In this post earlier in the year I brought up the idea of switching from an “all-or-nothing” to “all-or-something” mentality. In that case it was regarding exercising (guess what? I’ve since kept up with going to the gym anywhere from 1-4 times a week, depending on schedule and childcare!).
Today I’m pondering “all-or-something” when it comes to blogging.
When I created this space in January (after being here for 4+ years and elsewhere before that), I had great ambitions to write once a week — that seems sustainable right? Being a mostly-stay-at-home-mom with three kids, I could surely find time to create one post a week right??
Yeah that didn’t last long.
Once I missed a week, and then another, the usual feelings crept up… “why am I doing this?” and “I can’t sustain this long-term” and “I should just give up — no one is even reading my stuff yet anyway”.
And I DID give up. I acknowledged that my domain and hosting will just run out at the end of 2018. I closed my Facebook page that I’d only started two weeks earlier. I was done.
Yet… here I am again. You know why? All-or-SOMETHING.
So what if my posts aren’t consistent? That just means I haven’t planned things out in advance.
So what if no one is reading this stuff yet? That just means I haven’t networked or marketed much.
So what if I post once a month?? It’s okay. This is a baby blog. I’m a mom, and moms are busy. Moms also understand growth takes time.
If I were to dream big, I do see myself posting at least weekly, growing my community, discussing simplicity and rest all over the internet, and maybe even writing a book someday. There are bloggers out there that I fangirl over and want to be just like.
Baby steps…
For the short-term, I’m joining a group called Bloggiesta, which runs challenges every quarter to encourage good upkeep of our blogs. My goals for this week include:
- Attend a few of their Twitter parties, to start networking
- Make a list of what posts I’m excited to write about next, and hopefully get them written and scheduled
- Find more content to share on my Facebook page
- Create a separate email account for this page (I’m currently using my personal email address and probably shouldn’t)
If I accomplish all of these this week — great! If I accomplish one or two — great! If I don’t accomplish any — it’s okay!! Simple living includes prioritizing, and if my real-life baby needs me more than my online-baby, so be it. 🙂
Yes! *applause* I couldn’t agree with you more. It’s better to give something than nothing, even if it’s not what we IDEALLY would like to accomplish. I guarantee you – those bloggers you (we really lol) aspire to be like are making sacrifices in other parts of their lives to be as present as they are… and I may not be willing to make those sacrifices. We all only get 24 hours and have to choose what to prioritize and sometimes blogging just doesn’t make the cut. And it’s totally okay!
Good luck with your to-do list this week ! Come to the Twitter party on Thursday @ 8pm EST, it’s all about blogging slumps and will fit in perfectly with what you’re trying to do! Happy Bloggiesta!
I’m planning to pop in and out of the party, I’ll be at an event until 8:00 then have to drive home, but I can’t wait to hear what y’all have to say about this topic!
Great post! I think we all need to adopt the “all-or-something” mentality at times and remember that it’s okay when we don’t get everything done. I hope you have a great Bloggiesta!
Thanks! It’s SO hard to not feel like a failure when you give anything less than 100%!
Good approach! I started blogging ~7 years ago, and there have been times where I’ve blogged multiple times a week. There have also been times where I’ve been lucky to post every month or two. At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that blogging is something we do for fun, and that it’s okay to jump in and out of it as life gets in the way. 🙂
Yes! Once blogging doesn’t feel fun anymore it’s time to check out why. 🙂
I think it’s great that you are finding your own voice. Thanks for sharing…and enjoy the party.
You are so right. Some weeks blog posts don’t gel, but that is okay. I have some older blogs that I only go back to maybe once a month, but still that’s 12 posts a year and it keeps people following them.
Good luck!