The last comment on my very old June post spoke of blog burnout. And we've all been there. Somehow, what started out as fun turns into just one more task we have to accomplish on a regular basis. Those of you with jobs, hobbies, a church, children, and insatiable food cravings know what I'm talking about. Yes, I could get everything I need to in 24 hours, but who wants to do that?
I'm going somewhere with this. Really. I think "down time" has been given a bad rap. Kinda like SUVs in California. Sometime around 1984 (I've narrowed it down to September), some guy in a suit made the decision that daydreaming equaled laziness. I beg to differ. Although, by the time we grow up, we refer to it as "meditating."
I've decided (without confering the afformentioned suit) that the average male of my species requires 2.37 hours of "nothing" time daily (no, ladies, THAT doesn't count). It doesn't all have to happen at once. I suggest you pace yourself. Start with a Calvin & Hobbes comic collection. That definately counts. Sitcoms count, too, but they often leave you feeling a bit slimy, so I recommend another source. During the course of this downtime, the brainwaves darn near flatline. The heart should keep beating. If it stops, consult your family physician or have your wife initiate THAT. Either method is fine.
After several weeks, you should be very near the daily recommended allowance of dowtime. Let nothing interfere. Not blogging, not work, maybe THAT. But that's where I have to draw the line.
Ready to get started? Okay, here we go...
5 comments:
One of the most thoughtful men I know is a farmer. Yep, a farmer. See, he has lots of time when all around is wide open space, and he gets to think about things.
Since so many men have left the rural life behind, days look more like whirlwinds than meditation sessions. If you spend your working hours brain-tested on the pragmatic level, I can see that there would be little left for the theoretic level a blog demands. Or, for those who actually journal in their blogs, more of the pragmatic.
Just so you know, Ron, I have The Marketing Writer on Bloglines, so whenever you do write ... I'm there.
Becky
i'M sCREWED.
LOL! Sounds good to me. My hubby's already a whiz at this. Now I understand where the pseudonym "throne" came into play for the, uh hum...toilet. :-)
Blogging should not be an end in itself.
There's this man who thought it was his destiny to write the "Great American Novel". But first he had to finish another career; then he decided it would have to wait until he finished some college courses; then he had to wait until he could afford a computer to make the writing easier; then, after startig a story, he lost the file somehow; then there were excuses ad finitum. It seems his real destiny was to "want" to write the Great American Novel, not to really write it.
The motto of one of our athletic shoes manufacturers is "Just do it!" Pretty good advice for all of us.
Hizzoner
We sure missed you at ACFW, dude! How was your week?
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