burnt: by the numbers.

Posted on 8 March 2016 by what sandra thinks

burnt: by the numbers.

As of today, Tuesday, the 8th of March 2016, I have been blogging for 177 days. 25 weeks. Nearly 6 months.

I have published on 130 of these 177 days.

This is my 201st post. I have averaged 34 posts/month. And 8 posts/week.

And I am a giant nerd for counting and calculating all of this.

I have no idea if these numbers are high… or low. Maybe this is average. I don’t know what these numbers mean to anyone… except me.

• • • • •

I think I’m burnt.

I have been writing a lot lately. Maybe too much, if that’s even a thing. My kids are going to forget what I look like without a laptop on my lap. Oh, I am not neglecting them, I promise. But every spare moment, I’m writing for my blog. Or reading blogs. Or thinking of what to write next. It’s taking over my brain.

Over the past few months, my schedule has gone to hell. I stay up too late. I wake up with my kids. Between those two, I average about 4-5 hours of sleep. Unemployed and nowhere to be [a whole separate topic], once I’m alone again, I may sleep for another hour or two, but not often.

My general nutritional intake has gone to hell, too. I’m not eating junk. I’m not eating too much. The problem is… I’m barely eating. Coffee. Maybe an egg… if I’m feeling wild, some cereal. Later, coffee. And possibly more coffee. Then a healthy dinner. And… that’s pretty much it… unless I have more coffee. No way in hell am I eating a proper diet!

• • • • •

I do love to write and I don’t plan to stop. When I am a very old lady all white-haired and frail, lying on my deathbed, my son or daughter or grandchild will be sitting next to me taking dictation. [I realize modern technology does not require this, but I much prefer this picture of my loved ones sitting with me.]

I need to ease up. The ratio of writing time to people time is skewed. I should play more with my kids even if they don’t ask. I should jump all over John and make it impossible for him to resist me… and I should have more sex. I need to stop thinking I have to publish as many posts as possible or my readers will bail. I am crazy. Because… absence and the heart and all that, right?

The other thing is… the majority of what I’ve written since I started blogging has been for the blog. It’s for me, too, of course. But I’ve been focusing on the blog more than any other writing project for a long time. It’s not as though I’m a ‘real’ author neglecting my amazing novel. I might have an amazing novel one day, but right now, I have a few pieces I’ve been mostly neglecting. Are any of them good enough to become my amazing novel? That is the unanswered question, isn’t it?

• • • • •

I am going to try to post less. Maybe five posts a week… one a day, skip the weekends. This may still be crazy but I know me – it won’t be easy for me to cut back. But I need to re-prioritize my free time. I will still post Fiction Friday and the Weekly Perk. [I hope you enjoy those.]

I’ll still be reading your blogs, too. I just need to stop spending as much time as I have been writing for this blog. It’s not a drastic change – maybe no one will even notice I’m posting less. Or maybe you’ll be relieved that I finally shut the hell up for a while.

what sandra thinks swish.

About what sandra thinks

Sandra is a writer, sometimes blogger, poet, artist, emotional disaster. She thinks far too much and sleeps far too little. Sandra lives in the Northeastern U.S. but dreams of an oceanfront home in Italy, but she would settle for a non-oceanfront home in Italy. She loves books, brutal honesty, coffee, and the color black. She hates insincerity, beer, whipped cream, and facebook. And she is uncomfortable talking about herself in the third person.
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52 Responses to burnt: by the numbers.

  1. ladieswholunchreviews says:
    8 March 2016 at 7:40 am

    I know what you mean, it’s all about balance…

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  2. Tosha Michelle says:
    8 March 2016 at 7:50 am

    Blogging is so addicting. Eveytime I strive to post less, I post more. Ha-ha. You’ll find your happy spot with it. You should really think about submitting some of your short stories to journal and magazines.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  3. sonofabeach96 says:
    8 March 2016 at 8:00 am

    It can become ad ducting to a degree. Sometimes I think a break is warranted. I say, you do what you do. I doubt you’ll lose any readers. And if you do, did you really need them anyway? 😃

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. The V Pub says:
    8 March 2016 at 8:07 am

    I think that the time of year has a lot to do with blogging frequency. As the weather improves, you’ll want to spend more time outside, which will curtail your writing. Bonds of frienship won’t be broken over frequency of posting. We’ll be here. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. sirensong1208 says:
    8 March 2016 at 8:08 am

    I totally understand this and a break, even a day in between (or two) has helped me to step back. Your audience won’t abandon you. Smiles. The ‘living’ you do offline translates into some wonderful words.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. missameliaandsir says:
    8 March 2016 at 9:46 am

    Your blog is about YOU. Remember that. I won’t abandon you, and that’s all you REALLY need isn’t it? ME? What a wonderful blessing you have received in ME. Yeah, those other people are OK too, except Rob, watch out for him. But I’M the VERY BEST! 🙂 (don’t everyone begin vomiting at the same time please.)

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  7. Tikeetha T says:
    8 March 2016 at 10:05 am

    LOL! We all need a break. I felt the same way. I haven’t posted original content in almost a week. Burnt out. It happens.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  8. thelonelyauthorblog says:
    8 March 2016 at 10:11 am

    Sandra, everything in life is balance. You know I came to this very same conclusion a few weeks ago. Actually, I have updated my posting schedule to never post on weekends. My own writing and family need more of me. It doesn’t matter how often you post. You see I ended my Devil Girl, because it “forced” me to post on Saturdays. I will not hold myself to any set schedule. And even though I am not blogging everyday, I make sure to follow all the posts of the people who are MOST loyal to me. Rest, enjoy your family, have tons more sex, find a job, and live your life to the fullest. Everyone will always be here to follow your amazing writing; I know I will. Fly butterfly, fly.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • what sandra thinks says:
      8 March 2016 at 10:56 am

      Andrew… thank you so much. Your words mean a lot to me. I did start thinking about this a while ago… and part of that was reading your decision to cut back. It was good to know I wasn’t the only one thinking this… and I may not lose people (which I worried about). I place too much pressure on myself about pretty much everything. But I definitely shouldn’t feel pressure for something I’m doing for fun. I’m sure I will still write a LOT but some needs to be separate from my blog. And I certainly will not stop reading and commenting on those whose posts I look so forward to seeing pop up. And I probably need to wean myself a bit anyway so I don’t have withdrawal when I finally do find a job and just don’t have nearly as much time to be here. I plan to do all those things you mentioned… perhaps especially the sex part. 🙂 A woman has needs. And priorities change, but, well, not that one. Thanks for sticking around while I fix my damaged wings. Kisses. Mwah.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      • thelonelyauthorblog says:
        8 March 2016 at 1:45 pm

        You know I will always be here for you. I had to make the change, I’m reading 1200+ blogs now. That is several hours of my day just reading posts, not even tending to my own blog. (Look at how I’m answering this comment now, & I am several hours behind on answering comments on my blog due to reading).
        What I have done, is I make my most loyal followers my priority. Perhaps, we can discuss this more at length one day. But we need balance. Self (I hope you take care of yourself), family, work, & life comes before the blog. If you have notions of a novel that must be harvested as well. You know you are one of my favorites. I will be here to read whe you post. Love you.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
        • what sandra thinks says:
          8 March 2016 at 1:53 pm

          Have you thought about a speed reading course? 😉 It is a lot. I don’t even follow as many as you do and I feel overwhelmed by it! Thank you for your support. You’re a great friend and I’m glad and honored to be a favorite writer of yours. You know you are one of my favorites as well. Love you too.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply
          • thelonelyauthorblog says:
            8 March 2016 at 2:04 pm

            I guess you noticed I allowed your posts to pile up until today. When it comes to my favorite writers, I like to read your stuff when I can give it the UNDIVIDED attention it deserves. Today all my favorite writers are getting a load of comments from me. So never read anything into my disappearance. I set your notifications aside for special processing. Hey, regarding the overwhelmed feeling, first follow those who are loyal to you. Then, you read the rest. It take the pressure off.

            Liked by 1 person

            Reply
            • what sandra thinks says:
              8 March 2016 at 2:10 pm

              To be honest, some of my days are running together lately… and not working has made me not know what day it is at least half the time. I have to check my phone. 😀 So please don’t worry… I assume nothing. People have lives. Just because lately I’ve been spending too much of mine here doesn’t mean other people are that crazy, too.

              I know what you mean about the reading — I have done that… set some aside until I know I have time and preferably no kids asking me something every 4 seconds. My daughter in particular seems to talk non-stop every waking moment she’s in the house. Amazing that she’s the perfect little student at school! Good thing she’s cute. Of course, she looks just like me, so… lucky little shit. 😀

              Liked by 1 person

              Reply
  9. thesarahdoughty says:
    8 March 2016 at 11:57 am

    You do what feels right. 🙏 🙏

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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