I've been thinking about the issue for a while and trying to decide on a solution. All I came up with was things like cutting back on posts, following fewer people or quitting the blog, none of which I want to do! But last night I came up with a new plan and I'm going to give it a go. I'll schedule my regular posts, the ones I write in advance like Cover Love, Top Ten Tuesday and Books From The Backlog and post them on my usual days. On Friday when I post my Weekend Roundup, I'll spend the rest of the day and all day Saturday and maybe Sunday if I need it catching up with the blog visits and blog comments from the whole week. This way I can still follow people and visit blogs and answer comments but I'll have at least four days off every week to do anything I need to do in the house and give myself more time to just chill and do other stuff!
This is going to be an experiment to see how well it works for me and if it solves the problems I have, I'll make it a permanent thing. My dad thinks it is a good idea as he feels I'm getting too stressed about not getting everything done and that I need more time to just relax and I think he's right. Hopefully this will be a good thing for me. It means you'll all need to wait a few days for me to answer your comments and visit your blogs but I can't see any other solution other than quitting the blog and I'm not quite ready to do that yet. If this experiment doesn't work then I will need to consider all options.
Hopefully this will work out!
Best of luck with the new plan!
ReplyDeleteHow many people do you follow, if you don't mind me asking? Because cutting back on the number of people you follow was my first thought :-)
I follow about 50 people, that range from posting every day to every 3 weeks. Gives me a good wide selection without overwhelming me. I also don't follow everyone who follows me (I don't have time for someone who comments on a book blog but then writes nothing but poetry on their own blog).
I am glad that you are switching things up, because as soon as blogging becomes a stress nmaker instead of a stress reliever, its days are numbered...
I think I follow about the same number. I did look at cutting numbers down but I couldn't really see any to cut! A few I visit less regular but they aren't using up much of my time so I wouldn't really gain anything reducing a handful of posts to look at each week. I generally comment on posts where I have something to say-some weeks I comment more than others!
DeleteYou have a massive amount of posts. I have no idea how you do so many. I only do one a day, 6 times a week. I find I can manage it with the job, commuting, commenting, and not giving up my reading time. I also bust out all my posts on the weekend and only write reviews as I finish my books. That leaves about an hour a night for blog hopping barring any travel disasters. Good luck with the new schedule. I hope you find something that works for you.
ReplyDeleteI do blog weeks ahead on my regular posts so that saves me time! I've had to blog more to catch up on these pesky book reviews! I think the new schedule will work well if I don't get distracted by TV at the weekends!
DeleteGood luck! I only post 4 times a week because blogging is way too time-consuming. Lately, I can’t even manage that.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
It can be surprising how much time it takes!
DeleteBest advice I can offer is to allow yourself a slump once in a while. Take the pressure off, and give yourself permission only post as much as you want, not as much as you feel you should.
ReplyDeleteI'll be honest, there are weeks where I wonder why I even blog at all, where I think tomorrow will be the day I shut it all down. Then a book fires my imagination, or an author I respect/admire will reach out, and suddenly I remember why I blogged in the first place.
I know exactly what you mean Bob...some days I just feel ready to quit but then I visit a few blogs and remember that I do enjoy it really! I know sometimes I put too much pressure on myself to get things done!
DeleteGood luck! I hope this new plan works for you. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope so! I know I'll be gritting my teeth four days a week and not answering the comments as they appear! I do need time to get other things done though!
DeleteI recently had to cut back on the blogs that I actively check and comment on. It's so helpful! Now I have my core list that I check weekly to blog hop that is filled with my favorite bloggers, and then I have a few other lists to check when I have more time. :)
ReplyDeleteScheduling out is something that works really well for me, especially with weekly memes and such. I also try to work on my monthly recaps throughout the month, so I'm not scrambling to complete them in a rush.
<3 Good luck! I hope your new process works better for you! :)
I only follow people I really want to talk to so my list was already culled as far as it could go, so I had to seek out other options! Doing the weekend catchup looks like it will be my best way forward!
DeleteYou know I never have enough time. With everything going on. In fact it has been a while since I have been here. But here I am right. You do what you can when you can! That's all you can do. I agree you should limit yourself. I said on one of my Sunday Posts I have cut down on how many book spotlights I am doing. I just can't keep up anymore and I am getting to the point where I don't want to. Instead of commenting back like I like to do, I have to worry about spending all my times making up the posts. PFFFTTT to that. Anyway, I am always here so no rush. =)
ReplyDeleteMary