The Anti 9-to-5 Guide » Work/blog balance

Work/blog balance

August 25th, 2007

If you’re a frequent reader of this blog, you’ve probably noticed a couple of 10-day breaks in posting this spring/summer. For me, when work and personal life heat up, blogging is usually the first thing to go — and not always before sleep and exercise. I’d like to modify my blogging habits to make it easier for me to avoid these long breaks in posting (because, really, what good is a blog without reliably continuous posts?). So here’s what you’ll likely start to see from now on:

Shorter posts
Less pointless photos, unless of course there’s some nifty anti 9-to-5er, product, or logo to show
Evening rather than morning posts (for those of you who pay attention to when posts go live)

All this will make it easier for me to keep up the continuous posts, without sacrificing content — and without sacrificing freelance deadlines and offline creative writing time (which, for me, needs to happen in the morning). When I think about some of my favorite blogs, I don’t feel as though I’m missing out if they lack a plethora of photos or long rambly missives or first-thing-in-the-morning posts, so I’m taking my cues from them. And while blogging is a blast and I wish I could do it all week long, it doesn’t pay the bills and it still doesn’t compare (in my book) to having an editor select your article, essay, or book for publication. As a stick-in-the-mud old-school writer/journalist, I’m pretty sure I’ll never give up my beloved newspaper, magazine, webzine, and book publication lust.

If any seasoned bloggers have other suggestions for more quick, efficient blogging, I’m all ears. I’ve already thought about guest bloggers (hasn’t worked out so far but I haven’t completely shut the door on this one), interns (mulling it over), and expert Q&As (watch for this later in the year). Since I didn’t grow up with a Blackberry affixed to my arm, incorporating blogging into my life hasn’t been as smooth as I suspect it is for my twentysomething counterparts. It’s like I’m still trying to figure out when the best hours for me to go to the gym are — that would be, if I actually liked to work out in a gym.

Entry Filed under: Balance

9 Comments Add your own

1. Ariel | August 25th, 2007 at 8:57 am

A couple tips:

1. Shorter, more frequent posts are always better.

2. You can use WordPress to set the publish date for your posts in the future — this means if you have a couple hours, you can bang out a bunch of posts that can then be set for future automatic publishing. It’s cool!
2. Michelle Goodman | August 25th, 2007 at 11:00 am

thanks, ariel. that IS cool! i didn’t realize #2.
3. cindy@staged4more | August 25th, 2007 at 7:20 pm

I haven’t thought about shorter and more frequent posts. I pretty much write blogs when I think of something to write. But I have been working on a plan for blogging to blog more consistently. It will also help readers to know when new blog entries are out.

Cheers,

Cindy
4. Michelle Goodman | August 25th, 2007 at 7:43 pm

thanks for the input, cindy.
5. almostgotit | August 26th, 2007 at 7:37 pm

Having (a) hit that 6+ month blogging mark and (b) a significant change in my work load, I heartily sympathize with your dilemma.

Oh yes, the post-dating feature on Wordpress is a BOON, I tell you. And I, too, am trying shorter posts. I suspect many readers like short posts better anyway…

Another thing I’m going to do is try to blog more thematically, planning a weekly theme in advance to help organize and streamline my time a little better. Again, I also suspect this will have more reader appeal, as well — especially if I get to the point where I can post some “Coming this week!!” teasers to get readers to return.
6. How to (almost) get the j&hellip | August 27th, 2007 at 9:21 pm

[...] Michelle Goodman over at the Anti 9-5 guide is rethinking her very successful blog. Another of my favorites, Wishy the Writer is on a blogging hiatus, and now I’m reviewing things myself. [...]
7. Michelle Goodman | August 28th, 2007 at 4:56 am

hey almost, thanks for weighing in. i like the thematic idea too. i’ve seen penelope trunk at brazen careerist do that. i’ve always been afraid the crap would hit the fan and i’d miss the thursday installment i’d promised on sleeping on the job or something. but that’s just me.
8. gl hoffman | August 29th, 2007 at 5:51 am

Hi…first time reader, but I am interested in this topic. When I feel lazy, I simply find something that interests me…and post THAT. It seems like I am cheating a bit, but I think my readers seem to like what I like. That way, they keep coming back if only to see what you might think THEY might like.
Nothing new I suppose,

best~GL HOFFMAN, Minneapolis
What Would Dad Say
9. Michelle Goodman | August 29th, 2007 at 8:59 am

thanks for this, GL, and for stopping by.

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