Inspired by all the blogs who do these joint discussions, The Reviewers Roundtable is our version of a weekly feature where we discuss a book related/blogging topic.
Meet the Reviewers:
Rachel from Rachel Reads (Saturdays)
Emily from Read Your Bookcase (Fridays)
Me (Michelle) from here at Pink Polka Dot Book Blog (Thursdays)
I love this new discussion group, it's so fun!!
How Do You Balance Blogging and "Real Life"?
I will admit there are tons of times when I feel like I am not balancing blogging life and real life right. Sometimes I'll be up until WAY too late trying to get a review that I promised done and I'm like "WTF is wrong with you Michelle. This is a hobby, not a career." And that is totally true, but to me my word is important. If I say I'm going to do something, I want to do it. I feel like I've made a commitment to myself, my readers, and book tour websites/authors etc., and I really want to honor all of those commitments. On the other hand, I have a child and I'm going to school full-time, plus trying to find an internship and have a social life with my friends. It's a lot, but EVERYONE is busy. Being busy is not an excuse not to fulfill your commitments, it's a cop-out. I had to cancel a review that I had promised when the Spring semester started because my son and I were both sick (and sick kids are seriously the worst), plus I was extremely unprepared for everything that school would bring that first week. And I still think about it and feel bad. And that's the only time I've ever backed out of one of my blogging commitments (that I can remember). I should have planned that out better :(
Anyway I am seriously jealous of people that are like weeks ahead on their blogs. I don't even have the slightest idea of how to do that. When you read a post of mine, I can guarantee it was written within 24 hours of it going up. Unless I took a posting hiatus I just don't think I'll ever get ahead of it. I know a lot of people say to just take a few hours on Sat. or Sun. and write stuff, but I do that already and still I'm just right on top of my blog, not ahead. I guess a big part of that is I can only write reviews as fast as I can read books and I only read like 2 books per week.
I definitely feel the pressure to do more with my blog, especially when I read posts of people who say you aren't going to be a successful blog unless you post content EVERYDAY. That's ok though... I'm not worried about being successful, I just want to be happy, talk with people about books, and still enjoy blogging.
I feel like blogging life is going to become harder when I'm done with school, working full-time, and commuting a lot farther than I do now. But I know I'll make time for it because it's something I really like. And if I don't, I'll just scale back. There's nothing wrong with doing a blog that only puts up a few posts. I think some people feel like it's all or nothing.... either they are posting everyday or they quit. Most of us started blogging just to have a place to document our thoughts on the books we read... there's nothing wrong with going back to that if you don't have time... Just be happy people :)
I feel like blogging life is going to become harder when I'm done with school, working full-time, and commuting a lot farther than I do now. But I know I'll make time for it because it's something I really like. And if I don't, I'll just scale back. There's nothing wrong with doing a blog that only puts up a few posts. I think some people feel like it's all or nothing.... either they are posting everyday or they quit. Most of us started blogging just to have a place to document our thoughts on the books we read... there's nothing wrong with going back to that if you don't have time... Just be happy people :)
So how do you balance real life and blogging life? Do you do a good job of it, or are you stressed sometimes? Do you ever feel pressure to post more or read faster?
What a great article! I struggle with balancing my blog life and my real life everyday! I am a full-time CPA and a tax focused one to boot. Feb-Apr is just horrendous. I just recently started blogging and I feel I may have over committed myself. But I am just the type of person that goes full-in from day one.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to know that I am not the only one and that it is ok to scale back sometimes. I need to remember that.
Thanks for sharing!
Wow yes this time of year has to be completely nuts for you. I would definitely not be signing up for any blog tours during until may!!
DeleteSo much yes. I wish I could get scheduled weeks in advance, but I'm lucky to have stuff ready a day or two early. I mean, obviously some stuff, like Cover Snark and book hauls can't be done in advance, but it's just so hard to get ahead, even on things like reviews. Most of them were written a couple hours before posting.
ReplyDeleteKeeping my word is very important to me. The first week of March I had four blog tour posts due and I was reading frantically to finish them all. Every single one finished at the last minute but I DID it.
Oh man I did that too not too long ago where I was like finishing up the book at 10pm for a midnight review... I was sweating!!
DeleteThis is a topic I have been planning to write about for awhile. I actually wrote it down in my notebook but haven't actually typed it up. I hope to get one up in the next month or so though.
ReplyDeleteI don't work or have school but I have kids and I find myself really struggling to get it all done. I do schedule at least a week out (usually two) but it's important to me to get my reviews prepped right after reading the book.
With running the promotions I do I find myself pretty much working a full time job. But that's just how it goes and while I love it, I know that I need to work on a better balance as my family has been getting neglected. I'm planning to step back and reevaluate things in May.
Yes you have so much more going on on your blog, but I hope you keep doing it because all your stuff is great and really helpful. I personally love Saturday Situation and think it helps a lot of bloggers get their giveaways and reviews more traffic :)
DeleteI totally agree with everything. You said. I usually finish a book, write the review, reread the review, and post it so if I post a book review you know I have finished the book within a couple of days. Peter Pan is the only review so far that I have withheld.
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ReplyDeleteI post 2 to 3 post a week. For a while I kept feeling like I needed to post everyday. Eventually I found the right amount of posts that works for my schedule. I just have to remind myself that this is just a hobby and I need to still live my everyday life.
ReplyDeletehttp://pinkyjustlisten.blogspot.com/
Yes I totally feel you... I have to tell myself that all the time!! I'm glad you found a good post schedule for you and don't let ppl pressure you. Some of these blogs that tell ppl they need to post everyday have like 2 or 3 bloggers helping them with reviews. So us indie's have to do what works for us :)
DeleteI wish I could be weeks ahead. I do all my blogging the night before and schedule for the morning. I have a teenage boy, an adult daughter, and a grandson on the way. Not to mention a hubby, a german shepherd, and a full time job. Oh and I have to fit in my reading. So keeping up with my blog takes dedication and lots of time. I don't however have time for cleaning, exercising, or a social life... so i guess there is a down side. I do try to leave my weekends for family time and laundry... a little bit of cleaning. Now I am babbling. I do what I can to keep up with my blog because I love it. It de-stresses me and gives me something of my own. So I make the time. I do wish I had more but I work with what I have. Great discussion topic!
ReplyDeleteI agree.. my blog is completely something that is my own and gives me a feeling of accomplishment even though that might sound weird. I have zero time for cleaning lol and I kind of love that :)
DeleteAs a total newbie to this whole book blogging world, I find it has been really easy to get sucked into it. I currently am at the point where I have a post daily, but not because it's a chore or feel like I have to. As of right now, it's actually sort of an addiction! I LOVE logging on to see new comments and I feel like if I don't have a new post, I won't get comments, and then I'll be all alone. lol. Ridiculous, I know.
ReplyDeleteOf course, with this semester ending in about five weeks and numerous papers and projects starting to be due, I can easily see that I might have to take a step back. I'm not quite sure when that'll happen, but I'm sure it's coming soon. Luckily I'm one of those silly people whose posts are written a week in advance so if I need a break I won't feel too bad... I don't think?
Anyways, new follower through BlogLovin and I look forward to reading your bookish thoughts and reviews - even if it's just only once a week ;)
Thanks for stopping by and following!! I'll probably never just post once a week, mostly because I'm blog addicted too, but it makes me sad when people start feeling pressure do post all the time and they get burned out and quit. Good for you to be a week ahead!! That's awesome... When I started this blog I just started from the book I was currently reading and I kinda wish now I would've banked up some reviews before I launched. Oh well, that's kind of why I do Friday Rewind occasionally to bring in reviews from before I was blogging :)
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