Everyone does it once in awhile, right? So here are my thoughts on the state of the blog currently:
I don’t intend to be a professional blogger because I already have a career that I’m passionate about. At the same time, blogging is one of my most rewarding and favorite hobbies. It provides an excellent record of my life, has helped me meet friends, keeps my family updated, gives me a sounding board, and is a creative outlet. Although I don’t have the time to spend on it to produce content like professional bloggers do, I still want to do it well – and I think I can do better than I am right now.
You guys, I have so many ideas. So many. But I also have other interests, and a child that needs constant supervision and has a late bedtime and doesn’t nap. For example, this past week I meant to post three times and I had ideas and partial posts written. But work got crazy and I ended up working late all week and coming home exhausted and it didn’t get done.
So I’m obviously limited in the effort I can put toward my blog, but I’m a big believer in the idea that more is possible than seems to be. When I first started back to work after having a baby I was overwhelmed with the prospect of taking care of my family, working, and also keeping up with housework. So what I did was just take a little time to assess the situation, figure out what needed to be done, how often, and I put a routine in place. Now it’s all second nature, and even though it still takes a little time and effort, it’s part of the rhythm of our lives and things don’t get forgotten. I used to not wash my sheets for months at a time, and now they get washed every single week. (I am actually proud of this fact. Sad.)
I know that I can apply this same process to my hobbies. These days if I don’t plan for them, they don’t happen. So what I’m going to do is take a break from posting and instead focus my energy on the back end of things. I’m not setting any boundaries or goals for this step, so that means I can post if I want to but I’m going to take it off my to-do list. I also don’t know how long it will take me to get things ready to go so I’m not even going to mention time frames.
Here is what I hope to accomplish:
>Figure out what direction to take the blog: what its purpose is, what kinds of posts I want to feature, who my audience is, etc.
>Redesign the blog itself. It’s a reflection of me and I’m evolving so it should too. (I will probably end up doing this myself with a little help from my brother-in-law so it’s going to be simple. But I’m simple, so that’s good.)
>Organize my categories.
>Rewrite my “about” page.
>Write and have ready to publish 2-4 weeks’ worth of material, and get some recurring features ready to go.
>Figure out the best way to incorporate blogging into my life (i.e. how will it actually get done?), set up a routine, and put it into place. This is probably the most important thing!
So that’s the plan. In the meantime, keep up with me (um, when I have time) on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads. And tell me – how do you plan for your hobbies, and what’s your blogging philosophy? No really – I want to know.
From Jill:
Oh man, I struggle with this exact same thing. I don’t have an answer/advice for you, unfortunately! My daughter is already 13 months and I’m stuck on her 8 month update :) I’m interested to hear what works for you when you find it!
From David Not A Brother In-Law But Actual Brother:
I just need to come sit with you and do it all at once.
From Melanie:
I periodically stop and evaluate the purpose of my blog, too. :) I don’t know if I ever come up with a good answer, but I do change things up if it’s not working, or stressing me out. And I just try to be okay with it if I get behind, or sometimes catch up a bunch at once.
I find it helpful to write down some of the ‘great’ posts that come to mind, but I don’t have time to write them, that way my mommy-brain can come back to it later. It’s your blog, and I think you can take it any direction you feel like.
From Holly:
I used to try to post three times/week but for me, that made blogging feel like a chore instead of a hobby – it became just one more thing to cross off my to-do list. Now I post when I have time and when I have something to say. It’s not remotely regular – sometimes I post once/week, sometimes more, sometimes not at all for a few weeks. It’s a lot more enjoyable that way. I don’t blog for any real audience – it’s more a record of life for myself and my family. I know that’s not really the “proper” way to blog, but it works for me :)
From Nora:
I feel like the worst person to ask about blogging because I’ll blog for a week and then nothing for four or five days… and I don’t really know if/when I’ll fix it. I keep telling myself “after we move,” or “After I settle into the new house,” or “after the wedding,” and I’m really hoping one of these days the after will actually happen, you know? I have thought about quitting blogging more than I would care to admit, but I haven’t done it yet because it is a part of me! A big, huge, part of me. So I guess my philosphy right now is go with the flow…. but I probably need to change it! Can’t wait to see what the future of your blog holds :) Always have enjoyed your posts!
From Mindy:
This was good to read–I haven’t posted to my blog in ages. I just haven’t prioritized it at all, but the reality is that when i do post, it’s usually born out of inspiration; not a schedule. (I’ll knit something, or go somewhere, or share an experience etc.) I rarely prepare posts beforehand, but it’d be a good idea!
I’ve had my blog since 2008, but in all honesty, I’m STILL struggling with what its purpose is. Crafts? Family life? For some reason I feel like it should only be about one thing, even though I post about all sorts of randomness…I think it would be easier if it was just about one subject. I need to give it more thought!
From Ti:
How do I plan for hobbies? By not yet having kids. LOL. You are amazing, do what ya gotta do, and never feel the need to justify your decisions to the blogosphere!! The worthwhile readers will stick around. :)
From Sarah Johnson:
I wrote a post similar to this today- just the piles of projects that I want to do (including blogging) that get lost in the “need to” and “have to” lists each week.