Question of the day: Could you do a post about time-management and everyone could talk about how/when they fit in writing time? For example, do people who blog and write books have a schedule -- blogging first thing in the morning and writing at night, for example?
Absolutely! This is something I'm definitely struggling with right now because even though I don't spend every waking second working on my ms, when I'm NOT working on it or doing a freelance piece, which lately for some reason, I've been really busy with, I tend to like to let my brain drain, sort of like a battery that needs to deplete itself before it can be recharged. So often times, the last thing I want to do - and this means no offense to y'all, it's just about my energy levels - is write a blog post. For a while, I was really burnt out on blogging but kept at it because well, I didn't just want to stop abruptly after all of the work I'd - and you'd - put into making this such a warm, writer-friendly place for all sort of levels of writers in the industry.
So my solution has been to try to bang out a few posts over the weekend. I can usually grab some quiet computer time on Sunday night after my kids have gone to sleep, and if I can get two posts done for the week, I actually look forward to doing another one a few days later. But when I have to do them drip by drip - one each day and sort of cram it into my day when there are a million other things I'd prefer to be doing - I really lose my enthusiasm. Overall, this has definitely worked really well for me. Not only does it free up some of my time during the week, but it's also made me enjoy this blogging endeavor a lot more.
What about you guys? How do you find time to fit it in? Anyone ever get burned out like I sometimes do?
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3 comments:
Thanks for answering my question, Allison. What a great idea to pre-write some blog posts (kind of the equivalent of cooking a whole bunch on Sunday so you have dinners ready during the rush of the work/school week). I've really grappled with whether or not to blog, but I can't do it right now. I think blogs tend to work best when writers commit to a certain number of posts a week, and don't let more than a week pass between blogs. I tend to stop checking sites if there isn't fresh content very often.
How are you possibly writing free-lance pieces, too? It's all I can do to fit in the occasional shower.
I'm glad your editor liked your manuscript. I'm sure that completely energized you!
xo
Sarah
Allison, I like your idea of getting a couple done on the weekends so that it's not hanging over your head during the week, I may give that a try. Since the beginning of the year, I've decreased blogging on my regular blog to once a week because I've been devoting more time to relocation plans and blogging about that on my other blog!
The batch blogging idea is something that Darren Rowse has blogged about a number of times; I think Seth Godin may have done so, too. So in terms of blog success, this advice sits amongst good company. :)
From my own experience, it seems that it's easier to write a batch of posts at one time than it is to write a snippet every day or two, and makes maintaining a theme easier. It also makes sense when you suddenly realise that your latest blog entry is going to turn into an essay, making splitting into smaller chunks more logical (and digestible).
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