Less Blogging. More Doing.
Over my self-imposed time away, I've been rethinking the blog and decided to reduce the amount of blog posts I write. There are a couple of reasons for this:
1. It takes too much physical time
Writing a blog post for me is always a process: coming up with the idea, arranging the thought, writing it, rewriting it, editing it, talking to either my wife or Ang (or both) about it, then posting it.
This post alone has nearly taken an hour in composition (and it's not done) and that's not counting the time I spent outlining a version of it yesterday.
2. I have other stuff to do
Besides, writing blog posts and the book, I also have a wife and kids who are also busy and require me to chauffeur them around. I also try to read and walk my dog and exercise and it doesn't take long until the day I started at 5 a.m. is now 8 p.m. and I still have stuff on my to-do list.
Also, all it takes is one deviation in my plan (an unexpected work opportunity or additional activities in one area of my life) and all the other activities need to be pushed aside to accommodate.
3. It takes up too much mental energy
I have only a limited number of pathways my brain can travel down. If I look at what I have on my plate right now:
- Writing Book 2 of Shepherd and Wolfe
- Planning ahead for Counios and Gane, as well as Swift, Flowing.
- Personal matters (including house, wife, kids, pets, as well as any other family members)
- And these daily blog posts...
All this operates at standard norms, but I'm going to start teaching next week, so I need to add:
- Prepping weekly classes, including lectures.
- Reading and evaluating students scripts weekly for discussion.
- Reading and marking 12x students scripts (20-25 pages each) three times throughout the semester.
My brain melts down just thinking about all this.
4. I'm not sure I really enjoy writing the blog
This is a weird one, but it goes like this.
The last few months, I've tried writing on a semi-regular basis (every weekday, except if Ang posts). A lot of the time, I'm struggling to come up with ideas or fully-formed thoughts and it's never really fun.
As well, I don't think I've found my voice for the blog posts yet. I never know if I should do a piece like this one, which is me reflecting on the blog or the writing or if I should remove myself entirely and write general practical advice.
Also, I don't know if I'm blogging for the right reason, which may be why I haven't found my voice. I started Counios and Gane as a way to increase exposure for the future book but I'm not sure how much it has accomplished for that purpose (more on this, shortly).
When I look at other people's blogs, I find the most interesting ones often begin with a purpose that is inward focused (to hone their creative skills, the pleasure of sharing ideas, or the joy of writing). While I love to write and doing this work for an audience daily is a nice practice, I always feel it comes out half-assed. Giving myself a longer window to get it right allows me to get the work right.
5. I'm not sure you enjoy it
If I look at the blog as a marketing tool, I don't think writing every day is paying off. We haven't seen any real growth in the numbers and I haven't seen much of it roll into sales for the book.
We don't get many responses to our posts in the comments or on Twitter (I'm not sure about Facebook because that's Ang's domain), so it feels like I'm writing to an empty room.
I often hear the advice to focus on only practical advice, but I fear I'll end up losing those of you who visit us for our personality (yikes!).
6. Too much
There is so much content on the web, no one has time for all of it everyday. I have feeds and newsletters I follow that I can't keep up with, and eventually unsubscribe from. If I can reduce that, then good riddance.
7. Recycled Ideas
Not everyone is Seth Godin, and even I know he revisits his own ideas often. It's hard to strike fresh gold every day, so eventually you start pilfer old ideas again and again.
8. Side Projects
Lastly, I have other side projects I'd like to be working on this year, some things that may have a more valuable impact on Ang and I than what a year of blogging ever will.
But I'll talk about this more another day.
This was a Post about Posting Less
I recognize the irony in talking about posting less, when this is my second post of the week, and I still have my next one planned.
I don't want to set my plan in stone. I don't want to say once a week, but I hope it happens. I may post more, I may post every second week when things get busy.
The focus is doing the work, and while it's nice to say hello and give updates, it also takes away from the next book and other cool things I hope to share with you.