Keep blogging in perspective
While most of us would say that we know how to keep blogging in perspective with everything else of value in our lives, I think the reality for many is that blogging can become an obsession. In fact, many of the participants in my free introductory blogging teleclasses often allude to this concern in answering the pre-class survey I send out. So I wanted to write up some of my suggestions for how to find time for blogging AND how to save time for not blogging.
How to make blogging easy and efficient
- Have a way to jot down ideas at any time. Whether this is a notepad and pencil by your bed, a digital voice recorder to keep in your car, or a journal full of your scribbled thoughts, having a way to record your ideas for use at a later time will help you plumb the creative well.
- Do as much as you can at one time. If you’ve got 20 minutes for blogging today, use your time as efficiently as possible, whatever that means to you. Perhaps you write, edit, and add photos to one post. Or, you might start three posts with your time. Maybe you put the polishing touches on two posts and schedule them to publish in the next few days.
- Use tools that streamline your process. Some folks use desktop (non-internet-based) blogging software while others blog via email. Choose to use whatever tools work best for you. Read about some fantastic time-saving tools in my post “Save time when you blog with these free resources.”
How to keep blogging from consuming your life
- Know your values and live them. If family and friends are invaluable, you need to have time to spend with them (That’s part of my absence this week, enjoying time with my grandkids, Molly & Jack. Blogging can wait.). If getting outside keeps you feeling connected, you can get a laptop AND you can also schedule screen-free time in the fresh air each day.
- Create sacred space and time. For me this means that the computer is off on Sundays (with exceptions perhaps once a quarter). Set some boundaries and limits for yourself and hold to them. Generally this time away from blogging (either writing/maintaining your blog or reading/browsing others’ blogs) will help keep you energized and make you less susceptible to burnout.
- Make reasonable commitments. It’s easy to be so excited when we first start blogging that we’re posting frequently, and writing elaborate posts with lots of goodies and links. Over time, however, we might lose steam and our posts become infrequent or less well done. Instead of this model, go for the “start small and grow” method where you begin gradually with what you are confident you can handle no matter what and then build to more (posts, regularity of posts, added features, etc.) as it feels right. This method helps you (a) create a low- or no-pressure environment for yourself and (b) satisfy your readers who witness your improvement over time.
- Be a team player. While you may be a one person operation, there are ways to involve others so you’re not flying solo all the time. You could take a blogging class to benefit from group synergy or have guest authors for your blog. You can hire an editor to proofread your pieces before you publish or you could team up with a photographer who wants to get visibility for their work without maintaining their own website or flickr account.
Blogging is fun, creative, useful, connecting, and here to stay (even if it changes form over time). Whether you blog for your business or for your own personal reasons, it’s important to learn how to do it in a way that keeps it from overwhelming the rest of your precious life.
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