I Don’t “Manage” Blogging – I’m a Mood Lifer
I’ve been reading a lot of posts lately that are titled things like:
- How do you manage your reading schedule?
- How do you make time for blogging?
- School is starting soon—how do you make time for your blog?
Then the posts themselves and the comments are riddled with all these organizational tips. Some people say that they have specific days on which they do certain activities, or others designate certain hours to blogging and other hours to homework, etc.
I always read these posts, get prepared to comment, and realize… I don’t do any of those things. I don’t “manage” my time or my schedule. I take the Nike approach and Just Do It.
I’m not say that management is not the way to go. Different methods work for different people. Some people really thrive off of having schedules, timetables, and spreadsheets. Every time they get an ARC they put it down in their calendar for a review. They set aside two hours for blogging and three hours for homework and only do those activities in those time slots. That works for some people and that’s great! But I thought I’d talk a bit about what I do instead.
I’m a mood lifer
You know how some people are mood readers? (I totally am one.) They read whatever they want whenever they want, without any thought to obligations or deadlines. If they’re in the mood to read this ARC that won’t be released for another four months, they’ll read it, damnit! It doesn’t matter if they still have a pile of books to review that come out next week; they’ll read what they feel like reading.
That’s kind of how I approach my life and blogging. I’m a mood lifer.
I don’t set aside times for work and times for blogging and times for reading. I don’t work from 9am to 4pm, blog from 4pm to 6pm, and read from 8pm to 11pm. When I get an idea for a blog post, I immediately switch gears and write that post. If I feel like reading, I drop what I’m doing, grab my Kindle, and read.
But how do you get work done?
So you might be wondering: if I always do whatever I want whenever I want, how do I ever get my work done? I have clients and have to complete certain projects and tasks. Where do those fit in? Well, I set kind of vague deadlines for myself. I estimate how long a project should usually take me and expect myself to have it done before that point. Then I fill in any gaps in my day with that work, and I usually get done ahead of schedule anyway.
Honestly, this is kind of one of those things that’s like, Don’t ask, because I can’t even tell you. Seriously, it just works itself out in the end. I don’t question it.
It was the same way in high school. I didn’t really study more than 30-60 minutes for tests and left 99% of my homework until the last minute. And I did pretty well in school. How did that happen without studying timetables and scheduled homework times? I have no idea. It just worked out fine.
This doesn’t work for everyone
I don’t expect my method to work for everyone. It’s kind of weird and some people might see it as messy or disorganized. But it works well for me and I love it!
Are you a manager or a mood lifer?
(Yes, mood lifer is my new term. I should trademark that awesomeness.)
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