Recap from Yesterday: Make blogging work for you by deciding what’s important in your real life. Doing so will help you to blog exclusively about content that benefits your real life.
Today, let’s explore how we must make our blog’s time-commitment benefit our real lives. Once we spend some time meditating on the important things in our lives – the people and work that God has placed in our hands – we’ll be able to determine the amount of time we can spend on our blog every day. Regardless of who we are and what we do with our blogs, we must work efficiently and keep a close eye on the clock in order to own our blogs… and not allow them to own us.
(This topic takes some time to explore, so I’ll divide it into 2 posts. Be sure to check in tomorrow for “Part 2” of “Part 3” of “Blog for Your Life”. Oh, chuckle.)
At any rate, when it comes to the blog and the clock, here’s what I recommend:
1. Acknowledge your personal capacity and calling.
Some women have lots of time to invest in blogging and can freely create an online wonder! Kids are at school, hubby’s at work, and the cat’s outside looking for mice. For these women, blogging is a craft. An outlet. A public journal. A platform. And they do a spectacular job with their medium.
Some women have to invest lots of time into blogging. It’s paying for their mortgages or grocery bills. Or, God has given them a blog ministry through which He guides them to do valuable work. These women are pursuing noble, good work.
Other women, like me, enjoy blogging as a recreation, but do not have *much* extra time or energy to devote to it. In fact, one of the reasons we like to blog is because of the full lives we’ve committed to: family, farming, homeschooling… you know the ones. Oh, it’s still a craft. And an outlet. A public journal, and a platform, BUT we have significant time constraints, human resource constraints, and many other responsibilities that should not – cannot – be shadowed by our blogs.
My personal capacity is almost maxed out at faith, marriage, motherhood, homeschooling, home-making, friendships, community, and local ministry work. I have very little extra mind space for anything else. My personal calling to serve the Lord does not exceed my capacity, so any amount of guilt or starry-eyed dreams for “bigger and better blogging accomplishments” are entirely self-inflicted and, usually, passing.
Some women can rock out in meeting every. single. one. of my responsibilities as well as designing the printables I steal for preschool units, publishing books, making home-made yogurt, redecorating their cottages seasonally, and sewing life-size dolls out of hay. (Not to mention that their blogs look amazing, bless countless readers world-wide, and bring in thousands of dollars for their grateful families? Wow. Not me… but could be you?!)
We’ve just gotta get real honest about what our blogs are and what they aren’t according to our gifts and circumstances. Then, we’ve gotta wisely give them the time they truly deserve. And no more.
2. Acknowledge your personal writing speed.
If you’re a slow writer who searches for just the right word and edits furiously back-and-forth over-and-back again, I commend you for caring about our craft! Aim to pick up the pace a bit, but don’t give up! I’ve increased my writing efficiency by thinking about my blog posts during the day when I’m doing the dishes or driving. By the time I sit down to write a post, it has usually simmered in my crock-pot brain for at least a day (if not 20 years) and is ready to be served! It might help to jot down notes and phrases that you like, so you’re sure to use them when you sit down to write. For now, perhaps one way to use your blogging time more efficiently is to write shorter posts. There have been times when I’ve poured an hour or two into writing an epic post, only to realize that I could divide it up into a whole week’s worth of posts! Hot dog! Even better: the shorter segments increase the chances that my readers will enjoy all of my thoughts from start to finish.
If you’re a speedy writer who can write a beautiful post in fifteen minutes, keep on, my friend! This is a valuable quality in blogland. Enjoy it, and enjoy the time you are saving by investing back into those important things you listed yesterday.
That’s enough from me for today.
Comments
4 responses to “Blog for Your Life: Part 3 “The Time You Take Part 1””
Writing my blog comes easily and quickly – I can put words together in no time flat. What’s been slowing me down lately is my attempt to “stage” my words with pictures and alignment and what not. It takes me three times as long to post now, with all the additional “eye catching” elements of my posts.
My biggest time issue isn’t working on my OWN blog, but spending time visiting others. I feel selfish if I’m only focused on my own content, not giving back to others in the community. Finding that balance is where I struggle.
Ashley,
I admire you for taking this topic so seriously. You raise some great questions that I think I’ll incorporate into upcoming posts. Until then, may the Holy Spirit guide you in wisdom as you determine the best way to walk! God bless you!
Laura
What a great post! Thanks for the insightful pep talk. I don’t wear nearly as many hats as you (I’m 22 with no kids yet), but being a wife, full-time employee and self-proclaimed perfectionist leaves me with limited time and energy to blog. I’m striving to understand that He will provide not only the inspiration, but the time needed, for us to share quality, life-changing words.
I’m loving these! I struggle with so much that you are bringing up. I am a “recretional” blogger. I am trying to be more sensitive to the Spirit. I want my blog to make a difference for Him and have been praying about what He wants out of it. And if He doesn’t want anything more than what I’m already doing then I want to own that, instead of wanting what others have. Ok, heading to read the next post!