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living my best possible southern life

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Oh Yeah! This is Me….

I recently read this article about blogging successfully and discovered that while I do to do all of the things on the list I do several of them and it has begun to show lately. I feel so simply worn out and tired and there always seem to be a million things to do, that I want to do, and that simply never get done. There have even bee a few times lately where I have thought about giving up blogging all together.

The biggest thing I do is spread myself too thin and I know that it is a problem.  Not to mention that because I have OCD when life throws me a curve ball I tend to have a full scale melt down because it means my daily plan has been interrupted and I feel like I am behind on everything. That is something that simply cannot be changed but that I have spent a lifetime learning to live with. Also feeling the need to always check stats and working hard to stay onto of the game has become more than I wanted from blogging.

The good news is reading that article has helped me see the things that I need to simply stop. Reorganizing my home and life can’t just be the home and things in it. It needs to include blogging and everything else. While this year is almost over and I still feel so overwhelmed I do have a plan of attack to finish 2012 off with a sense of peace and to begin 2013 renewed and refreshed.

Starting in October there will not be more than 3 posts in any given day. My trying to catch up can lend to overload for you as my readers as well. If there are guest posts or press releases that come in they may be posted but my articles will stay within the 3 posts a day guidelines. This means you will find each days articles much more easily and I can breath a little easier knowing that I don’t have 6 things scheduled to get written for the day. I have an Editorial Calendar but always write my articles (most of them anyway) the day of. They seem fresher that way, although I am going to work a little more on scheduling them to allow me a day or two to manage and take care of other things that always seem to get neglected.

Another thing is networks and groups. I belong to dozens of them and keeping up with them all can be exhausting so I am going to pair them down to the ones that I use the most frequently and stick with those. It in no way reflects the other ones it is simply that by trying to comment and participate in so many I get lost and spend hours when I should be doing other things. I am going to allow a specific time to get things done and then get them done.

 

What are the ways your organize your time? Does any of this sound like you?

Rita
Website | + posts

I live in a small Georgia town that you most likely have never heard of and I LOVE it! My house is more than full as I am a single mother of four & caregiver to my aging mother and uncle. Lover of all things Outlander. Goes to the beat of her own drum woman.

Comments

  1. Oh my gosh, totally me too. I have thought about blogging for almost 3 years now and the stress of not being able to do it all and stay current, interesting and PERFECT is what has stopped me. But the funny thing is, as a reader, the blogs that don’t try to be perfect and are more laid back and real are the ones most people like and connect with most. Not sure what all the blogger groups are that you belong to but no one can do it all or they risk losing themselves and putting off their family and ones they love to be “successful”. But success is measured in so many ways. Not having fun with blogging would have me quitting. I know people don’t always love or even like their jobs, but blogging is so personal and to have it be too stressful and NO fun, I could not do that. I am not a long time reader but what I have seen is that you have a fun personality with REAL posts and a mix up of great product reviews and giveaways. I am counting 17 right now on your sideline, which is quite a lot! If you decide to scale down some on posts, content or reviews and giveaways, I really don’t think you will lose readers. It’s all good Rita! I hope you will find a way to finish 2012 out and start 2013 with a bang and a fresh look at what YOU really want!

  2. I think I have been with you since almost the beginning…. and as one of your readers, I actually like that you will be cutting back. The reason I say this , is that I think bloggers who overload themselves really have no time for themselves or for their readers and eventually it shows… they no longer know who their readers are, they really don’t care about us visiting and commenting, they just look as us as stats.It turns into a numbers game and really as readers we can tell.
    I realize it is a ‘job’ but it also has to be something you enjoy doing.
    Take some time, stop, breathe, and don’t be perfect- no one is.

  3. I’m not a blogger, so I only have a secondhand view of what it takes to make a blog. However, I am an avid reader of blogs, and yours is one of my favorites. I am also a mother and grand-mother and have seen many kinds of times in my life. I used to feel completely overwhelmed at times. As a school teacher I had so much work outside of the classroom that I was often up late and working weekends. My kids needed me. My husband needed me. My house and car needed to be maintained. It was always something. Always. One day I realized that I had not read a new book for pleasure in a year. For me, that was the telling moment—something had to give. So I let go of some things. I don’t mean that I neglected anything, just learned that absolute perfection could be saved for the most important things, while just a “good job” was okay for everything else.
    Good luck and much love from your readers 🙂

  6. Thank you all for your support. Ellen, you are right that it can become a numbers game and I don’t want that. I understand that numbers are important but they don’t define who I am or who my readers are. We are more than a number and if some companies don’t want to work with us because we are too small in their numbers game then so be it. We will survive and there are plenty of companies and brands that appreciate us for who we are. I refuse to alienate my readers just for large company who won’t remember my name next week.

  7. Also I wanted to say that yes blogging is a lot of work but it can be so much fun. I love sharing my life with all of you. You all support me whether I am talking about the amount of toilet paper we go through or a new recipe. We have become friends and I am grateful for all of you.

  8. I think every mother, wife, sister, and daughter feels like this at times. I have learned to let the little things go. I make daily lists and if I don’t get it done, oh well it just goes on the next days list.

  9. I’m the same way. I’ve considered blogging but because of my OCD to get things done and in a certain way each and every day I don’t think I could juggle soo much on my plate without loosing it. My two boys at home and one in school keep ,e on my toes as it is. Bless your heart! You work so hard

  10. Yes! This sounds EXACTLY like how I am feeling! It feels so good to take a day off and spend time with the family, but once I get home I feel so overwhelmed by what I didn’t do. From now on I am going to keep a planner, and only do the things that I have planned, at the end of the day if I have time for extras, then I will take them. With parenting two small children and helping my husband with his business, I just can’t continue to pretend I have 36 hours in a day, when I only have 24. Great great article, and a great reminder for us all to do some reflecting! Here’s to a more serene 2013!

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