This week marked my 6th “blogiversary” here on Boomer Eco Crusader. Every year, I celebrate this milestone by recapping blogging highlights of the past year and considering what’s next for me in the blogging world. This year feels different, though. After 6 years of blogging, I find myself searching for motivation.
Don’t get me wrong. I still love writing. It helps me process my thoughts. In a recent post on Substack, Think Again author Adam Grant confirmed I’m not alone when he said,
Jotting down intuitions and spelling out hunches is how we develop and refine our ideas. Writing is where we do our best thinking.
I haven’t lost my passion for writing. And time pressure isn’t an issue since I’m no longer working full time. As for content ideas, I continue to find inspiration through everyday things and my ongoing reading and learning.
So what’s the problem?
Searching for motivation and answers, I decided to dive into my blog stats. It revealed some interesting trends.
My views year over year have dropped slightly, even though I’ve picked up some new subscribers in recent weeks. But I’ve noticed a significant drop off in engagement. Compared to a few years ago, I get very few comments on my posts, and I miss the conversation.
Then, when I looked a little deeper, I saw that my top 5 posts in terms of views are all from 2020 to 2022:
- Easy 20-minute home pedicure + DIY foot scrub (2020)
- 25 easy ways to have fun at work today (2022)
- Top 10 parenting tips you need to know (2021)
- Easy DIY body powder – 4 ingredients from your kitchen (2021)
- 52-Week Decluttering Challenge – Free printable (2021)
That’s not a bad thing. It means people are finding me through search engines and Pinterest. But I have to scroll down to number 16 to find a recent post. In fact, only three of my 25 most viewed posts so far in 2025 are pieces I’ve written in the last year.
As a writer, it’s no fun to feel like you’re speaking to an empty room. So, I’ve been questioning the point of writing new content when so few people are reading it.
Let’s keep in touch! Join my mailing list and I’ll email you when I add a new post.
And what’s next?
Adam Grant’s Substack post was driven by AI’s potential to replace writing tasks. It brought to mind this piece I wrote back in 2022 about why the written world should live on in a world of short attention spans and AI.
The conclusion I reached in that post is that blogging and writing will live on if we continue to produce authentic, useful, and thought-provoking content that people want to read. I think the word authentic is key here. AI can’t replace our unique voice.
So, I’ll keep searching for motivation and remind myself of why I started blogging in the first place.
In terms of practical to dos, I plan to switch up my approach to a couple of my regular posts to keep things fresh. And I’m starting to explore Substack to promote my posts.
My favourite posts from the last year
Before I go, I’ll continue my tradition of sharing some of the posts I’m most proud of from the last year. Here are five of my favourites:
- Tips for productive climate conversations
- Carrot or stick? Which works better to reduce our environmental footprint?
- How you can fight back against planned obsolescence
- Stillness – A poem to restore calm
- How sustainable living helps in uncertain economic times
Fellow bloggers, how do you maintain your motivation to keep writing? Drop me a comment below with your tips and ideas.
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Congrats on 6 years!! Most of my old blog friends no longer blog. I love the conversations I created, but I fell like now I’m just blogging with the online community I created. Still fun…for now
Glad it’s still fun. I love the great conversations we have with our blogging pals. So much inspiration out there!
Happy 6th blog anniversary, Michelle!
When it comes to blogging, my motivation is simply to write about the books or news I read, or anything else that catches my attention, especially in the areas of history, leadership, and current events.
I also took on the project of translating poems from my grandfather-in-law and posting them, because I enjoy poetry as well. And since I’m a rocker at heart, I started Rockin’ Thursday to share my love for music. I enjoy researching songs and adding some personal commentary to each post.
Blogging has become a tool to keep my passion for lifelong learning alive. I used to just write down thoughts in a notebook for personal reflection, but that wasn’t fulfilling my desire to learn and grow. Blogging has improved my learning experience, and that was always my main goal.
I love the engagement, though it can be extremely difficult to keep up sometimes. I literally go down the line and try to read the latest post from every person I follow once a week. I also have a core group of people I follow closely, I read everything they post and try to leave thoughtful comments.
I know I’ll need to adjust this approach eventually, but for now, it works. I really love the sense of community that blogging provides, and I plan to keep writing as long as I continue to grow through it.
I’ll stop here. I think I went on a bit too long.
I love that you make the connection between blogging and learning, Edward. I’m also an avid lifelong learner, and blogging definitely fuels my curiosity—both from the blogs I read and the research I do for my posts. I hadn’t thought of that aspect.
And here’s to our wonderful, kind, and respectful blogging community! It’s a rare gem in our world today!
Yes, to our blogging community, for all the goodness it gives us.
Hello, birthday girl. (I can still refer to you that way…I mean…we’re within a week of your birthday, right?) Happy Blogging Anniversary, too. I just celebrated a blogging anniversary, too, and I hear you about taking a little time to be reflective about writing, content and engagement. I continue to struggle with all of the various platforms, social media-wise, and I’m not sure I’ve got the right mix to meet the goals of affiliation and community – with vibrancy. There’s a voice within that keeps whispering…telling me I haven’t figured it out yet…but conclusions aren’t forthcoming. In the interim, know that I value you and your content here and look forward to reading and learning from you. And sharing smiles. Much love! 🥰
Ha ha. Yes, you can still call me birthday girl. It’s still July! 😂
The more I use social media for my blog, the more I see that it may not be worth the effort it takes. Instagram brings me no traffic. Facebook brings me more, but a lot of that was from my personal Facebook where I no longer post blog related content. LinkedIn is pretty good but most of my content on this blog isn’t what I would call LinkedIn “worthy”. It’s complicated.
And I do appreciate your kind words and constant support. People like you make it worthwhile. Hugs my friend. 🤗
Appreciate you! And you’re so right. It’s all so complicated. Xo, dear one! 🥰
💚🤗💚
Congrats on your blogging anniversary, Michelle – and good luck with your reflection. For me, blogging is both therapy and self reflection as well as advocacy for FASD and I’m finding I’m achieving both goals incrementally each day. This year, I decided to expand to Instagram to keep things fresh for me. I’m optimistic you’ll find new ways to motivate yourself too. Good luck! 👍
Thanks, Ab. I’m glad we connected here. There aren’t that many Canadian bloggers, it seems. One thing I do love is there’s always something new to try. Onward we go!
You’re not alone, Michelle. Such is a world where being a voice of reason and decency is not a formula for popularity. Keep on keepin’ on. Cheers!
You’re not wrong there, Frank. But I refuse to stoop to clickbaity titles to get a few viewers who likely won’t return. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment!
Attagirl!
I agree with you about the usefulness of writing, Michelle. And also your conclusion that authentic, thought-provoking, and useful content will always have a place. But navigating the practical aspects is hard right now. So helpful to hear your ideas about how you are approaching it!
It is hard. I suppose we all just need to regularly re-evaluate our why and, if the effort feels worth it, we carry on. Thanks for reading and commenting, Wynne. I appreciate you!
This is the natural evolution of things. One of the things that helped me was quitting the mindset that I had to publish something at least once a week. Some recommend blogging regularly on a specific day or multiple days, but that started feeling like a job. I’m in this for the fun and the engagement. Writing only when I feel inspired works for me and revitalized my passion for writing. As I’ve said to my wife from the day I started blogging, “Whenever it starts feeling like a job instead of something I enjoy, I’m outta here.”
True enough, Pete. I admit it doesn’t feel like a job and I still enjoy writing and posting. And if people are still finding value in my posts from years ago, that’s a good thing. I guess I need to just stop looking at numbers for my recent posts!
I might also add that our overall human population’s inability to respond to our fossil-fuel created climate crisis/catastrophe might also be a bit discouraging/dispiriting. Good for you to check your stats and look for trends. I hope out authentic voices continue to have some value as AI steamrolls its way through so many different industries and pastimes!
Thanks, Will. You’re right. It is discouraging when I feel like any progress we’ve made is being rolled back with every day that passes. Authenticity is so important to me. That’s why I’ll continue to write my own content in an AI-obsessed world.
I’ve been there Michelle and neither of us area alone in this.
I assume you initiate conversation on the blogs you follow,
What is their engagement like, do they respond to comments?
There are several that I follow that I don’t see any interaction and I wonder if they are just about putting things out there but not engaging.
Hi June! Thanks for reading and commenting. Yes, I do engage with the blogs I follow and try to leave thoughtful and meaningful comments. Most bloggers I follow do respond to comments and I love the conversations and perspectives we share. One thing I love about WordPress is the respectful conversation that seems so rare in our world today.
Some thoughts Michelle- I think blogging reflects life so much so that there are highs and lows (or lulls) in engagement levels in both areas. I personally love the reading, probably more than the personal writing at this point. I also know that there are days I read and feel I don’t have much to add to a convo- varied reasons why of course- and then there are days that keep me away from reading much at all. Many people are leaving the traditional blog format and moving to other options- like Substack, many bloggers have decided it’s time to move away totally. I wonder how much the huge changes politically and socially have played into all these changes? Also the desire for small bites of info vs longer reads in this fast paced world?
I don’t think the desire to read/write will fully go away but I do think it can be cyclical in many ways and then the responsibility seems to fall on the blog writer to decide where their priorities are- much like the place you’re at right now. Do we have the energy or interest? Do we make changes? Do we become more of a reader (vs. being a writer) and find engagement that way? I’ve not found a clear answer, but I think the decision of what’s right is very individual. I write infrequently because that’s right for me at this point and can pretty easily predict who will comment, but then I also have never been interested in stats. I’ve seen people come and go…and come back. Ultimately I think the individual has to self evaluate- determine personal priorities and needs- if comfortable play around with new options or even create a new blog to explore other ideas for engagement- and sometimes there’s just not much to say and stepping away is okay as well. I know a lot of bloggers who purposefully take blogging breaks. Some come back, others find different or better ways for self expression and engagement.
Hi Deb. You’re right—it is a very individual decision. I’m sure I will keep blogging in some form and continue to monitor trends and engagement. Clearly my old posts are of interest because they get regular traffic. That could be from the delay in search engines picking them up.
Terrific points about the political and social changes. I try to keep things as upbeat as possible, but it’s hard some days!
Substack is interesting and seems to be where many bloggers are migrating to because it’s easier to monetize writing which has never been a goal to me. I’m experimeting a bit with Substack but it feels very temporary to me, though. I like my website because it’s easier to find older or related posts.
Definitely a lot of food for thought here. Thanks for reading and commenting.
I understand your point of view on finding motivation Michelle. I have been blogging since 2017, and my blog had a boost when I joined Wise and Shine. Now it’s a bit static, I would say. Recently I moved to a more narrow area, healty eating/nutrition, and I continue writing because I consider my blog a kind of repository of all the re-elaborated ideas that I found on the web and on the scientific documents I read on the subject. I downgraded my subscription and thinking about not paying at all. I read blogposts from people who write on a free blog and it’s not because of that that they don’t have followers, or can’t engage in a conversation.
Thanks for reading and commenting. I like your thought about your blog being a repository for ideas. I do enjoy going back and reading my older posts because it’s interesting to look at how my mindset and perspective have shifted.