Premiere Bro SOB (State of Blog) May 2019
Why I Gave Up Blogging and Social Media for 4 Months
I am not a fan of “I’m back” posts. They’re pretentious and they presume everyone else is waiting… just WAITING for you to come back.
Well, I’m back.
Why I Stopped Blogging
On the surface it wasn’t intentional, but my subconscious was overwhelmed. After New Years, I logged back into all my Premiere Bro accounts and suddenly hit a wall. I just sat there, starring at the screen, and finally admitted to myself, I don’t want to do this anymore.
I was burned out.
I closed my laptop and didn’t touch Premiere Bro for 4 months.
Dealing With the Consequences
For several years, I had squeezed Premiere Bro in before and after work, all the while trying to be fully present to my wife and four kids. It wasn’t working.
Blogging and social media was ruining my mind and my body. I was irritable and stressed out, gaining weight and losing sleep. I had back pain and headaches. Every five minutes I was swiping my phone, endlessly scrolling through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Google Analytics. (Oh, the analytics are the worst!) I was constantly looking for affirmation by comparing myself to others.
At home, I was there but not really. Waking up every weekday morning at 5 am to curate content was seriously affecting my health, physically and mentally. Mornings had become completely monotonous and most evenings I was falling asleep on my wife and kids.
The passion project had finally lost its passion.
So, I stopped. I didn’t know if I was going to continue Premiere Bro or not. I didn’t care. I didn’t want to put any pressure on myself to come back. I wanted a no-strings-attached break to make some much needed lifestyle changes.
So What’s Changed?
Here’s what I’ve been doing the past 4 months, instead of Premiere Bro:
Getting more sleep
Eating more fruits and vegetables
Regularly seeing a Chiropractor
Going to the gym
Spending more time with my wife and kids
Reading more books (especially the Bible)
Not worrying if people like me online
Taking a break from social media and the world of the internet was so refreshing. I definitely recommend it! It’s a great way to re-prioritize your life.
Even though I’ve put Instagram and Twitter back on my phone, they’re in a folder called “Anti Social” to help me remember what being social really means.
I’m not here to shame your use of technology or your social media habits. I’m just saying I’ve personally experienced a deeper satisfaction rediscovering that life does indeed go on without the internet and social media.
Rant over.
Why Come Back?
The answer is simple: the people. I missed the Premiere Pro user community.
I’m secretly an entrepreneurial person and Premiere Bro allowed me to express that beyond the editing chair. But more than that, I love helping others learn. I truly think Adobe offers the superior video editing solution in Premiere Pro and I genuinely enjoy using it. I missed sharing that experience with others.
So, if you’re reading this, YOU are the reason I’m coming back to Premiere Bro!
What’s Next for Premiere Bro?
I’m scaling Premiere Bro back. Way back. I’m sure my analytics will take a hit, but I’m OK with it. Premiere Bro started from a humble beginning and I miss that. This restart is a welcome back to the new-old Premiere Bro.
Two things some readers might notice right away:
The blog has a new, simplified look.
I’m using first-person pronouns again.
Here’s some other things to expect from Premiere Bro in 2019 and beyond:
Premiere in Post is going away. The focus of this part of the site was content curation. I’ll be focusing more on original content. You can still access all Premiere in Post content on the Archive page.
Week in Premiere will still continue, but it will be fed directly from the News page. I’ll link to relevant, high-quality Premiere Pro content on the News page (which resets every Monday) and then archive that week’s news every Friday in a Week in Premiere post.
I’m going to be more active on Instagram. You can expect more Premiere Pro tips and tricks on Premiere Bro’s Instagram.
Premiere Bro will be more social on social media. Trying to make Premiere Bro a brand really paralyzed my ability to engage people. I’m reconnecting with the most important part of Premiere Bro: Premiere Pro users.
I’ll restart the Premiere Bro newsletter once I get the blog fully up and running.
A big reason for my burnout was trying to grow Premiere Bro into a company. (I’m still not sure what that would have looked like.) Now, I’m going back to a single blog with a single voice. I changed the Premiere Bro tagline to reflect this change. It used to be “The Premiere Pro user blog and fansite”, now it’s just “The Premiere Pro user blog”.
In the end, Premiere Bro is just one Premiere Pro user’s point of view. I hope it’s helpful.
Thanks for reading!
What about you?
I’m not even going to ask if you’ve ever experienced burnout. We all have. I have a lot more thoughts on using social media and redefining personal success. But I’d like to hear your story and what lessons you’ve learned through burnout. Let’s have a conversation in the comments.
