Most psychologists will tell you anything that takes time away from other things you should be doing in your everyday life is a problem. For example, if you play alot of video games. If the Madden season is interfering with your homework, eating, sleeping, bathing, social life and working...well then son you have a problem and it's called an addiction. You are doing an activity to excess and it's not healthy and it needs to stop or at the very least cut back, perhaps WAY back. This is what I would tell the guy who spends 3-8 hours a day blogging. That's just crazy and please seek help, sorry but you really need it! So what do you do if you are reading this and thinking you are a blog addict or on the verge of becoming one? Well I have your treatment right here (on what else, a blog for the blog addict reading this - ironic) without the ridiculous hourly shrink fee you may be needing. Plus forget the 12 step program. I've manage to cut it in half and there is just 6 steps now. I even amaze myself sometimes. Read on.
1. Get Your Priorities Right
Is starting a new blog really going to help your business or personal objectives? If not, then don’t. Simple as that. Save your energy for the blogs that help you achieve your objectives.
2. Put It To Rest
Do you have a blog that is not “hot” anymore (or maybe never was)? If you have a blog that is not getting much traffic or is about topics that no one wants to read about anymore (or maybe never did), give it a quiet burial.
3. Grow Up
Are you continuing to blog (whether it serves your purpose or not), out of some misplaced emotional attachment to your blog? Then you probably need a 12 step program. Lots of blogs are abandoned everyday because they stopped serving their purpose, or more often, because the bloggers just grew up and moved to greener pastures. Find more appropriate ways to spend your time.
Hmm, should I be offended by that? Nah, I'm too immature to even give a sh*t to what I say myself. :P
4. Get A Life
Most creative types know that in order to keep your mind brimming with ideas you need to do things that nurture your mind and body. I enjoy playing sports, riding my motorcycle, watching a movie or hanging out with friends and family. Take a walk in the park, workout in the gym, get out of the house and get some fresh air. Just shut down your PC and get away from it for a while. You’ll be amazed at how easy and fun it can be it to get your creative instincts flowing again.
5. Give Yourself A Break
If you miss blogging about something big because you had something else equally pressing, don’t punish yourself for it. Don’t force yourself to keep up with an impossible schedule. Nothing is so important that it can’t wait a day or two. Sometimes procrastination is not a bad thing at all. If it helps, write a bunch of posts at a time, so you can take a break and attend to other matters when you need to.
That is exactly what I do and I highly recommend it.
6. Quality Not Quantity
Blog frequently, but not too often. The guy that was spending 3-8 hours a day blogging was publishing 4-5 posts a day! There is no need for that. One post a day is more than enough and if you must, 2 posts should cover it. I post just once daily and on a rare occasion I may post 2 or not post at all. Most bloggers say that two or three posts a week is a pretty good frequency. Never push yourself more than you have to. The key is to make your posts count. Don’t post about anything and everything in your field just because you have to. Posts that are original and full of opinion are more likely to get noticed and linked to than those that are just a few words with a link to the news source.
It's the weekend. This was a test. You are failing. Why are you reading this? Get out and enjoy your weekend. Take a day or two away from blogging. Now. Go on. Bye.
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