This is part three of a series on how I’m dealing with discouragement right now.  This is from a post I did in May and the wonderful comments that my readers left for me.  So far, I’ve explored why I need to lower my expectations and not be so perfectionistic, the limits of my time and energy, that trying things and not liking them is okay, and my job is a factor in my free time.

Here are two more things that are contributing to my being so discouraged.

I feel overwhelmed and unsatisfied.   I have more to write than I have time or energy to do.  It’s hard for me to write after work and I don’t like writing when I’m so tired.  Reducing the amount of my posts and writing them over the weekend helps me enjoy the process more.

It would be wonderful to post every week day, but I’m not much enjoying the journey.  Last year I posted every day for the random word challenge, but a fair amount of posts were short and superficial.  There are so many good blogs out there that I don’t want to do that simply to post to my blog.  I’d rather reduce my frequency and say something more meaningful.

Surprisingly, I’m continuing to increase subscribers even with my recent slowdown (thank you!!), and I want it worth everyone’s time to read what I’m writing.  Which you do – I don’t have lots of subscribers like other blogs, but my goodness you are faithful to leave comments and respond to my blog.  That is SOOO satisfying.  Thank you for your loyalty.

I also overdid it.  I love reading blogs, leaving comments, and I really love having relationships with other bloggers.  But it got to be way too much.  I’ve unsubscribed a bunch of E-mails and / or newsletters that I was getting where bloggers or advertisers had no idea who I was.  I’ve reduced to a weekly frequency blogs that I’ve not built a relationship with.  That leaves daily my fellow bloggers who leave me comments and push the “like” button.  It’s much more manageable for me to follow the blogs where I have a relationship and read the others as I have time.

I’ve reduced the number of comments I’m leaving too and I’m sorry about that.  Some weeks it’s easier for me to sit and leave you notes, other weeks it just isn’t.  I also need to be more timely responding to the comments you’re leaving me on my blog.  I’m thrilled each time someone takes time to leave me a note, which is why I try to respond to each comment.

I plan (for now) to keep my other blog going, albeit slowly.  I have such a love for keeping journals and recording my life.  I want to encourage everyone to do it, whether in a journal, blog, or photo album.  I believe the greatest gift we can give to future generations is the legacy of who we were and what we did with our lives.  I might not use as many guest bloggers due to lack of time, but I still want to post ideas, how-to’s, and encouragements to record our lives.

I could collapse the two blogs together, but not every reader of this blog is interested in the topics of A Daily Life.  I probably shouldn’t have separated them out, but it seemed right at the time.  Until I decide otherwise, I’m going to continue with it for now.  That’s always subject to change (of course!).

My next post will be a wrap-up of a few more things that have been bothering me and the steps I’m taking to make changes.

I love this little house in Colonial Williamsburg!  The garden is constantly changing and the scene is different each time I stop by.  I took this shot in mid-May, the same time as this one here.

Discouragement Life Lessons blog comments discouragement following blogs overdoing it overwhelmed unsatisfied Williamsburg