Hi! I’ve been trying to write a Five on Friday post for two weeks and haven’t had the time to put it together. Not a big deal in your world, but in my world, as someone who would like to reliably get 3 blog posts out a week, it kind of drives me crazy. So while you might not even notice if I post or not, just stopping by to check in when anything new does pop up, for me, I usually let this weigh on me and produce unnecessary stress. Add that on top of the fact that I really need to be cleaning up old content, too, for the sake of pleasing the Google powers that be which pays my blog bills, and in my mind, I’m wayyy behind on blog stuff.
Let me explain that a bit. My favorite blog posts to write are these. And these. And these. You get the idea- the personal check in and chat about life posts. Old school style. However, to keep a website costs money in URL ownership, hosting, plug-ins, picture editing subscriptions, etc. My main income comes from older content that generates pageviews through “Google juice” or Pinterest popularity. To keep that rolling, I need to fairly regularly be cleaning up old content, IE: making it more helpful, thorough, or give it prettier pictures. I have a longgg list of these posts that I really haven’t gotten to in weeks (and more honestly, probably months).
Anytime I do log on I just want to write these posts, where I grab a cup of tea, flop down onto a chair, and chitty chat with you about life. But I need to keep a balance of both to keep the wheels turning around here.
The Season of Overcommitment and How Blogging Works
Let’s transition to outside of the computer life. It’s so good right now. I’m so happy. And I’m so busy. Like yesterday we left at 8:15 AM and got home at 8:45 PM with a brief 15 minute swing by mid-afternoon to let the pup out to potty. It’s my own doing. When moving, I wanted the kids to feel plugged into a community ASAP so we signed them up for all the fun things and are now living out the consequences of our actions. I say that with humor and smile because the life stuff is good but the feeling scheduled every minute of the day is sincere.
It’s a season and I know we’ll right the ship and balance things out come summer and fall, but right now we are following through with our commitments, which has me stretched a little thin, especially given I’m trying to simultaneously take on new hobbies like planting my garden beds (that are now prepped and ready to go!), building a chicken coop (OK, that’s mostly David’s project), and learning to crochet.
All this to say, I appreciate you still coming by to hang out with me as I have no doubt your world is full and busy, too! My vision for this space is to have a nice balance of chit chat life posts and the helpful content of recipes and how-tos and meal plans. And it’s going to happen, but probably not for a few months or so. So until I have the margin to give myself more than 2-3 hours of blog time per week, I hope you’ll meet me in your inbox on Monday morning, touch base on Insta, and check-in here on the blog to connect when I do get new posts up.
I use Feedly to follow my favorite blogs and see when they post new content, but it’s not perfect. David keeps telling me I should figure out how to put posts and my newsletter on Substack, but right now that sounds like one more to do that I don’t have time to dig into. Do you use Substack? Have a favorite blog reading service?
This is getting lengthy but just wanted to drop in on a Friday, give you a quick hug, and thank you for hanging with me through all of life’s seasons. So many of you have been hanging out with me since I was pregnant with Hailey and that blows my mind and humbles me because your time is precious, and the fact that you still swing by to chat is so cool. I hope you have a great weekend! <3
Jen says
I love your “old school” blog posts! I also use Feedly and find it best for my interests. So many of the blogs I have followed for YEARS now just feel like reading generic magazine articles- nothing wrong with that but not my preference. All this to say, please don’t change, keep going!
Brittany Dixon says
Thanks for the encouragement! <3
I have blogging friends that have gone to more of those magazine type articles because it's what drives search traffic and increases income so I totally get it. I have to do some of that, too, but I don't ever want to lose the connection piece of blogging and writing. I want the heart of my "corner of the internet" to always be sharing life and personal connection. I promise to never lose that and look forward to doing more of it. I feel like I have so much to share and no time to type it out. But I look forward to getting to do so 🙂
Leah says
I love your style of blogging. Too many are overly scripted and just feel like product ads. I usually just read from links on IG stores. I do have feedly and occasionally use. It seems like everyone is moving to Substack but honestly it’s just one more app to have to navigate.
That’s great tot are getting plugged into your new community. So fun! Life is busy here with two teens. One graduates in a year so I can see how much the busy times will come to an abrupt stop. So trying to soak it all in! Enjoy spring in your new home!
Brittany Dixon says
Graduates in a year!! Oh my goodness, that is so exciting and I’m sure at the same time there are many emotions. What a fun year you have ahead of you <3
Kelsey Thomas says
I also use Feedly! One nice thing I have discovered is that you can add someone’s Substack URL to your Feedly and receive/read their Substack posts right in Feedly as well! (if it has a paywall, you do have to click through to Substack to read the portion behind the paywall). Definitely easier than trying to navigate another app or getting posts in email inbox.
I enjoy the chit chat style blog posts as well!
Brittany Dixon says
Oh that’s interesting! I am hoping there’s a way to auto pull content from the blog onto Substack but also don’t have the bandwidth to really think about it at the moment – ha!:)
Yolanda McLean says
I use Feedly too and it works fairly well. Occasionally I will notice that I haven’t seen anything from someone in a while and for some reason it didn’t load in my Feedly feed. I don’t understand Substack. I see all these people saying they’re moving to Substack and I get a Substack email and it doesn’t feel genuine. Anyway, I need to figure it out.
Carol says
Here’s a benefit you may not have realized with publishing updated ‘older content.’ In the last few months, there was one that had a comment from your father, supportive and loving as always. Lovely to see.
Brittany Dixon says
This just brought tears to me eyes. <3 Always my top supporter. He really thought I could do anything. Miss him so much. Thank you for mentioning him. <3
Joanna says
I enjoy your blog and old school blogging ways because I’m old school too. I don’t have feedly, I should probably look into it ha! I see your fb post that there’s a blog post up and I just click on your blog to read. Keep doing what you’re doing and when you have time for a chitty chat or to share your tips your community will be here to chitty chat back!
Cathy says
I love your blog just the way it is…i am still old school, never even heard of Feedly. I love the personal updates and recipes and, well really everything you write about (except the home schooling, i do not have kids, so that is why, but even so, just keep things the way they are! LOL
I totally understand your time restraints, post and update when you can. We will all be here when you do find the time!
Erika says
I really enjoy your “old school” blogging style and posts. I use Feedly and do not understand Substack at all and don’t care to learn how to use it right now. Several bloggers that have gone more “modern” I have quite following. I know for you blogging is a business and a way for you to earn money so you gotta do what you gotta do but I like it just the way it is 🙂
Lisa says
I love reading about blogging behind the scenes! I save my favourite blogs as a bookmark in Chrome and check in on them each week. Very old school but for me it works.
Brittany Dixon says
Can’t go wrong with a good ol bookmark 🙂 Glad it was helpful to hear what behind the scenes looks like! Always happy to share about any of that. Thanks for stopping by 🙂