What If We Had More Time To Blog

Ask almost any blogger what the biggest challenge there is to blogging and they’ll say “time”.

Time to write blog posts.
Time to visit other blogs.
Time to work behind the scenes.
Time to monetize their blog.
Time to grow their readership.
Time to write that ebook.
Time to create more blogs.
Time to join or participate in social networking sites.
Time to _____(fill in the blank)____.

Today’s Lesson

When Jim Croce (1943-1973) wrote the song, “Time In A Bottle”, he knew exactly what he would do if he could bottle time.

For video link CLICK HERE

As we all know, we cannotΒ  bank nor bottle time, but we can learn to use it more effectively.

I don’t know about you, but I often find myself stepping away from the blog and taking care of other commitments, spending time outdoors, engaging in fun activities, visiting with family and friends, surfing aimlessly around the internet or doing what others may see as wasting time.

And then, I complain I don’t have enough blogging time.

But, it really comes down to priorities and choices.

Today we’re playing a game of “what if”.

In answer to the assignment, if I had more time to blog, I’d be visiting more blogs, making more headers for The Blog Boutique and taking an idea for an ebook off of the back burner.

What about you?

Today’s Assignment

What if you had more time to blog? How would you be spending it?

~Barbara.

P.S. Jim Croce’s life was cut short due to a plane crash. Ironically, “Time In A Bottle” became his legacy.

52 thoughts on “What If We Had More Time To Blog

  1. More time to blog?

    I just got back from a nice holiday Barbara where time seemed to stand still. I think it was because I had no internet connection. I read a great book by Eckhart Toole called The Power of Now that had some great concepts about time. You would have really liked it.

    I like the quote my stepdad used to say to me, when he said ‘You have 24 hours a day’, meaning we are given the choice every day to use our hours as we please.

    Thanks for you inspiration and thoughts. Good luck on your ebook and Blog Boutique headers.

    Julie πŸ™‚

    1. You’re welcome Julie,

      I’ve read that book too. I agree, It’s a great read and an eye opener.

      Yes. We all have the same amount of time each day and like you said, we’re given the choice of how to use it.

      P.S. Sounds like you had a great vacation. Welcome back!

  2. Hey, Barbara! That Jim Croce song has always been one of my favorites. I’m sure I’ll be singing it after I post this and go make my coffee.

    If I had more time to blog I would definitely enjoy immersing myself more in the sweet wine of my blogging buddies posts. There are just so many inspirational, moving, fun, thought-provoking posts being written. I wish I could read them all!

    Glad to hear you’re getting out and about IRL too — that’s so important, especially at this beautiful time of year.

    xo

    1. Hi Jannie,

      Are you singing? πŸ™‚

      I know what you’re saying. There are so many great blogs out there just waiting to be read. Hopefully there are others who find and read them on a regular basis.

      Yes. This is a great time of the year to get out in the real world with so much to see and do.

  3. I would definitely spend more time reading blogs and have posts pre-written (in a dream world) by 30 days. I might then concentrate on submissions and writing techniques more. Then, learn CSS and work on making my blog design perfect(ha).

    I think if I didn’t work full time , it’d be easier. πŸ™‚

    I hope you get your ebook done as well. πŸ™‚

    1. Hi Angela,

      Oh yes. Having posts pre-written would be awesome. Just having that much done could give us tons of time to spend on those other projects and lessons we’ve put on the back burner.

      A perfect design? Is there such a thing? lol πŸ™‚

  4. Hmmm… if I had more time to blog, I’d probably squander it and then wish I had… well, more time to blog. Thing is, you’ll never get ideas for interesting things to write about if you don’t get away from the computer once in a while and live life! Bit of a catch 22 that. πŸ˜›

  5. More time? Ha ha… what a teaser. There is only so much finite time. And I struggle terribly with focusing my efforts more efficiently and effectively with the little I have in each day.

    I think it’s probably like money. The more you have, the more you spend. It’s really hard to save… money or time.

    What I need is to get a better grip on the things I need to do as a blogger. Finding the best apps and online services to accomplish my tasks is my latest focus.

    1. Hi Joella,

      That’s true. We can’t “save” time. We either have to use it, or lose it.

      I like you idea of finding the best apps or online services in order to streamline our blogging.

      1. Finding ways to automate my tasks is always in the back of my mind. I keep my eye out for anything that will save me time without costing me quality.

        Sometimes I get lucky and actually find something that helps me both save time and improve the quality of my blog.

  6. Hi Barbara,

    Like the others, if I had more “blogging time” I would read and comment more. I add more blogs to my growing list to read, and then run short of time to get to them. I would also spend more time developing ideas for posts and stories I’d like to write. I have some projects and thoughts of projects that are simmering away on the back burner. As you say, there is real life to be lived, with face to face people, not to mention the daily responsibilities of taking care of house and family.

    Eventually, I’d like to put together a recipe book with some of my favorites dishes and my own creations. I’m also doing more short stories and poems, so maybe one day a book of those. E-books or self published most likely. In the meantime, writing the blog and reading others’ blogs is my training.

    Bottom line is I didn’t realize how much time could be absorbed by blogging.

    1. Hi Linda,

      That’s a good point. When we start blogging, we’re not aware of how much time is required to do it all.

      Your back burner projects sound fun; a recipe book, plus short stories and poems. Hopefully you can get started on those real soon.

  7. Dearest Barbara, HI, I am just back form a month long break from the online world..and I loved it so much. But i love blogging even more now…and cant wait to do every thing.
    But that said, i think youre bang on with the prioritizing…
    And “what if” is had more time to blog…god I would churn out posts everyday, write one ebook per week…and literally live on twitter and facebook πŸ˜‰ Oh not to forget stumble and all the awesome blogs i visit. I think i would be everywhere….I think it would be my very own super power..the blogger who is everywhere πŸ˜‰
    BUt since i dont have all the time in the world..and real life also calls…i do prioritize, and make the most of my time online. As for the ebooks..they will just have to take longer hmm…:)
    Missed you while i was offline.
    Much Love,
    Z~

    1. Welcome back Zeenat,

      You were missed. πŸ™‚

      I agree, it would be fun to be able to be a super power and do it all, but since we can’t, it does come down to prioritizing and making the most of the time we do have to blog.

  8. Hi Barbara,

    Can’t we just complain freely without being questioned then β€œwhat would you do if?” You sound like my mother!

    Just kidding!

    More time to blog activities?

    1-Write more posts to express more feelings and thoughts
    2-Read more blogs to learn and be inspired
    3-Comment in those blog to participate and show support
    4-Study English grammar for once!
    5-Unclutter this piece of junk I call my laptop

    So, is the winner going to receive a 36 hours day? πŸ™‚

    Raul

    1. LOL Raul, πŸ™‚

      You know me. I love playing the game of “What If” In fact, I find when we start to question what we would do if… we often discover new ideas to pursue and may begin to question why we’re not going in that direction.

      36 hours? I’m all for that. πŸ™‚

  9. Hi Barbara,
    I wish you had more time, too. I’d love to hear about the ebook you have on the backburner when the time is right.

    I love what your community and you are saying. When I come here I feel like I’m seeing a bunch of long-time friends in one place (just thought I’d throw that in there).

    If I had more time I’d definitely spend it reading other’s blogs and interacting in the comment section. I enjoy all the vibrant communities out there and if I had all the time in the world, I’d hang out and “couch surf” at everyone else’s sites. πŸ™‚

    I’d also write more at my site and further develop the design elements at JBN, too.
    Cheers!

    1. Thank you for your kind words Lori,

      That would be fun – to couch surf all of the blogs and hang out with their communities. Oh, what we could learn.

      P.S. I’ll be writing more about the ebook in the near future. (fingers crossed). πŸ™‚

      1. Oh yes, definitely more ebooks in my future. But if I had more time to dedicate to “blogging”, that’s what I’d do.

  10. Hi Barbara,

    If I had more time, I would add more photos or videos. I guess more time to read other blogs as well.

    Have a great week!

  11. I would have 4 blogs instead of 3 if I had more time……

    Actually, I would probably do a better job with the ones that I do have since there are only 24 hours in a day! πŸ™‚

  12. Hi Barbra,
    Great assignment! Just the one I needed. If I had more time to blog, I would probably spent it more time developing good content to post.

  13. Hi Barbara – I’m glad you’ve just been taking a few days off. If you hadn’t written a post today I was thinking of sending for a search party (says the woman who disappears for months on end).

    I’ve seriously been looking at ways to make more time recently, as my home life has been so chaotic in the last few months ago. So I’m tracking to get things back on track. With more time, I’ll be able to start a couple of the blogging projects I meant to start months ago. One of them is going to be a free ebook.

    I also intend to improve my site and change the layout – so the Blog Boutique is going to come in useful.

    1. LOL Cath,

      Yes. I did take a few days off. I didn’t realize it was so obvious though. πŸ™‚

      It sounds like you have a lot on your blogging plate, but with all you have going on in your real life, I can see why you’ve chosen to deal with that instead. As we know, the blog will wait even though you were missed.

      Glad to see you’re blogging again.

  14. Time, how scarce can it be. If I have more time to blog I would like to write some post in advance in order to compensate my weekly struggle of finding something to write.

    Since my wife gave birth 2 months ago I have been attending to my little boy, and this has eaten much of my time. Still, I always find ways to have time for blogging. Most of the time, I used my crooning time in coming up with ideas to write. πŸ™‚

    1. Hi Walter,

      Congratulations on the birth of your baby boy. How exciting!

      I’m with you. Having posts ready to be published is a great way to open up more time for those other projects we’d like to tend to, plus like you said, to have content available when we’re feeling stumped.

  15. Hi Barbara .. like the others .. 36 hour day please!; 30 posts always written and always there to be punched for publication; time to visit more of your wonderful commenters, whom I just don’t get to meet and see;

    However with that in mind .. I intend to expand my blogging platform and develop an online and offline business with the concept of my blog .. and as I am getting a little more time – or will do in a few weeks .. then life can be more settled and a little easier.

    So .. that’s that really!! & learn more, and understand the technical world .. that would help!

    Lots of ideas and thoughts – the main thing is to be busy, interested in life, loving ones friends and family, and experiencing life to the full – without falling over in a composted heap??!!

    Happy days .. Hilary

    1. Hi Hilary,

      36 hours would be great, wouldn’t it? Can you imagine what all we could accomplish?

      With so much to learn with regard to blogging, I don’t think any of us will fall over in a composted heap. If anything, we’ll be kicking and blogging all the way to the end. πŸ™‚

  16. What if I had more time to blog?

    I’d still do the same as I’m doing now.

    Any extra free time, would be spent outdoors, or interacting with people in real-life. πŸ™‚

    1. Hi Friar,

      Time outdoors is wonderful, isn’t it? Especially at this time of the year when the weather is perfect and our options are unlimited. Who wants to be tied to a blog when we could be having fun and making memories?

  17. Barbara,
    If I had more time to blog it would still never be enough. These days I’m spending less time blogging (wrestling with it), but determined. Yoga, reading, eating better meals, relaxing and breathing, hehehe, writing in my journal πŸ˜‰ and spending time outside are taking priority. It means I won’t be reading every post that everybody posts, but it’s not personal. “It’s not you, it’s me”. πŸ™‚

    1. Hi Davina,

      I hear you. There’s so much we can do with a blog it really doesn’t matter how much time we have allotted to it.

      I like that, “It’s not you, it’s me”. Like you, I fall behind on reading all of the great posts others are sharing. Sigh! πŸ™

  18. I would spend my more time being with other people in person. Since I have started job hunting once again and feeling better, I don’t know how much time I will have for blogging. My life keeps returning to being responsible about paying the bills….including the Internet connection…

    Whereas blogging is energizing, it is not apparently where I should be spending more time than I am right.

    One way I have gathered up a bit more blogging time, is to stop reading blogs which never reciprocate. πŸ™‚

    1. Hi Patricia,

      As you know, as blogging time decreases, we must find ways to make the most of the time we have. Sometimes that means reading less, commenting less, and even posting less. I think other bloggers understand since they’re under the same pressures as we are.

  19. Barbara,

    If I had more time to blog, I would catch on my replies (I’ve fallen way behind due to a vacation), visit my friend’s sites and have time to add some new sites to my list, work on the “look” of my site ( I need to get rid some widgets), and explore an e-book idea I have, which involves photographs (naturally!).

    Okay, I’m ready for a break now…this list has exhausted me because my other life is needing attention, which happens when you’re gone a week!

    It is true that blogging is time consuming, but, for me, the rewards are well worth it:~)

    1. Hi Sara,

      I’m with you on that; blogging is time consuming, but the rewards are well worth it. πŸ™‚

      That’s true. When we take time away from the blog, not only can the blog suffer, but we may find we’ve also adding more to our real life lists, as well.

  20. I have cut way back on blogging and I really don’t miss it. I’ve found that more direct routes of lead generation are more effective for me. It was always a business decision for me. I’ve never blogged just to blog or for the fun of it. In fact I really am questioning many forms of online social media. However I do like the people I’ve met; that’s why I pop in occasionally to say hi.

    1. Hi Tom,

      And you know, I always enjoy seeing you here. I know you’re busy with your new business endeavors, so I feel honored when you take time to visit. πŸ™‚

      I know what you’re saying about the time it takes to interact on social networking sites. The bad thing with that (for me) is how 10 minutes can quickly turn into 30.

  21. If I had more time I’d just keep writing like a mad-man. I’ve learned to manage my time and commitments better and this has helped a great deal. For me, I spend a lot of time on the phone during my day-to-day so I manage that by schedule appointments and being adamant about keeping to a schedule. Sure I’ll take a call but I always move it to an appointment (scheduling it). I’ll take calls from direct clients only because hey, they’ve invested in my time and as a result I in theirs. Everything else needs to keep some structure to it.

    Lately, I’ve been stuck between writing content for my blog, my company blog and my membership site “21 Days of Real Estate” so that challenge has been writing content for the other two blogs without overlapping. This has been a challenge but I think that I’m starting to figure it all out…

    Kind of all reminds me of that Willy Wonka quote: “So much time. So little to do. Wait a minute. Scratch that. Reverse it. Thank you.”

    1. Hi Ricardo,

      I think you nailed it – what could work in order to be more productive when we blog – to schedule a certain amount of time and not let distractions get in the way. Although it may not always work perfect, that method could help to keep us on track.

      Great Willy Wonka quote. πŸ™‚

  22. I’ve always thought “if I had more time…” I would do all those things you list; post more, read more, comment more, promote more, write a few ebooks, etc.

    Thanks to our economy, two weeks ago that “what if” became a reality as I was tossed into the growing pool of the unemployed.

    For the first week, I took some much-needed vacation time and spent some time with my nieces and nephews who are on summer vacation. This week, I’m catching up on some of the reading I’ve wanted to do, but never had time to do. I’ve read a few good books, read a few good blogs, and made some notes about what I want to start doing with my own blogs.

    Next week, I’m going back to work… for ME! I’m going to put 100% of my time and effort into building and promoting my blogs and see where it takes me. Lots of people make a living doing what they love. If they can do it, I can do it.

    1. Hi Ven,

      How exciting it is to hear this time you’re going to be working for YOU. And you’re right. Many make a good living doing what they love, so who’s to say you (or anyone) can’t too?

      I’ll bet you’re enjoying the time off. From your comment it sounds like you’ve set your goals in motion and now the only way to go is up. I wish you all the best. πŸ™‚

  23. Pingback: How To Overcome Blogger’s Block

Comments are closed.