I found these roses crawling from my neighbors’ yard into mine; aren’t they lovely?
I know it’s been quiet ’round these parts lately. It’s not for lack of things to talk about. Rather, it’s that when I do get a free minute, if I’m not collapsed from exhaustion and/or dealing with a fried brain from a day full of making decisions, I don’t know where to start. I could talk about our new house and how we’re set to close on July 22nd. I could talk about how, every time I think about going back to school, I get a little bit giddy. I could talk about my (successful) new plan of action regarding fitness and health.
I am, by nature, a perfectionist. I take this role very seriously. Shoot, I’m even a perfectionist about being a perfectionist. When I sign my name to something, it had better be perfect. And that’s where I struggle here, on this blog. In the late hours of a long day, I don’t write perfection. When I only have 30 minutes to write a post, it’s not perfection. I’m not exactly sure what I think might happen if I slapped something up that wasn’t perfection – not that it hasn’t already happened before! Would the world as we know it cease to exist? Would you all judge my typos? Would no one leave a comment because it was such a yawn fest?
When it comes right down to it, none of those things would happen. Even my most boring posts get comments (God bless you all). Not once has anyone judged a typo. And the world is still spinning around, sometimes a bit faster than I would like.
Yes, I’m busier than I ever have been. Buying a house, applying for grad school, working full-time, and LIFE IN GENERAL have kept me very busy in these last few weeks. And I’m sad that, because of my perfectionism that so often cripples me and wears me out, I haven’t documented hardly any of it.
I’m inspired by those of you who write on a regular basis. I’m inspired by people who set time aside every single day for writing. Typos and all, for better or worse, you guys are my heroes.
I’m not going to make an arbitrary promise to blog more often. But I am going to take a long look at my life on a daily basis. What choices am I making that are healthy, and which ones are lazy? Which of my decisions are fueled by perfectionism? If writing is therapy (to me), why do I avoid it when I’m busy/stressed and could use it the most?
Here are my questions to myself (and anyone else who wants to throw in their $0.02): which is worse? A blog that is rarely updated but with quality posts, or a blog that is regularly updated but some of the posts are less-than-Pulitzer-Prize-worthy? Which is healthier? Allowing myself to only update when conditions are perfect, therefore limiting myself to a tiny window and crippling myself? Or, getting in there, getting my hands dirty, and hashing it out, typos and all?
Between you and me, I think I’ll take the typos.
Comments on On perfectionism and blogging lulls.
From abby:
I think you need to do what’s better for your sanity.
From AshleyD:
I’ve heard people say they prefer blog that only update when they have quality posts to share, but I disagree. I like blogs that update regularly, no matter if their writing is perfect. It adds a more “human” layer to the blog and it’s always nice to know that people aren’t always perfect. Plus, I think it’s more fun to follow someone’s life (and you get to know the writer better) when you have regular, frequent updates. But that’s just my opinion. :)
From Carly:
we love you, typos and all!
From Kathleen:
I don’t deal with crippling perfectionism, but I do struggle with making time or finding energy to update my blog regularly. I often wish I could be the kind of blogger who posts more frequently, interspersing really short updates (like conversations, pictures, single thoughts) in between longer and more thought-out posts. I think that’s what I’d like to go for eventually, but I’m not there yet. Right now I just try to get one post up per week, and even that is not perfection. :)
From Suburban Sweetheart:
I wish I were a liiiittle bit more of a perfectionist. I am FOREVER finding typos. Fewer, please?
From Garnet:
A little typos never hurt nobody : ) I can relate to the feeling that the longer you wait to write, the more you don’t know how to sort everything that’s going on in your life and in your head. This past May I missed out on recapping my graduation, my vacation, a bike tour, so many big, happy life things and I regret it. The more you do something, the more comfortable you get and the pressure eases up, so just dive in! We’ll all be here rooting you on : )
From Wendy:
I think it’s a little of both. It’s nice to have fluffier posts, maybe just sharing a picture, something new that you love, a song that you can’t get out of your head. Those posts are quick and rather mindless, but they still let your readers into your world. The deeper, longer and more well written posts are still necessary, but I don’t think anyone is expecting them on a regular basis.
From ashleyTIA:
I completely know where you are coming from! Not so much with grammar (I do know enough to realize I shouldn’t end a sentence with a preposition, but clearly I don’t care), but with “quality” posts. They take a lot of time – a lot more than I have to dedicate to blogging each week. I’m trying to find some balance.
You are awesome – that’s why we read your blog, not for your perfect grammar, so typo away, pretty! ;)
From Rachel:
I think a blog that doesn’t get updated gets forgotten. Even a little post more often reminds the reader that the writer is still there.
From Chrissy (The New Me):
Personally, I am a fan of minutiae. I like knowing the little things that go on in a person’s life, except in a non-stalkery kind of way. And while I will ruthlessly judge the typos and content of certain “full time” “bloggers” I am much more forgiving of those of us who do it as a hobby, or as a way to document our lives, or because we just really like sharing stuff on the Internet.
Basically: you have no reason to be perfect, and every reason to blog your heart out, as often and as messy as you like. It’s more fun that way!
From Chelsea:
I’m with AshleyD. Write when you want to, but don’t worry about perfectionism. MISTAKES MAKE YOU HUMAN! (And also it makes us all feel better about ourselves. We can be like, “Wow, so LFT isn’t actually completely perfect!”)
From Miranda—Imperfectly Candid:
I’m so much of a perfectionist that I couldn’t even put words to the page (er…the screen) to describe the crippling nature of perfectionism, but I’m glad you were! It’s nice to know others go through the same thing. It’s the reason I keep a blog but never post (which I’ve been doing for about five years).
From wishcake:
“…I’m sad that, because of my perfectionism that so often cripples me and wears me out, I haven’t documented hardly any of it.”
That right there defines the past YEAR of my life. Sweet mercy. I totally know what you mean, and my blog has suffered in the same way due to life simply taking over. (I mean, hello. I’m going to give birth in less than two months and I’ve written all of FIVE POSTS about my entire pregnancy? Lame sauce.)
I honestly think that if you tried to blog more often just for the sake of blogging, it would feel more like a chore. That’s how I’ve finally stopped beating myself up over hardly updating in the past 12 months (or so). Whenever I sat down to post just for posting’s sake, it didn’t feel genuine. It felt forced. Which makes me feel icky.
Do what you can do, my dear. We’ll always be here to pick up what you’re throwing down (I’m gansta’, obviously). Just be sure to give yourself credit for having the smarts to realize that simply living life sometimes feels better than needing to document every tiny detail.
Love you.
From Amanda:
I think there’s a happy medium in there somewhere which you’ll find :) I know that when I go too long without posting, it makes it almost impossible to dive back in because it almost feels like my blog is a stranger. On the other hand, don’t just blog because you feel you have to. Everybody will be here when you write! :)
From CookinwVictoria:
Oh I know what you mean about not having time. Sometimes I don’t get to blog that often because my cooking is a lot like Julia Childs…perfectionism lol I try to make great things, simple and easy for everyone. I am still learning how to make things, since I have only been cooking for 15 months lol I admit that I have made some really great stuff and I am glad lol it just takes a while to find the time to blog about it and I am constantly taking pictures for it all the time.
Sometimes I will just post something quick about what is currently going on in my life, which I got from you btw! :) Thanks!
I will always be following your blog, so if you don’t post something I don’t mind, it’s life, you have a job, house, and husband to take care of…and soon school. If you were a housewife you could blog more often. (O the day that I can be a housewife lol *dreaming*