I’d be willing to bet that almost any blogger has ever wondered if he or she was spending too much time on the computer. While blogging can be time consuming when you are really putting a whole lot of time into posts, reviews, and other blogging obligations, there is also Facebook and other social media sites vying for attention. I’ve never been much of a multi-tasker when it comes to my time online and about mid-March I felt it coming. I suddenly experienced blogger’s burnout. I can’t blame blogging entirely, though. Our life at home suddenly got busier with E.B. starting t-ball. Spring fever also set in. The kitchen calender suddenly had important things on almost everyday. Life happened and I needed to regroup.
Blogging is a maddening thing to me. I’m pretty sure I started out with good intentions as far as keeping it simple. Then it spiraled into reviews and giveaways. Then it felt competitive and like a chore, constantly trying to keep your blog on the radar in the mom blogosphere and beyond. It was never enough and I didn’t have the luxury of so much extra time to build this blog into what I wanted and steer it into the direction I wanted it to go. Looking back, I feel like it’s a huge hodge-podge of stuff, some posts with actual merit and some with nothing but fluff and filler. Trying to stay on that hamster wheel was literally getting me nowhere.
So I stepped off.
The time off has felt good. I felt guilty at first, but the business of life took over and filled my time that used to be spent blogging. I’ve thrown myself into keeping house, being a “ball mom”, working, and o.k., even goofing off by watching terrible reality shows and playing Facebook games. School and ball are slowly winding down and it suddenly occurred to me last night that I miss this. I miss blogging. Not the crazy review deadlines and enormous amounts of email to answer, not the angst over missed opportunities and keeping up with the blogging Jones’….just the blogging and the reading other blogs and commenting. Just the bare bones basics.
Blogging is my time, it’s what excites me, and it’s my creative outlet. Completely stopping isn’t an option, but neither is overload.
Glad you are back but glad you are finding balance too 🙂
Not sure if you saw my interview with the local news here. I was asked what the future of blogging holds for me. I told the reporter I was not sure, I just knew that I had to be fun. The moment it isn't and seems like work I know it will be time to take a break. Glad that you are back – missed you 🙂
Great post! I totally agree! Blogging needs to be for YOU, not for anybody else. You want to do giveaways, do them, you want to post every day, do it! You do what works for you! Glad you're refreshed!
There has to be a balance in there somewhere, right? I'm struggling with finding it, too. Welcome back.