Less is More

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Sunrise view during a morning walk.

With vacation coming up and a busy schedule of getting things done before I leave, I’ve decided to change my blogging schedule. Currently, I’m posting Monday through Friday. I’m going to cut back to Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I think the new schedule will keep my blog fresher and also allow me time to work on other projects like revising a novel.

After reading Ally Bean’s AMA (Ask Me Anything) post, I learned a good tip from her.

From The Spectacled Bean:

“As a newbie I wish I’d understood that LESS IS MORE. Early on I drove myself batty posting daily, often long wordy posts, because I thought I was supposed to do that. But I learned otherwise and scaled back to a  weekly-ish schedule. Readers seem to respond positively to less from me, than to more from me. That’s the lesson. “

I know many people post seven days a week. I don’t know how they do it. I have the hardest time coming up with ideas five times a week, let alone daily. I need days off to recharge my brain.

I’ll try this new schedule for the rest of the summer and re-evaluate it in September.

What are your thoughts about “less is more?” What is your schedule for blogging?

58 thoughts on “Less is More”

  2. Cheers to you for making a meaningful adjustment – especially because you want to preserve quality time for other projects. And yes…Ally’s “AMA” wisdom about frequency is so good. We’ll enjoy your posts when we see them…that I know for sure. (And thanks for the pic from your early morning walk. When our daughter was little, we’d stop and say, ‘God’s Light!’ when we saw a sunrise as stunning as that one.) xo! 🥰

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  3. Another of Ally’s phrases, and one I borrow often is “You do you” so I think anyone who examines their habits and finds they need to make changes is a-okay! Everyone knows that the only reason I have a blogging schedule is because of HoTM. There is no right or wrong way to blog EA, except what works for you.

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    • Thank you, Deb! I have a busy couple weeks and I don’t want blogging to be stressful. Perhaps I’ll have more insight into my posts if I’m relaxed and have more time in between. I like Ally’s “You do you!” Also, on vacation, I want kick back a little!

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      • And you should- kick back that is! I truly disagree with the notion that one must blog while on vacation even if your typical pattern is to post everyday. What is the point of vacation if you are tied to a device creating posts? Even if you schedule posts in advance there are comments to deal with unless you turn off comments and then…again…just stop blogging for vacation! I don’t often understand the need to do it all 🙂 Oh, and never feel guilty or a need to justify taking time off. No point in that at all 🙂

      • Unfortunately, my husband works through most vacations. So I don’t mind doing an occasional post while we’re away during his working hours. But this year, our kids are joining us, and I don’t want to be stuck on a schedule! I’ll be in beach mode 😊 I agree that vacations should be for relaxing and not work. My husband manages to take a to a week off during our beach trip.

      • Everyone makes their own choices for their own reasons but I will stand by my convictions that the word vacation means something and that is time to simply be, without any connection to work/projects/commitments…whatever. Sadly I think too many have been led to believe and thus embrace that they do not deserve that time for themselves, possibly out of fear of reprisal or a misplaced need to fulfill goals. I hope you and your kids have a great time and enjoy whatever time your husband can be with you 🙂

      • I agree with you, but his business doesn’t allow much time off. However, in the future he will be able to take time off by making a change. What’s annoying is he will say “I’m off this week” and he continues to get calls!

      • Is he truly not able to ignore the calls EA? And is that a “policy” that everyone follows or something he feels within himself? I think there’s a bigger process here but so much involved in the choices we can or choose to make. Business owner vs. employee. Status in the company. Personal expectations. So much influences how the individual responds and then how that impacts the family as a whole.

      • He is joining a group within the same firm where he’ll have people to take over while we’re on vacation. That’s only a few months away. What he’s done in the past is call his assistant when his phone rings and asks her to call back and explain that he’s on vacation. The business he’s in is with investments and the market seems to do something crazy while we’re on vacation. Also, since COVID, he’s worked from home. That has changed things. I don’t think clients bothered him on vacation or home when he was working from an office.

      • Thanks, that explains the bigger picture well. What a welcome change when he can turn things over to others for a time!

  4. I’m glad you’re trying a new way of blogging to see if it’ll work for you. I know that for me once I felt the sense of obligation lifted from my shoulders, my lighthearted self took over. Thanks for the shoutout, too.

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  5. I love that you know when you need the time off to rest and recharge. That is a critical piece of wisdom on so many levels. Whatever the schedule – it is nice to see you, Elizabeth!

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  6. During Covid, I went on a blogging rampage, writing every day for 90 days straight. For me that was a ginormous accomplishment. That rampage became a book, and since then, I’ve scaled back to my usual mode of inconsistency. I’m not real happy about that since inconsistency can be a little guilt producing and I still have inner work to do in that regard. So maybe I’ll take a page from your book and revise my plan to one of balance. Hmm. I’ll work on it. Thanks Ally. Thanks Elizabeth. Happy vacation!

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    • I was busy writing during COVID too. It was a nice distraction. Otherwise with the shut downs and fear, I was very uneasy. I was getting assignments for a group of trade magazines. 90 days in a row is an accomplishment!

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    • Oh Julia, I am so on the opposite side of this discussion. Inconsistency in blogging is my trademark. Not at all in other aspects of my life but blogging has always been a time to share what feels real or important or interesting in my life. My life has variance day by day and not everything is really necessary to be written down. Something about being random used to be part of my old tagline and it still fits 🙂 I just don’t feel any obligation to myself or others to make this (blog writing) an everyday way of life.

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  7. I think you should do what suits your lifestyle and mood best. I think it’s a great idea to give yourself breaks in between the posting days. I post so often because I am mostly responding to different prompts.

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  8. I think you and Ally are on to something with the concept of “less is more”. I don’t have a blogging schedule – sometimes it’s daily and sometimes I’ll go a month without posting.

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    • Interesting. I used to post randomly when I felt like it. When I got consistent on certain days of the week and I think it helped people find me. After expanding to five days a week for a year or two. I’m ready to cut back but will be consistent.

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  10. I’m normally a less is more kind of gal. I think simple is the way to go. However, I really enjoy writing a blog and it’s my warm up to other writing. However I do not get too hung up on my posts. They are unedited and unrevised unless I notice something glaring, like last week I forgot titles twice. I view blogging more like a personal journal and I do it for me, but I love the give and take of discussions. That being said, you have to do what works best for you

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  11. The only time I actually have a blogging schedule is when I do the A to Z in April or if I join other challenges. Otherwise it’s whenever. Have a fun time on your vacation for sure.

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      • LOL – for me it’s better. I can only read so much a week. I try to keep up with people who write daily, then there are some that write a few times a day, but I also work full time with a lot of other things going on… like all of us. Anyhow, once a week, you are not missed. We just KNOW that’s how you post. My opinion.

  15. I’ve gone from three days a week to six days a week this year. It’s really five days a week, because I’m publishing quotes or images with my Saturday blog. We’ll see if I continue. I definitely like having time to process. One good thing about increasing the frequency: I know I don’t have a ton of time so I’ve tended to write shorter. Again, we’ll see where I go next year.

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    • Wow. That’s big change. I went from twice a week to five days. My word count decreased too. I’ll re-valuate after vacation ends at the end of August. I know I’ll enjoy a few weeks of beach time without blogging Monday – Friday!

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      • I like being more prolific. I’ve noticed a couple of changes, I’m probably writing less fiction on the side. I’m generally okay with that. The other change is that it really does become a full-time job, making sure I have something to publish everyday. I’m okay with that . . . but it’s still a change, that some might not want to take on.

  16. Nothing wrong with blogging when it fits your life. I started out hung-ho about five times a week. Now I shoot for four times a month. Once this book is done, I may do more often. Or not. Probably will just do more in depth than the short posts I have time to do now. I find it difficult to keep up with people who blog daily.

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    • I’m sure you are busy with your book. I started off maybe once a week. Eventually worked up to five times a week. I enjoyed today working on a manuscript rather than coming up with a post for tomorrow.

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  17. I never understood certain bloggers “need” to publish every day or even more than a couple of times a week. I follow way too many blogs to read that many posts and, frankly, I’d rather read fewer, well-written, thoughtful posts than daily blah-blah-blah 🙂 . I say, blog when you have something to say and let the stress fall from your shoulders. Enjoy your vacation!

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