Making Time to Blog

In Three Responses to "But I Don't Have Time to Blog" from Free Technology for Teachers by noreply@blogger.com, Mr. Byrne shares,

“Earlier this month at the Authentic Learning Workshop I was asked, "what do you say to teachers who say I don't have time for a blog?" I offered a few responses …”

Here is how I would respond:

First of all, everyone makes time to do the things they want to do. If you value what you are doing and you feel it makes a difference, you will find time to do it. It is when you feel that it is a waste of time and you don’t think it is of value that you start finding excuses not to do it.

I also think that you need to give something an honest try to decide how you feel about something. I know someone who gives it the “three-try” rule where she tries it three times before she makes a decision about something. She doesn’t buy expensive equipment without seeing if she can borrow it and try it for three times before she makes a decision about it. I think that is a good idea with blogging but rather than just three times, make it a time limit such as three weeks or three months before deciding if it works for you.

I also think deciding on how often you blog will help. Just like exercising, sometimes by having a plan helps keep you on track. My husband plans to exercise at least three times a week and he says that anything more is icing on the cake. By deciding how often you want to blog and sticking with that schedule, you will find that it is not so overwhelming. But make sure you include some days where you don’t blog or you will get burned out.

Think about your purpose and your audience. Knowing this will help your writing. Sometimes when I hit a mindblock, I avoid writing and then think I don’t have time to write. But knowing that I want to stick to my schedule, I will force myself to sit down and write. Sometimes it just takes getting started to get the ideas flowing.

I like to think of blogging as a way to share my ideas. When other people comment on my post, it opens up a conversation. I remind myself that if I didn’t take the time to blog, I could be missing out on some valuable opportunities for a rich conversation.

So, how would you respond to people who say they don’t have time to blog? Please share.

Image: 'grandfather watch'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66603426@N05/6827397725
Found on flickrcc.net