This post is by Vahni of Grit and Glamour
My name is V and I’m a blogaholic. I’m addicted to blogging.
Or am I?
I’m not ignoring my daily responsibilities, and I do have an active social life, but truth be told, when I’m not in front of my PC, I check my iPhone almost obsessively to monitor blog comment notifications in my inbox and to rescue any comments accidentally caught by my spam filter. Even when I wake up periodically in the night. At 2:00am. That’s not good.
Signs of Blogging Addiction
Until recent years, the word addiction was only associated with dependency on “psychoactive substances” such as drugs or alcohol. Now the definition has been expanded to include “…psychological dependency on such things as gambling, food, sex, pornography, computers, video games, internet, work, exercise…[and more].” (Source: Wikipedia: Addiction).
Many bloggers will immediately and vehemently deny they have a blogging addiction, and perhaps it is extreme to say avid bloggers are addicted. But in reality, it’s not a wholly inaccurate description—when it becomes a psychological dependency, something you just can’t give up or get control over, it is indeed an addiction. And when it impacts your life and health negatively, it is a problem.
The signs of Internet addiction—which according to The Center for Internet Addiction Recovery, is a bonafide “impulse control disorder”—are similar to those of blogging addiction. And I suppose that makes perfect sense, since blogging is an Internet-based activity. Dr. Kimberly Young, who pioneered research on Internet addiction, has noted that Internet addicts experience “feelings of excitement, euphoria, and exhilaration” when online, and that they often neglect their families and sleep to stay online longer. (Source: Internet Addiction: Symptoms, Evaluation, And Treatment). Uh, busted! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stayed up way too late working on my blog or commenting on others.
If you’re an avid blogger, and you find yourself nodding in agreement to the questions below, you could be on the road to full-on blogging addiction—if you’re not already there.
You might be a blogging addict if:
- You’re obsessed with growing your numbers—visits, followers, friends, what have you—and are depressed or disappointed when the numbers don’t go up fast enough.
- You’re neglecting your relationships/hobbies/chores/etc.
- Your significant other or closest friends or relatives have been dropping negative hints about the amount of time you spend in front of your PC.
- You feel anxious when you don’t have time to write a post, reply to comments, or comment on others’ blogs.
- You frequently think about blog-related tasks or topics instead of being in the moment in your life.
- When you’re not in front of your computer, you’re still tweeting or checking on comments on your mobile device.
- You lose track of time when in front of your computer, and often get less sleep than you need because of blog-related computer use.
- You’d rather blog than do just about anything else; you decline social invitations because you need to stay home and work on your blog.
To get a real gauge, take this Internet Addiction Test. I thought for sure my score would indicate that I’m teetering on the edge of full-blown addiction. Turns out I’m an average Internet user, even with my loss of sleep due to blogging/Internet surfing. But I still need to find balance; I answered yes to several of the questions above. Did you?
Compulsive Blogging: Recognition and Regaining Control
So you can’t seem to get to bed on time. You’re having a hard time juggling the maintenance of your blog and your daily responsibilities. And wow…you’re developing carpal tunnel syndrome from mousing for hours at a time (don’t laugh, even I started to show signs of carpal tunnel when I was unemployed and online a thousand hours a day). If you are truly unable to balance blogging and your real life, and you feel physical exhaustion—or ongoing guilt, anxiety, or depression—consider seeking professional help.
However, if you (like me) are not truly addicted—perhaps just a bit compulsive—maybe it’s time to regain control over your blogging. You control your blog. It should not control you. There are several things you can to create some blogging balance, even if you are a professional blogger.
Tips for preventing compulsive blogging:
- For hobby bloggers, limit blogging to a couple hours a day, or to certain day(s) of the week—and respect your guidelines. Do what you can in that time and save the rest for next time.
- Have at least one “blog-free” day a week. And on that day, do nothing blog-related. No reading other blogs, commenting, replying, writing, photographing, or researching.
- Sever your electronic tentacles. On your blog-free days and times, do not “cheat” by checking on your blog or tweeting about it using your mobile device.
- Use scheduled posts so you don’t actually have to be in front of your PC daily.
- Reduce the number of posts you publish weekly. Publishing three or four times a week is plenty.
- If you blog professionally, adhere to a normal work schedule: do blog-related writing, correspondence, etc., no more than eight hours a day, five days a week. Be sure that when you are “off,” you’re really off.
- Leave your computer in a designated home workspace in order to reduce the temptation to be on it longer. If you have a laptop, do not bring it into your bedroom, kitchen, living room or other areas of your home.
- Leave your computer at home when you are on vacation. It’s a vacation, remember? The world—and you—will survive if you don’t blog for a week.
Do you have any other tips for finding blog/life balance? If so, please be sure to share them in a comment below.
Image by Johan Larsson
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haha… i am average too… at first i thought i’d be addicted, but really, i prefer real life, and the internet is more like what i do for work. crazy how that is!
like ’8. How often does your job performance or productivity suffer because of the Internet?’
um, my job is being on the internet.
anyway, when i first started blogging, i was obsessed, but as time went on, i became less and less obsessed, and have been able to draw clearer lines. getting an office helped. taking weekends off helps a lot too. sometimes though i don’t think i do enough to cultivate my community, but then if there’s that saying, ‘if i try to be good to everyone, i end up not being good for anybody.’
Does it count as addiction if I’m getting paid? Or is that prostitution! Oh Lawd! lol. I would say I’m addicted but since like Jennine, my day job involves blogging, I’ll err on the side of Love.
I have points where I’m obsessed with blogging and feel overwhelmed because I haven’t commented or written a post. But then I take a chill pill and realize that it’s not real life.
Great post, Vahni! I’m definitely compulsive, if not addicted. I think most bloggers find it difficult to find a balance. I’ve started posting less often, and that’s been a huge help in taking some pressure off of myself.
Wow… I’m not average. But just BARELY (I got a 53, and the second category starts at 50).
I do make sure to go out often, spend time online– the Beau and I have regular dates where we BOTH have to disconnect from the internet & our phones. To be honest… when we visit families and aren’t online all the time? I go online once a day, and find that I love it.
I really thnik I am beginning to become addicted to blogging. But I also believe its also becuase it is so time consuming to post good material. Great article.
Helen, X
http://areyoudressingupordressingdown.blogspot.com/2010/11/british-fashion-awards-invite.html
Oops!
Think I’ve answered yes to too many questions for my liking. Switching off now! Great article Vahni!
I was certain my test results were going to say I am an addict. Turns out I am average as well (good to have confirmation of that!).
I definitely have lost some sleep or stayed up too late on occasion due to the blog. I also feel guilty on occasion when I can’t do as much as I like, but I guess that is more normal than I anticipated. I won’t let it get in the way of my responsibilities, that is for sure!
Great article, V, thanks for sharing!
Oh, the sleep I’ve lost because I need to finish tweaking my blog template…NOW! LOL. It’s getting better, but yes, I’m nodding my head to this list.
I scored 44, which puts me at the upper end of the “average online user” spectrum. Question #10 (“How often do you block out disturbing thoughts about your life with soothing thoughts of the Internet?”) made me giggle a bit.
I am a new blogger, and all of these symptoms have been creeping in….but I am fighting to maintain control and limit my blogging to 2 hours a day. I must maintain control…lol
Thanks so much for this gauge!
33.
That makes me happy.
I got a 44. I thought it would be much worse. I’m on the internet far too much. But, now that I’m blogging it has got a lot worse. I need to find a balance, and I think one day a week blog free might be smart. Or post a preplanned blog on that day. Look at me already back tracking lol.
Uh oh. I answered yes to all but one of the “you might be an addict if…” questions. And I have like NO followers. I just started blogging! What’s going to happen if people actually do start reading my blog? Aaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!
Wow, I am on the lower end of average. I’m surprised. I always on-line reading new and old blogs that I have found and getting material together for my blog. If I’m not doing that then I am “pretend shopping” on-line. Not to mention the time I spend on Facebook and now IFB, smh.
Vahni–this is so timely for me. I am in the middle of the remix and it has totally wrecked my usual healthy blogging rhythm. Used to do all my posts on one day and schedule them…I had posts with REAL content. Now its mainly photos and often not very good ones.
Thank you for the reality check.
I love blogging but not addicted, doing it as a full time job keeps it in perspective, I have to make that time for family and friends.
Ffffhh I feel a little relieved I only made:
50 -79 points: You are experiencing occasional or frequent problems because of the Internet. You should consider their full impact on your life.
ahhahaha!
Heh, heh. 20. The nadir of average.
I kind of expected that result though, as much as I adore blogging and being online, it’s more of an outlet for when I’m home alone or feel lonely. I also love finding new things (clothes, recipes, what?) and applying it to what I do in real life. And using it to help develop my writing and photography skills.
My friends know when I get my camera out it’s for my blog and I arrange trips and shop visits so I can write about it but I don’t have a computer at home(it’s broken) so I can only blog on my breaks in work which limits my time.
Well I thought it might be addiction but I am average. I like the idea of setting a side a day where I don’t blog or read blogs or reply to emails. Maybe first setting aside how many hours I will work on my blog during the week.
I think I was a little addicted when I first started, but after about two-three months I got over it. Now I’m average
I love the Internet and love blogging, it’s brought lots of unexpected good things and new friends into my life. My life in the real world has become a lot more exciting and fulfilling in the past year. I scored a reasonable 42 on the test. I did think it would be a lot more so I’m pretty happy about that. All in all this is a very thought provoking post and definitely worth giving some serious thought to. Thank you for writing it.
hahaaa i must confess i am guilty of a few of the things mentioned above! but you gotta remain focus!
Woo hoo I got a 39! I felt like I answered the questions honestly so that’s good to know that I’m average. Sometimes I worry if I use the internet more than I should.
After reading the criteria for what might be considered an addict…I guess I AM….NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Wow, this post really opened my eyes. Thanks for writing it. I’ve only been blogging about fashion for four months and I’m doing some really good numbers but the more numbers I do the more obsessed I get with growing them. So I spend hours on the computer and finding ways to grow traffic.
But I feel that we as fashion bloggers (and bloggers in general) have to keep in mind the amount of pressure we are under to have top numbers. With everyone and their mom having a blog, it has become harder & harder to get people to ready yours because there are so many. Also, you can’t get sponsors & advertisers without numbers. So if you’re a full time blogger like me, you have to stay obsessed with traffic or else you’ll have no income. The same goes for hobby bloggers (in some cases) because most of them want to do blog full time but don’t have the time b/c of jobs/other obligations.
Blogging is crazy. Anyways, awesome post and I’ll keep all those tips in mind.
When I first started blogging I have to admit I was borderline compulsive, but I think from here you go in one of two directions — addiction or burn out, and I actually got a little burned out. I found myself feeling less inspired and I knew I needed to step back a little and find the joy in blogging again. This meant I had to get rid of the self imposed pressure to build, build, build and write, write, write, and promote, promote, promote. I needed to relax and that is just what I did! and I am much happier now and so is my fiance! Lol
So appropriate for us bloggers! I am with Jennine though and try to balance the time and hours spent blogging. Weekends off are really key as well as having a time allotment for blogging. Blogging is a phenomenal outlet but birthday celebrations, time with family and friends, and trips really make up the moments we treasure.
Burning out on blogging definitely reduces the enjoyment and the potential to create great content. But it’s so easy to become obsessed… I agree with setting hours each day for the blog (and separating work-blogging from leisurely blogging). Got to keep it fresh!
So many great comments! Thank you all for sharing your scores—and your true confessions! Seems like most of us have a handle on our blogging. That’s a good thing.
♥ V
http://www.gritandglamour.com
twitter: @gritandglamour
I am considered an average online user, according to the test. I left when answering the question about saying, “Just a few more minutes.” At night, my husband will say, “How long are you going to be on that thing?” and I’ll say, “Just a few more minutes,” lol. Sometimes, it gets so bad, he will just take it from me, close it, and put it on the floor. Am I really considered normal? : \
I thought this was interesting, I made my own post about it – about my own blogging addictions
Thanks, Kim! Will pop over to check it out!
great article, i only saw it just now – because I’m trying to cut back on my blogging time!
I’ve always said right from the start that I wasn’t going to blog for success since i have no desire to leave my job or anything like that. But it can be so hard sometimes not to get carried away when everyone is promoting and talking about stats and SEO and all that stuff all the time, you end up feeling like if you don’t, you’re being left behind. So it’s nice to hear that others are feeling the same!
If I let myself, I could become addicted, but I realize I’m susceptible to that so I consciously override the impulse. I restrain myself from posting more than twice a day.
i scored a really boring 25;) but most of the questions aren´t related to my as i´m not in school anymore etc.
however, it´s not my job to blog but a big passion and i´d like to create and develop it to more than a blog;)
Thanks to all for sharing your experiences!
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