I still haven’t figured out how to start posts. I’ve been only doing this for over a year…..
Blogging is important to me in that it’s a hobby I enjoy. It’s also a hobby which I believe has a lot of great side benefits but in the end it’s still just a hobby. It’s an optional part of my life. And let’s be fair, it’s pretty dang demanding as far as hobbies go. I think we’ve all had those days when work has been exhausting and you’ve been putting in a lot of extra hours too. You’re a bit under the weather, your shoulders are stiff. You’ve just collapsed onto your couch and you think to yourself ” oh great… I HAVE to blog…” Those aren’t great days. I think most of us just end up pushing the blogging back to a later date and either reading posts or doing a less demanding hobby.
But sometimes those days stretch into weeks, or even months. We have “real” lives that take priority after all. So what can a real girl like me, with responsibilities and concerns, do to hold onto blogging through all that.
This may seem like a bit of an odd post coming from me. After all, my most impressive feat as a blogger by far, has been my consistent daily schedule. But I have bills to pay and receipts to give just like everyone else. My uneven health also keeps reminding me that I am not in fact a robot who does not know they’re a robot (or I have one quirky programmer). Point is sometimes I just can’t find the time or energy to write, format or even come up with a decent idea for a post (cough, case and point, cough) and this can last for days.
My posting schedule is something I am proud of. The thought of messing it up fills me with unspecified dread. You guys know that I’m that type of crazy… So when those times hit, on top of whatever else may be going on that’s draining me of my energy and will to blog, I start putting all this unnecessary pressure on myself to blog. To just write something, anything. You can imagine how well those posts turn out. To stay up til the middle of the night, finding just the right pic. Justifying those paragraphs. Missing the gadjillion typos.
It’s pretty dumb of me. I know that. Even my huge swollen head isn’t delusional enough to think anyone would be particularly bothered if I skipped one day. I would in fact be rather surprised if anyone noticed. But the thought still bothers me. It itches my brain. Beyond that, writing has become a bit of a calming ritual for me. Like meditation. When I don’t do it for too long, I start to feel off. So how do I ward off the real world and the blogging blues?
As I’ve said before, I’m all about that sweet sweet scheduling. This allows me to weather busier periods without it showing too much on my posting. My amount of scheduled posts goes down but you guys don’t see that so it’s not as bad. Because unexpected events come up, I like to have the leeway provided by planning ahead.
I also write these. And by these I mean letter type posts where I share my frustrations and more often my excitement of blogging, with you guys. Excitement of blogging seems like a weird sentence. I’m pretty sure it’s wrong. Don’t know how to fix it. Anyways, these posts allow me to let out some steam or remind me why I think it’s important for me to actively make time for the blog. They serve as a type of refreshment and cleansing ritual. And yeah, if I’m writing one now, it’s because I feel I need it.
I don’t know if you picked up on that, but I did mention making time. I completely understand fellow bloggers who tell me they can’t find time to blog. It really is consuming for most of us. I know some of you are superstars and can whip up a post in 15 minutes but mine take way way longer. I don’t have any magic advice, I’m in the same boat. Sometimes in order to blog, I need to put other things aside. I don’t start video games until the post is done. I’ll stay home to finish episodes I need to watch for collabs. I combine my anime watching with my workouts and type them on public transit. Basically, I’ve arranged my life in some ways to create time for the blog but at a compromise. I realize I’m lucky, some people have already sacrificed all their free time to responsibilities, there’s nothing left over.
But if you can find 15 minutes to half an hour in your day to write. I firmly recommend you try to write something down. It can just be an outline or a single paragraph. You don’t have to finish everything in one go. Even if you never get around to posting the stuff. It’s really a great way to clear your mind and get your thoughts and feelings out.
I mean look at this message. I just spent an hour talking in circles, saying very little in the process, but I feel so much better. While I was writing this I remembered how much effort I put in my blog and was a little proud. I realized everyone has their challenges and some are much bigger than mine. I whined and moaned about my non-problems till I forgot all about them. And I got to talk to my friends, which is always a plus. If this rinky dink post can do that, imagine what yours will accomplish!!!
**** March 19, 2019 – I wrote this post some time ago, it had a lot of references to Buddy, it was also scheduled to publish last month. After what happened I rescheduled it for later because I wasn’t ready to reread and erased all the references. Now I feel kind of bad about it. I just wanted to share****
