Fandango’s Provocative Question #109

From Fandango comes this question with which I’ve been wrestling for some months and to which I really don’t have answers. Just more questions.

“I don’t know about you, but I typically spend about four to seven (occasionally even more) hours a day on my blog, either writing, proofreading, editing, and publishing my own posts or reading and commenting on the posts written by other bloggers.That is a fairly significant chunk of my waking hours and I have found myself wondering if I’m unusual in that regard. I also wonder what I would do with those hours if I didn’t spend them on my blog.”

I know that I feel — for the first time in nearly a decade — pressured by blogging. It’s not that I want to quit because I don’t. I just don’t want to spend as much time doing this as I have been for the past ten years. I don’t need a break nearly as much as I need to find a way to keep doing what I’m doing without feeling stressed about it.

How much time I spend depends — these days — on what else I need to do. I always wind up spending at least two or three hours writing or processing pictures. Usually both. That would be writing one post and putting together one or two more photographic posts. I try to get at least the bones of the next one set up. Usually, I try to post three things: one original writing of some kind and two photographic pieces. Sometimes they get mixed up together.

I used to spend all day on the computer. Literally from when I first opened my eyes until I fell into bed. From first cup of coffee to a couple of hours after Garry had gone to watch old movies in the bedroom. This is my own choice. I could stop, but in the final analysis, I don’t want to stop. I want to keep doing what I do, but I want to do less. I love everyone, but I don’t want to read other people’s blogs all day. I want to read a book. I want to read the New York Times and the Washington Post. I want to have a conversation with somebody. Some days, the dog looks like a perfectly fine choice for that.

I also want to post pictures which for me means processing which takes longer than writing. I can knock off a pretty good piece of writing in about an hour and that includes all the typing, proofreading, rediscovering the mistakes I missed during the first and second proofreading efforts. Even so, I’m a fast writer. Just a slow editor and hopelessly bad proofreader of my own material.

I’m not bad on other people’s stuff, but mine? I read what I expect to read and not what’s really there. If I’m working on a piece that Garry or Rich wrote, I don’t have that problem, so I’m much more likely to find most of the typos and other errors.

What would I do with the extra time?

I could clean the house, or at least some of it. I could read more and during the day, instead of at night when every fifteen minutes I fall asleep. I could watch a whole movie and not be writing or posting at the same time. I could play games online. I doubt I’ll give up blogging completely. I just want to do it less. I want some hours left over that I can use any way I feel like using it.

I will have to find a balance — never one of my strong points. I expect it’ll work itself out, one way or another.

Categories: #Blogging, #FPQ, #Photography, Daily Prompt, Provocative Questions

Tags: #Blogging, #FPQ, Fandango's Provocative Question, hours per day and week, Marilyn Armstrong, time, writing