This blog has been MIA so long I wouldn’t blame you if you’d lumped it in with the many attempted and failed on-line journals. The countless blogs started and stopped, left abandoned and forgotten.
Image via Craig Garner at Unsplash.com
So many gone, defunct, and perished.
Well…this little bit of cyber real estate is far from buying the proverbial farm. She may be hard to hear in the horde of internet noise, but she has many years of life left in her. She only needs to be persistent and shout louder.
Cold as marble is something this place will only experience on a vampire feature Immortal Monday. Yeah, you heard that right…Immortal Monday (Soon to return on the first Monday of the month).
Dead, deceased, passed on. We don’t do that here. We push through!
I learned that lesson long ago.
A large part of life is learning. Making adjustments based on what we learn is how we eventually get to that better place. The place we strive for. The place where reality and desires coexist. Sometimes getting there, part of the process, requires you to slow down, step back, take a long, solid look at where you are and where you want to go.
That’s where I’ve been. Where I went missing. When you’re moving down the blogging tracks at the rate of a runaway steam engine it can be impossible to see what you need to, everything turns into a blur around you. With a pause, a breather, clarity can be obtained.
Four months of silence. Four months of process. Four months and I think I’ve got it figured out. This is what I saw:
1. Silence in the eye of the social storm.
A. First, focus on the home front. Get all your little monsters in order. Go ahead, take whatever time you need. We’ll wait. You can’t be successful in other areas for any true length of time if home command is falling to pieces and bringing mounds of stress down upon you.
B. Got those monsters trained? Spouse, kiddos, family, friends, and neighbors? Now you can analyze the areas where you need work. Determine your priorities. For each of us it will be different. As a writer, I needed to find time for family, writing, social media, research, editing, and so on. I suggest moving forward in small doses. Get familiar and comfortable in one area before moving on and adding the next area to your agenda. Set aside your largest block of free time for the most important task, smaller blocks for areas that are necessary, but not as critical.
Social media – get in and get out. Time yourself or you’ll lose your day.
Twitter: I suggest scheduling your tweets the night before, then jumping in twice during the day to chat live.
Facebook: Pop in a few times during the day (approx. three or four). Know your circle of friends, don’t overtake their feed with your posts. Practice control.
Pinterest: I pin when prompted by others who pin from me, or when needing to generate a story idea. It’s nice to pin or like from someone who pins or likes one of your pins. Regular visits is recommended to build your relationships. Commenting on pins is the best way to accomplish this.
Google/G+: I’m still working my way back to G+, but I’ll be looking to post a few times a week. Make friends. Don’t just throw up your post and run. Learn from Rebecca Enzor, she’s working it beautifully.
Instagram: I’m new to the world of instant photo share, as my page will tell, but like any other platform…little steps. A share a day and build away!
(Notice the common link running from site to site? Stay consistent with the presence you promote. Face, bio, tag lines – they all matter. You’re fans want someone they can depend on. Be that someone.)
If you need help in the realm of social media, if you’re feeling lost and flustered when you step out into the twitter zone, the G+ forum, Elena Dillion is holding a Social Media Class for the terrified and confused. It runs from April 14th to May 11th and covers Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and Instagram. Check it out here!
2. The two-step with Father Time.
It’s no secret that time management is essential in this time starved millennium. There is no magic answer or fix. There are, however, things you can do to increase your productivity with what limited time you do have. Check out the following informative posts:
10 Essential Hacks For Time Management
7 Tips to Networking on the Social Web (Part 1)
7 Tips to Networking on the Social Web Plus Apps & Plugins (Part 2)
3. Jump down the vole hole of creativity!
Yes, vole hole. My yard is full of them. I like to imagine one of them leads to Alice’s Wonderland.
Once you’ve established your surrounding cone of silence, beaten your mini monsters into order, and established your priorities and goals, you want your creativity to EXPLODE!
Mine has been busy and we’ll talk about that in another post. I’ve found that stepping away from a project is usually the best way to get the idea wheel unstuck when you feel burdened and your writer’s genius is sunk in the mud. If that doesn’t work for you, here are a few great idea stimulators:
100+ Ways To Maximize Your Creativity in 2014… by Kristin Nador
Creativity and Brainstorming Videos With Isochronic Tones… Thanks to Melinda VanLone for this find
10 Surprising Ways to Transform Your Creative Thinking
Never let the world of creativity become a stress factor in your life. Remember to always put yourself first and tackle one thing at a time until you find your comfort zone. You’ve heard the term ‘Baby steps.’ Apply it. Soon enough you’ll be grooving and shaking a brilliant beat.
What are some of the practices you’ve employed that have worked well? Where could you stand to change and what could you do to improve on your current practices?
~oOo~
Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate your support.
Until next time, immortally yours.
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I’m so glad to see you’re back! I’ll have to check out those links. they look fabulous. I’m looking forward to your immortal Monday!
Glad to be back, and on a much more manageable schedule with my crazy life. 🙂 You can tell what I’ve been looking into a lot based on the links. LOL. Thanks for stopping in, Sue! You are the first! Yay!
I’m so glad you’re back among the blogging! I’ve been struggling to find balance myself the last couple of months. It’s no secret that I want more from my life than just sitting in front of my computer (no matter how much I love writing). I still don’t think I’m where I want to be yet, but I’m going to keep fighting. My biggest struggle is finding that middle ground where neither my work nor my life suffers in favor of the other.
Thanks, Marcy. I was a bit nervous about starting up again. When you have younger children it’s so easy to get derailed – again. But I’m feeling much more confident about this plain. I admit I have spent far too many hours getting everything in place, but the hope going forward is there will be more “Me time” and more “Family time.” Things essential to a balanced you, a healthy you, and a happy you. Part of the thing I see with your path is the amount of time, effort, and frequency you were putting into your posts. At the end of the day do you want to be able to say you are a blogger? Probably not. That means your time is better spent elsewhere. Life is too short. Kristi taught me that. She also told me we need to live in our moments. So it’s best we make them count. Let’s not stress about what mass media is telling us we NEED to be doing. If it’s going to break us then it’s not the right thing for us. Search your heart. Find your center. You probably already know what you need to do, you just aren’t hearing it because of all the noise. You need to be still and quiet and calm and listen. Step away from everything if need be in order to best hear.
Sorry if I got too heavy. Passing on words of wisdom given to me from someone who learned it the hard way.
Great advice! Glad to see you’ve taken the time to figure out what works for you. I know I need to do the same. Social media is a vast jungle and it’s easy to lose ourselves in it, so I use caution when visiting. Mostly I stay on the road to FB because it’s where I’m most comfortable. 🙂
Thanks, Kristy! It needed to be done and I’m glad I did it. Took a huge weight off my chest. Social media is a jungle. An Amazon jungle. You could get lost in it and never be found. It’s smart to work in the areas you feel comfortable. That’s why I recommend you get familiar with an area slowly. Like I said, baby steps. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else, just work at your own pace, slowly increasing and improving it. You may pick up new contacts, friends, and fans. You might be surprised at what you find out there.
Hi Debra,
Don’t worry, you are not the only one who has started a blog and then “abandoned” it. I did it twice. I was so relieved when I finally found a focus topic — the creative process — that turned out to be a great umbrella for all of my interests. Keep up the great work and thanks for all the great research information here.
Blogging isn’t easy, is it? Figuring it all out, getting your grove, can take time, a lot of posts, and a whole lot of frustration. There’s no denying the benefits, either. The connections, the outlet, the experience gained. I glad you found what speaks to you and works for you…and I’m glad you like this post. Something told me others might find it helpful. 😉 I’m hoping Immortal Monday survives it’s break. Something tells me it might.
Welcome back and I love the whole new look! I hope you’re well and back on track my friend. Good advice and good suggestions.
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
Patricia recently posted…Girl Sports and Book Giveaways
Good to be back, Patricia. Thanks! Glad you like the look. I think Laird did a really great job at capturing my voice and stories this time. So exciting! Health…it’s such a roller coaster. Haha. I get better, a kid gets sick, I get sick again. It’s all in the family. 🙂 So great to see you – virtually speaking.
Welcome back!
Love the background wallpaper.
Thanks, Emma! – On both accounts. Didn’t Laird do an amazing job?
I do believe you’ve been through a remodel Debra. It looks fantastic! Laird to the rescue again!
Yep, I hear ya. I haven’t blogged in six months and I’m re-launching this week. I hope you’ll join me. This blogging thing is hard to maneuver. It’s difficult to find your niche and strike a balance. Especially when you have young children, which you do. And family has to take priority. I don’t know how you do it. I have a hard time and I don’t have kids at home. And then, to find time to write your book/books and social media besides. It sounds like you have a plan that will work for you. And that I think is the key. What works for you, instead of trying to fit into what someone says you should do. It’s not a one shoe fits all kind of thing. Anyway, I hope you and your family are well and it’s great to see you in the blogosphere again! ((Hugs!))
Thanks for the welcome back. I’m glad you like the design. Can’t wait to see what you have going on. I saw your launch this morning. I’ll have to head over. You’re right, it isn’t easy. It’s something that will need to remain ever fluent and changing to adjust to our needs depending on what else is going on in our lives. I’m sure you’ve learned that by now. 😉 See you soon over at the party you’re throwing. {{Hugs back!}}
So glad you’re back, Debra!! 🙂
Thanks, Coleen! It’s good to be back. 🙂
Amazing, Debra! I love it! The background turned out absolutely gorgeous, and so did your new profile picture. I’m so glad to see you back here! 😀
I’m always trying to find a balance with my time blogging and reading blogs with writing. Training “the monsters” is on-going. I’m so grateful that they are supportive!
Thanks for all the tips and links–lots of great stuff here!
Training the monsters is an ongoing process. They’re always learning new things, aren’t they? Those silly monsters. Thankfully mine are supportive, as well. In fact, they have given me some HUGE writing projects. Not the HUGE writing time to go with it, but it will all happen in time. 😀 I have faith. Enjoy the links. I’ve found them every helpful. Glad you love the look. I believe it helped tip you over the decision making fence, no?
Did you ever swing and plan to jump off that swing just at the right time? I’ve always been one to keep swinging, even though I know I’m going to do it eventually. I may have watched my friends jump off more than once before I finally found that moment I could let go. LOL.
Indeed, I was over that fence, but I still had one leg hanging over it. Yes, I believe you are right. Thank you for that! (I’m so freaking excited!)
I think you and I are rather similar. I would swing and swing waiting for the perfect moment, never really sure if it was now or several more swings from now. I never really knew when I was going to make that leap until I did, yet I knew I would…eventually. Sounds like what you just described to me.
Great tips here! For time management, I’ve finally realized — after months and months of trying every kind of tool — that I must work from a written to-do list. Which I now make the night before. I purposefully use medium sized post-its to keep my list short and manageable.
As to blogging, I love the flexibility of it. I’ve tweaked my blog from time to time, and I’m doing it again. You find what works, do that for a while, and then you might change it up later. Like the look! Best wishes with blogging.
YES! Seeing what you have to do helps immensely! Thanks so much for sharing, Julie. I am so good at doing that intermittently. LOL. The days I manage to write it out the night before a far more productive than the others. Short is probably the key. Best not to feel overwhelmed, but successful and working through your tasks and getting them done. Excellent point.
Blogging, we are all figuring it out, aren’t we. Flexibility being the key. I’m glad you are tweaking it to what will work better for you. Less stress is more better, as we would say in my family.
Thanks for stopping by, Julie!
Love the new blog!! It looks fabulous. Thanks for the mention about the class. I’m getting really excited about it. We’re going to have a lot of fun!
You’re so welcome! It was my pleasure, regarding the mention. I know you will all have a blast! Only six more days now. 😀 Thanks for the compliment on the blog. I’m thrilled with all of Laird’s hard work. So pretty!
Wow… what a great place to visit… All Chicks! And they all like Thor!
Ted! You crack me up! I’m so glad you stopped by.
Great tips, Debra! And WOW — what a gorgeous blog makeover! *pauses to gaze for awhile* 😉
I rely on social media for warmups and breaks, and always prioritize my main passions and goals on work days, reserving my best thinking/creative time and energy for what matters most. I’ve been learning the art of stepping away to play more often lately — and I have to say, I’m digging it!
Stepping away is so essential, isn’t it? You end up bringing so much more to the creative process. It’s amazing and wonderful and so worthwhile. I’ve always been in awe at how you’ve been able to use social media as a warmup. It tends to work the opposite for me. The work as two very different processes for me and I don’t switch as easily.
So glad you like the new digs. I’m digging it too. Laird is a fantastical genius! 😀
Super cool new digs! I love the new look. That Laird, she’s just brilliant.
She is brilliant! She worked wonders for me this time and I love her for it! Thanks, my friend, for stopping by. 😀
Beautiful new site! I love the purple! My blog is still MIA; too busy with the dog training stuff right now. Someday though, I’ll get back to it.
Kudos for taking the time you need for you!
Yes, you’ve been missed! Good to see you Serena. We all understand life keeping you busy, though. Thank you for your thoughtful complement. It’s good to get back to it, despite the squeeze on the schedule. 🙂
Love the look of your new site! Glad you’re back, Debra! Thanks for all the cool links. I’m taking an online class (go at your own pace and I’m going mighty slow) called Video Idiot Boot Camp. I love working videos into my platform and just want to learn more and more and more about making videos. This class has provided me with lots and lots of cool stuff. I’ve discovered Powtoons and want to make lots and lots of animated videos. Just need more time, mo’ energy, mo’ money! Like you said, small steps.That’s the only speed I’m able to go with any of the social media for now.
Kudos to you for starting a newsletter, too! Smart move, Debra. I want to do that, too, but it will have to wait!
Ooh! That sound really interesting. I imagine something like that can be rather time consuming. The one (or three times) I messed with a video it took me forever. Seriously – it did. I don’t know why, but what seems to take people thirty minutes always takes me ten times that. 🙁 Anyway, I look forward to seeing lots of fun stuff coming from you. Your Thor video was a hoot!
As for the newsletter, why not start one? I’ve heard all kinds of recommendations where newsletters are concerned. The one I like the best is quarterly. Why bog your readers down with more words, and you with more work, if you don’t have relevant information to send out. So keep it quarterly unless you have a big event they need to know about. Sounds good to me. What do you think? You have books out already, it’s a great way to build your list with genuine readers.
Do you use Mail Chimp for your newsletter? I’ve heard people say they’ve had a hard time with it. Just not quite ready to learn one more new software program. I agree that a quarterly newsletter is good. Makes sense to me!
I do use MailChimp and thankfully I had Laird to help me get it all setup. She is a lifesaver. I’m so not tech savvy. But after I stumbled around there a few times I was starting to recognize where I’d been and get the hang of things. LOL. I haven’t put out my first newsletter yet, it’s in the planning stages. I saw you signed up, that means you’ll be in the beta test group. Guess we’ll find out together. Haha!
Well, I’m about a week late to the party, so that should tell you something. As writers, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves, and in my case it was starting to affect my health. I have pretty much stepped away from Facebook and Twitter, and that has helped my stress level immensely. I don’t enjoy either one, and I just don’t have the time or energy to deal with all of that on top of my job, family, and writing. I also took a vacation, and that helped, too. Glad to see you back, and the new site design is great!
I’d call this fashionably late. 😉 Good to see you, Jennette. Missed you. I thought about you a lot while I was taking my time away. I’m glad to hear you take the time away as you need it. I’m often quite when I feel overwhelmed, which if more often than I care to admit. I’m getting better, though. Taking a little at a time and realizing the world wouldn’t end if I didn’t do something helped immensely.
I look forward to hearing about your vacation. Hope to read it on your blog. I’m slow at making the rounds as my little monsters keep me terribly busy, I do try though. You’re always so supportive. It doesn’t go unnoticed.
Jennette, I hear ya! Glad you’re taking some time off. We all need to do that probably more often than we do. I don’t care to get on Twitter much. And FaceBook can be a lot of fun when we’re not exhausted. So my time on there is limited, too. Seems like so many of us are in the same boat. Take care of yourself!
Aww, thanks, both of you! Sounds like we all needed some time off.
Welcome back, Debra. I’m so glad the four months away helped alleviate the stress of your many commitments. I’ve been checking out the links you shared and they’re totally awesome. Right now, I’m playing the Coffitivity sounds. 🙂
Are those sounds fabulous? I love to play something like that in the background while I write. Pretty soon you almost don’t hear it but you know it’s doing its job, firing up your brain like you want it to. Awesomesauce! I’m so glad you’re digging the links. Lots of good stuff there. Thanks for stopping in, Sheila! It’s so great to see you. 😀
And I am extremely fashionable in my lateness 😉 Love your blog Debra, and that natural and vibrant voice of yours!
To add my tuppence: I’m finding that not multi-tasking (you read right) is the key to my success. I do much better if I focus on one thing at a time – be that a nappy change, a phone call, 100 new words in my manuscript. It took practise, because I think that often women are praised for being able to multi-task. True, women are amazing, but for this woman, multi-tasking as my all-the-time default behaviour leaves me frazzled and floundering. Instead, I try to focus on one thing at a time. It has created changes I can see and feel every day. Changes in myself, my mood, my writing, my family, my home.
If I can get something started and finished in 15 minutes or less, I quickly ask, is it a priority? Is it a priority for ME? or for someone else whose goals are not in line with mine?
So in an instant, I categorise everything I do (writing and non-writing) a la SuperNanny Jo Frost’s motto: Do, Dump, Defer, and Delegate. I have become good at dumping and deferring. Delegating takes a bit more practise, and also, you need to have earned a few brownie points already, haha!
Best for now – Nikki.
I love the questions you ask yourself. I can already see them plastered across my office wall. 😀 Every year my ability to multi-task diminishes. What does that say about me? You’re smart to take the approach that leaves you feeling the best possible you. That’s what we each need to do, find what works for us and go with it. No formula is right for everyone. And that’s one more reason we should never compare. I love that you know you and your family well enough to have it figured out and already put into practice. Kudos, Nikki!
Hi Debra,
Welcome back! And thank you for a WONDERFUL post!
Thank you, Naomi. It’s good to be back. You are most welcome for the post. It was born out of necessity. 😉