The picture is accurate-I have felt like a zombie monkey these last few week with a few depressive mood swings in the last ten days. But a few good nights of sleep, a bit of planning around my blogging, reading and TV habits and going into hibernation for the winter has left me feeling positive about things and ready to get back into normality, whatever that is for me!
Having pondered why I am so behind on everything and feeling so rushed, it comes down plainly to time management and my lack of it. I thought about cutting back on blogs I follow but I don't see that saving a few minutes here and there will give much benefit. I have no intention of stopping blogging anytime soon so it becomes a matter of organising my day better. I don't work so I'm at home every day and there is no real excuse to get so far behind on everything when we're not doing work around the house. Other people manage to blog and write novels while working full time and raising a family so I can do much better! It just needs a little more motivation and effort!
It doesn't take long to put up pre-written blog posts and catch up with overnight comments each morning so I'll do that first. Next I plan to fit in an hour of reading every day. Then I'll finish the morning with blog visits. Afternoons, split between house chores and non blogging stuff on the computer for fun and other stuff that needs to be done. Weekend mornings I'm going to *try* and get these book reviews pre-written in advance so I can share at least two a week minimum and with any luck start building up a stock of them to save on the computer which also reduces the backlog needing written from books I read as far back as June! The lack of book reviews has bothered me as there isn't much point to my book blog without reviews! Hopefully you should see them reappearing from this week.
As it is Scifi month, I'm finally going to get back to reading. There is no way I'm going to get all the chosen books on my list this month but the plan is to keep reading them in December and hope to get them all looked at by the end of the year, along with some thrillers I've got planned for December. That should clear some space on my bookshelves. Next year I've already decided that I need to get more of my non fiction, politics, Tudors and apocalypse books looked at as well as finding a few more SF and fantasy. I still of course intend to read my beloved horror books as well and I've been neglecting my zombies a bit! I just want the book reviews a bit more varied each week/month, right through the year. I'm already working on a plan!
I'm also already planning all the less enjoyable tasks that need doing like evaluating every Goodreads rating and changing them if required, copying the reviews to Amazon, sorting the Goodreads shelves (ugh!), getting mini reviews done for books I read in 2011 and have no notes for (mega ugh!) and other time consuming things I'm not motivated to do!
So how are things going with you guys!
For me, scheduling was the best move I could ever make. Though I work every afternoon Monday to Friday, I was able to have up to 14 scheduled post in July! Of course I've burnt through my savings (so to speak), since then, but it was a calculated move. I wanted to have some "me" time for rereading and not stressing about new posts for a while. I know some people hate schedules, and only feel like rebelling against them once they have them in place, but planning my days ahead worked like a charm for me.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your resolutions!
I schedule all my weekly posts weeks in advance but I still seem to run out of time somehow! I guess I'm easily distracted at times! I seem to have issues with the book reviews more than anything else which bugs me! I did actually read tonight for the first time in about 10 days so that's a start!
DeleteI don’t know how some people do so much stuff. Bloggers with kids and full-time jobs are my heroes. Good luck with your time-management plans!
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Yeah I barely manage just looking after my own things each day! I hope the new plan works-now I just need to stick to it!
DeleteEek, sounds like you're gonna be busy. Hope you get to read all the books you wanted to!
ReplyDeleteI've been going crazy trying to finish these last two ARCs on my list, but I decided to take it easy and not stress about it.
I'll certainly be expanding the SF reads into next month to make up for the slump I've been in! I'm having to learn not to stress about everything!
DeleteMy October and this month have kind of gotten out of control for me too and I'm not sure why.
ReplyDeleteI took the weekends off from blogging/commenting and that seemed to help. i guess I just ended a break or something & I came back refreshed and I've managed to write & schedule four posts.
Karen @ For What It's Worth
My trouble is that if I take a few days off, there is triple the comments and blog visits to deal with when I get back! I do hope to get back on to review writing this weekend!
DeleteIt's those less enjoyable tasks that will catch you every time!
ReplyDeleteTell me about it! I put them off but they are still waiting for me!
DeleteGood luck with your new plan! I never seem to have enough time for all the stuff I want to do either...mostly because I am a big time-waster. But I'm always trying to do better. :D
ReplyDeleteMy plans can often fall apart very quickly! I hope this one works!
DeleteI work full time and have a lot of other responsibilities so yes, I struggle for time. But I also remember when I wasn't working and how I still struggled. After reflecting, I realize in both situations it fluctuated. I hope you feel good about how you sort things out:)
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping I can get into a new routine that works most weeks!
DeleteIt is so hard to keep up. I have a huge backlog of reviews that need to be written and sometimes it is hard to remember what I had wanted to say by the time I get around to actually writing the review. Good luck with your plan!
ReplyDeleteI don't enjoy writing reviews as they seem to take me ages to write! That doesn't give me much in the way of motivation at the best of times!
DeleteSorry to hear you have been feeling down Chuckles! but yay for planning and feeling positive! You know I'm a big fan of planning! I think your plan sounds very doable! Hope it makes you feel more organized and positive :)
ReplyDeleteThat's the problem with depression...it sneaks up on you and I lose my temper over stupid things! But it comes and goes in spells and I'm ok again!
DeleteI'm a big fan of scheduling and regular to do lists. Blogging is an endless task but if I focus on specific tasks or posts I find I get more done. Commenting is a whole other matter though! I've even started picking a specific book to focus on each day. It's really helping! Good luck finding what works for you!
ReplyDeleteComing up with ideas is one thing, sticking to it will be a whole new animal!
DeleteTime...so elusive. Sounds like you have a good plan.
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
I hope being more organised helps!
DeleteGood luck with the plan! Time management is a pain in the ass.
ReplyDeleteIt is, isn't it!
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