I read a post from Inkygirl, Debbie Ohi, which really resonated with me the other day.
Debbie is an author and illustrator. She’s also very active online and is well-respected in the writing community for helping connect writers with resources.
She’s got a lot going on.
I’m a social media addict. I’ve been a huge fan of online communities before the term “online community” even existed. These days, however, I’m feeling spread too thin over too many social networks: Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Second Life, various writing and illustration communities, plus all the blogs I either manage or in which I participate as a collaborator.
Debbie goes on to say that her main, long-term, goal is to get more books published. And the only way to do that, she explained, is to rethink the amount of time she’s spending online.
I’ve got the same goal—to write as much as possible and have more books published. There’s a big shift in my mindset, too. I’ve realized that I just can’t juggle everything every day. I’ve become more forgiving of myself and a little more flexible. And I realize my limitations.
These are ways I’ve tried to trim or streamline the amount of time I spend online:
Decrease the times each day that I check email. I also try to have dedicated times that I respond to email.
Plan more than one blog post at a time. I brainstorm blog posts for a week.
Timer: I set a timer to remind myself when I need to take a break from being online.
Blog visiting: I try to visit as many blogs as I can (I love finding out what everyone’s up to and love to get writing tips), but I divide up the blogs by different days so I’m not taking too much time out of .
Twitter—I skim my Google Reader and load the most-helpful post links into SocialOomph to post over a 14-16 hour period. First thing in the morning each morning, I make sure Twitter is set to load. Once a day, I check for @ messages and DMs to respond to.
Facebook and Google+: I have my blog set up to post on my Facebook page and just try to check in a couple of times a week (Facebook isn’t my favorite.) I enjoy Google+ more, but am trying to pace myself there, too.
Blog breaks: There’s also nothing wrong with taking a blogcation to recharge or with decreasing the number of days that you post. Please let us know beforehand before you stop posting that you’re taking a hiatus to relax—otherwise, we’ll worry about you. :)
How are you managing your online time? Feeling the need to cut back or are you balancing it well?
I’m staying away from forums for a while. The other thing I’ve been doing is devoting one of my writing sessions a week to blogging.
On days I have free, I take my netbook to fast food restaurants and write for two to three hours. I often do several different things in a session, but lately I’ve devoted one of those sessions a week to just blogging.
Usually I end up with a bunch of rough drafts — some non-starters, some needing a lot of work, but usually I end up with the three main posts a week I do, and maybe some stuff for the secondary posts.
I find that sometimes, I write better on my fiction when I get other things done.
I have ti set limitations. I check my comments every couple hours as well as my emails. FB and Twitter not so much. I like Goodreads but just don’t have that much time to go there. LinkedIn and Google + are non-existant in my world.
Hi Elizabeth,
That’s so funny, i was going to write about that post from Debbie as well – now you have, I’ll just comment here!
I feel the same way right now – BUT, the thing that needs to give is actually my day job, not the amount of time on social media. I currently have a day job that takes 40-60 hours per week – then I have writing fiction, blogging, twitter etc on top of that – oh yes, and a life!
something needs to give – but investing in my future as an author means I need social media, blogging etc – I truly believe that. I’ve been saving for months now and downsizing and I will soon be ditching the day job to try and make this a go fulltime. I’ll be announcing it on my blog imminently – but it seems pertinent to this post too. In order to write, something has to be sacrificed. In order to be a pro-writer who sells a lot of books, social media may not be the thing to be ditched.
I will be military about the time I spend on tasks every day though -which I will certainly be blogging and tweeting about! Thanks as ever, Joanna
Hi Elizabeth .. just love hearing what everyone else is doing and how they manage .. dividing your blogs into days makes sense – then at least you don’t get swamped every day.
I do very little else – but that’s about to change ..so we’ll see – I realise time is precious and there’s only so much one can do.
Cheers – I’ll be interested to read everyone’s ideas .. Hilary
Elizabeth – Such a great set of ideas for juggling social media and writing. I have those days sometimes where it seems I’m doing more social media and blogging than writing. When that happens, I try to find someplace to write that has no Internet access. That’s getting harder to do, but without the Internet, there’s much less temptation to blog-hop, etc…
I hear Joanna’s lament quite often. I think the challenge is particularly difficult for those of us who have full-time jobs (and kids). You have to choose your battles. Write or tweet. Quitting the day job, especially in these tough times isn’t always an option.
It sounds like you’ve really streamlined the process for yourself, Elizabeth, but it still seems like it would be overwhelming to a number of the struggling writers I know.
But setting a timer has been an effective tool for me. Focus Buster is something you can quickly download (for free) to your desktop. It works in 25 minute increments and follows the Pomodoro Technique. (Please note that I am not affiliated with Focus Buster or tomatoes.)
I need to learn to do this. I get really concerned that my online presence isn’t what it could be, but then I’ll find that I use up my writing time checking blogs and I’ll get frustrated that I’m not writing enough. I know I could draft a minimum of 2 or 3 books a year if I cut back on social media.
Here are two posts that might interest you: The Best Way to Dump a Body (humorous view of writing crime fiction) and 10 Ways to Kill Your Career Using Social Media. They are both at http://whisperedwritings.wordpress.com
Stephen–I’m on LinkedIn, but I think I’m really behind on it. Goodreads is another one. I’ve really dropped the ball over there…
The Daring Novelist–I’ve heard that forums can be a big time-suck. But fun. :)
I think that’s a good idea–divide your writing time up into sessions and work blogging into a session. It can be hard to come up with blog topics on the fly (at the end of the day when one is due the next day), but easier when we’re deliberately brainstorming topics.
Hilary–If we could only get more hours in the day!
Joanna–You should still write your post! And…I’m glad you’re going to keep us posted on your progress.
That’s wonderful that you’re going to be devoting so much time to your writing! Best wishes to you! Yes, I’m thinking the best option is to *control* our time online by using tools that are available to us (like Social Oomph) and being aware of the amount of time we’re spending there. Promo is very important if we want to keep writing books.
Paul–You could divide your Google Reader up into online folders (if that’s how you read blogs) organized by days of the week. Then you could still visit everyone, but not do it all in one day.
I may try that. At the moment I just visit the links to the blogs directly from my Blogger dashboard.
I do worry that if I don’t comment on a blog post within the same day it’s made, my post will get lost in a sea of comments.
I set limits as well. And I only blog and Facebook. No other social media for me. I have enough trouble doing these things. But then again, this isn’t a career for me as it is for you, Elizabeth.
Karen
I know when I start writing my next book, I’ll need to cut back. I do spend a lot of time blogging, but I also don’t do a lot with other social sites.
I read that post too! Thankfully, I’ve never allowed social media to take over my writing time. I blog in the morning for a little bit and through out the day when I need a break. But for now, my writing comes first, esp. when in the middle of a first draft!
Ohmygosh, once you figure out the magic formula for juggling social media, please let me know. I spend WAY too much time online. I keep assuring myself that it’s going to level off once I just finish getting started with my blog, but I’m not sure that’s it. I think I’m just overdoing it. I think the key is to figure out really works for you and trim the fat.
I have started to set time limits as well. It’s just to difficult to focus on this and writing as well and my writing should come first.
I hope I’m doing alright managing it, but I split my day into a morning and afternoon mentality. Morning gets the bulk of my social media time while afternoon and evening get my writing.
~ Wendy
I really need to organize my Google reader. It’s been on my to-do list forever. I usually take blog breaks – meaning I take a break from what I’m doing and read/comment for an hour.
As I read your post, I’m trying to balance the work I do online – because much of it is work, with my writing time. Yes, online work takes away from writing work. Plus I actually have a life that needs living.
So, it’s a challenge. I’m downsizing some of my online activity.
I definitely segregate my time. I need to learn to social network SMARTER, but I am pretty good about it not cutting into my writing (my day job on the other hand…)
I think you have great suggestions here.
Some years back, there was a product on the market called “Juggling for Klutzes.” It included a book and soft spongy things for “safe” juggling. I always thought I should’ve bought that product for myself, but never did. I’m equally as inept at juggling time between the blogosphere and “real writing.” I KNOW I spend too much time researching and writing my blogs, and too much time checking and commenting on other blogs. (But isn’t admitting there’s a problem the “first step”?)
I think this is something we all struggle with. On one hand the social media connects us and helps build our platform, on the other it cuts down on our writing time. Not an easy balance to strike!
This is so tough! I love my social media and have a hard time pulling away from it. I need to though to keep writing. Thank you for these tips, they will really help. I haven’t taken a blog break, perhaps that’s something I’ll have to try.
I clearly need to be more organized. You have everything laid out and planned. I’ve cut way back the last couple of weeks, but not by choice. My computer died and I’m only online in bits and pieces. But…it’s not all that bad. I’m getting other things done.
I make up all these lovely schedules: so much time for e-mail, so much time for blogging, etc. But then I cheat. I’ll be working on my writing and hit a dry spot in the flow and next thing I know, I’m peeking at my e-mail or checking Blogger. The planning I’m good at, the execution not so much.
At the height of promoting my series, I was part of 25 social sites. No wonder I had a meltdown earlier this year. Now I also have so many other vital duties and responsibilities, and I just don’t have as much time for it anymore.
Paul–Most bloggers have a particular day they blog though (except for crazy people like me who blog every day!). So you could have a Tuesday Google Reader folder and have one person’s blog in it(a Tues/Thurs blogger)…and hit that folder first thing in the day or at lunch. Then the comment isn’t buried. And you’ve got a presence on the blog for the day. Then you could *also* add the blog, if it’s one of your favorites, to a Thursday folder and do the same thing. Does this make sense? It’s afternoon here and I think my brain is fried. :)
Alex–You’ve got a big presence online, and the difference is that you’ve focused on one area to do really, really well–blogging and blog visiting. It’s produced a big impact, too.
Laura–I’m with you. I’m trying to do a few different projects at once…and I just don’t have the time that I used to have (or maybe I’m *shifting* that free time over to the writing end of things and away from the social media end of things.)
Clarissa–Writing, I think, has just got to come first. But promo is such a close second that it’s got to be factored in. There are only so many hours in the day, though!
Margot–Yep, and we have to leave our smart phones at home!
Wendy–Sounds like a good way of dividing it up! Half and half. I’m trying to do it all by the time the kids get home from school…with varying degrees of success.
Wolf–Maybe, with even *more* demands, we should divide up the tasks even more. So, for instance, plan on blogging twice a week, updating Facebook 3 times a week, and tweet 2 times a day (but schedule all the tweets ahead of time.) I know that doesn’t sound like much, but I think that would still have a real impact on a new writer’s platform. Oh, and blog visiting. Okay, blog visiting would have to really, really be divided up because it’s time-consuming. Maybe a blog a day first thing in the morning or right before bed. And if the writer ended up with a little more time, more could be added. But that would cover all the major apps and social media areas.
Pomodoro I’m familiar with and have used when I’m on top of a deadline. I’ll check out Focus Busters–thanks!
whisperedwritings–Thanks for the links!
Carolyn–Blog breaks are a great way to blog read. I do it sometimes, too–but with my Reader to make it a little easier and divide it all up for me.
Karen–But you still maintain a really consistent online presence with your blog and Facebook. It seems to work out really well for you.
Hart–I think you do a great job balancing it all (in fact, I’d love to see how you do it!)
Annalise–Absolutely. Because not every application works well for everybody. I’m not a fan of Facebook, for example. So I’m more willing to let it slide because it’s just not working as well for me.
Critique Sisters–It’s a tough balance. I’m trying to just cut *back* on the overall amount of time or plan the time that I *am* online for the most effect. Because I’ve got a book coming out November 1, a book that I just released, and a book that released in June. So I can’t stop it altogether, but I can control it a little.
Heather–Hope it helps! And…you’ve been VERY active online with your new release. Since you’re winding up your blog tour, might be a good time to unplug for a while.
Helen–I think I’d go bonkers if that happened to me! But in some ways, it would be *so* nice to get other things knocked out.
LD Masterson–Sometimes I’ll even leave the house and go somewhere with a notebook. Those are for days when I’ve got really strong temptation to spend more time online.
Julia–I think that it’s even possible to go in *cycles* with it. Maybe have a highly productive period of writing (months or a year even) with less-than-usual online activity, followed by a promo period of higher activity and a creative lull?
Diane–But, to me, you’re still just as active online. So my perception of what you’re doing is that you’re still really in the public eye…a good result, since you’re admitting you’re not spending as much time with it.
Susan–Yes, it’s definitely the first step! Try that online timer thingy. It’s free (I linked to it in my post) and it helps me stay on track…because I can lose track of time online.
Right, I get you. I must play around with Google Reader and figure out how to use it. Thanks for the advice!
I love the idea of dividing up the blogs I read by day of the week. But… one of the things we’ve been advised to do if we’re trying to be “noticed” is to not only comment on other blogs but comment early. I guess you could still schedule your blog reading, but you’d have to do so carefully.
Paul–It’s a cinch…very easy app. Better than the Blogger dashboard, for sure.
Deb–Yes, and you’ll have to be prepared to make some changes to the set-up sometimes. Some folks I put in a M/W/F folder on Google Reader and they ended up changing their posting schedule to Sundays and Thursdays or once a week. And of course you’ve got some bloggers who blog later in the day or in different time zones–you’ll need to hit “refresh” on your Reader to make sure you’re hitting the blog early.
Elizabeth, I don’t know how you manage to blog every day! I struggle sometimes in blogging 3x week, and Mondays are the most time-consuming post to put together (Masters of Mystery Mondays), but readers seem to like it, so I still with it. I do find it helpful to write 2 or 3 in a day, then I’m set for the week and can focus on my novel. But then there’s the reading/responding to blogs, tweeting, etc, that you talked about. I’m not very technically adept, so SocialOomph was just confusing when I tried to use it, and I haven’t tried to do folders in Google Reader. It’s hard to find time to experiment!
Kathy–It’s a little confusing to start out. I do the free program with Social Oomph (wouldn’t want to pay for that kind of thing.) So I connected Social Oomph to Twitter (the OA thing…it prompts you), then I just do “schedule” an update. I only use it for Twitter.
Google Reader’s folder set-up is pretty easy. If you’ve already got feeds there, just click “add a folder” and then you scroll through your reader and click on “folder settings” and add it to whichever folder.
But it DOES take some time to experiment! Sometimes I sacrifice writing time for this sort of thing. I think it pays off in the long run, but it’s frustrating in the short term.
Thanks for the great advice. I am including this article in my weekly round up of great publishing links…Your name seems to come up fairly often…LOL Could be your great blog!
maureen
New Zealand
I’m trimming the fat coming off LinkedIn and dropping Twitter follows. I can’t get Tweetdeck on my netbook so Twitter is harder without it. I can rarely spend my days sat at the computer so a netbook should be ideal but I can’t comment on certain blogs from it either. So much for being a time-saver.
This is rather embarrassing…but I have my husband take the broadband modem to work and hide it there! LOL When I’m online, I just get TOO distracted from writing.
I, too, feel spread thin (I have a main site, 2 blogs, 2 Twitter accounts, 3 book FB pages, 1 personal FB page, Google+, LinkedIn…exhausting!)I don’t even bother hanging around LibraryThing, Good Reads or Red Room anymore…no time!
I want to get more writing done as well. Like you, I brainstorm blog post ideas and put them on sticky notes or in a Word Doc. I try to post at least one fresh item a week, preferrably 3 on my main one.
Yet, I’m realizing that, in the future, what will separate the known writer from the unknown writer will be (you guessed it) social media presence.
So while I’m investing a lot of time building up my blogs, forging connections and socializing, I remind myself it’s just that: an INVESTMENT.
Everyone has seasons in life, even writers. When the social media iron is “hot” (that is, you have the time and energy), it’s good to invest in it. When it’s time to be more hermit-like and write–then do that.
It’s not only about personal balance, but how things end up averaging out over time. Plus, each one brings its own inspirations and built-in “breaks” from the other, which makes me a better writer (I hope!)
Great post, Elizabeth! Keep up the great work. You’re an inspiration!