I'll be honest, I've had some personal and professional setbacks lately. It's gotten me down. I'm probably also suffering from a little bit of social media fatigue (lots of people have been blogging about it since the launch of Google+). But, fortunately, I've found a safe haven. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Series DVD boxed set.
I've been delighting in turning off my brain in the evening and watching Buffy slay demons and dust vampires. It's helped me unwind and been wonderfully frivolous entertainment. What it hasn't helped is my blogging.
Scott Stratten of Unmarketing fame says don't blog unless you have something amazing to say. On the flip side, content creator extraordinaire Chris Brogan writes more in a week than most of us do in six months. He does this by skipping the time gobblers like television--and Buffy DVDs.
The great thing about our new uber-connected lives is that we're always in the know. The bad part is we never truly get away and unwind. There's no shortage of real life and online commitments nowadays. Heaven forbid you don't update your Facebook status for a week and people think you've died!
I've worked long and hard on this blog and it's not anything I ever intend to stop doing. However, laziness has been known to strike on occasion. Buffy just made it worse.
How do YOU keep yourself from getting lazy? Is it important to have mental breaks from our online responsibilities? Or did Buffy and her quest to fight the forces of darkness just bring out my inner slacker?
A- I've decided to take a sabbatical.
ReplyDeleteNot that anyone would miss my blog.
I will keep up with folks and really appreciate your sense of revitalizing with Buffy.
I find myself enamored with Netflix streaming and Hulu plus (buffy and angel on there!)
I would love to think that you have an inner slacker, but I'm sure that's not true. I think it's VERY important to shut down every once in a while. Need to re-allocate that RAM to things that need to be focused on. In this uber-connected world, we end up thinking too much about things that really have no bearing on our day to day. . . .
ReplyDeleteJust the thoughts of a madman. :)
Hey Todd, thanks for the nice comment! A sabbatical is alright, but don't abandon your blog. I want to read your next post sooner rather than later ;-)
ReplyDeleteAs for Netflex and Hulu Plus, that would be the end of me. I can't even tempt myself with those. I'd never find time to blog again!
Hey Shannon! I should have known that it would be a post on vampires that would inspire you to leave a comment! :-)
ReplyDeleteThey say every genius has a bit of madman in him, so I'm all for hearing your thoughts! Yeah, I know my Buffy time was time that would have been better allocated to writing, but the mental break was so needed. And, I had forgotten how good the writing is on that show. So funny.
Thanks for stopping by and making me feel less guilty about my Buffy time!
I don't think you're lazy. We all need a break--and in the social media world you don't get those very often. I think in general (or at least I tell myself this) people in our industry are over achievers. We want to get the best outcome of our services, and people work round the clock to get it. It's how we are wired. It doesn't mean you're lazy when you take a break. We need breaks, or burn out, depression and a myriad of other things can come in to play.
ReplyDeleteSo go ahead, and stop feeling guilty watching Buffy! It's a great show, and if it can stop you from thinking about Twitter, Facebook, Google+ etc, then go for it.
For me its a matter of routine, I guess it might be boring to some though. When I was training I suggested to my delegates to only check and respond to email 2-3 times in the work day. I think the same goes for social media now, I check it at certain times, organize it in a certain way, and mark up those to keep/read later etc, I find tools like Evernote, feed readers and netvibes invaluable to sort the information out. We have our meals without TV or technology, sit down and talk...just like the good old days of 30-40 years ago. In the evening we spend at least 90 minutes exercising, baking, watching some rubbish TV, listening to classical radio or reading a book. I also ensure that I have "not available" times by blocking them off in my calendar and clients can see that in my tungle.me account.
ReplyDeleteYes! We ARE overachievers, aren't we???? Sheesh, I'm only human, right? :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for easing my guilty conscientious, Shannon! I needed that!
And, yeah, I forgot how good Buffy was and how much I enjoyed Spike!
That sounds like an effective routine, Steven. And if it works for you, more power to you! Meals without technology are just sooooo important, so I'm all for that.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I love the concept, my career choices have always mandated that I be available 24/7. Therefore, it's hard to even consider the idea of only checking email at certain times. People would flip out if I did that. One time I had to have my Blackberry next to me as I was throwing up from food poisoning because of a work-related crisis. I'm just not accustomed to being unavailable. However, your point is well taken.
Moderation in everything and prioritizing ourselves is really important. You seem to be doing a great job of that with your "routine", so that's wonderful. Perhaps I can find a way to incorporate some of your ideas to create better balance in my life ;-) In the meantime, I have 3 1/2 seasons left of Buffy to finish off...
It's okay to take a break, Amber! Here you've written a post that does the opposite of what you think it might have - it gives us all permission to stop, step away and refuel. Social media is a marvelous thing, but it makes everyone keep going 24/7. That's crazy. In the meantime, life gets in the way - as you mention above.
ReplyDeleteI hope the coming weeks will soften the disappointments and setbacks, Amber. Hang in there, girl. You're needed in this social media mania.
Hi Jean! Thanks for the nice words of support!
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to create more balance in my life by turning off the technology a bit more, but it's a struggle. I guess I need DVDs that don't have continuing story lines. THAT is the killer. I always want to know what happens next, so I watch more than one episode! Grrr.
I experience social media fatigue at least once a week. For me, it isn't resolved by watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer DVD's...for me, I just lament and contemplate the value/worthiness of forging ahead. I struggle with trying to create a presence and not seeing results....it sometimes makes it hard to continue. But then, as if my mind was being read, something profound will happen. I will get positive input from people that matter to me. Or, my post will be reTweeted. Or someone will make me feel special. And then I know. I know that I need to keep plugging and work around, through, over, my social media fatigue. Thank you, Amber. You are awesome and I love your posts. Claudia
ReplyDeleteHi Claudia! Cheer up, buttercup! It takes time to get some momentum going. It took me quite awhile since NO ONE I knew was on social media. I had to build a network from the ground up. It wasn't easy and it was frequently discouraging. But, I kept with it and things finally started coming together.
ReplyDeleteStick with it and fight through the discouraging days. You'll get there if you maintain a frequent presence. Keep those small victories in your long term memory and recall them on the tough days. This stuff doesn't happen overnight and that's why there's such a high abandonment rate on Twitter. People don't wait for the payoff.
Thanks for the very honest comment. I'm sure lots of people will be able to identify with what you've said. And, thank you so much for the very nice words. It means a lot.
Thank you for reading and for sharing your experiences! It's always a pleasure when you visit ;-)
Skinny Artist at http://bit.ly/qVkr8Y wrote a nice post on the topic the other day. He's trying to figure out how to balance his life, too. It's a struggle for all of us who have creative pursuits!
ReplyDeleteAnother great post, Amber. I'm constantly battling a social media information overload personally, and now in business as I just started my first freelancing gig in social media community management. What works for me is totally unplugging and reading something for pleasure whether it's fiction or history related. I tried re-tweeting this post earlier today, but first my laptop crashed, then Twitter was over capacity and I think disqus didn't work because of that. Anyway, I love vampire shows and books so I'm with you on Buffy. :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the community gig, Karen! That's great!
ReplyDeleteI rediscovered leisure reading about two years ago and it's been wonderful. Sure, business books are always on my list, but I had forgotten the wonder of curling up with a good book. Truly magical.
Thanks for your diligence in trying to share my post. Sometimes technology has other plans for us, doesn't it?
As bloggers, we put an amazing amount of pressure on ourselves to continually churn out great content. At the same time, we have to stay connected to our various social media communities, and, of course, make a living.
ReplyDeleteA few months after I started blogging, I realized that my expectations of myself were much too high, and it had to stop. I switched from 5 posts a week to 2-3 posts a week. If I'm busy with work or fun, I might only write 1 post a week. But the important thing is, I've learned to be happy with that.
When you run out of Buffy episodes, you can switch to Supernatural. It's good to give your brain some time off for must re-see TV!
Hey Marianne! Thanks for easing my guilt ;-)
ReplyDeleteI've given myself a blogging schedule that's realistic, twice a week. But sometimes life gets in the way and I have a week here and there with only one. If someone was paying me to blog, obviously I'd adhere to the schedule better! ;-)
I saw an episode of Supernatural when it first started, but that's it. I've actually got the complete Angel series to follow Buffy, but I'll check out Supernatural next. A little sci-fi is a nice distraction, isn't it?
Thanks for stopping by, Marianne!
Why not use your TV watching to spark something for the blog? I've done it, especially with good stuff like Whedon fare. I don't think it matters if it's books or movies, cooking or travel, any hobby that can take your mind off things is good. Bonus when I can work that into my work. And FWIW I also liked Angel and Marianne's rec for Supernatural.
ReplyDeleteHey Davina! Yeah, definite bonus when you can fit something into your work or blogging! I try to do that as much as I can.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and chiming in ;-)