Keeping Up with Blogging

Ever since I started this ole bloggy, people have asked me how I have time to do it.  And I used to tell them that it really doesn't take up much of my time, but that is kinda sorta a lie now because writing and reading and commenting feels more like a part-time job some days.  And on those days, I sometimes want to delete the whole thing and hibernate in the real world for a change.

Kidding.  Mostly.

I would miss you guys too much.  Seriously, you all are my source of news, fashion inspiration, Catholic teachings, child rearing tips and belly laughs.  Without you my life is incomplete.

But, how to get it all done in a reasonable time frame without too much angst?  Here are some tried and true tricks that work for me:

1) Get a smart phone.  We were really late in the game getting Internet on our phones, but once we made the switch, it was much easier to read blogs and comment during all those times when I'm stuck waiting for kids (practices, games, pickups from school, appointments).  

2) Put a list of your favorite blogs on your own blog's sidebar.  Make sure it is only blogs that you actually read every post, and do not list them in alphabetical order.  List them by newest blog post so that the new posts you want to read are always right up at the top and you don't have to click around to every blog you follow wondering if they've written something new.  

3) I love me some comments, and I know others do to, so I like to leave them as often as possible.  Comments are conversation starters and my favorite bloggers usually email a reply to me or reply to my comment on their blog.  I am so bad at this, and need to get better.  

4) Write your posts in advance and schedule their publishing times.  That way when all the kiddos are in bed and your husband wants to watch some scary show with dead people, you can write multiple posts very easily.

5) Take lots of pictures.  Pictures can tell a story when you've got nothing else to write about.  

Mardi Gras Breakfast

6) Make a blog book through Blog2Print.  I make one yearly, and voila! no scrapbooking or ordering pictures is necessary.  All our family memories for the year are in one place.  Plus, knowing I need to record everything on my blog keeps me motivated to keep writing from day to day.

7) Do linkups with better bloggers.  They are fun, inspirational, and a great way to meet new peeps.

8) Highlight other bloggers in your posts.  It still thrills me to no end when one of my favorite and popular bloggers links to one of my posts and sends some of their traffic my way.  So I like to return the favor and mention my must-reads to the rest of you.

9) Be real in your writing.  Jen wrote about this here and it is spot on.  I leave the crafting to the talented bloggers, the funnies to the comic bloggers, the religious stories to the holy bloggers, etc.  My niche is being mediocre at a bunch of things and excelling at none.  That's what I do best :)

10) Finally, make sure that it's more fun than it is work.  Once blogging is only a chore, then that will probably come across negatively in your writing.  Blogging is the platonic-introverts version of match.com, amiright?  SO make friends, have fun, and don't fret about the numbers of followers and comments you have.  It took me a loooooong time (4 yearsish) to get a decent number of followers but that's not the reason I wrote so I just kept plugging away.