I’ve looked at my social media stats and I’ve wondered if I could save time saying things that no one pays attention to by just talking to my family–and skipping the blogging.
The cricket chirping sound really shouldn’t bother me. As a booklet and freelance writer, I never received immediate feedback on my work from anyone but my mom. Thanks, Mom!
Blogging without feedback though (comments, shares, and likes) feels eerily like getting chosen last by the team captain for the sport du jour when I was a kid: bad. Really bad. This experience motivated thousands of students to GRADUATE.
And so I have considered graduating from blogging to hobbies that have a higher rate of return–hobbies like baking. I make the occasional inedible bomb, but for the most part my family and guests rave, “Amazing! Delicious! Can I have the recipe?” My online concoctions rarely receive these five-star ratings. (Before anyone suggests that I blog about my recipes, I need to admit that they’re not mine. They’re AllRecipes‘.)
A Reason to Quit
The lack of readers isn’t the real reason I’ve considered quitting, however. I haven’t been promoting my blog for long at all. I haven’t dedicated the time it takes to build a following. If I am patient and build my blog, they will come. I think.
The real reason I’ve considered quitting is because I didn’t think blogging was big enough.
I’m an author. I self-published the book, So You’re Not Wonder Woman, that I recently learned has sales in the top 20% of all published books (never mind that that’s because 80% sell fewer than 100 copies). Books seem like a big deal to me. My life has been changed by books. My faith in God grew by leaps and bounds in reading George Mueller’s The Life of Trust; Being a Narrative of the Lord’s Dealings With George Müller. My health was restored through the book, A More Excellent Way w/ DVD. And my fears diminished when I read The Christian’s Secret to a Happy Life I want to write life-changing books. That seems bigger than blogging to me.
I’m a speaker. I wish I had a total number of people I’ve spoken to with in-person events, radio, and TV combined. It might seem somewhat impressive. Regardless of the number, speaking is big to me. My life has been changed by speakers. Becky Tirabassi convinced me to read the entire Bible and pray daily in her Change Your Life seminar. Ken Ham and Dr. Carl Werner gave me confidence that the Bible is true from the first chapter. Beth Moore helped me see the difference between believing in God and believing Him. I want to be a life-changing speaker. That seems bigger than blogging to me.
Why I’ve Been Held Back
Despite the fact that I’m a bit shy of 10,000 blog followers and that I have bigger, more important opportunities (the kids want to know what’s for lunch), I’ve persisted in this little, unimportant, everybody’s-doing-it hobby/business/addiction called blogging. Why?
The sentences in A More Excellent Way w/ DVD about the connection between woundedness and illness changed my life–not the whole book. Becky Tirabassi’s repeated admonition to spend time daily with the living, loving God changed my life–not the whole seminar. And though I have doubted that what I’ve written or said could possibly change others’ lives in the same way, people come to me with sentences from my book, my seminars, and my blog. They repeat them to me with meaningful looks and I try to remember sharing them.
The words that we string together, whether in a book, a speech, or a blog are big to someone–even if that’s just your mom. That’s the little reason you and I shouldn’t quit blogging.
Someone who may not comment or tweet or share or “like” you may take one little sentence from one of your posts that you wrote when you wondered if your blog even matters and may be TRANSFORMED.
That is why I blog. And maybe it’s why you do, too.
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much (Luke 16:10a).
P.S. Have you thought about giving up blogging? Have you ever been surprised by the big impact of something little you’ve written?
I’ll admit it. I’ve been bad. I’ve been doing a series on my personal blog, psychowith6, chronicling my attempts at spending 15 minutes a day with the kids outside. It’s really supposed to be interacting with the kids and not me doing what I want outside while the kids happen to be there, too. That’s the problem!
What’s a Personal Blog?
A second problem I’ve had is keeping up with three blogs in addition to six kids. I’ve tried to keep this blog more professional than personal. I’ve realized that this is more than just a time management problem. You probably aren’t reading this blog simply to get information, but to interact with me on various topics. What’s great about that is that’s what I want too. Just as I don’t want to be outside with my kids doing my own thing, I don’t want to hang out here in cyber space not getting to know you better.
So Not Wonder Woman is going to be a personal blog. I have no idea when or even how I will make the switch over, but if you’re a friend or family member who only catches up with me on psychowith6, I hope you’ll subscribe to Not Wonder Woman or will “Like” me on Facebook to get updates. What will you get if you subscribe to this blog? I don’t know yet. We can both be surprised! One thing I do know is that I have a great meal planning ebook in the works and you’ll probably get it free if you’re on my list.
What’d You Do Outside?
Week 9 was honestly spent running around getting ready to go on vacation to our favorite place: Gulf Shores, Alabama. I was outside cleaning the van we call Air Force One with the kids and getting it wired up to become our rolling entertainment center. It was our first time taking the new van to Alabama and we loved it. Maybe too much. I wonder if we were so comfortable that we blissfully drove an hour in the wrong direction on the way back home. Whoops!
The 15 Minutes Outside Challenge has been such a challenge that I spent time on the beach figuring out the problem. I don’t have a plan! It’s become another “What’s for Dinner?” dilemma each day. My intention is to create a great list of things to do outside with the kids. I’ve also signed up for Streakly to motivate me to create a long streak of consecutive days with time outside with the kids. I’ll let you know how it goes. Now to Week 10.
Week 10
The kids, the beach, and my camera–a perfect recipe for a delicious time outside. This is Nick, my baby, and he’s a character. He reminds me of his Grandpa Jack with his curly hair and easy-going personality.
This is my photogenic daughter, Elaina. I got a lot of gorgeous shots of her and will be using them in future posts I’m sure. Unfortunately, she got a really bad sunburn the first day on the beach. That seems to happen every year no matter what we do.
The rays that kept swimming up and down the beach were new this year. We aren’t sure if they are sting rays or manta rays or even if they were dangerous, but there were people who seemed to enjoy being the warning system, telling us they were on their way.
I absolutely love this photo. There’s just one problem. My oldest son, Caleb, is missing. He had to stay with his aunt and uncle so he could be home to take his AP exams. I tried to work it out so he could join us, but I guess it just wasn’t meant to be. It’s a sign of things to come I’m afraid.
How’s this for spending time with the kids outside? We took a dolphin cruise and this was one of the sweet critters who surfed the boat’s wake.
Have you been getting outside with the kids? Or just getting outside?
Because I’m a Wonder Woman, I have a lot going on. Maybe you can relate. On a regular basis, I wonder what’s most important in my life, my week, and my day. Should I be spending more time:
Unfortunately, the answer always seems to be YES. They all seem to be important, worthwhile activities. And although I have written about the JOY method for prioritizing my time, the truth is I still struggle on a daily basis with what’s important.
The Bible records the question of a man who was an expert in the law who wanted to test Jesus, but it’s a question I am asking in all sincerity. What’s most important?
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a]38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:35-39)
I have discovered the power of asking a simple question of my bickering children. I don’t tell them what they said was wrong, against the rules, or punishable. I simply ask, “Was what you said loving?” The question has never failed to elicit an honest response. No matter how upset the guilty party is, there is a hanging of the head and a repentant, “No.”
What’s Most Important?
As I’ve struggled lately to determine which to-do’s are most important on my long list, I find that asking myself, “What’s the loving thing to do?” gives me clarity and peace. I look at my husband who’s wondering what’s for dinner while I try to improve my blog design and I know the loving thing to do. As I wonder how to increase my blog readership while quickly scanning others’ posts, I know the loving thing to do. I see my children playing ball outside while I fret about me, me, me, and I know the loving thing to do.
I’m finishing this blog post as I hear my husband and children making plans for active fun. I know the loving thing to do.
One of my hobbies is trying new applications to make life easier, more productive, or just more fun. These ten applications have been added to by productivity arsenal in recent weeks.
ActiveInbox You may recall my love affair with Goodtodo. The Goodtodo website and accompanying iPhone app helped me get to inbox zero and stay there. There was only one thing I didn’t like about it and that is that it isn’t fully integrated with Gmail, my email client of choice. In other words, while I could forward emails into Goodtodo (and that’s the point), I often had to go back into Gmail to access emails with lots of links, as these aren’t clickable in Goodtodo. I had heard of ActiveInbox before, but was put off by the Getting Things Done moniker. I don’t use every aspect of the GTD approach. What I didn’t realize is that ActiveInbox does everything that Goodtodo does and more. While it’s not meant to be your primary task manager, that’s exactly how I’m using it and I love it. I have the paid version and feel it’s worth every penny.
2. Springpad Everyone knows Evernote and lots of people love it. I liked it, too, but had a particular frustration. I didn’t like that I couldn’t make a checklist that I could easily rearrange or easily make a note that was a task to complete. Springpad does that and more. The user interface is much more appealing to me as well.
3. SmartPad Even though I have my tasks neatly organized in ActiveInbox, I have days when I don’t know how I’m going to fit it all in. One app I love to use in that situation is SmartPad. This iPad app tells you how much you can get done given your schedule and time you have to work. If you dawdle, you can watch the tasks you hoped to accomplish fade from possibility. SmartPad will soon integrate with a SmartDay website which will make the app even more user friendly.
4. Final Version – Wunderlist The man pictured above is not an app, but Mark Forster, who comes up with a new productivity approach every few months. As long as you don’t think of the “Final Version” as the be-all-end-all, but rather as a fun way to gamify your task list, you might enjoy it. I like to use it when I am feeling unmotivated and then Wunderlist is the iPhone app I use. As you tap the stars to indicate that this is a task you prefer to do before the last starred task, the items are put in order at the top of the list for you to begin working on.
5. Clear This is another iPhone app that works for doing the Final Version or just as a great list app. The beauty of it is its simple, clean interface. To make an item a priority, move it up on the list and it’s in the red zone. To add an item between items, simply spread your fingers apart to make room for the new one. If you just want a simple means of organizing tasks in terms or priority, Clear is a great option.
6. Schedule Planner Pro Research shows that we accomplish more of the tasks we schedule. This iPhone app not only allows you to schedule your tasks, but compare what you actually did with what you planned. It’s not perfect, but I love the concept and will use the app when I am working on schedule discipline.
7. Task Current I think of the Task Current iPhone app as a Fun To Do list that I can use to inspire me or even as a reward for doing less-than-fun to do’s.
8. Fitocracy Fitocracy is a seriously addictive website/iPhone app for people like me who thrive on compliments. This diverse community will make you feel like a million bucks for completing your workout, whether you’re a seasoned exerciser or just getting started. There are groups for Christians, but I’ve found the whole community to be very supportive. I was doing squat thrusts at 11:00 p.m. just to finish a “quest” and earn the approval of my fellow fitocrats. What on earth?
9. Daily Feats In case you were wishing there was a pat-on-the-back app for things like housework and parenting, I have good news. Daily Feats gives you points, social approval, and even tangible rewards for doing tasks related to your goals. While company reps are often giving out what are called “props” and sharing links to their products, I’ve found it to be welcome as the products are appropriate to my goals.
10. 750 words Are you a writer who wishes there was a social gaming app to help you get writing done? There is! Earn points for logging 750 words into this writers’ website and compare yourself to others with writing muscle.
What new apps have you found for getting things done?
I know a little something about writing. Even though I’ve been blogging on and off for a long time, I don’t know how to write a great blog. Or even a better blog. What I do know from experience is how to write a bad one. Here are 31 ways to be sure and write a blog that stops traffic.
Write long posts. Writers making the transition from print to blog make this mistake often. Unless it’s very compelling content, readers quickly scroll and click on after about 500 words. This post is going to be a bad one. I promise.
Write daily. The blogging experts love to point out that the most popular blogs are updated at least daily. I think that’s confusing correlation with causation. Before you’re really popular, daily updates can overwhelm readers.
Write your diary. Many blogs read like a bad journal entry. “Today I went to the gym, did some laundry, and watched TV.” Even on Facebook, that’s not good reading.
Write old news. Readers want what’s fresh, even if that’s a fresh take on an old issue.
Write too personally. Reality TV has made it acceptable to bare it all, but there are still plenty of us cringing.
Write without spell check. If you can’t spell and you post your errors, your readers who can spell are going to focus on them and nothing else.
Write without regard to grammar. While composing your post in a word processor, pay attention to the error indicators. Here’s a great free online grammar course to get you up to speed.
Write to get your own needs met. These kinds of blogs come across like needy phone friends who never take a breath.
Write to invoke guilt. Asking why no one is reading or commenting on your blog is like having BO.
Write with unnecessary cursing. Even if you are comfortable with cursing, constant repetition of the same words is just bad writing, not to mention bad form when so many are offended by it.
Write without regard for others’ feelings. Criticizing individuals and bashing entire classes of people may generate traffic, but won’t generate any good will.
Write what’s controversial just to build your blog. Readers who appreciate honest, thoughtful debate will eventually see through you and move on.
Write without reading others’ blogs. Just as writers in other genres hone their craft by reading the best writers, so bloggers benefit from reading good blogs.
Write without building relationships. While traditional writers rarely engaged in relationship building, failing to make connections with readers puts your blog at risk. Responding to comments makes your readers feel appreciated.
Write without giving credit. If you steal others’ work, you will eventually be called out for it.
Write without linking to others’ blogs. Bloggers appreciate the links and so do readers who are looking for good content. Here is a great post on this topic. (I need to take this blogger’s advice.)
Write without providing resources. Giving your perspective on a subject is a great start, but readers want to know where to go for more information. I think 31 Days to Build a Better Blog is a great resource.
Write without humor. Even blogs on depression can be funny.
Write about how you spend all your time blogging. Many of your readers are bloggers who will be put off by your obsession, although many will stick around to see the train wreck.
Write amidst a busy, blinking background. Your readers with ADHD won’t be able to focus on your words and may need an extra dose of medication.
Write infrequently. If you don’t update your blog, your readers won’t care because you don’t.
Write like you’re perfect. Readers don’t like to feel like losers. Share your perfect photos of perfect people and places and your blog will be perfectly alone.
Write like you know it all. This is a shift from traditional writing, too, where experts were supposed to give comprehensive information. Readers like to share, too.
Write what you want to write about. Freelancers know they can’t sell pieces that readers don’t want. Blogs have to be about the topics your readers are interested in.
Write without paragraphs. This is equivalent to blending a main dish, sides, and a dessert and serving it up in a bowl. Mmm.
Write without subheadings or photos. Subheadings and photos are like keeping your foods from touching each other and some of us like that. I was going to add more photos to this post, but it messed up my numbering, so I will leave it as is in the interest of not appearing perfect.
Write to constantly pitch your products. Blog posts that start off talking about how they’re giving me something “FREE to add value” tell me that the sales pitch is coming soon and it’s a turn off.
Write sparsely to make room for long audio and video. Many readers (like me!) learn best by reading and don’t want to spend 15 minutes watching something they could learn by reading in five. I always appreciate the content in writing, too.
Write with links to inappropriate content. Like it or not, readers trust that you are not going to send them to offensive or spammy links. Don’t violate that trust.
Write without purpose. We have to know why we are blogging and even why we are writing a particular post, or we’re sure to go off the rails.
What should this one be?
What other mistakes have you seen bloggers make or have you made yourself?
Sometimes when people hear that I homeschool six kids, write, and speak, they tell me I'm a Wonder Woman. I'm not going to disagree, but they don't know the whole story.
In honor of the St. Louis Homeschool Expo where I'll be presenting, I've made the real story behind this Wonder Woman FREE! On March 23rd & 24th, click on the book below and you'll be able to read So You're Not Wonder Woman for free on your Kindle, any Kindle app, or your computer (get free app here) regardless of whether you have Amazon Prime.
I hope you are blessed by the book! If you are, I hope you will bless me in return by leaving a review for the book. I can get my book into the hands of more Wonder Woman wannabes if they read a number of positive reviews.
I’m a Christian psychologist turned homeschooling mother of six. My life can be a little crazy, so I look for sanity-saving ideas to use and share. I hope you’ll read my About page to learn more.
. My health was restored through the book, A More Excellent Way w/ DVD
. And my fears diminished when I read The Christian’s Secret to a Happy Life
