Friday, August 23, 2013

september: embarking on a cleanse of sorts.





a tiny snippet of the geeky school lists i've been scribbling out lately

I'll admit this is a somewhat awkwardly-timed post, & I'll also admit that I had other plans for my post today, but those plans just haven't panned out on my end.

I'm going to admit something to you, & it's something I'm not happy about. I let school overwhelm me so much yesterday evening, that I spent the night-time-part of my birthday close to tears, in a heap of frustration, & just generally in a state of unhappiness. And I wasn't pleasant to be around. I know I wasn't.

Twenty-seven was such a great birthday. There was a pouring out of love & gifts coming at me from all directions, & I was beyond grateful for it all. The fact that I let school dampen my spirits & manifest itself in a negative way, in my thoughts, actions, mood, treatment of others, etc. kind of sickens me. I went to bed last night, after brainstorming schedules & plans of action, vowing to get in control of everything, figure out my priorities, & devise a plan of success for this crazy semester. 

And that's what I did today. 

I'm coming to you from a place of such increased clarity & ease of mind that I'm actually really excited about what I'm about to tell all of you. 

I am taking the month of September off of blogging. 

First of all, let me clarify: I am taking the month of September - other than Sundays - off of blogging. The Sunday Currently has been going on for almost an entire year now, & I have no intentions of stopping - ever, really. As long as things continue going on in my life [which I hope is always, obviously], I will continue wrapping it all up in my weekly post. And I will enthusiastically invite all of you to continue linking up with me. I know I don't always comment, but I do always read. And I will continue to tweet all the TSC linkers each week.

Now that we've got that clarified, I have a few things to say about my blogging cleanse. In the two years I've been blogging in this space know as siddathornton, my purpose has changed multiple times, my layout has changed multiple times, my attitude toward blogging has fluctuated immensely, & - I believe - the content of my blog has fluctuated immensely. Blogging is a fluid thing - all of the components I mentioned above are constantly changing. And sometimes I find that to be an exhilarating thing. And sometimes I find it to be an overwhelming - in a bad way - thing. 

So, for September, I am going to practice the art of observation. I'm going to observe what I love about the blogging world. I'm going to observe what I don't like about the blogging world. I'm going to observe my feelings toward certain subjects & toward certain styles. And at the end of September, I'm going to come away with the knowledge of where this blog is headed in the future. Whether it's a blog that runs solely on The Sunday Currently postings... whether it's a blog heavy on makeup reviews... whether it's a blog that's updated every single day... whether it's a blog that is updated only when I have put together a post that has been picked apart & obsessed over... I can safely & almost completely confidently say that this blog will go on for the foreseeable future.

Blogging is something I see myself always taking part in. But for the month of September, I will be observing. 

And throwing myself into school. And finding a school routine that is conducive to success. 

And once that routine is found, I will feel confident in integrating blogging back into that routine. 

Well, this post is already miles long, so I'll go ahead & tell you this, too: I am also giving up reading for pleasure. But I'm not just giving that up for September, I'm giving that up from this point forward, until all of my classes are complete this semester. I have too much to read for school - it needs to be given my undivided attention. So, rather than diving into the Game of Thrones series this fall, as I previously intended, I will be diving into my Statistics book... or Anatomy & Physiology book... or Ethics book... or whatever else school book each night before bed. This isn't a decision I'm necessarily thrilled about, but it's a decision that I know will be more conducive the to type of grades I'm hoping to achieve this semester. 

So, there's that. 

Rest assured: when October rolls around, I'll have a plan for this blog up my sleeve. When mid-December rolls around, I'll be posting my Winter Reading List. And when Sundays roll around, there will always, always be a The Sunday Currently post going up at noon eastern.

Of those things, you can be sure.

Until then, I will be finishing out Blaugust strong, with a post each day. I don't know what those posts will be, but there will be posts.

Tell me: what do you do to keep your priorities in order? Have you ever taken a blogging break? Please share any anecdotes or advice. Here's to taking control of our lives, knowing our priorities, & doing whatever is necessary to get those priorities in order.

13 comments:

siddathornton said...

I will miss you, especially considering I just re-discovered your blog (I think I lost my subscription when Google Reader went down or something ... boo!), but I hope September proves to be very creative and inspiring for you. :) And I'm glad the Sunday Currently isn't leaving, because I want to start linking up!

P.S. - I'm giving you a special shout-out in my weekly recap post tomorrow, if you want to check it out. :)

siddathornton said...

Although we hate to see you go, sometimes, when something that was once fun becomes work, you need some time away from it in order to see it more clearly! See you for Sunday Currently :)

siddathornton said...

Will miss you, but sometimes people need a break. School is a priority and I totally get it!!! Look forward to Sunday Currently's!

siddathornton said...

exaclty - school is a priority! i wish i was a super organized person who could have it all together off the bat, but i'm having trouble juggling my four classes at the moment, & i know that after a month it'll all be under control & i'll be able to have my thoughts together to put out actual quality posts. i'm looking forward to taking some time to get it all organized in my head.

siddathornton said...

thank you for saying this! that's exactly what justin & i were saying earlier - that i just need some time away to decide what direction to go in next. i think this is going to be a really good thing for me. AND i'll be able to get school under control. thank you for the encouragement!

siddathornton said...

thank you so much for this sweet comment! i'm hoping september sheds some light on where i need to go next with my blog - i think it'll prove illuminating! and yes, please do join in for the sunday currently. the good thing about my not blogging in september [other than the currently posts] will be that i will have ample time to read & comment on everyone's posts. i'm really looking forward to that!


i will definitely check out your post - thank you for giving me a shout-out! :)

siddathornton said...

I will definitely miss your posts, Lauren, but it sounds like this is an important thing to do. School is important, and it sounds like you are valuing not just that responsibility but also your overall well-being. I hope that September brings you that clarity and balance!

siddathornton said...

thank you, sarah! i think september will be a good month to get everything back in order. i know that in a month's time, i'll have everything under control & i'll feel better about letting blogging take up so much of my time. i was telling justin that i love blogging so much that it becomes a big distraction, which is normally ok, but with all these challenging classes ahead, i thought it best to just completely [except for sundays] remove the temptation.


thank you for your encouraging words!

siddathornton said...

Well, I'm going to miss your posts, but totally understand the need for a break. I hope its everything you need it to be!


xo
Erin

siddathornton said...

I hope your time off is everything you want it to be and MORE! (And I hope you're still able to find some time for Game of Thrones... it's amazing!)

siddathornton said...

thank you! game of thrones is definitely going into the rotation as soon as i'm back to reading things other than school books. i can't wait to read it!

siddathornton said...

thank you so much! :)

siddathornton said...

I've taken many, many blogging breaks, but I've actually recommitted myself. I want to interact with other people on my blog, and every time I take a break, finding readings and people to interact with becomes a challenge - it's essentially like starting all over again. I've found that not feeling guilty for not posting EVERY day, having regular columns, and scheduling post have helped me in being consistent and maintaining sanity :)

the back and forth.

Justin had to turn on the air conditioner again last night.  It's October 26 - doesn't that mean the heater can stay on? Doesn't...