The posts which do best on this site are those in which I’m most honest. Honestly!
So I’m going to be honest with you today: I’m kinda lazy. It’s not uncommon for me to seek out the path of least resistance; to find an easier way. That’s not a great quality to have if you’re trying to side hustle and Get Rich Quick’ish.
Table of Contents
SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE
I’m not living the FI-Life yet, which means my time isn’t my own. Not even close. Today 70% of my waking hours belong to my employer. That’s what’s required of me in order to collect my paycheck. And if you think the amount of time I spend at work is insane – you’re probably in the exact same boat if you have a full time job. Run the numbers and see for yourself.
I’m also the father of four pretty amazing kids that range in age from 6 to 16. Kids require and need a lot of time from the parents. Parenting is hard work and time seems to fly by so fast. I’ve only got 2 more years until my kids start leaving the house.
It doesn’t seem all that long ago that my world was flipped upside down with the arrival of our first born. Now he’s got one foot out the door? How the hell did that happen so fast??
BEST USE OF MY TIME
These days my time allocation is completely ass backwards. Work gets the biggest chunk, followed by my kids, then my wife. Far too often the only time I have for my wife is what’s left after being gone to work all day, cleaning up after dinner, doing homework with the kids, then getting them ready for and into bed.
Usually by that time I’m exhausted (and probably a bit grumpy as well). That’s a recipe for disaster and I’ve not stayed married for over 18.5 years by following those types of recipes. Maintaining healthy relationships requires flexibility, compromise, and evolution. So something’s gotta give.
THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE
The lazy man in me would love to eliminate my full time job from the equation. That would free up the most amount of time and would allow me to spend my days however I please, but I’m still a wage slave that’s in need of a paycheck, so eliminating my full time job is off the table at the moment.
I’ve already got precious little time with my family these days so I’m unwilling to compromise on that front. So that leaves this blog.
Get Rich Quick’ish takes up far more time than most realize. I love the blog. It helps me stay focused on achieving my goal of financial independence and early retirement. In fact, I WILL reach financial independence earlier than expected because of this little site, which has helped me stay focused on my financial goals.
For that reason alone I highly recommend that you start your own blog if you haven’t already done so.
PUMPING THE BRAKES
But I need to pull back. I’ve been trying post three times per week this year and that’s proving to be too much for me. As of today I’m retreating back to the safety of my original posting schedule of ‘whenever I feel like it!’ That means I’ll post about once per week.
The lazy man in me is far more comfortable with that. I think my writing will improve and I can publish posts that are more beneficial to my readers rather than just wasting their time with ‘filler posts’ that went up only because it was a posting day.
In the meantime I’m going to review some of my posts and pull them down if they suck. I may rewrite some and re-post them later. Or I might scrap them altogether if they’re unsalvageable.
Deciding to step back has been on my mind a lot recently and this has been a surprisingly difficult decision for me to make. I love writing and engaging with readers and other personal finance bloggers. And I’m also just now starting to taste success!
Last month broke every single blog stat that I track (and this month is on track to be even better!). Here are my April bests:
- Most visitors!
- Most pageviews!
- Most posts published!
- Most comments from readers!
- Most new email list sign ups!
- Most revenue earned!
- Most new email signups!
- Most new social media followers!
- Most time spent on the site by me!!!
It’s no surprise that these results started appearing immediately after I began putting in more time. After all, success is like a blister – it shows up after all the hard work.
But I’m no longer willing to work like that right now. One of my favorite quotes (which is on my semi-secret quotes page) says:
No success outside the home can compensate for failure within it
Nothing bad is going on in our home. In fact, things are very good right now and I intend to do all that I can to make sure it stays that way.
I’m not throwing in the towel, but I am pumping the brakes. That’s hard to do after tasting some success, but that’s the decision I’ve made and I’m happy with it.
I’ll still be around and I’ll still be posting, but just not as much. You can keep up with this blog by leaving your name and email address in the form on sidebar and I’ll send you my private monthly newsletter. You can also follow me on Twitter where I’ll be most active and visible.
Chime in!
Have you been able to strike a good balance on your blog, or do you spend too much time? Or maybe not enough? Let me know.
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I’m one of those people who can never go at anything in moderation. I’m probably on the high end of effort for a blog at three days a week plus socially engaged. I am contemplating cutting back, but really to two days a week for the summer only. We shall see if I do it, but I find about half way through the week I’ve written two posts without noticing. The third one is always something I push myself to write on a saturday.
FullTimeFinance recently posted…What does the Personal in Personal Finance Mean?
I know this will seemingly contradict my post, but I also tend to go all in on things as well and this blog is a good example. I still look for the easiest path, but like you, I have a hard time doing things I’m passionate about in moderation. Best of luck with your decision!
It’s a tough balance especially with kids! I enjoy blogging too much to throw in the towel, but pulling back a bit isn’t bad. Balance is important and in the end family is priority.
Swan!! No way I could walk away from GRQ at this point, but I think scaling back, at least for the next few months, will be a welcome break. Hope you’re doing well!
I have always been a path of least resistance guy. I did the minimal acceptable work in high school to get into a good enough college. I did the minimal acceptable work in undergrad. I did the minimal acceptable work in law school. I have been working hard at changing this over the past few years. It just doesn’t feel like a fulfilling way to go through life.
I respect the decision to dial the blog back. Family always has to come first. What’s the point of achieving success if you don’t have loved ones around to share it with? Best of luck with the new balance!
Matt @ Optimize Your Life recently posted…Make Space to Be Wrong
Thanks, Matt! I’m hoping that reaching FI/ER will help to solve this problem. I stand my my ‘least resistance’ assessment, but at the same time when I find something that I’m passionate about, I go all-in on it and can become consumed (like this blog). A huge problem is that today my full-time job cuts into my personal time so much that I can’t focus on what I love. Hopefully when I’ve got more time, there won’t been a need/desire to seek the path of least resistance.
Wise choice Ty.
Ultimately blogging is a hobby that, with the exception of a very select few, isn’t likely to yield a life changing income stream.
Hobbies are supposed to be fun, but the fun diminishes if you’re getting shouted at for not having done your chores or given the hurry up to join the family doing the real fun stuff.
I reached a similar conclusion myself a few months ago, and must say I’m enjoying the blogging more for it.
I can’t help but feel that my writing will greatly improve once the enjoyment comes back. Also hoping that life in general feels a bit better when I’m no longer burning the candle at both ends. Thanks for the encouragement, Slow Dad!
I totally get it and understand! I could keep up with the blog when I was freelancing, as it was sort of part of it. Even without kids I still struggle with finding the time! I think you will find with even one post not much will change with your stats, or may even continue to improve!
Tonya@Budget and the Beach recently posted…How I Spend My (Bleep!) Bucks!
Thanks, Tonya! I’m hoping that my posts improve in quality, and if that means that blog stats remain steady then I’ll be more than pleased!
I often say, sometimes you have to take a step back to progress forward. I admire (even more) for recognizing that’s what you need to do right now.
I’m still figuring it all out for my blog and myself, but posting twice a week seems right for now with working full-time and coaching on the side.
Enjoy the family this summer and recharge yourself! I’ll be here reading whenever you post! 🙂
Right on! Two steps forward, one step back is still progress. Thanks, Amy!
You made an excellent decision. Something’s gotta give. There are plenty of bloggers who post around once a week.
You know that saying about how people feel on their death bed — no one says “Gee I wish I worked more”. I doubt you would say “Gee I wish I had blogged more”. But you might wish you’d spent some more fun time with your wife. Waaaay more important than blogging.
Mrs. Groovy recently posted…Sure, I’m the Fabulous Mr. Groovy, But I’m Still a Dude with Flaws
Thanks, Mrs. G! It’s painful to step back just as things are picking up, but at the same time I know it’s the right call, so I’m at peace with it.
It sounds to me like you’re doing exactly what you need to do Ty! And I completely understand. I admit, I have been wondering how you have been posting so much (where does he find the time!?) Time spent with loved ones is more important. I bet you will still continue to see success with the blog, even with one post a week.
I don’t even have a full time job and I’m down to 2 posts/week – with one that’s typically short and sweet. In fact, I expect there will be weeks during the summer when I only get one post up. My almost 17 year old is seriously considering signing up for the Air Force – which means in about a year, he’ll be heading out. I’m taking all the time I can to spend with him this summer.
Amanda @ centsiblyrich recently posted…How to use money as a tool
We can always go out and earn more money, but we’ll NEVER get this time back with our kids. It’s a no-brainer, isn’t it!
When it comes to family and children, definitely spend time with them. I already feel guilty enough when I am at work knowing I am not hanging out with my little dude. He is still less than 2 which means he is sleeping early and I get more time to write/blog.
When he is older I won’t hesitate to dial back my blog if I need to. I have enjoyed writing 3 times a week but am still finding a good balance. My problem is that internet browsing and Facebook keep me away from getting more done. I need to re prioritize to get more done more efficiently. I am giving myself the added resistance that is unnecessary.
I always appreciate the honesty and insight of the blog, look forward to reading future articles!
Save Splurge Deny Debt – Cameron recently posted…Stock Market is Expensive? Why Millennials Shouldn’t Care
Interesting comment about Facebook/internet browsing, Cameron. If I were to really analyze my time my guess is that I spend a lot of time each day looking at my phone and watching TV at night before bed. If I’d cut that crap out of my schedule then I’d probably have ample time for this blog.
When I first started MM I was aiming for 3x a week. My last blog I wrote 5x a week!! I realized after a few weeks I was doing fillers or what I like to call puff posts. They aren’t interesting to read and silly to write. I know when I’m slapping something together and I like to think my intelligent readers know it too. A few months back I went to posting “whenever”. I wound up with one post in both Feb and March and 2 in Jan, Feb, and May (so far). Of those few posts I have had the most feedback in comments and have been Rockstar’d two posts in a row! Yes, your writing gets waaaaayyy better when you aren’t pressured to put something together. These days I am able to read way more and interact with the community instead of being so involved in my own blog and what I am doing. I think you made an awesome decision and you will really enjoy your new speed. 🙂
Miss Mazuma recently posted…Goldilocks & The Three $$ Tiers
That’s what I like to hear, Miss Mazuma! Congrats of finding a balance that works for you AND is successful in terms of blog metrics – that’s awesome and is exactly what I’m hoping for.
Blogging is so much work than it appears to be! I understand why something has to give. I post twice a week, I’m about 6 months in and I’ve already had 3 weeks where I haven’t been able to keep to my schedule. Why? Because Life. And when life happens, the blog is the first on the chopping block.
Mrs. BITA recently posted…Have you ever asked yourself: 4% of What?
It’s easy to underestimate the time required, that’s for sure. Once I catch my breath and get a recharge then I’m sure I’ll ramp back up at some point, but for now I considering this my summer vacation! 🙂
Good for you for pulling back, Ty. We’ll miss your thrice weekly posts, but, priorities, man. Got to be done. Our oldest will be a senior in high school next year and we are totally putting a priority on family time too. It goes SO fast, doesn’t it?
Laurie @thefrugalfarmer recently posted…9 Pieces of Financial Advice for High School Graduates
Thanks, Laurie. It’s getting down to crunch time for you and your senior! Enjoy the hell out of your time before your family dynamic make a major shift – that’s what we’re planning on doing.
When I started blogging, once a week was what I was aiming for. But then I started reading all these posts about how you should aim for 3 – 5 times per week. Although I didn’t hit this, I felt so under pressure to post more… Even though I had, like, 3 visitors per day. Some of those posts were awful and I was hating blogging. So I gave myself a break for the week, and dropped down to one per week. Straight away, I was invigorated and my writing and ideas so much better for it. I’ve ended up accidentally posting twice per week most weeks since Christmas! I’m on holiday for 2 weeks now and it means holiday. Nothing scheduled, I’ll write what inspires me when I get home. Maybe I’ll get 1 post, maybe 3. Whatever works ☺
Sarah @tortoisehappy recently posted…Money is for spending too
A bit of re-invigoration is exactly what I’m hoping for! Hope New York has been a brilliant holiday for you!
Good choice, Ty. It’s truly ‘walking the walk’ in terms of your priorities.
I hope you and your family are having a great weekend.
ChooseBetterLife recently posted…Uncertainty: Am I Dying Or Am I A Fool?
Enjoy your family, enjoy the summer, and keep chasing FI so you can enjoy them all so much more when you reduce the size of the largest pie piece (or eliminate it altogether).
Cheers!
-PoF
Thank a lot, Doc!
Good for you for setting your priorities. I realized that I was putting more time into writing (because that was fun) and less time into promoting the posts (which is important but often neglected). I’ve since added more time into promotion and I feel my extra efforts in writing more frequently are not wasted.
Millennial Boss recently posted…6 Things I Do to Chill Out & Stay Sane