Aug
05
2008
Lessons from a Blog Sabbatical
My month-long sabbatical from blogging has come to an end. I am glad that I took the time off, as the month of July proved to be even more demanding and tiring than I had expected. I am coming away from my sabbatical with a few lessons that I am glad to have learned.
1. The blog is not the center of my life.
After nearly two years of blogging, I enjoyed the time off, and was surprised to discover that I hardly missed blogging at all. Before the sabbatical, I was beginning to worry that I was becoming too interested in blogging (my stats, my posts, my links, etc.). The month of July convinced me, happily, that such is not the case. There were no symptoms of “blog withdrawal.” My time away from the internet simply reminded me that there was life before blogging and life continues just fine without it as well.
2. I enjoy writing.
Several times in July, I experienced the urge to write. But interestingly enough, my desire to write was not tied specifically to blogging. In fact, I found that my joy in writing was refreshed during the sabbatical, since I was not writing for the blog. Come to find out, I enjoy writing. Pure and simple. The fact that blogging gives me an outlet with which to (hopefully) encourage and challenge other believers is merely icing on the cake. My true joy in the blogging experience is writing.
3. Time away gave me some perspective.
In the blogging world, it is so easy to overestimate your importance and your readership. Seeing the number of visitors or subscribers in any given day might give you the impression that you have a large number of devoted readers. Such is not the case. A Google reader does not a thoughtful reader make. Taking July off helped me to gain some perspective. For me, blogging is a tool in which I can improve my writing skills and (hopefully) provide some insights that might be of some value to other believers.
4. I would be just fine if I never blogged again.
The sabbatical helped me see what it would be like if I were to close down Kingdom People one day. I’m not sure I would miss it! That doesn’t mean that I plan on stopping. It only serves as a reminder that I truly hope, first and foremost, to be a godly husband and father, a faithful minister of the gospel, and only after that a “blogger.” Blogging is farther down on my list of priorities.
5. The way I have blogged in the past is the way I should continue blogging.
I did not miss blogging because I have never been a daily blogger anyway. Usually, I spend one day a week (for about two hours) crafting and scheduling my posts for the upcoming week. Confining my regular blogging time to one period of two hours a week helps me stay disciplined and keeps me from posting something too hastily.
If you are a regular blogger, let me encourage you to take some time away. You might learn some different lessons than the ones I’ve learned. But I guarantee you that a vacation from blogging will provide you with some perspective.