Tidy Victory - I made a goal for myself to put one piece of clothing from my closet into the donate pile EVERY DAY and I am pretty sure I've been sticking to it. I don't know why I have such a hard time getting rid of old clothes - I think it's guilt from throwing perfectly good items away. They are just old, out of style and need to be replaced. Replacing is the key word ;)
Although blogging is really fun and a great creative outlet for me, I clearly haven't been posting as much as I did over the summer.
This is for several reasons, however the main reason is because I returned to work.
As I've mentioned before, I am a pubic school music teacher, orchestra to be exact, and it has become quite the busy job.
That along with teaching a few private lessons, sitting on the director's board of the youth symphony and not to mention taking care of my family has left me little time for blogging.
Or at least not as much time as over the summer.
And that's okay.
Sometimes breaks from blogging are good, and here's why I think it to be true:
<One> A Fresh Perspective - A test taking tip teachers give to students when they get stumped on a question is to go on to the next question and come back to the one you are stuck on later. Gives you some time away from whatever the question poses to let it sit and get tossed around your brain a bit. I think we all need a little time off once in awhile from whatever it is. Then we can come back refreshed with new ideas and a different perspective.
<Two> Sleep - You may LOL at this one, but it's true and you know it bloggers! How many times have you stayed up late (or beyond late) to complete some edits or finish a post? That time crunch deadline can be exhilarating and fulfilling when you meet it, but sometimes it's just nice to go to bed at a normal time. Oh, say, 10 o'clock. Sleep is a good thing.
<Three> Work - There are some bloggers out there that have made blogging their bread and butter - unfortunately I am not one of them. I was always meant to teach people how to play the violin or the viola, and this blog has become a great outlet for me to do something different that is still creative in its own right. But I still have lessons to teach, rehearsals to conduct, concerts to present and lots of paperwork to complete. Not to mention the whole paying bills thing. Work has to come before blogging.
<Four> Connecting - It takes a long time to put a post together. Then after you publish the post you have to advertise it, tweet it, share it, etc. This adds even more time to the process. But what happens when everyone only shares their own material and not that of others? It's really enjoyable to just sit down and check out what everyone else has been up to. Taking a break from posting gives me time to just sit down with a glass of vino and browse, comment and make great connections with other bloggers.
<Five> Family - Sometimes there are just more important things to do like splashing in the tub, finger painting projects, dishes, laundry, and going on dinner dates with your significant other. Let's face it - the blogsphere is a really cool, creative and friendly place to connect with others, but family is and must be number one. Life is about people, not posts. Your kids don't necessarily care about how many post views you get, they just want to spend time with you. So make sure that comes first.
It's always good to have a friendly reminder about what is most important, so here it is!
Taking a break doesn't mean forever, just a rest and change of pace.
You owe it to yourself.
What was the longest blogging break you every took?
