In response to the fact that my personal life is busy with non-stop family/travel time (a family wedding, my birthday, and my anniversary are all in the next two weeks) and the fact that my job is going to be non-stop stress and craziness in the month of June, I think I need to make a few adjustments to my blogging life.
- I plan on reducing my postings to a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule. Expect reviews on Mondays and Wednesdays and the TGIF meme or other discussion post on Fridays (will depend on topic/inspiration). I am hoping having a more firm posting schedule will allow me more free time for non-book-related pursuits, as well as for reading and writing.
- I am eliminating the Top Ten Tuesday meme for the most part (though I may do it when a future topic strikes my fancy) because those posts were diminishing in quality and I was having a really hard time checking out and commenting on other people’s posts. It lost some of its fun and I definitely need a break from that, so I am giving myself one.
- I have already started varying up the genres I read and review. I like reading a variety, so I will be reviewing a variety. I hope that we can all expand what we read this way.
I know that several of these items will affect the number of people who read this blog (some already have) and THAT IS OK. I firmly believe that I blog for the fun of it, not for the popularity, so I gotta do what makes me happy. Hopefully, the changes will be for the best– both in terms of my sanity and the quality of this blog!
Don't Take My Books Away 
I totally agree that you have to make blogging fun for you or else it just feels like a chore. I enjoy reading blogs that review an eclectic selection and look forward to seeing what you’re reading. Hope your new schedule will work better for you 🙂
While I’ve got quite a few YA books on my pile at home, I am also hoping to read a little more adult fiction, too. My interest has been more on contemps/romance/chick lit lately, so expect to see reviews of that sort coming your way!
Totally agree with you on the Top Ten Tuesdays! I love them, but sometimes they do feel like a chore to keep up with! ESPECIALLY when there is a harder topic! You definitely need to do your blog however is fun for YOU because you’re the one who is important here! Us readers will love you no matter what changes you make because if they make you happy, then they’ll make us happy! I’m actually looking forward to some of the different books you’ll be reviewing and hoping that maybe they’ll broaden my reading scope. 🙂
The last few TTTs have felt sort of obligatory for me and the topic this week left me stumped. I figured if I wasn’t able to give good comments to more than a handful of people, then it wasn’t worth it.
And thank you for your kind words… I really just needed to put this out there so I would actually follow through with it! I really hope I find some fun and different books to share!
Non-Book-Related-Pursuits??!?!?! It’s like I don’t even know you anymore 🙂 I know the feeling. I am about to start moving in the next few months, not looking forward to that! And I agree with Candice, make your blog you, just keep doing it! 🙂 ~dixie
Haha, Dixie, I know, it’s hard to picture me doing anything but reading or blogging or perhaps having a giant dog on my lap! Good luck with moving… we had a big cross-country move last summer and it was pretty stressful, especially with all my books packed away. I hope yours goes as smoothly as possible!
I understand craziness! I am having a crazy month right now with teaching and taking my first grad class, but that will all slow down June 8th. I’m taking a break from my blog (or at least posting very sporadically), as I pretty much have no reading time right now. I figure if people want to read my blog, they can check back in a few weeks! I know I’ll still be reading yours 🙂
Thanks, Kyle! Let’s kick the next few weeks in the teeth!
I totally get this! I recently cut out the In Mailbox meme (not for protesting reasons) but because I was becoming a blogging zombie. I was in church on Sunday waiting to link up and checking/commenting on other blogs’ IMMs…in church!!!! Something had to be done, so I cut that meme out. It has really freed up my time
an my mind. 🙂
I did something similar to what you have above, I called it my blog manifesto. It helped me figure out what I wanted to get out of my blog and general rules for myself to follow so I didn’t stray from what I wanted, since sometimes I have problems saying no.
It’s funny, I just started doing Top Ten Tuesday posts after I had stopped doing them for a year 🙂
Good luck!