Finding Balance While Staying Updated Online

As busy as I am with life and living, my writing and blogging is actually part of my therapeutic "down" time. What started as journaling my way through my children teen years, turned into a part-time career. I have been writing for print publications and blogging for many years. When I started earning money for writing in print publications, I began to neglect my online activity. My freelance stories and op-ed column are often not on my blog. Sometimes a magazine publisher may request for a story not to be posted online. Often, I would forget to update my blog site once the story was published. 

My Journal and Sanity Saver!

This year, I want to pay closer attention to my online publishing and engage my online community more. After all, it was my blogging and the community that I built around my blog that lead to the print syndication which eventually lead to Living Your Best Life radio show. As my grandmother would say, “never forget where you started.” Last week, I spent a rainy weekend accessing and updating my online footprint. 

I have learned that many seasoned writers pick one or the other. But I want to do both while finding balance. I know I am not super woman but I do love the freedom that comes with being online. But my business is not online. How do you do all that is needed to stay current online while meeting business responsibilities and print publications deadlines? I have no definitive answer but I have vowed to do better in 2013. I gave my online activity a checkup and made several changes while looking to implement more later this month.

While looking at what was lacking, I reeducated myself about the online community. No, I am not a blogging newbie but I read for hours as if I was seeing the blogging community for the first time. I spent time reading blogs that would not have appealed to me eight years ago. And revisited blogs and business women that were my early inspirations. That weekend resulted in a few action items listed below:

I am getting a blog designer for sure. Got several ideas and set my launch date. Thanks to  http://www.thesitsgirls.com/ for the wonderful posts on finding the right designer.

I had never submitted my site to Outbrain. It was quick and simple. I noticed traffic right away.

I found reading Social Media Examiner most informative. Where have I been?

I deleted blogs that no longer exists on my site and added new ones that I actually read. don't you hate dead links!

I updated posts to Divine Caroline, Work It Mom, Blogcritics and Mom Bloggers Club. In the pass, many of my stories were picked up nationally by posting on these sites.

After conquering the above, I felt as if my weekend at home was a retreat of sorts. I felt renewed and engaged. I did not try to do a hundred actions item, I picked a number that was durable and completed them. What a set up for success; starting and finishing a task without becoming overwhelmed. I have big plans for the 2013 but I want to stay grounded and sane. My writing/blogging come with being grounded and keeping my sanity.

In a few weeks, the pest control season will be in full swing and I will not have time to breath. But I did make a few notes to make a point of taking better care of my little blog that has done so well taking care of me. My rants, raves, faves, cares, and "all naw" are on here.

My blogging updates was a reminder for me to never forget the starting point of my journey!

(A very special thank you to several women who inspired me to keep writing by watching and reading them! (Luvvie, Gina, Danielle, Ronnie, Ellen, and Nikki)