This Chicks Sunday Commentary: Blah, Blah, Blah, Blogging…

Last year I set a fast and furious pace for myself. I was posting 3 reviews a week, had my Sunday Commentary post and filled in with a few bookish discussions, tags, etc. I religiously posted every other day. I did see my follows rise, but my energy level fell. To keep up that review pace I had to read 4 books a week, write religiously every weekend, and give up a little bit of my life. That second book I wanted to write kept getting pushed back as I slogged through trying to keep up the pace.

burn out

I didn’t want to quit blogging because I really love it! I just wanted to love other things too.

I know there are other bloggers out there who feel the same way I did, so I wanted to share a few things I did to get my life and my blogging back on track.

BACK OFF!– No! Not you guys! Me!! I needed to back down from this frantic pace I had set for myself. I backed down to two reviews a week (Tue and Fri) and made one of them my Friday YA post because a little YA just makes me happy. 🙂 I’ll confess, I do occasionally have three reviews in a week, but it’s usually because I have an Arc I forgot to read and review and I’ll throw one into my schedule to meet that due date.

Goodreads Challenge

Do you all do these Goodreads challenges? Well, I had set myself the challenge of reading 212 books this year. Ummm, not even close. I lowered it to 200 and am still 7 books behind schedule, so I’m just throwing this year out the window. 200 is NOT going to happen and I don’t know what I was thinking!

Aha

I had an AHA! moment- I wanted to show my fellow bloggers some love and approached a couple that I had admired to ask if they would answer a few questions in a new series I had been mulling over in my mind. They said yes, my Blogger to Blogger series was born. I really enjoy getting to know all of the bloggers in our universe and seeing how diverse we are! It’s a fun little series that seems to be taking off and brings joy to my little blog!

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I walked my dog!- This seems like such a small thing, doesn’t it? But getting outside with my dog and my husband starts the day off right. I get to see the neighborhood, enjoy the weather, and get a goofy grin from my baby, Nash. Isn’t he adorable?

Nash pumpkin

Be social! I”m lucky because I live in one of the best cities in the US for concerts, Nashville TN! My husband, who is my best friend and willing participant, has agreed that we must DO THINGS! So I’ve put the book down and started trying to get out of the house and do non bookish things. This helps so much! When I have time to relax and I relish getting back to that book instead of forcing myself to pick it up.

Maroon 5 concert

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Salon@615 at the Nashville Library with Deborah Harkness talking about her newest novel in the Discovery of Witches series.

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The hubs and I at an NFL Titans game.

What did I learn???

Having fun in life means having fun reading and writing again, and yeah, don’t over schedule myself…. that is no fun at all!

Do any of you have the same kinds of problems? What did you do to get yourself back on track?

Thanks for reading! Until next Sunday…

Deb

20 thoughts on “This Chicks Sunday Commentary: Blah, Blah, Blah, Blogging…”

  1. susankietzman

    Hi Deb,

    I like that you are re-evaluating; it’s a worthwhile and enlightening periodic practice. Any who knows – maybe your track is curving in a new direction. I enjoy your blog. And I’ll still enjoy it if it shows up in my inbox less often. Go have fun!

    Susan

    Liked by 1 person

  2. This is a great post, Deb! I agree that sometimes, as bloggers, we tend to try and do a little bit too much of everything. I know I’m definitely guilty of that haha. Taking breaks and doing other things, unrelated to blogging, really helps in getting that excited feeling about blogging back and really helps me getting excited about books again 🙂

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  5. sounds like you unintentionally wrote yourself a recipe for blogger burnout. I’m happy you saw the light! blogging should be a fun hobby that makes us feel accomplished, not an obsession that we give up our lives for. A happy blogger = a happy blog!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I think I was approaching burnout. I saw it in front of me and took action before I got there, thank goodness! Now that I have started reading more for pleasure again, I enjoy blogging again. Funny how that works! Thanks for commenting!

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  7. Cindy

    Finding a balance is still hard for me so I’m so glad you’ve found that! You dog is so cute and I love the name Nash! I’ve never been to a concert and to be honest I’m not sure if being surrounded by that much noise and people will be good for me but the atmosphere always seems amazing and I do love music.

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  9. What a great lesson to learn!! I recently slowed my pace, as well… I was posting every day and there was just no time for life. I STILL don’t seem to have much time for life… But, at least I’ve cut a couple of things out so I have time to sleep! 😂😂

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