I am always amazed and impressed by the number of blogs any one person can post in a week. Where do you come up with ideas for such great articles so often? I do not fit into this category, unfortnately, and have made a decision for myself. I am going to become a weekend blogger. This simply means that I will only post something on the weekend. However, I will still visit blogs daily. It is almost an addiction and I find I must keep up with the blogs I am following or I will miss something really important, though I can't always keep up.
With a wonderful husband, three kids, a full-time job outside the home, Church activities, writing and a current theater committment, I find I am doing little bits of things and not accomplishing a great deal. This week I was really into the groove of writing my current WIP, but at the back of my mind I kept thinking that I needed to blog. I don't like being pulled in two separate directions. My characters do that enough - lol. Where it is okay for them, it is not okay in everything else in my life. So, I made a list of all the things I needed to do on a weekly basis and set a schedule of what I hope will work. One of my decisions is to post a blog only on the weekend.
Have you had to reduce the amount of time you spend on one activity so you can devote more time to others? Do you have a specific blog schedule you go by, or do you post when an interesting thought comes to mind? I would really like to know how everyone else manages to organize their time to be with family, participate in outside activites, write and blog. Do you have a weekly schedule you go by and stick to? I am sure your blog isn't the only place you visit either. I also like to visit Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Shelfari, Edgy Christian Fiction Lovers, and Romance Book Junction, none of which I think I visited this week. I would love to hear from you and any tips you can offer.
Hi Amy,
ReplyDeleteYou sound like a very busy person! I couldn't do all you do. I don't work outside the home but still find it hard to keep up with the demands of the Internet social sites. I don't have specific days to blog-usually a few times a week when something hits me. And I lost that guilt awhile back. I need time to write--that is the priority and besides, I love reading them more than I do writing the blogs!
well, I'm retired but did make the commitment to blog daily. some days I write several and schedule them for future dates. I find blogging helps my writing skills and ideas flow that I can use for articles or poems to submit for publication. It works for me. I also say no to requests to do extra things that don't fit in with my focus of writing right now. I also check facebook every day several times as it keeps me connected with family and what they are doing. I love it!
ReplyDeleteI usually write my posts before and have them auto post. (That is, if I'm really on top of things.) Sometimes, I'm scrambling at the last minute for an idea. It's these days that I think about not posting, but something always pops into my head. I've had to compartmentalize my blog time, and I stay off the internet for blocks of time during the day. Otherwise, I find myself popping here and there instead of writing.
ReplyDeleteIt helps when you are retired with no commitments. I never know what I am going to post until the last minute. I usually post everyday. It is sort of an obsession now. I feel like I have left something undone, unless I put a post on my blog.
ReplyDeleteI usually post 2-3 times a week, when I think of something I really want to talk about. I recently cut the blogs I read in half. I've had to, or I get nothing done.
ReplyDeleteI am very busy too. I have church responsibilities, a child, a husband, extended family, photography, and my writing. It all builds into a very full plate. Blogging keeps me sane though. If I don't get those posts out they drown out all the other stuff I want to write about on my WIP. And I like the social networking part since I don't have a car to go anywhere most of the time.
Good luck!
Oh, I do take one entire week off every month from blogging, facebook, and twitter. It's a great way to refresh. :)
I only post on the weekends and sometime in the midweek, if I can. I don't have any tips, other than prioritize, but I don't follow my own advice?! I too like the social aspect of blogging.
ReplyDeleteUmmmm, a kitchen timer, maybe? :)
Blessings
Wow, so busy! I decided not to long to ago to post on a schedule. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. To make it easier I decided to do a repeat kind of post of Wednesdays, which means I have the same topic each week so I don't have to think of a new idea (excerpts and actions, you might have seen it). The other days I try to do one helpful post that other writers might find useful or be able to contribute their experience with. And the other is more personal, about me or about me thoughts on writing. This way there is some variety and I don't feel so stressed about blogging. Glad to hear you're thinking of committing to a time that will work for you. It is all about balance and when you find it, that's great!
ReplyDeleteCreating my blog always takes longer than I think it should so if I have a really busy day, it will not get done that evening. Mine is mainly a weekend thing and sometimes during the week - - - depends on if I have too much to do around the house after I get home. Some things have to come before blogging if the rest of life is to run smoothly - - - even though blogging is more fun than laundry, vacuuming, etc.!!
ReplyDeleteI'm addicted to reading blogs too! I love it. But yeah, like all things we like to do, it gets in the way of things I should be doing. The actual posting doesn't bother me though. I usually like to do that.
ReplyDeleteGood for you for doing what you need to! I hope you enjoy the new schedule. :-)
The internet can be so time consuming. I'm finding since I've got my handy treadmill laptop table, that I only go on blogger and email now when I'm walking. It makes me dizzy sometimes, but at least I feel like I'm finally taking care of my body and keeping in touch with my blog friends who I really feel are a blessing to me.
ReplyDeleteAs a writer, who is home full time, I really value the friendships I've gained online. I try to blog Mon, Wed, Fri, but check into all my favorite blogs daily if I get to the treadmill.
I look forward to your weekend posts, Amy!
Thanks for all of the suggestions. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend. I took time away from the computer to have fun with family and friends, but now it is time to get organized again.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like some times ideas just come to me for posts and other times.... nothing. Whatever posts you do are great so keep going at your own pace. :O)
ReplyDeleteI had to scale back on my blogging - I used to post every day. Then I went to posting Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I recently took a more lengthy break and it's helped a lot.
ReplyDeleteWriting some of my posts on my breaks at the "day job" helps a lot. :-) I blog daily on my "mostly writing" blog, and a few times per week on two other blogs as well. The Variety Pages is all scheduled out - every day has a set weekly topic, so I don't have to think up something new, just have to write up the posts. I tend to do those on my breaks at work the day before they're "due", and schedule them to post the next day. The other blogs are scheduled too, but I generally prep those posts on the weekend, and schedule them to automatically post on their assigned days the next week.
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't know how you do all that. :-) I have no kids, just a husband and a couple dogs, with very few outside commitments (I'm very protective of my time). But still - I get home from work and have dinner to make, chores to do, etc...I often don't get writing time for my WIPs until 10pm or so.