"My family knows that if I haven't published two blog posts that week, they need to get dinner for themselves."
That's a quote from a blogger I admire, but it made me cringe when I read it. I won't say who said it because--knowing her values from what I've read of her fine work--she was probably quoted out of context. I subscribe to her blog and I understand the thought process behind the quote: Blogging is her business and she makes it a priority. We all have work we need to do, and limits to set in order to complete it.
However, this "Blog vs. Family" stuff is something I've been mightily struggling with during the past year (my first blogiversary passed in July). I just attended one of the biggest blogging conferences (BlogHer '13 in Chicago) and one of the session instructors said when she first started out, she was posting two or three times per day. Not per week. Per day. The attendees audibly groaned. I guess if she were blogging for The White House or CNN, it would make more sense to me, but her blog was about makeup. How much "BREAKING NEWS!!!" is there about makeup? Sheesh! It exhausts me just thinking about it.
I don't know which Blog Gods and Goddesses decided that it was the Golden Rule to post at least twice a week, but I finally realized that it was making me crazy and taking me away from positive time with my family (let alone other commitments and the ever-growing Laundry Mountain). So, SEO be damned, I cut down to posting once a week, or twice if I'm really on fire. During school vacations, camp breaks, and their ilk, there will be fewer posts here. And I've learned to be okay with that.
I don't want to write just for the sake of writing stuff--chatter and nonsense. I want to write something that's important to me and worthwhile for you to read. I want to be proud of it. Moreover, I want my family to be proud of it. And they can't be proud of it or happy about this blog if it's work that continuously takes me away from meaningful time with them. As Ree Drummond, another speaker at BlogHer '13 said, "You can do it all, but it won't tickle." Rachel Wolf, a blogger at Clean (one of my favorite sites), keeps a sticky note right on her computer monitor that reads: "Your life is out there, not in here." A constant reminder to herself of what's truly important.
One of the categories you'll find listed at this site is "Unplug & Simplify" (and this post, not coincidentally, will be filed under it). I feel like I'd be hypocritical if I were typing away on the computer all the time while my family was off living their lives without me. My blog is important to me, but it's not the most important thing. Far from it.
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(c) 2013 by Joy Sussman/JoyfullyGreen.com. All rights reserved. Photos and text digitally fingerprinted and protected by MyFreeCopyright.com. Site licensed by Creative Commons.
*************************************************************************************** - See more at: http://www.joyfullygreen.com/#sthash.g1rr606D.dpufYour turn: How do you balance work with your personal life? Do you find yourself overwhelmed by your work commitments, or are you able to keep it all in check? Please share in the Comments section below.Your turn: How do you balance work and family? Do you ever feel overwhelmed by work commitments and feel guilty about it taking time away from your personal life? Please share in the Comments section below (now powered by CommentLuv for ease of use). If you are reading this post via email subscription, click on the title or go to www.JoyfullyGreen.com and you can leave a comment at the original post.
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