to realise you’re not alone in this. Another thing to realise when you’re going through a creative rut is to try and let go of the expectations you impose of yourself. Try to let go of your blogging schedule and only write when you feel inspired. This will make it a lot easier for you to have an open mind and find new, creative ideas to write about on your blog soon. I really hope this post was somewhat useful for you if you’re currently going through a bit of a content rut. Like I said before, you’re not alone and it’ll come back to you eventually. Just don’t try to push it too much.