Have you ever tried to go to sleep, only to find that your head is full of ideas for your blog? It used to happen to me all the time. Not so much now, though. Here are some tips to help you get some sleep without abandoning your blog completely. 1. Keep a notebook by the bed. This is for flashes of inspiration – not for working on new posts when you should be sleeping. Have some discipline! 2. Maintain a sensible schedule. Work time. Home time. Play time. Blog time. Sleep time. Set aside time for each activity, and don’t let things overrun. Stick to your schedule as much as you can. 3. Ban all questions after a certain time. Does your significant other show an interest in your blog? Great! Just tell them to button it when it’s time to sleep. Make sure you button it, too. 4. Pretend you don’t have a laptop and wireless Internet. It’s just too convenient to hop into bed, go online… and stay online. It might be fun, but don’t do it if you have to get up in the morning. Or if you feel like sleeping anytime soon. 5. Don’t go coffee-crazy. I like a cappuccino in the morning. Not every morning, but every now and again. I avoid coffee in the evenings though. Too many coffees will keep you up all night. Unless you’re immune to the effects of caffeine. 6. Don’t hide your ideas under the bed. Notebook? Sure. Anything else? No! It’s fine to jot down an idea to make sure you don’t lose it, but don’t get carried away and start developing some of your post ideas. And don’t go thinking you can hide things in the bed, either. It’s not going to be a comfortable night for you if you try that one. 7. Sit in the bath. I’m not expecting you to use the bath as your bed. Having a bath is a great way to relax. Do keep a notebook fairly close by, but be careful not to drop it in the tub. Whatever you do, don’t bring your laptop or mobile phone into the bathroom – leave them outside where they won’t electrocute you. Seriously. Be careful! 8. Set a cut-off time for snacking. Blogging can be hungry work, but eating doesn’t usually help you sleep. Separating food from blogging and sleeping can make the difference between getting a good night’s sleep, or losing track of time and having to pick the crumbs out of your bed, laptop and clothes. 9. Resist the urge to blog if you wake up early. Do you have a tendency to wake up in the middle of the night? It’s best to try and get back to sleep – don’t go and start writing a new post. Of course, if you do have an idea, jot it down… but leave it at that. 10. Don’t be too good at it! Whether you’re basking in the glory of blogging, or you’ve convinced your perfect partner that you really are all that… if you don’t want to be up all night, be mediocre! (Maybe staying up late isn’t such a bad thing…) What do you think? Does blogging keep you up at night? What do you do about it? Hopefully this information is hopeful to the users of DP. If you have any other points to share please feel free to add them to this thread. I personally love to create lists of TOP 10s. I think the more you have on your blog the more interesting it is. They are easy to read and fun! Anyways - hope you all enjoyed it.
Yup I have used most of these tips myself. I think they are great tips to follow. And tip #1 is a good one. I actually use a notepad at work too when I can't blog. Just jot down my notes and ideas. Come back to them later.
Thanks for the great tips. I was spending far too much time writing on my site and have been trying to cut down. I should start using suggestion #5 more lol I drink way too much caffeine hehe
Much easier said than done. While they're fantastic tips, I really don't think I can bring myself into implementing them I think I'm just way too addicted!
Thank you michaelpowers ! I'm not good at Maintaining a sensible schedule... but, I will take this tip as consideration one ! Regards, Lion
thanks for share, but "Don’t go coffee-crazy", i cant leave it. a cup of coffee and one pack of smoke always on my hand
Your welcome! Haha - sounds like you have a bit of unhealthy habit of smokes and coffee. I guess if thats what you gotta do then by all means go for it. I think a healthy lifestyle helps with everything else you do in life. The better you feel the better mindset you are in for blogging, working out, or whatever it is your doing. But thats just what I think. Sounds good! Hopefully some of these tips can help you to maintain a more sensible schedule.
Sure - I can do a post about how to make a few bucks from blogging! I've been making over $50/month now blogging. I know thats not a ton but its a great start I think. I know I can explode my blogs shortly and make a lot more! I'll put that post on my to-do list.
Wow - this is a great thread. I sometimes find myself blogging into the later hours of the night myself. Thanks!
Can't count how many nights I see the clock turn from Midnight to 6 am!!!! My addiction even lead me to schedule my college courses after 11 am, just so I can get at least 5 hours of sleep! Great tips. Already use many of them, except the coffee rule... I'm truly addicted to coffee and won't have a happy day or good day of work without it! It also helps me get articles done 2-3 times faster.