I’ve talked, numerous times, about having to write in advance for vacations and keeping a stock of ideas for times when you have to be away. While it all sounds good and dandy, things don’t always go as planned.

1. You can’t always follow your schedule.

I planned to go on a vacation this Christmas. Endeavoring to follow my own advice, I created a schedule that allows me to go on a four-week leave. Theoretically, I could do it. The days I have until my projected vacation are enough to get everything done. I can write short blog posts for many of my blogs well within 30 minutes. Putting this knowledge into use, I calculated that 18 blog posts would be finished within nine hours, right? Wrong. First off, you won’t be working nine hours straight. You’d go on a lunch break, a snack break and of course, don’t forget bathroom breaks. Before you know it, you’d have spent 12 hours or more instead of nine.

2. You risk burn out.

Let’s say you have to write forty 200-word posts within 2 days. Because you can write 20 posts today doesn’t mean you can do the same volume of work tomorrow. When you experience burn-out, your brain would be just emptied of everything rational at times. There are instances when I stare at the screen blankly, wondering what to write for hours at a time.

3. Cranking it out could cause physical pain.

An astronomical amount of work within a few days? Your fingers would probably hurt like crazy. Not to mention back pains as well as eye irritation. In short, you would be in physical discomfort after doing something you’re used to doing in a long span of time.

So, with all that said, does that mean I think preparing in advance is not viable after all? Of course not. Here are a few reminders:

1. Set a realistic timeframe.

You don’t think you can’t complete 4 weeks’ amount of work within a couple of days. What to do then? Don’t try. If you want to take a long vacation, start working on it a month before or so, even if you’re planning on bringing in some guest bloggers.

2. Don’t do everything by yourself.

If you can’t get everything done on time, have some friends guest blog. There are times when you need to think a bit more of yourself than anyone else. If you’re in great need for a break, I’m sure your readers would understand if you miss a couple of updates since you fell short of posts. After all, there’s nothing more important than your health and your loved ones.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 3rd, 2007 at 2:55 pm and is filed under blogging. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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