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Time seems to be slipping through my fingers lately and I am wondering if this is a result of my “hypothetical allergies” to adulthood (and the responsibilities that come with it) or plain and simple poor time management.
During the week, I postpone a lot of stuff until the weekend, what with my long workdays and short evenings. You’d think as a married woman without a big house or any children, not to mention the fact that we don’t really have a big circle of friends here that keeps us busy, I really don’t have that many responsibilities. Still, it always feels like my weekends just simply disappear.
I always have high hopes for all the things I want to do and accomplish over the weekend and then, all of a sudden, it’s Sunday evening again and I haven’t even done half of what I wanted to do.
I don’t know about you, but I am person that needs a lot of time to really wind down. And by “a lot of time”, I mean at least a whole evening or afternoon; preferably a whole day without any obligations. That rarely ever happens. If I want to sit down and really enjoy a movie or work on my crafts or relax and read my book, I always feel like I have to have at least a few hours to spare for that or I won’t even start. It bothers me, because I feel like I am wasting a lot of “precious” time, just because it doesn’t present itself to me in a continuous block.
The same happens with blogging. As much as I would really like to make it part of my daily routine, I just can’t seem to find the time in the day. I know that some of you schedule their (almost) daily blog posts. My question is, when do you find time to do that? I can barely squeeze out a blog post as it is (and believe me, it’s not that I feel obligated, I genuinely want to write). I do a lot of drafting/brain-storming on my lunch breaks, but usually can’t finish one, let alone multiple posts, in order to schedule them for the rest of the week. Tell me the secret, how do you do this?
What are your tricks and tips? How do you effectively manage your time?
kim
September 1, 2010 at 5:41 amsorry babe, i’m probably the last person on earth to give you input on this one. but i hope you can find a way to organize time better in order to end up with more quality time by the end of the day/week/month/year :) and by quality time i mean: time on the phone with me *muahahahaa*
.-= kim´s last blog ..Protected- how’s it going =-.
Emily Jane
September 1, 2010 at 6:46 amThe reality is that people who blog every day have the time in their days to do it, and people who don’t are spending their time out LIVING, whether working, socializing, or taking time for themselves to enjoy hobbies etc. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. At the end of the day, you have to ask yourself why you blog – if it’s to keep up readership, is that worth sacrificing personal time when you’re already feeling short? If it’s to keep in touch with friends, they understand that life calls, and you can shoot them a text or an email and catch up that way. At the end of the day, you have control over how you spend your time, and you just have to prioritise what’s more important – an online presence, or doing things that make you feel good, like relaxing after a hard day at work, crafting, cooking – whatever keeps you sane :) If blogging feels like a chore you don’t have time for, it’s perfectly okay to take a little time off, or post once every week or two.
.-= Emily Jane´s last blog ..The Emotional Spectrum =-.
kim
September 1, 2010 at 7:13 amwell said emily :) i agree.
.-= kim´s last blog ..Protected- how’s it going =-.
Kam
September 1, 2010 at 7:31 amI have the time to blog every day AND live, thanks.
Blog posts don’t need to be long, it can simply be a photo! I’ve seen a few bloggers taking a month-long “break” from so-called traditional blogging and simply uploading a photo or finding an image online they found to be lovely.
Maybe a weekly re-cap is the way to go?
Remember, you’re doing this for yourself :)
.-= Kam´s last blog ..New Item! =-.
Holly
September 1, 2010 at 8:55 amI’m horrible at blogging regularly. I only ever get the chance to blog when Topher’s napping and enough of the housework is done that I don’t feel stressed about “taking a break” and sitting down to write! I’m constantly blogging in my head though, so when I do get 15 minutes or so to post something I don’t have to think through it, it’s already written in my head :D
emmysuh
September 1, 2010 at 8:56 amHonestly, I blog a lot from work, which I probably shouldn’t, but it’s been super slow and I can get away with it, so I do.
BUT in general, I’m very OCD about time management. I have to be or I will slack off and do nothing. I have particular goals for particular days and I get them done by sheer force of will somedays. BUT I also pencil in a LOT of down time to balance it out — for example, Sunday and Mondays are usually my cleaning evenings because my BF is visiting his parents in the next town over those nights, so I don’t see him. Tuesday/Wednesday are date nights, then Thursday, I do a little more work. I do things here and there on the weekend but I DO want to enjoy my time not working, you know?
Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks
September 1, 2010 at 9:06 amOne of the absolute best things about working in the suburbs and requiring a car to get here is I run most of my errands at lunch. That means, other than grocery shopping, my husband and I don’t have to waste our precious time at home doing mundane things like errands.
As far as blog posts go … I have a long workday, too, so I don’t mind taking a few extra minutes at lunch to write a blog post. Sometimes I write them at night while watching TV, though I try to reserve that time for Sweets.
I agree with what others have said, though. Don’t beat yourself up about it. You have a busy life. You have priorities. It’s totally OK if being an everyday blogger isn’t one of them. Define this space in a way that makes you happy – and then don’t look back!
ute
September 1, 2010 at 9:14 amHm ja ich hab das gleiche problem. Am we immer so busy und unter der woche hab ich nur ein paar stunden fuer mich. Es nervt voll. Grade die zufahrerei nimmt soviel zeit weg. Vielleicht sollte ich doch meinen lalptop mitnehmen und mich dort beschaeftigen? Ich weiss ja auch nicht. Schon echt doof das man nur so wenig zeit fuer sich selber hat. :( ich weiss gar nicht wie andere das machen mit kids und so…wenn du es rausfindest sag bescheid ja? Knuffel!
sizzle
September 1, 2010 at 10:31 amFor me I can overschedule ever minute of my day and still end up beating myself up because so much doesn’t get done and I am exhausted on top of it. Lately I’ve been scaling back. I make a master list of stuff I need to do and then at the beginning of the week I give those tasks a day next to them. Some things fall by the wayside because I want/need! to go to yoga or spend QT with my boyfriend but mostly it helps me have a visual. As for posting, I often write posts in advance when the mood strikes me or I just don’t post. The world goes on without my ramblings I’ve found. ;-)
rachel
September 1, 2010 at 11:28 amI am a terrible procrastinator but i do manage to blog most days. I think it is because it is one of my favorite things to do…
Maribeth
September 1, 2010 at 12:02 pmI’m with Kam. You know, recently I’ve been suffering terrible depression, due to the loss of Anneliese’s puppy. I have had terrible writer’s block. So I cook when I am depressed and I just have blogged a bit about that.
With a husband, four dogs, a house, a garden, canning, and my volunteer jobs at the library and in the community, I am VERY busy.
But, when I started the blog I promised I would write something each day. I have only missed a couple of days in 5 years. Sometimes I blog funny, sometimes not.
I tend to write in the early evening after dinner. That’s when my household quiets down.
.-= Maribeth´s last blog ..Random Dozen =-.
Impossibly Alice
September 1, 2010 at 1:10 pmWow San, you sound EXACTLY like me with regards to time. I also feel like I waste my time because we don’t get enough done on the weekends. Unfortunately I also have an 8 month old so hours in a row of downtime is only late at night and I pay for it the next day.
So if I ever give you any advice on time management, ignore it!
.-= Impossibly Alice´s last blog ..Summer Camping Part 1 =-.
terra
September 2, 2010 at 7:53 amIsn’t it funny how we feel guilty for spending time on ourselves. I try not to let myself feel like that, but it’s hard. I spend so much time doing things for work or for friends or for my husband and it’s silly that I shouldn’t also spend time doing things for myself.
As for getting the blogging done, I’m all over the place. I don’t have the time to sit down and get posts written up before hand either.
.-= terra´s last blog ..Assignments- Considerations & a bite of Inspiration – September 2010 =-.
Jen
September 2, 2010 at 8:15 pmI also go through phases in which I just don’t have much time to blog, like right now. I think once classes start and I get into a routine I’ll try to schedule a time for blogging. I miss it when I’m not doing, but often I start reading other people’s blogs before writing mine and spend all the free time that way… it’s a balancing act and we just need to find the way that best works for us.
.-= Jen´s last blog ..Ouch =-.
Karen
September 8, 2010 at 3:31 amDon’t ask me. I think the only reason I manage so far is because I don’t actually work full-time. I find my time managing skills extremely ineffective and I will really need to work on them when I get a full-time job, because I already struggle to get everything done now on some days.
.-= Karen´s last blog ..Days 31-60-365 =-.