It's a new year — time for a fresh start. Welcome to our 15-day series on how to fall (back) in love with your blog. The series is all about stepping back, re-evaluating things and making sure you're still connecting with your blog. Here's what you won't find in this series: articles on analytics, plug-ins, sponsored content, ad networks and the like. What you will find is tips and strategies to stay inspired, motivated and pushing your own boundaries, all while loving what you do.
Where do you work every day? I’m betting the kitchen is one of your main workspaces, just out of necessity. Cooking and shooting probably require you stick close to home.
But what about photo editing and writing? Most of us work on laptops but odds are good that we do it in the same place, day after day. If you’re lucky you might have a home office but more likely it’s a small corner of the dining room table or your couch.
Mix It Up — Find A New Location
One of the biggest and, quite frankly, the easiest, ways for me to jumpstart my creativity is to change my surroundings.
That doesn’t mean you have to build a custom office in your basement. All it means is picking up your laptop and moving somewhere else. If you always work in the dining room, go work in the living room. If you always work in your home office, pick up your laptop and head to a coffee shop.
If it’s summer, make a little workspace on your balcony or in your back yard. You can even go to a park (public wi-fi is becoming more and more available in many cities across Canada).
When you travel, head out to a coffee shop in the neighbourhood you’re staying in — even if you’re on a holiday. New neighbourhoods and cultures always inject a little inspiration into your day.
Spruce Up Your Existing Workspace
If heading out of the house is difficult because you have small children or live in a rural area where the nearest coffee shop might be a bit of a trek, change up your workspace in the house.
A little bit of new paint on the walls or a repaint of a desk or a new piece of artwork can turn your workspace from same old same old to a place you want to be every day.
I keep two large inspiration boards on the wall by my desk. Periodically, I remove everything from them and put all new materials up. It's a mix of gorgeous food photography, colour palettes, typefaces, magazine layouts or anything that catches my eye and makes me feel good. It always gives me a little boost!
Make Sure Your Workspace is Well Lit
I don't know about you but I need a lot of light. Unfortunately, living in Vancouver in the winter means mostly grey, dark skies. So I make sure that I have lots of good light in my workspace. It makes me feel more awake and energetic and cheerful.
New surroundings are a great way to shed some "new light" on blogging. If you can move around, shake things up at home, or make sure there are things around that inspire you or make you happy, it will be sure make you excited to sit down at your desk or laptop to get started on things!
More Reading
- Day 1 — Getting Started
- Day 2 — Stop Comparing
- Day 3 — Working Through Fear
- Day 4 — Managing Disappointment and Criticism
- Day 5 — Dealing with Blogger Stressors
- Day 6 —Don't Be Afraid of Change or Personal Growth
- Day 7 — Finding Time
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