How much time do you spend on your Blog and telling people about it?
1. Â Up to 2 hours a week?
2. Â 6-8 hours a week?
3. Â Over 8 hours a week?
It’s very much a matter of opinion when an interest becomes a hobby, and a hobby becomes an obsession. However, when I started this Blog, I told my family that nothing would change, and there would always be a warm welcome when they returned from school or work :
After a while though, especially if there were glitches on the site, an urgent reply pending online, and/or I was in deep thought, things slipped a little. Here is my life when I began Heir Raising:
a) Beginning of last year
b) Six months ago
c) Â … and now.
FEBRUARY 2013
   OCTOBER 2013
  APRIL 2014
In the first chart, a massive 34% of my time was taken up with work. Yes, I suppose it is useful to have money to pay the bills, but what a treat to take up the slack with more time online. Not so much money or time for indulgences like food, so have cut back on calories too. Win win.
You can also see how much time I wasted sleeping before I began to blog. The hours have now been reduced to the bare minimum. Not so little as to become a dribbling wreck (as in the sleepless babyfeeding months), but enough that there are now at least five hours extra to grapple with widgets and agonise over ordered lists.
Where I’ve written ‘Eating’, this is shorthand for everything domestic. There are only verbs in this Pie Chart. None of your wasteful, sluggish noun-type words like ‘Social Life, ‘Friends’ and ‘Family’.
Talking of which: has your Family seen less of you since you started blogging?
(Oh, and if you think I’m getting any outdoor exercise, ‘Surfing’ is nothing to do with ozone, sea, bodyboards and Cornwall).
Other blogging related posts:
Postnatal Bonks – do they exist?
Why bloggers (yes YOU!) are changing the world
Your pie charts are awesome and right on target.
Thanks Catherine. Sometimes I feel like I spend more time looking at the screen than my family. In fact I know i do. 😉
I can consume you if you’re not careful. I write a couple of posts a week and then spend a few minutes here and there on twitter, Facebook, etc. That feels like enough. I like the blogging community but try not to let it suck me in at the expense of real life. It’s great for when my husband has commandeered the remote and is watching Top Gear AGAIN!
Sounds like you have it under control with a healthy Blog/Life balance, Rachel. You are smart because it can certainly be time consuming – the cartoons take most of the day to think up, draw, edit and post, let alone the words. Not to mention my struggles to stop the WP lists from staggering unevenly all over the post! (My equivalent of Top Gear is endless miserable, muddy repeat episodes of WW1 documentaries).
I was obsessed initially when I started in march 2013. These days I ponder for longer and blog around every 6-8 weeks.
I used to be stat crazy…always checking several times a day.
These days I feel more chilled about writing and don’t have the urgency to ‘get it out there’!
Yes, that stat checking … crazy. My stat programme won’t load so haven’t looked at them for months, which is a relief in many ways. My son always wants to know how many people are reading the Blog, but I’d would rather not know if it’s in single figures. Still, if those people are enjoying it, it’s worthwhile …
Mine probably looks quite similar. I have perfected the art of doing things that show housework-wise in a five minute blitz before my partner gets home from work, and throwing a dinner together in about the same amount of time… hopefully creating an illusion that I do something more than write and sit on social media all day!
Hope he doesn’t read this then! Still, even if you were on social media all day – that’s what you do, so it’s still valid. Would love to know your secret to five minute blitz – please give me some advice 🙂
This post is so relevant to me as i am really trying to take a step back from it all at the minute but it’s hard!
basically its just a hobby so it shouldn’t feel like i ‘have’ to do it but it frequently does. Its all the reading and commenting that takes up so much of my time but i feel really rude if it don’t do it! x
Yes! So easy to get more and more sucked in (blogged down?). I will send something to keep your pecker up or whatever is the female equivalent, Katie x
There’s not doubt about it, I spend FAR too much time blogging….or doing blogging related things eg Tweeting, surfing, thinking, making notes, commenting, responding, reading other blogs. Probably 75% of my day! It sucks you in doesn’t it?!
Ashamed to admit I just took friend’s dog for a walk on the meadow and wrote a couple of emails while there. Including one to friend ‘from her dog’ with his photo attached. Can understand now why Barack Obama said his security people would have to surgically remove his mobile. I can’t imagine going out for day without it, but I can without family – what does that say?!
Did you ping me on this as a cautionary tale? Or because I’m online too much? 😉
I have a lot to say on this. A few months ago I made a big decision to stop blogging (not writing) but blogging. I blog once a week now and write elsewhere more. I have started a new habit of getting up at 5 am a few days a week and writing for 2 hours before life begins. At least then if I spend time on social media and promotion, I have already spent time on what brought me to blogging in the first place: writing.
Nothing personal Deb! 5 am is impressive. 18 months back I was getting up at 4am every morning for few weeks and working on 7 projects, but this was overdoing it and I ended up at chiropractor. Feel guilty about writing/drawing/blogging when it imposes on family time in the evening, so morning does seem like a better idea.
This post is so relevant to me right now – having just launched a new blog I’m still finding my feet as how often a new post should go up. So far it’s every day except Sunday. It’s more a career than just an interest!
Thanks Laura. 6 days a week sounds alot to do on your own unless you’re an established brand. Can I recommend Alice Elliott at the Fairy Blogmother? She’s got a great site with lots of very clear and useful info about Blogging and Digital Marketing. In fact she’s so good, I was still reading her posts in the early hours. And on a Sunday!! Best of luck with the new blog, and don’t work yourself too hard 🙂
Does this make you a HEIRoin addict?
Ha. You crack me up.
Yes, when you start I think that you do go through a massive crazy period.
Then you regain control.
Then if you are unlucky you get nominated for an award and become crazy obsessed again!
Then the reality that you need life and balance kicks back in again.
Then in my case you start a business and barely manage to blog once a month and lose a big chunk of your hard earned readers, sob, sob, sob!
But one day I’ll be back, in a balanced way of course ;o)
‘If you are unlucky you get nominated for an award’ !! Hilarious!
Know what you mean though, and it’s easy to spiral out of control with these things especially if you’re like me and think ‘just one more click’ before lunch etc.
It’s all a journey isn’t it, and finding that balance is a life’s work it seems to me.
Thanks for popping by, and helpful to have those insights from someone who’s been there. Very best of luck to you 🙂
I would love to spend more time on my blog but it’s just not doable, so posts on my Franglaise Mummy blog go up once or twice a week, and posts on Hubs and my Franglaise Cooking blog go up twice to three times a week. I also wish I had more time to do the social media side and to read all the other blogs I’d like to….
I think you’re amazing to do that much. I know how long it takes just to do the artwork and layout, let alone getting the posts in some sort of order on the site so it looks the same when you post it to how it looked on the drawing board!
I can so relate to your graphs, Jo. I said I would give my blogs three months and if it hadn’t had any impact in that time I was prepared to be mercenary and kill it off. Here I am 18 months later and regularly getting up at 5am to undertake mundane blog maintenance!
Very well done on being short listed for the BiBs. Here’s hoping we’re both finalisits and get to meet on the night!
Quite nice to think there are loads of us getting up in the early hours and tinkering away. Like hundreds of highly skilled precision engineers. Ahem, I’m getting carried away now … Yes, well done to you too and good luck to us both. Hope to see you there, John 🙂
I’m with Deb @ Urban Moo Cow. You have to remember why you came to blogging in the first place. For me it’s 100% an outlet to write and that’s it. I’m not so focused on the tweeting, social networking or PR stuff and I accept this means that my blog will probably remain a small blog with a few loyal readers. But I’m happy with that. I think a lot of us (me included) are aspiring writers who haven’t had the opportunity to write before and are possibly hoping to get ‘discovered’ through our blogging. But there are so many blogs now I wonder how often that happens. So blogging is brilliant and I can’t see myself giving it up any time soon but I think people can get preoccupied with stats and awards and I imagine this is a dangerous and addictive game that can knock your self-esteem. So you have to remember why you’re doing it. I have to admit Jo, I haven’t really read your blog before but I really like it and your skill in drawing gives it a unique edge. I’ll be reading more. Hope you get some sleep ;0)
Thanks for your thoughtful thoughts iyswim, and glad you like the drawings. A bit like marriage, got to look at the wedding photos together sometimes to remember what it’s all about! So easy to veer off the tracks and get caught up in the stuff that doesn’t really matter. Luckily my Jetpack stats thing is broken so don’t know who’s out there (apart from family) and i can’t be bothered to log in to analytics. I’ve taken on board what Mummy Whisperer has also said below, or above, or wherever her comment gets placed on here, and will keep my feet on the ground and not tucked under the laptop. For what it’s worth, I think you are very funny …
Blogging is far too time-consuming…which is why I now tend to write only two posts every week. I do Twitter and the social media thing during ‘dead times’, such as waiting at the school gate, etc…
If, like you, I had to draw as well, I wouldn’t be able to manage. Well done !
Oh, and congrats for the #Bibs2014 shortlist! I am in the ‘outstanding ‘ category. Yay!
‘Only’ two posts a week! About a year ago I was doing one every other day: dreaming them up, drawing, posting on one day; the next on social media tweeting about it. Ended up one night not being able to get out of bed where I had to stay for a few painful days with neck in spasm and frozen shoulder. Family was definitely beginning to suffer!
Congrats to you too on #BiBs shortlist. I’ve always liked your Blog and you deserve to do really well. Hope to meet you at The Brewery, Muriel!
Hah I’m blogging a short while and I’m slowly but surely giving more time to my blog,.. eek go it a get my proprieties sorted – sleep and eating can go instead!I’m really enjoying because I really feel like it’s something for me but I didn’t realise how much there was involved in it. In saying all this, I’m not going to stop any time soon. It’s the best hobby I’ve had in ages
Yeah its a great hobby. Pretty harmless as hobbies go too though dont know if my OH would agree. Thanks for stopping by Geraldine #fortheloveofBLOG
Definitely more than 8 hours! It has become a bit of an obsession for me and I’m struggling to find the right balance. x #fortheloveofBLOG
I’m about 4-6 hours a day sometimes more. Struggling to find a balance too and would hate it if OH spent as much time tapping away x #fortheloveofBLOG
The pictures are great! And your charts resemble my life right now. I’m about to go self hosted and it’s all a bit frantic! If anything glitches arghhh haha! #fortheloveofBLOG
Ah thanks for that. I wrote it quite a while ago now and things havent improved, in fact its probably 90% blogging and 10% everything else. Good luck with going over to the other side! #fortheloveofBLOG
My daughter has noticed that I spend more time on my laptop nowadays. But it has sparked an interest with her to write, so not all bad I guess 😉
#fortheloveofBLOG
Exactly the same with my son Ali. He’s really into creative writing and drawing especially since I included some of his work in a blog post about an Ai Wei Wei exhibition we visited together. #fortheloveofBLOG
Ha, this is so me!! I’ve often been heard exclaiming “this blog has taken over my life!!”…but I love it really!! 😉 #fortheloveofBLOG
Yup love and hate opposite sides of same coin. Glad you identified with it. Don’t know what I’d do without it now 🙂 #fortheloveofBLOG
Wow you are superwoman. New to the scene I decided very early on I had to rein it in as my life was suffering…rather than doing exercise or chatting to my kids after school I would find myself glued to the computer. Just a quick check of the other blogs out there, a couple of linkys etc it soon became a couple of hours gone. I have such huge admiration for those that do it full-time with full editorial schedules etc but it’s not for me …. at the moment anyway. Glad I have found your blog will be tuning in more frequently. #fortheloveofBLOG
Hi Jo, Yup superwoman that’s me. If superwoman looks like she’s wearing a fright wig in the morning mirror, can’t find a matching pair of footsies and wonders why the pile of rubble in the corner of the garden doesn’t miraculously morph into a Homes and Garden terrazza. Just as you say, time slips away on the computer so welcome to this funny old world. I read your house burnt down. Wow. I’d love to hear more about that one, what a terrible thing to happen, but glad you all survived. I have a teenager in the making (who also says fink) so will come and visit your site too for hints and tips. Another Jo #fortheloveofBLOG
I am a newbie and have been sucked in by blogging, most of the time the kids are at school or in bed when I blog but my house work has definitely taken a hit because of blogging #KCACOLS
House work? I’m sure I’ve heard that term before Charlotte but can’t remember when 😉 Good luck with the new blog I’ll come and take a look #KCACOLS
Haha, I think my life piecharts would be very similar! But then I’m not doing any paid work currently so…blogging it is! #KCACOLS
Ooh what a luxury to be blogging ‘full time’. I first wrote this post quite a while ago Sarah and since then have given up pretty much everything. Balance? wassat then? If my child wants to speak to me, he can put in a formal application and wait in line with everyone else. Nice to know there’s someone else out there with similar pie charts #KCACOLS
It certainly can start to take over your life! Don’t think I have quite reached the bottom pie chart yet, probably still on the middle one! #kcacols
Well you can still be saved I think. Hold on to the sides of your life and accept all offers from friends and family to coffee or lunch. (Make sure you take your laptop just in case you go cold turkey) 🙂 #KCACOLS
I don’t think my family has seen less of me , but they haven’t seen me without my head in my phone ! #kcacols
haha i think that’s exactly the point. I’m no less visible on the outside either. I have strict instructions NOT to look at my mobile during meals. Quite right too but they don’t know I’m memorising their every work for the next post … #KCACOLS
Haha, I love this. I also love a good pie-chart and I am very jealous of your pie-chart making ability 😉 I have recently eased back a little from blogging. I will say that when I blog I am rubbish at telling people and find myself forgetting to tweet it – whoops! #KCACOLS ps I want to be able to draw like you!!
Hi Emma, thanks for the thumbs up. You can find pie charts on the web and I just stick my own shit in there. Clever, non? When I started, I felt like you, and a bit like why aren’t people not admiring my paintings even though they are all hidden in the attic. Don’t draw like me – draw like yourself! Just practice and as I tell my son it’s 90% observation, so sharpen those pencils, find something you like and draw it 10 times. You’ll be surprised at how much better you get at it and even if you don’t, it’ll be fun. Let me know how you get on. x #KCACOLS
It’s definitely an addictive hobby! And a constant balancing act. But you’re right – I’m so much more efficient with my time now – not a second is ever wasted! #KCACOLS
Well done you Katy – wish I was more efficient. I might come and stalk your site and see how you do it 🙂 #KCACOLS
Really spot on post, Jo. Unfortunately, I’m at the drooling mess stage at the mo. Need. More. Sleep. But I think that’s cos I’m only 6 months in and there’s more to do than just writing a post. Posts take a long time to write, the social media thing is such a challenge and there are techinical glitches to be overcome every now and again too. It does suck you in though and I don’t want to be the mum who is always sitting at her computer. #Fortheloveofblog
Hi Jane thanks for this. Look basically we’re all drooling messes but some cover it up better. I’m with you on taking it seriously enough that it takes an awfully long time to write, put out there etc. I imagine its like a racing driver having to learn all about the internal combustion engine as it relates to his particular car, doing the PR and advertising to get everyone to come and cheer him on, then getting in the car and doing hundreds of laps a day. Phew I’m actually weary thinking about it but I might make that into a blog post now. See everything turns into a blogpost in the end! I’m sure your family are happy you are doing something for you that doesn’t take you to the pub all night. Yet. xJo #fortheloveofBLOG
I absolutely love this! You are spot on, as time goes on and you continue to keep up the blogging as well as improve your blog constantly, it begins to take over your life! I’m pleased to see you saw the error of your ways, taking too much time sleeping to begin with and have now altered things 😉 Fab post #fortheloveofBLOG
Hi Bridie, So glad you like the post. I do wonder about the emotional toll on everyone this end but frankly if I was working 9-5 plus travel to and from work, I’d be a lot less visible than at present. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. Thanks alot for commenting 😉 xJo #fortheloveofBLOG
I love looking at your illustrations and then looking again when I’ve read the text because there’s so much detail! I loved the pear logo on your laptop! OMG am pretty new to blogging but I’ve really had to watch it, it’s so easy to get obsessed with writing new posts, promoting the latest and faffing on lovely social media. I’m trying to restrict to either my work time (freelancing goes out the window!!) and evenings when the kids are in bed! Do you ever have blog break? am thinking of having 3 weeks off in Aug. #chucklemums
We are going away for 2 weeks and I’m sort of dreading it but looking forward to it at the same time. Why don’t we all agree to just lay off in August altogether and blog during the term time? That way no one misses out.Thanks for your kind comments, I read some of your post on parents visit to my son as a bedtime story. Put that in your pipe 🙂 #chucklemums
I love the photos at the beginning so cute and right on. The kids know they can get away with more when I am writing. aka typing. I love the pie charts and make a consistent effort not to let blogging over take my life 🙂 Thanks for the reminder. #KCACOLS
haha wish they WERE photos Jen. Then I could genuinely disappear for a while. Yes one does have to make an effort. Thanks for your comment, Jo #KCACOLS
Less sleeping – of course! *Sets Alarm* Not forgotten poem either, tis last week of reception and feel like have no time for ANYTHING EVER #chucklemums
Yes all that wasted time sleeping Sarah. Hard to know where else to cut corners. Not meals! Good luck with end of Reception, you’ve survived the year yay! xJo #chucklemums
I bet it’s only got worse since you did this post! I dread to think how much time I put into this hobby. I say hobby, because obsession sounds a bit sadder than I want to admit 😉 #chucklemums
I know exactly what you mean Fran. No its definitely a hobby, I mean look how many of us there are all doing the same thing, now that’s not obsessive is it? #chucklemums
My blog’s 1-year birthday is tomorrow (!!!!), and I honestly feel like I’m putting more time into it than I ever have. I’ve recently accepted my very first paid campaigns, and I never really realized quite how stressful they can be. So much of my time goes into blogging, it’s really kind of scary! And even when I’m not blogging, I’m thinking about blogging… #KCACOLS
Happy Blogday Savannah! That’s quite an anniversary. Well done for getting paid at last – not gone down that road yet though it is tempting. Take some time out in August. At least a few minutes a day for a Pimms in the garden? #KCACOLS
I hear ya! I try to keep my blogging separate to family, the kids come first but Himself has a little sulk if he thinks the blog is getting more attention than him 🙂 I think the fact that there is literally NO END to the amount of work you can do makes it hard to know when to call it a day and not let it take over your life!! #BloggerClubUK
You’ve hit the nail on the head. There is NO END indeed and i sometimes lie awake at night thinking about widgets and plugins and the next post. You are still sane clearly but your family need taming if they think they deserve to be in front of the blog 😉 #BloggerClubUK
I laughed that you were ‘wasting your time sleeping’ when you could have been surfing or tweeting!!!
#bloggerclubuk
Ooh nice little poem there Sarah! #bloggerclubUK
Hehe, love this! I’m too scared to add up the hours I spend blogging for real – I don’t think I’d like the results! xD #KCACOLS
Yes it’s scary stuff Jess – I could have a top job in Theresa May’s cabinet by now or knitted about 200 baby cardigans if it wasn’t for this damn blog #KCACOLS
Love the pie charts! Blogging is definitely starting to take over my life a little… #bloggerclubuk
Thanks, wait until the family can’t remember your name and then give up blogging for a week or two #bloggerclubUK
Awesome post! I love the usage of pie charts it makes it so much more attractive. However, the results on them are a bit drastic.. or at least that sort of thing didn’t happen to me… yet
Thanks so much Annie. The results are drastic indeed – perhaps slightly exaggerated though. I see you’ve been going for under a year and you will either settle down to a reasonable amount of blogging time per week of end up like me.
Ah I agree with you it’s so easy to get consumed by blogging if you let it. #BloggerClubUK
It’s a lifestyle – never known anything like it. Thanks for your comment Helena. Jo #BloggerClubUK
It certainly is Helena. Will try and cut myself some slack in August #BloggerClubUK
That’s so true Helena. #BloggerClubUK
Same here! I started on a whim, a bit of a hobby etc and now it’s turning into a career that I can’t leave alone! I reckon I probably spend at least 35 hours a week blogging. That is the same as a full time job! Crazy hey? Thanks for joining us on #fortheloveofBLOG
35 hours a week? You’re right it’s crazy but i say join the club. We’re learning so much about ourselves along the way it’s like therapy, creative writing course and book club all rolled into one. A whole education.#fortheloveofblog
Yup crazy but join the club. I’m sure i do at least 50 hours a week but would be afraid to add it all up #fortheloveofblog
I’m sure i put in longer hours than a full time job. Dead scary. #fortheloveofBlog
This made me giggle. I’m a newbie blogger.I think this is week 3?! My husband is already missing me lol!! I thought it was just because I was trying to get to grips with things. But it sounds like things are going to get a lot worse 😉 #KCACOLS
Week 3 !! Wait my dear till its week 33 or week 333. You. will. not. recognise. your. life. It’ll be so much ‘better’ 🙂 #KCACOLS
Hi Kate, good luck with your new blog – just wait till you get well and truly sucked in! 😉 #KCACOLS
Thanks Kate. I wont lie and say they get easier. But they do get more fun 🙂 #KCACOLS
LOVE THIS!! I can’t believe how much sleep you have lost. LOVE how there’s only room for verbs and none of your “sluggish noun-type words like family and social life” HAH HAH!!! FAB! #TheList xx
Thanks Cheryl – yeah sleeps for sissies. Good of you to drop by 🙂 #TheList
I’m a blogging newbie but loving it already! I find the writing bit takes the least time – it’s the social media, linkys and everything else that takes the time. #thelist
I know exactly what you mean Suzanne. Even when i do a short post and it takes a couple of days, the tweeting, linkys et al are fathomless. Have to drag myself off to bed most nights for the rest of the week way too late. #TheList
Oops! I’m a newbie blogger and I can already see how tie consuming it could be!
Oh yes – it will consume you like a sort of fascinating digital triffid!
Haha! Yes, it completely takes over! Which is why it’s gone midnight & I’m trying to do my commenting when I desperately need sleep, clearly! 😉
Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next Sunday
Just gone midnight here and am commenting too. I never comment as much when OH talks to me though – perhaps he should join a linky and get more sense out of me that way 🙂 Thanks for your time and your funky fonty blog! #KCACOLS
Sometimes I get into bed and realise I haven’t actually properly looked at my husband all evening! And i’m just a newbie, I can imagine it will get much worse!! #KCACOLS
Someone once did a survey and found the majority of people didn’t know the colour of their partner’s eyes. I’m sorry to say it gets much worse Emilie. Or better, depends on which way you look at it 😉 #KCACOLS
This is bloody awesome, hilarious and scarily true to my life, I am trying to consciously not blog or tweet, or think of blogging and tweeting whilst with my son so now after he goes to bed I ignore my partner, cancelled my Amazon subscription and get far less sleep than I used too…in blog world things take up a lots more time!!Its kind of Alice in wonderlandy mental..#thelist
Sorry its taken so long to get back to you Jade. I’ve only just emerged from my blog bunker! Every single night i commit to going to bed earlier but I don’t take much notice. #thelist
I’m afraid to draw up my pie chart!
It’s a scary thing to do.