Thursday, September 20, 2012

Finding Time to Blog

I'm home with a sick baby today. :( A sick baby who is very sick and very angry from the hours of approximately 9PM - 4AM, and seems to be happy and wild and not at all in the mood for cuddling, soup, and long naps the rest of the day. :( :(  Anyway...

Yesterday, someone commented how they appreciated my "commitment to the blog, "the fact that I still made time to blog even when I had a million other things going on."  I read that and, literally, laughed out loud.

Yes, that is a very nice way to look at it.

I, however, call it Procrastination 3000.

Most of the time, you will find that I'm a better blogger when I have a lot going on.  (Certainly not always, like last week for example.)  Why?  1.) Because I have more to complain write about.  2.) Because suddenly blogging feels very urgent and important to me - like it simply MUST come before laundry, paper grading, feeding my family, etc.

I've told you... I'm no good at balance. :)
 

Anyways, finding time to blog is a challenge for anyone, isn't it?


Most of the time, it takes me about two days to write a blog post.  (Even one as simple and un-deep as this one, which was started last night while my dinner simmered and my dishes glared at me (and Jeff played with Sam under the assumption that I was cooking).  Since having Sam especially, I am rarely able to just sit down and write a post from start to finish - especially if there are photos.  Oh, don't even get me started on how long it takes me to take, upload, and post photos. (Monday's post about my sponsors and the give-away - I seriously worked on that darn thing for WEEKS. And - no offense to any of the sponsors - but it's not as if it was prize winning writing.) If it involves any kind of photo - or two - you can pretty much guarantee the post is going to take me three weeks to finish. The same goes for posts on topics that I have been thinking about for a long time and have a lot to say about... I usually start them and delete them 2 - 5 times before you ever read them.  In fact, right now, I have 19 drafts in my Blogger account.  Probably five of those will never be published.

Sometimes, I feel really inspired and an entire post just writes itself in my head and I verbal vomit all over my keyboard and press "Publish" before I can think better of it.  I usually like those posts the best; but, I assure you they are few and far between.

In a dream world, I'd have all my school and housework done by the time I put Sam to bed at night; then, I'd climb in the bed next to my hubby and write the next day's post while sipping hot tea and half-watching a movie.  That situation has been a reality maybe once in my life.  The truth is, I don't have a system for blogging.  I just squeeze it in, usually at the expense of something else.

What about you? When do you blog? How do you find time?  

13 comments:

  1. Hi I think it is amazing you were able to publish your post; however painful it was done. I have at least 101 subjects in my head to write about and I have not done nothing about it- nothing! Things need to get done...work, take care of the kids, hubby, the house, (which is the most neglected) and everyone of them carries a load that I end up taking on - If it sounds like I'm complaining I'm not it's reality and I am making the best of it. Yet I have to say Thank You because I just realized how focused I am or how easily it is to make excuses when it comes to my needs and tossing what I want to do; what I truely need to do for myself on the back burner for my family. Why do I do it? Not sure!It's something I have to figure out, perhaps by actually writing. Thank you again, by the way our kitchens are quite alike. :)

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  2. Trying to find time to blog has definitely been a challenge for me. When I was in college I blogged quite frequently and then the past few years I have sorta fell off the grid. I'm on like my 4th come back lol. I do not force myself to blog, I only blog when I have something to vent about or feel the motivation. I am also an excellent procrastinator blogger. For example I have a very messy house I should be cleaning right now, but this seems more important. Oh and school work, blech. I would rather clean my house then do my school work and grading. Procrastinating can do interesting things.

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  3. Ashley @ The Pollock PotluckOctober 16, 2012 at 8:03 PM

    Seeing as how I haven't been blogging recently, it's a bit ironic that I'm sharing my two cents. I normally blog on the weekends when John can watch Luke. I try to crank out a few posts and schedule them for the following week. If I can't get to it during the weekend, I blog at night, if I can steal the Mac before John does. :) And let's be honest: some mornings Luke plays with toys with GMA in the background while I blog and drink pumpkin spiced coffee. Yes, I blog while my baby is awake and the tv is on. I know you won't judge. :)

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  4. The only time I have is during Michael's naptime. Only then can I do somewhat of a recap of YESTERDAY. If I get to blog at night, that contains today's post. yep.

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  5. I have a 30-minute commute home from work, so a lot of times I will mentally prepare a blog then, and then write it as soon as I get home. Otherwise...prob not til late, when I'm mindlessly vegging on the couch.

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  6. I don't have a system for blogging either and it has really been showing lately. I know there are many people who schedule posts ahead of time. Now, I do that sometimes and it always takes the pressure off. But I don't always have time to do it. And lately my blog has gone empty, which I hate. I guess life comes first though. Blogging comes second.

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  7. THANK YOU... for months now I've been subtly asking if the number of hours - yes hours - it takes me to write the simplest of blog posts is normal and FINALLY I got my answer. Even if it's just you & I that belabor over our writing, it makes me feel A LOT better knowing I'm not alone. I was the same with scrapbooking - making one page for every 10 the lady beside me did.
    I typically write posts after the kids are tucked in or on days when Gabe naps extra long and Saige is entertained by my iPhone - this coming from a mom who vowed her toddler would NEVER have access to a smartphone #parentingfail
    Sorry I've been MIA - I've been MIA over on my blog too. Life... it just gets in the way.
    xo

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