One of the best things about 2010 was starting this blog. Creative and therapeutic, it was an outlet that opened my mind and soothed my soul following Mom's death.
Now, I’m addicted to the process.
And - bonus - the friends I have met from all over the world are amazing! You entertain and motivate me, but you'll never come over, have too much to drink and then puke on the deck.
It’s a near perfect relationship.
This morning, over coffee, I tell B-man I am going to post a lot more often this year when he says, ‘That's great, but do you realize how many different phases you've gone through in our life? I'm just sayin'.'
Yes, but he loves my phases.
‘You might want to pace yourself blogging so you’ll enjoy it for a really long time.’
The man knows me.
Yes, but he loves my phases.
‘You might want to pace yourself blogging so you’ll enjoy it for a really long time.’
The man knows me.
But what, exactly, does 'pacing myself' mean? Because blogging isn’t just about writing posts, it's also about reading, commenting and responding to comments from other bloggers.
That's what's fun about it.
And it could eat my entire life.
As a relative newbie, I must ask: How much of one's time should blogging occupy?
Fellow bloggers, have you found your balance? And if so, how?
Image from tampapba.com
Incredible, I was just thinking about it half an hour ago how I wish I didn't have to work (but had a steady income) so I could spend more time doing things I love which would be reading (both books and blogs) and smelling more and writing more often about it.
ReplyDeleteSo, I guess I still don't have a balance I'm satisfied with but I guess at the moment I'm allocating enough time to the process to keep me satisfied.
Hope that helps. :)
I get up early and read the other blogs, the comments on my own, sometimes the forums, and respond to same while having coffee -- usually an hour or so, more on weekends. Usually check e-mail around lunch and respond to others' comments if there's time; same in early evening. I research and write my post on Monday, schedule it to post just after midnight on Tuesday. (Of course, that doesn't count smelling, evaluating, swapping, reading, etc -- ). I used to spend the morning hour or so reading the newspaper, but ours, like just about all U.S. newspapers, has been so dumbed-down it's not worth reading any more, and I don't miss it! Anyway, this schedule works pretty well for me.
ReplyDeleteI have definitely NOT found the balance. I tend to ebb and flow - I am attempting to be more systematic; say, blog once a week at least. But given that I'm a big of a ditz at times, I just post when the urge grabs me.
ReplyDeleteI do the main amount of my blog reading during the day (at work - shhhh, don't tell my boss!)
I am probably the same (if I understood correctly), I go through a phase during which I over-do, over-eat, over-read, over-whatever whatever it is I am "into" at that time. Then I want nothing to do with that thing for a long time or even ever again. It wasn't QUITE like that with perfume and blogging, but I must say that taking a break has been therapeutic and brought back the old interest in discovering scents and writing. To me pacing is 3 posts a week, 4 at most, reading as many blogs on my blogroll a day as circumstances allow and commenting on some. I am not sure how that will change when I go back to work, but I hope it won't change dramatically. Please pace yourself, if necessary, because I love reading you :)
ReplyDeleteOh, the phases...the phases I have been through. I don't post often, and that's probably a good thing. I don't want to kill the fun.
ReplyDeleteBlogging about perfume is so much more than just posting, as Olfacta pointed out. It can take up a lot of time, but it's time I enjoy and I have met loads of wonderful people. So, I will pace myself so I can keep hanging out with this amazing gang.
PS: Your new blog photo = hot stuff! ;)
I have slacked off recently, and I want to post moer, so I haven't found that balance yet. Use my lunch hours to read blogs, comment and write my own, but there is so much good stuff out there, it's hard to read it all. I could definitely spend all my time on perfume if I didn't have to work ;)
ReplyDeleteBlogging took over my life for a large part of last year. By December I was exhausted and more or less took the month off. I did still blog - but only once a week. I try to be systematic, but never really achieve it. Now I look forward to nights (like tonight) when my husband is out and I can spend the whole evening on the computer without feeling rude!
ReplyDeleteI try to do 3 a week, but I'm not always consistent. Some perfumes require more consideration than others.
ReplyDeleteI write other stuff too, so some nights I blog and some nights I focus on my other work.
I don't have a set routine when it comes to blogging or reading and commenting on others' blogs, if I'm being honest. I just do it when I find the time or enthusiam. I find particularly if I'm very busy at work or generally stressed I post less (and wear less perfume).
ReplyDeleteAs far as a balance is concerned, I think it probably varies a lot. From my point of view, if I found that I was anxious about not posting enough and it diminished my enjoyment, I would probably stop. As long as I'm enjoying and learning from it, then I think I've got the balance right.
I tend to treat blogging like journaling--I post almost every day, but it's usually babble babble, edit, edit again, post. Thought? Research? Structure? Nah. :) So it doesn't take all that long. Yesterday's two word post was a particularly small time investment. :)
ReplyDeleteI did have a brief moment during the Three Kings posting when I thought I'd try to write longer posts like those on a regular basis, maybe three times a week, but I've already slacked off. (Not that those posts were exactly researched and structured, but there was some thought involved.)
The reading and commenting and responding to comments is more unpredictable - I can go several days delightedly _reading_ each comment as it comes in, but rudely not responding yet, and then I suddenly want to comment and respond all over the place.
So, uh, I have no conclusion. :) My blogging feels reasonably balanced right now in terms of the amount of time that I spend, but that's through _not_ fulfilling my regular-long-posts and timely-commenting goals.
Thank you all for your great feedback and suggestions! I am enjoying myself a great deal right now, and I will let this guide my blogging activities.
ReplyDeleteLike all of you, it's hard sometimes to read and comment and post as much as I want to. So I'll follow my own pacing, continue to read all of the wonderful blogs I can and remember that first and foremost, I do this for fun.
Thanks again!
I feel pretty out of balance most of the time, because my work projects tend to be in bursts, so when I am in work mode - or work-related travelling mode - there is little or no time to fit in either posting or reading other blogs.
ReplyDeleteMy ideal (which I maintained for some time) was to post three times a week, comment on other people's comments on my blog as soon as I saw them come in, and read other blogs on my non-posting days. However, even one day where work takes over - or I am sick - can throw me out of synch and it does concern me that I am getting behind with other bloggers' output in the meantime.
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