3 things I’m no longer doing for my website

Isn’t it funny how the simplest of tasks can take the energy right out of you?

This weekend I went to Alex Franzen’s Write Yourself Into Motion workshop. And if I could pass on one tiny bit of wisdom and clarity, it’s this: creative energy is not an endless resource. Those things that steal your energy? It means less energy — or none — for the things that really matter.

Those things that steal your energy? Means less energy — or none — for the things that matter.
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If something in your business (or life) causes you guilt or resentment, you have two options: change it, or remove it.

Lately I’ve been feeling the weight of the shoulds of my business. And you know what? When it comes to online business, a lot of those shoulds really aren’t necessary. So I’m doing a little experiment. I’m going to remove three of those shoulds from my business to see what happens.

1. I’m not creating graphics for pinning.

Pinterest drives quite a bit of traffic to my site. But you know what? I hate creating graphics for my blog posts. I’ve done everything I can to make it faster and easier by making templates, but ultimately it still takes time I could be using elsewhere.

2. I’m not posting on a regular schedule.

I love blogging. And ever since I started blogging, I’ve noticed that posting on a regular schedule really helps with my creativity. But here’s the thing: I’m not writing only for my blog anymore. I write weekly emails, and I’m working on new products (like the one I just published today!). And now that regular schedule takes away from the time I have to write those other things. So for the time being, I’m throwing out the schedule and posting when I have something awesome to say that works really well as a blog post.

3. I’m letting go of the comments section.

This makes me a little sad. I love and appreciate every comment I receive on this site. I love watching my readers interact with each other. But this post by Naomi on why she shut down commenting on her blog really resonated with me. It’s not fair of me to invite comments on this site if I don’t return the favor. And it’s not a priority right now for me to respond to comments, so I just feel guilty about it. Guilt is wasted energy. I would much rather have a conversation with you on Twitter or through email if something really speaks to you than respond through a comment you may or may not see.

The important thing I hope you’ll take away from this post is that nothing has to be forever. Honestly, it’s a little scary to make these changes. It’s a little scary to go against what everyone is telling me to do. But you know what? It’s just an experiment. I’m not doing anything that can’t be undone if I change my mind later.

I hope today you will find a way to remove those little annoyances in your life and just see how it goes. Because we all deserve to focus on doing what we love.

P.S. Like I said, I sincerely thank you for each and every comment over the years. I hope you’ll continue the conversation on Twitter or email me if you like.