When we set out to be bloggers, we possess our own secret goals and desires and dreams. After all the initial set-up, we find our own little happy groove, and then a new stage hits.
An unexpected stage.
One that we couldn’t foresee. It was so far off in the distance.
I call this stage:
Holy Sh*t – what’s the best way to balance all the different efforts and still stay sane at the same time?
Okay, that’s a really long name…let’s summarize it somehow.
What did you come up with?
Anything better?
I’m waiting…
Oh yeah, that’s right, I can’t get comments or feedback until I press publish. Duh. I’m still in the ‘me-time’ of the post. Yeah, I know, by the time you read this sentence it will be posted, but if the sentence fits and keeps the writing flow going, leave it in is my motto.
I’ve spent so much time in the ‘me-time’ zone, for so long, I got used to being lonely in a sense.
With a few more followers and joyful camaraderie of comment sharing, I need to adjust how I spend my time.
I didn’t discover how to add more hours to my day. Thus, I’m curious to find ways to balance my efforts in the same amount of time.
Okay, now we’re talking, right?
You want the answer to the same question?
How can a personal blogger blog in 2 hours or less a day?
Now that we’ve got our brains in a problem-solving mode that’s where our sanity survives. We discover we’re only human, with 24 hours/day, so we remember:
“It’s my blog, my rules, my time, my therapy, and my, oh, my, connecting with others is what I didn’t expect to be so joyful and busy – I’ve gotta make a plan that works for ME!”
What do I do to stay sane?
Of course, I Googled it and asked Mark Twain, and he said,
“Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.”
That works, I guess.
Or…how about this one,
“Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.”
Now we’re talking. I do that all the time. I ramble, then I go back and delete. That’s the fun part of writing. But we’re talking about how to prioritize time. So I should delete this paragraph.
Top 5 Tips on How to Balance Your Blogging Efforts:
- Set a timer – and stick to the allotted time. We work faster when we know we don’t have all day to finish a post. Define the time slot and stick to it.
- Write first. Since I write every day, I’ve made this my self-proclaimed priority. If I start out doing other things, I get easily side-tracked and my post takes way too long to write. And I go over time and I rush and don’t enjoy it as much.
- Respond to comments. Be a super appreciative blogger – those who like or comment on your posts are treasured friends. Once I changed my settings to ‘auto-approve’ this part got much easier. And that adorable bell, in the upper right-hand corner, is a huge asset for maximizing time spent in this area. Make sure you check John’s tips at the bottom of my post for tricks related to the bell.
- Read and comment on the blogs of those who commented on yours. Devote daily spare time to this effort. It sounds selfish, but your blog will suffer when you feel like you’re neglecting your own self to respond to others, or to read their posts instead of being true to your own writing desires. A community is what blogging is about, but a blogger that has resentment will come across that way in their blog posts, and won’t get many followers either. Your blog is about finding your voice, be true to it. I simply only allow myself 2 hours every morning and if I’m lucky a half hour at the end of my workday to devote to my part-time personal blogging efforts. More on the weekends. Again, see #1.
- Comment on the blogs you read. I write a shorter post one or two days a week so I can spend
morespare time reading other blogs. I catch up, in a sense. For me, I like to find something unique about what the person shared, not just a “great job” – ‘cuz I know how much effort it takes to write, so I hope my comments touch someone in a unique way. I adore hearing that type of feedback on my blog, so that’s what I wish to share, too. With my limited time, I chose only one or two things that stood out to me to comment on.
And then my allotted time is up. I leave thinking of great writers and ponder their words of wisdom.
Brevity is the soul of wit. – William Shakespeare
I also wonder if they would’ve been good bloggers or not? I know they were true to themselves, and as a personal blogger, you and I should be true to ourselves, too.
Post Inspiration – #JusJoJan Balance, prompt credit thanks to JP.
PS – What tips would you add to balancing your blogging efforts? What if you’re an Indie Writer and a blogger, how do you balance your time?
I like your list. It makes sense to me. The only way to maintain balance is to be aware that you need to be balanced and then make it so. Blogging is great, but learn to live first, blog later.
Excellent advice, Ally! Thank you for sharing.
very practical tips! thank you…
Thank you, glad you liked them!
I am still working on that problem 🙋
If you figure it out, let me know!! 😉
These are hard problems to solve. Something has to give, but everything is connected. I wish us all luck.
You’re a wise one, Dan, for that I’m very grateful to know you!
See, this is the hard part about balance. I thought I had a balance between reading and writing, but then I keep meeting new people I want to read…it’s a conundrum, I tells ya.
I completely understand!
But, I’m glad I found your blog, and I’m glad I finally tricked WordPress into telling me about it.
Aw, that means a lot to me, thank you! I’m so thankful you figured WP out – it’s quirky, that’s for sure!
I’ve always loved the quote “brevity is the soul of wit” although I don’t adhere to it much in my blog, or in my comments. I have to admit that blogging has changed the dynamics of my life … I spend many hours a day here at the laptop and immersed in WordPress. if I decide to do a lengthy post and then check comments, I’ll catch up there, but I may be treading into the wee hours of the morn if I make a foray into Reader. I feel badly if I skip Reader for the bloggers who have posted that labor of love, but I’ll feel worse with 4-5 hours of sleep. I never had so many late nights as since the blogging interaction picked up in November 2017. It’s fun, but I would like to manage my time better – I try to do some comments in the morning, but because of the time difference, I may log on and find 10-15 comments in the morning and I will address them as I may not get a chance to return during the day and then suddenly it is 24 hours since the comment was posted and I feel badly. I’m working on options – cloning myself is one.
Yes, Linda, you’ve hit on the facet of blogging that remains a mystery to me on how to balance well. The time zone thing is tricky, but just part of the beast. If the cloning thing works, let me know…I bet the squirrels at the park would like that as well?!
The squirrels sure would like a clone of me. I did visit there today and the 8 degrees was not bad as the sun was out. Yes. keeping up is definitely difficult if you want to write thoughtful responses and not just “like” and say “good post” and move to the next one. Plus you want to keep your own blog active – you are to be commended for writing daily Shelley.
I’m glad to hear you went out and visited them. Hope they were happy to see you! I appreciate your thoughts, and especially comments. You are so incredibly thoughtful in your replies, I admire you for being able to connect with your words of wit and wisdom on comments and that you write blog posts as well, and that you work inbetween. I have no idea how you balance all of that!?!
Thanks Shelley – I enjoy interacting with you as well, and I feel we have a lot in common, despite the almost nine-years’ difference in our ages…(to your advantage) … I intended to write the post last night and had a plumbing emergency – I was letting the plumber in the house at 9:55 p.m. – I think I am going to include that little gem in today’s post …. if not too slippery, going to walk to the Park now. Snowed an inch or two and lots of accidents due to black ice beneath, so will think on it. Those fur babies were sweet … didn’t take the camera as it was bitter cold.
Yes, we do have lots in common, I enjoy those treasures we find and share together. Yikes – that’s horrible, glad you could find a plumber at that hour. Stay safe – you’re braver than I would be to go out in the ice! I would’ve left my camera home too.
Yes, I do as well. I was glad the guy could come out that late – he had two jobs before me, luckily one rescheduled til this morning. That was a first for me but they do work 24/7. That killed last night’s blog post and Reader as well. I did a few comments, but he called and said he was on the way so I shut down again. The older I get the less tolerable I am of disruption.
First – love the picture at the top with the 1 smaller bird all by himself. Great shot. I like your list and I have learned a lot from you. Now that I have gone back to work (P/T) I find less time to play so I have to consolidate my efforts. Only thing I don’t do is set a timer and I like to read post first, in case it spawns an idea for writing, especially with prompts/challenges going.Learning as I go.
Thanks, Anita! I like your tips too – I do like to read the prompts to see if any word will fit what my post is about. When I started to learn the habit of daily writing, I definitely used those to spark my ideas. I’m still learning – to me that’s a big part of the fun of it! PS – You’re doing great and with your background, you’ll no doubt be able to manage the balancing act!
Thank for the confidence.
And how did you get that fabulous picture of the hummer just chillin’ – we all need to learn to do that.
He actually was a strange one – he sat there most of the time to guard and attack others from getting to the feeder. I took the shot through our window. I could sit there and watch him all day long.
When I lived in Alabama I had them a lot and they would just sit and guard. Amazing tiny creatures.
Pretty interesting Shelley. I try not to fret too much, but I still haven’t figured out why it takes so dang long to write a single post. Some I just have to draft and come back to later. Some have sat for months because I couldn’t piece it together. I know for sure I couldn’t do a timer. That would be zero fun for me. The other day I was wishing I could just sit here and type all day. Sadly, I had to go clean something. Lately my problem has been thinking of something interesting to write about. Which may have just given me an idea of something to write about. Ha! I appreciate and really enjoy all of your comments on my posts for sure, but I’d hate it if you felt pressure to do so. I understand what you’re saying though.
Thanks! Last year, I set out to write daily and that helps with being able to kick out a post a day. I rarely have writers block. Now…the question of interesting…that’s in the eye of the beholder. If I’m happy with it and get the “no errors in writing” comment from WP, it’s a click to Publish and I’m off the writing hook for the day. I do feel guilty when I can’t find the time to visit other blogs, but I know everyone understands, so I cut myself slack. If I can’t do that, no one else can, right!? PS – Your posts are always interesting to me :-)!
Good post. I think when some blogs grow to the point of being unmanageable, the rule of commenting on everyone who comments on your post becomes a handy tool/rule for blogging.
Thanks, Drew. I don’t know how you do it? You have so many commenters…how do you keep up with it and still write such moving pieces??!! 😉
I don’t know how I do it.
That is the reason I only post twice a week. It becomes overwhelming.
You’re wise to know your limits – plus you’ve gotta make sure the muse gets his chance to write!!
LOL
Love this post, so many great tips. Something that always keeps us on track is having a list of things we want to write about and using our time together to brainstorm more things to add to that list. Sometimes you just need a topic to get you started 🙂
Thank you! Yes, that’s a great idea too, I wish I wrote down things like that on a regular basis. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!!