So, it’s been about four months since I decided to hold myself to a regular writing schedule, narrow my topics and offer (somewhat) predictable categories on (somewhat) predictable days of the week. Doing so has proven an effective strategy for building readership, helping me focus my purpose and interests and recognizing roadblocks of my own construction.
I’ve come to a few conclusions along the way:
- I rather love blogging and see it as an incredible opportunity to work on my own terms, encourage personal and social (r)evolution, create connections and build community.
- There are elements of blogging that I do not love, or that aren’t so compatible with my lifestyle/personality. The most notable of these include the necessity to crop and condense my ideas into bite-sized (blog-sized) offerings, the pressure to make frequent (even self-imposed) deadlines despite the ever changing and always demanding needs of my family and the investment of time and energy into work that, by nature, grows old, loses its luster and fades away into the obscurity of the inter webs within about 48 hours.
- As my girls grow, blogging about our daily lives is becoming much trickier. The fact that according to my photos, Estella appears to be my one and only (or favorite) child is no coincidence. It isn’t so much that the others dislike being photographed, but that they don’t care to be talked about. While this is understandable, it also means that a huge percentage of my struggles, inspiration and breakthroughs never make their way to you and that I need to rethink this part of what I’m doing.
- In order to continue to grow and allow for the flow of money through my experience, I am going to need more focused time behind the scenes. Whether this means I post less frequently, simplify my Monday posts by offering short and sweet glimpses into our lives through more photos and fewer words or shift away from my personal life all together, I need to be intentional about the way I spend my time.
In addition to these realizations, there’s a whole other thing going on here…
- I am itching — like allergic rash itching — to dig deeper and wider into the ideas I’ve been cultivating.
- I am receiving LOADS of encouragement from you all imploring me to keep writing, to speak my truth and to step confidently in the direction of my heart’s calling.
- Having asked for a clear indication of my purpose and following a series of divine nudges, I feel more ready than ever to focus my energy and take the next step.
But in order to do this, and before I let you in on what I’m thinking, I need your help.
Will you take a minute (or five) to fill out this short survey?
While I can guess who I am writing to, why you’re here and what keeps you coming back, it’s essential that I be sure about these things before moving forward. That sweet spot where my truest voice and greatest strengths are aligned with what you’re craving is where the magic happens. That’s when my soul sings and that’s what I’m going for – nothing less than soul alignment.
So go ahead, critique my blog (it’s all anonymous).
Want more fuel for your personal revolution? Need more empathy as a mother? Maybe you’d like to see more frequent posts, even if they’re as simple as a single photo, or wish I’d skip the filler all together and get down to the business of writing a…..oh never mind, you tell me! I look forward to knowing you better and in turn, serving you as well as I am able.
I’ll keep the survey open through the end of this week and let you know soon what I discover!
01/30/2013 at 3:56 am
Love this site
01/30/2013 at 4:01 am
I prefer the raw articles such as “10 ways to be an unhappy mother”, I also enjoy the occasional F bomb :-)
01/30/2013 at 5:42 am
I really like your M, W, F schedule. It’s too hard to keep up with daily posts from so many blogs. Yours is one I always make time for and I like the structure. Simple is sometimes best.
01/30/2013 at 1:24 pm
Who am I to tell you what you need? What I want from you is your unfettered process as a woman, and the delicious ways you write about that process.
PS The security math is beginning to get a little challenging for me ;-)
01/30/2013 at 3:36 pm
I filled the survey out! I can’t wait to see what new direction your intuition is pulling you. I love going deep!
01/30/2013 at 6:18 pm
This is one of my favorite blogs. I think the M,W,F schedule is great. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and ideas with us. I just started reading your blog a few weeks ago and it has already made an impact on my life as a stay at home mom.
Your posts are a huge support to me. I re-read some of them when I’m having a stressful day, especially the 3 part post on homemaking and the 2 part post on slowing down. I also love the list on the ways we limit ourselves and the ways to be an unhappy mom. Ok, obviously I love everything you write and it is very helpful and inspiring to me as a mom :)
01/31/2013 at 12:11 am
Great blog and love your mission. I’m a college student (and a mother, wife, housemaid – you know typical stuff) and today during one of my political classes were deciding what makes a great blog post for an assignment. We looked at several blogs that students referenced to and I suggested yours. Your blog got a big thumbs up from the professor. She loved your picture, easy navigation, and text. Keep up the great work!
01/31/2013 at 2:37 pm
I never comment on the few blogs that I read, however, worry motivates me now. I’m worried that you will stop sharing your honest voice, your humor, and your real-life example of living one’s convictions. If you need to stop blogging to write a book–well that would be O.K. with me!
01/31/2013 at 7:02 pm
I say stick with a posting schedule that works well for you. I just love reading your posts because a sense of peace and beauty comes from them and gives me inspiration or validates how we conduct our family’s life. I also like reading from your perspective as a mother to older children since mine are so young so it is interesting to see what may come. I totally understand the need to keep your children’s privacy.