Living Outside the Stacks

When I started this blog, I didn’t realize the investment in time, thought and patience that it would require in order to make it successful (and by successful, I mean, read by more than just my immediate friends and family).  Honestly, this started off as just a way for me to write down some thoughts, keep a daily journal of interesting things that happened to me throughout the day (looking back, I realize that my more personal posts are seriously lacking), etc.  But then I started writing reviews and offering giveaways and that’s when things started to change.

I realized that in order for my reviews and giveaways to be successful, I had to attract attention to my blog which meant I had to step up my game.  I joined a few forums, started posting something new every day, lit up Twitter, created a Facebook page and basically started running myself ragged.  Over time, I realized that this “little” hobby was starting to suck up more and more of my time.

And since I started the SITS ProBlogger Challenge even more of my time is sifting away “like sands through an hour glass…”  And apparently, I’m not the only one who needs help avoiding the social media time~suck.  A lot of challenge participants are wondering how they’re supposed to balance blog maintenance with everything in their daily lives because all of the tips have proven to be just a bit overwhelming.  Granted, I realize this is a challenge and not something I’d engage in every day unless it was my job but still…

Anyway, I stumbled across this article by Katie Urbain, in which she discusses six ways to waste your time on social media.  Has Katie been reading my mind?  The article offers six tips for managing your online presence and still remaining productive during your work day.  As I read through the list of social media time~sucks, my head hit the desk.

I think the biggest takeaway from the article was that I can’t be everywhere nor can I can keep up with everything, so don’t even try.  And with that I’m shutting down my computer for the night to spend time with my family.  I will catch up on with Day 12 of the challenge tomorrow.

I have the research skills of a librarian, the preservation skills of an archivist, the organizational skills of a mother and the domestic skills of a Stepford wife. I have the research skills of a librarian, the preservation skills of an archivist, the organizational skills of a mother and the domestic skills of a Stepford wife. Read more from this author