The Big Benefit of a Blogging Break
by Sean Platt on March 16, 2009
in blogging
Sometimes, the best method for growing your blog is to simply place your hands above your head and slowly back away from the computer. Okay, maybe you don’t need the police procedure, but taking some time away from your blog can be a big boon to your overworked brain waves.
You don’t have to take a trip around the world, or even a two week vacation, but sometimes getting away from the day in, day out incessant grind of running a blog is all you need to come back feeling refreshed. Let’s face it, blogging is a demanding mistress and there’s no quicker way to resent her than finding yourself pulled into the relentless vortex of an all day every day as long as the earth’s in orbit work schedule.
Not only will this cause you to resent something you should be loving, it can cause your entire view to grow murky. Working without pause has little benefit and doing so will invariably lead to the law of diminishing returns.
About three weeks back, I hit a wall. Many of the things I was trying at the time weren’t working as well as I would have liked. Of course, this was entirely my fault as I was expecting for Father Time to grant me special favors. Though he was unwilling to look the other way for the other six and a half billion souls surviving the minutes on our planet, I thought he would somehow do so for me.
Nope. it turns out I need to be patient just like everybody else.
The world of blogging, for a brief little bout, was just a bit too much. I needed to step away. I took a break from Writer Dad, my first retreat in seven months. I intended to be gone a week, but a busted modem kept me away for ten full days.
This ended up being a hallelujah and a half. When I returned to Writer Dad, I felt a peace I had not yet felt at any time this year. I returned ready and motivated, and I have had more fun at my home base than I have in a long long time. It wasn’t just about the fun, I also returned with a month’s worth of planned posts.
Humans have a need for an occasional change of environment. Some of us blog because we are seeking a vent, some of us do it because we are searching for a way to make a living for ourselves online. Either way, if we never step away from the track, we are only running around in the same circles we were once wishing to avoid.
Take a long weekend, an extended holiday, or maybe even just a really long coffee break, but step away and grow a little while you’re gone.
Sean
Sean Platt is a fantastic father and gifted ghostwriter. He tweets here.
Related Websites - Ask the Readers: Why Do You Visit Frugal Dad? Happy Fourth of July! I'm finally getting a much-needed break from work and plan on unplugging from my normal routine for the day. We'll probably grill out in the backyard and enjoy a lazy afternoon at home. There are plenty of things I should be doing, but today I think......
-
In Memory of Randy Pausch: Inspirational Videos to Watch When You Are In a Rut photo by artfulblogger I try to keep things positive here at Frugal Dad, but admittedly even I do occasionally get down. I grow weary from the coming and going of the corporate rat race. At times I get down about so much of my income going towards becoming debt...... -
Blogging for Business Pt 2 Continued from "Blogging for Business pt 1" So why is there so much fervor surrounding business blogs and corporate blogs? Unlike corporate websites, business blogs are extremely cost effective to launch and quite surprisingly easy to maintain, because there are so many powerful and easy to use tools out there....... - Dad, Blogging & Facebook My dad was starting a blog for his group of retiree friends and we got into a discussion about blogging. He was asking me about permissions & things and as I was explaining that to him ... I showed him my blog. That got me wondering how long I've been......
- 2 Ideas To Earn Residual Income On The Internet Many people dream of ways to earn residual income on the Internet today. One of the keys is finding the right residual income opportunity to work with. The Internet offers many opportunities that you can research on your own. In this article we will talk about a few ways you......
Excellent post, Sean.
I remember taking a day out just before Christmas to visit a local market town to pickup our Christmas meat, and generally enjoy the experience of a day out in a lovely town. The day out was fantastic, but the four blog posts that were sparked by that day out were even better. In fact, one of the blog posts turned out to be my 2nd best post I’ve ever written.
I remember drifting off to sleep in the back seat of the car as the sun set in front of us. As I was drifting off, I could feel all the new ideas and new motivation swimming around me. It was a fantastic, feeling, and I couldn’t wait to get back home and start writing.
Jamie
Jamie Harrop’s last blog post..How Bloggers Can Make the Most of Twitter
I took my own first vacation away from blogging in February after over a year and I felt a similar rebirth of energy and ideas! I even came back with a whole new direction for my blog that’s made more excited than ever about what my blog can do for me. : )
Shanel Yang’s last blog post..15 Awful Truths about Getting Rich
Wooh, this post is timely!
My friend Squawkfox (at http://www.squawkfox.com/ ) got a book deal, which sounds AWESOME except that the publisher wanted it written in less than 3 weeks. (!!!!!!!) So she basically stopped doing everything but writing, eating, and sleeping.
One of the things she stopped doing was blogging and it turns out that she missed it more than she thought she would. I think a lot of it has to do with the interaction with the readers.
Hayden Tompkins’s last blog post..The Secret to Getting Kids to Read
Jamie: EXACTLY! Taking time away is like a spark to a whole new fire. I was scared for a long time that if I took time off people would resent it or maybe I would return less committed than before. It turns out I was wrong on both counts.
Shanel: I’m in the same boat. After my first vacation I have returned with brand new ideas for strength and direction, more eager than I’ve felt in a long long time.
Hayden: 3 WEEKS!!! Man, I poop words and I don’t know that I could do that. That’s pretty awesome about the dal though. Interaction with the readers is definitely the number one thing that would be missed on my end as well.
Writer Dad’s last blog post..Meet Mia, My Little Girl
Great post, Sean. For those who can’t prise their fingers off the keyboard completely, it also helps to set aside a day or so for just writing our own pieces. That means a day off blog-reading, commenting, reading comments, and reading comments on comments. When I was easing myself back in after being ill last week, I realised just how much time I spend not actually writing my own pieces. Like you, I can’t NOT write – I get spiritually ill. But I am trying to work out a balance. I’m sitting here right now – don’t laugh – with a chicken shaped kitchen timer on the table in a real effort to limit the time I spend on my favourite blogs! So far, all I’m managing is faster typing! I, too, like the community feeling in small blogs and would miss it but I can get sucked into too much cheery blethering!
Great timing. I have just been away for a few days and could not borrow a GPRS modem for my laptop, so I left it at home. I was without any Internet connection at all, and it was great. I now have a load of ideas for posts to write.
Garry – thisimprovedlife’s last blog post..Silence the second voice
Very true, Sean! I did a similar thing with Motivate Thyself and when I returned it was as if I had just started the blog, fresh with ideas and enthusiasm for blogging. Great insight, my friend! Eric
All very true. And again I thank you and Eric for helping me out over the last few days during my inevitable meeting with that brick wall.
Marc – WelshScribe’s last blog post..Giving Appreciation and Honor To Entrepreneurs