5.23.2012

Learning How to Step Away & Keep your Balance

I consider this blog to be a very important part of my life.  I love spending the time generating awesome content for you all & I love the dedication I put into Five Sixteenths.  Before you get too worried, no I am not taking a break from blogging...now that I have a momentum going I don't see stopping anytime soon.  This post is a post about encouraging you (& myself) to step away from blogging sometimes.
I go out to look for something that makes me feel small.  This usually clears my head & levels my thoughts


While I am not getting paid to write this blog, I act like I am.  (Just like I pretend I am blogging to 3000 followers!)  This means I dedicate probably about 40 hours a week generating things for this blog.  Since I just got really excited about Blogging eCourses & eBooks I've been spending a lot of time with my head buried in my laptop.  While this isn't good for my posture it's also not good for my relationships.  There were times when I was ignoring Zach because I had to blog something or was working on a blog design.  I am very thankful that he is understanding & wants me to be successful at the things I want to do with my life (after all, he did buy me a kiln!!).  With him gone, I've now got more time to blog & spend with my room mates.  I found that generally with this more time, I was spending it (again) buried in my laptop.  I don't want my real life relationships to suffer because I want to succeed here.  It's about balance.
I couldn't imagine living any where with out water to wade in.

So on Monday, I decided to take up an offer to go see Avengers & to head to the beach.  The whole time I tried not to think about what I could be blogging & it was hard!  I did take pictures of this trip, which means I was thinking about blogging, but I was also thinking about documenting my trip.  I tried not to think of time restraints, I tried not to check my watch, I tried not to hurry the movie a long.  I even pulled out my instax camera & took a few shots...talk about analog!  This break was great for me.

It's important to remember that blogging is a hobby & that I am not getting paid for it. Though I'd like to turn it into a source of income one day, blogging is not the top priority.   Taking a break to smell the roses & just enjoy life is something I want to strive toward as I go on this summer.  I don't want to coop myself up all day in my room with my computer & only venture out to take outfit photos.....I want to live!  I have friends & a family I need to spend time with.  I also need to spend some quality time with Me, Myself, & I.
This filter is called Nostalgia & it's one of my faves on Camera+

On the flip side of all of this, blogging is my responsibility (for lack of a better word) & I take it seriously.  And I know if I want to succeed I have to say no to hanging out sometime.  It's important for me to live up to what I expect my blog to be, not only for you but because I set out on this journey & I really love it!  I need time to dedicate to making Five Sixteenths better!

So mainly this post is about keeping a balance & keeping a promise to myself to put work down and to just have fun for a little while..even if it's only for an afternoon!

How do you keep a blogging balance?  Do you feel blogging is a responsibility of yours or is it something that is just fun?







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3 comments:

  1. I'm normally only blogging the things I would be doing anyway. For me it's never been say lets go for a walk to take photographs because I need something to blog about. Additionally for me my blog is like keeping my journal so I'd want to be updating it regularly. I know once I get a job i'll be cutting back a lot of sitting in front of a computer and reading blogs sadly.

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  2. Hi I'm new to your blog and I just started following you. This is a great post. Balancing work and play is really hard to do. I started blogging about four months ago and I love it but it's so hard to remember that there is a life outside of it. I often say to myself, I HAVE TO blog NOW instead of I CAN blog LATER. What mostly keeps me balanced is the fact that I have a baby to take care of so I only get to blog at nights. The weekends I reserve for family time. It's pretty amazing how much time this little hobby takes up...it's almost like a day job that you love to go to. Good luck on your ebook and I can't wait to check it out when you are done. As a new blogger, it's hard to find good resources and I would appreciate any help that I could get. Thanks again and have a beautiful day!

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  3. wonderful post! This is right where I'm at as well. I have a great blogging momentum going, and obsessively reading about making it better, I'm trying to balance the rest of life and not think about it constantly! Love the sandy feet! ;)

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Hi there, thanks so much for taking the time to comment. I love &value each & every one! If you have a question, I will respond as soon as I can. Don't be afraid to shoot me an email! If you have a blog, I will pop on by :)