Friend Friday: Blogger Burnout

Here are my responses to this week's Fashion Beauty Friend Friday questions:

1. How many hours a week do you spend blogging? Has that number changed since you started blogging? The amount of time I spend blogging on Shen Dove Style really varies and I actually maintain another blog as well. I’ve been blogging since 2008 and started Shen Dove Style in January of this year. When I first started blogging, I spent several hours a day writing content, researching ideas for posts, reading and commenting on other blogs. During this time I posted almost daily and sometimes more than once a day. I’ve stepped back from blogging that frequently and the time I spend on blogging is a variable number depending on my other commitments. I could spend anywhere from two hours a week to up to ten hours a week generating ideas for content, writing, taking photos, editing photos, responding to email, etc.


2. There is always more you can do, write, read, comment on... how do you limit your time spent on these tasks? I limit my time spent on tasks by really seeing what other things I must do for that particular day. I currently work full-time and attend school part-time, so if I have a homework assignment to complete, an exam to study for, or a meeting with classmates for a group project, blogging takes a back seat. I honestly struggle with time management when it comes to blogging which is rather strange because I am somewhat regimented when it comes to many other aspects of my life. One resolution I plan to implement in the New Year is to adhere to a content schedule and schedule my time to comment on other blogs, read blogs, generate content for posts, develop skills (like photography, design, styling drawing) and expand the focus of my blogging to include more life-style related items and interviews.


3. Have you experienced Blogger burnout yet? How have you dealt with that?Since I started blogging in 2008, I have indeed experienced blogger burnout before and simply have had periods where I’ve been uninspired and stepped away from blogging until I started to miss it. I went several weeks earlier this fall without updating my other blog and have just started feeling like I missed it and started posting again. I’ve stepped away from Shen Dove Style to focus on school deadlines from time-to-time and there have been lulls in posting, but they haven’t lasted more than a few days.


4. This time of the year is always a lot busier than any other time. Will your blogging change as a result? My blogging frequency will probably remain at its current level as I develop my plans and goals for Shen Dove Style for 2011. I'm not going ot stress myself out over posting, but I don't want to have long lulls in posting. I didn’t really enter 2010 with a plan for this blog other than simply launching it and being somewhat consistent with posting, but it’s time to step my game up and explore my creativity through my blog.


5. Could you forsee a moment in which you are not blogging anymore? How would you identify that it's time to walk away? I could see myself changing the focus and content of my blogs in the future as my life changes, but for the time being, I don’t see myself stopping blogging altogether. I’ve had positive experiences blogging and it’s been so fun to connect with people I would have never met if I didn’t start blogging. But, when blogging ceases to be enjoyable, then I’ll truly know that it’s time to walk away. I really hope I don't experience those feelings though!