I’m heading out to explore some volcanos.

Life’s been pretty hectic these past few months as my parents’ health continues to decline and obligations pile up. I’m good at not sweating the small stuff, but not everything can be ignored forever.

Blogging Breaks seem to work miracles for me in avoiding burnout and reinvigorating my enthusiasm for this time-consuming endeavor. Seeking balance has been an ongoing challenge as my blog grows and worldwide friendships form with people I care about. It doesn’t help that there’s wonderful content all over blogland. It’s hard to look away.

Several years ago, I tried taking weekends off from the blog, and it didn’t work. Notifications amassed, and I spent my Mondays staring at the laptop until my eyeballs shriveled. Days off due to other commitments brought similar results – a constant stream of busy-ness of one type or another and days of playing catch-up. My writing time suffered, and my husband started looking like a sad puppy.

The question that frequently rambled through my head was, “How does anyone keep this up and not burn out?”

The answer to blog management, for me anyway, seems to be in taking longer breaks than a day or two. Dollie Freeman wrote a short article on the benefits of blogging breaks that rang true for me, and though the post isn’t available anymore, I kept her tips:

• Don’t work for your blog – let your blog work for you.
• Don’t sacrifice your home life, health, and relationships for the next post, the next series, the next promotion, the next…
• Schedule one week per quarter where you will try not to blog – don’t post, don’t visit. Do something else that you enjoy – guilt free!
• In addition to one week per quarter, Freeman suggested 4 additional weeks of unplanned ‘floating’ time to catch up, get ahead, work on a new product or just soak in the things that make your life meaningful.
• Stay grounded and humble. Although your readers are interested in your blog, they aren’t hanging on to your every word. They’ll survive without you.
• Life is too short to live it in front of a screen.

See you in a couple of weeks!