Wednesday, May 18, 2011

How to Keep Your Blog From Destroying Your Life

 Blogs aren't supposed to destroy your life, but it can happen. Here is the countdown to life explosion and how to avoid it.



5. You Become a Website Junkie
You know you have reached this point when the tabs in your browser look like
this.
Above is a photo of my browser. Here, other websites outweigh my personal tabs 2 to 1. Though this particular picture has been synthesized for your viewing pleasure, it is not the first time that my browser has looked this way. Different things can cause this phenomena - reading rabbit trails, extreme link clicking,  The example above features a case of pageview greed. The moment your browser begins to look this way more than on occasion, take caution. You have just taken your first step on life demolition by blog. 
Yes, that is a tab for Nathan Bradsford at the end. Because his website intimidates me.
How to avoid:
When you finish reading a page, close the tab. Do not let the page float around your browser. Do not think about the awesomeness of that post within boundaries of your own awesomeness. Let your ego live on its own, and don't crowd it with all those other tabs. Remember: whether you are claustrophobic or not, your ego is.

4. You write less and less on your blog
It's better to write on your own anyways, you reason. It's better to spend time writing something that might get published eventually than something that can be published that very day, hour, minute and be posted for the world to see. This way, no one can critique you, be better than you, or dare not follow you.  
How to avoid:Post. Even if it's once a month, practice the mindset of knowing that words, which you are typing, and thoughts, which you are thinking, are possibly making connections with other humans. This is even more important for aspiring writers. The more we become attuned with the reality of other readers, the more we can be encouraged and excited and pushed to excel. After all, the point of writing our thoughts down is for someone to eventually read them.

3. You cut connections with other people's blogs
Everyone else is just distracting you, especially those people with thousands of viewers and awesome blog posts and published work. All their experienced advice isn't really helping you (Note to the reader: This can be true. Sometimes you just need to stop reading and start writing). And your inexperienced friends are just annoying with their inexperienced posts that you relate to way too much.
How to avoid:Limit your reading content. Narrow down to a few (if not one) experienced websites, one conglomerate website (because they post so often!), and a few friend websites. This will also lessen the time spent commenting and will leave you with more energy to build a few relationships instead of picking one up and dropping another. You will have more time to write on your blog, manuscript, but will still be interacting a little bit with those people and blogs that can help and encourage you.


2. You stop the activity that your blog endorsed
That's it. No more writing or kyaking or running or whatever it is you do. You can't do it anymore. It doesn't bring you pleasure. Those difficulties that once invigorated you now overwhelm you. Right now, all you can see are negatives: you're not good enough or someone is better than you or you aren't improving fast enough. You need to take a break.
How to avoid:Remember why you love this activity. Whatever it is that is causing these negative thoughts, get rid of it! If it's your blog, at this point, take a break. Talk to live friends; do other things you love. My personal favorite is try something new. Try new food, a new activity, travel to a new place (this includes somewhere in your town, unless you've been everywhere in your town). The point is to stimulate your mind because, often, these things will point you back to the crux of your life. 

1. You don't even like that activity that your blog endorsed
I have never arrived at this last step before, but I have come close with both drawing and writing. This part equals absolute life meltdown. You don't know when was the last time you did your activity, and you can't muster up enough will to care. It is the place your blog can lead your when you count on it to give you worth, self-esteem, and purpose. This is something that should never happen because it means that something that used to define you no longer exists there. It is unnatural. Part of your life has been destroyed. 
How to avoid:Stop at an earlier number.

What about you guys? Have you ever lost your taste for an activity because of the internet? What's the closest you've come to your blog destroying your life?




5 comments:

  1. The main thing my blog did in the way of destroying my life was taking up all my time. I didn't get anything done for like two months because I was either reading and commenting on others' blogs, or writing content for my own. And I only posted twice a week, with my sister sometimes contributing a Wednesday post. (Can we say 'poor time management?' Yes, I think we can.)

    I stepped away for about a month and a half to catch up in/finish school, and now I've ditched the MWF schedule and gone back to posting when I have something to say. It's a lot better for me, because I write when I want to write, and don't feel obligated to put out blog content when I have absolutely nothing interesting to go on about. I also made a list of blogs I would check & comment on every so often to keep in touch. Life=saved. =)

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  2. Amanda, schedules for blogs scare me! I've heard so many times how good they are and how readers like to have a sense of what they'll see in the future, but I just don't think I'm ready for it. I totally understand not using a schedule, and I'm glad that you had the courage to stop something that was hurting you in the end. And who knows, maybe you'll be able to pick it up again sometime in the future! :)

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  3. Blogs are here for us -- not the other way around. I believe we need just to have fun with ours and focus on the important things in our lives. If being published is our dream, then first, we must be writing to have content to publish. LOL. You have a fun blog, Roland

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  4. Roland,
    You are very right! Blogs are an important way to get oneself out into the world, but publishing is an even more effective and rewarding thing not to mention it is the true goal of every author. Blogs are there to serve, not to master :)

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  5. Blogging can eat up a lot of hours. I've gotten better at limiting my time blogging. I have my friends' blogs in different folders designated by each day of the week. It helps.

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