Blogging as part of a Healthy Lifestyle

Jogging Blogging as part of a Healthy Lifestyle.

My motivations for first starting a blog were a bit shallow - to sum it up in a couple words "monetary gain".  I knew I needed to "connect" or to allow others to connect to me and as a designer and blogging about what I do is a great way for a potential client or even just a random web traveller to get an idea of who I am, what I do, my attitude and aptitude etc etc.  What I didn't expect to find was a real value in the process of Blogging.  Its a kind of exercise for the brain.  Have  you seen the Seinfeld episode where George and Elaine both stop having sex - George becomes a genius and Elaine gets a little slow?  Its kind of like that - except with blogging.  Yes, I know I just compared blogging to sex deprivation (wtf..), but hang on a minute and let me explain this.

In todays world dominated by social media I think blogging is a healthy outlet. It's the other side of the coin as far as social media is concerned because it's forcing the blogger to write about themselves, experiences they've had, their feelings and opinions which is where it differs from the goliath that is Facebook.  FB is far more interactive between users and can be used in a very wide variety of ways from micro-blogging with 'Status Updates', business and casual social connectivity and networking, instant messaging, games, groups to probably a hundred other applications (some of them that I'm sure I'm completely unaware of).  Blogs can be social, political, business related, satirical, almost anything you can think of and any combination to boot, but personal blogs are introspective, generally based on the past experiences, structured (assuming it's well constructed) and projects an idea or emotion that the writer conveying to the audience.

The value that I've unexpectedly found in it is it being the perfect medium to let your thoughts loose, get it all down on "paper" and sort out what I'm feeling. It can be beneficial with any problem or situation going on and can add structure to the normally free-flowing thoughts and emotions which in my case has lead me to a better understand of my situation and myself.   Making sense of the thoughts and emotional reactions that we feel as a result of what is happening around us is no easy task, but it is crucial in better understanding who we are and may shed some light on 'flaws' of character that we may want to work on to make us a more well-rounded mature adult.  Thats honestly not my first choice of fun activities on a Saturday night ... but it's insightful nonetheless.

I've found that my communication and my ability to share my feelings with all people in my life has improved as a result of blogging.  An example of this is the way Jill (my wife) and I communicate.  The two of us have, even before my blogging, built a solid foundation of trust, respect, and closeness that wouldn't be possible without sharing our thoughts and being open to one another. This skill is the opposite of my nature (probably most guys too) and requires effort as well as trust in the person you confide in, but being open, honest, and talking things out can create a more full and fulfilling relationship with whomever you share these things with. Even then it was a relatively new process and by adding blogging into the mix I can now better organize my thoughts and understand my feelings which results in more confidence in myself to speak openly, honestly, and convey these feelings to another and (hopefully!) not be ruled by impulse and emotion.

In regards to my career and designing it has proven itself useful in seeing my strengths and weaknesses - and has done what I had originally set out for it to do.  Which is letting my voice be heard to any who have the patience to read (shout out to my readers!) and letting potential and current clients read about what I'm up to, get a feeling for who I am as well as open the door for future conversations, comments and feedback.

Blogging turned out to be more than me digitally voicing myself and to get back to the 90's Seinfeld reference from earlier - it is like taking out the trash (as in Elaine's case) and can help keep ones train-of-thought on track and not be derailed by something shiny or some spinning tires.  Btw, if you haven't seen that particular episode I do recommend it, and Seinfeld in general.  As my title entry on this one implies, blogging can be part of a healthy modern lifestyle - Blogging does for the Mind what Jogging does for the Body.  It lets you flex those synapses, gets things off your chest/mind, and helps you come to some realizations about what's going on around you (and within you) that you may not necessarily be aware of and helps you be in better control of yourself and your reactions to the people in your life and whatever the world around you might toss your way.

Lesson Learned!

Research.   Research.   Research.

It's a simple and obvious concept but before you commit to something - especially a design or project with a firm deadline, RESEARCH.

This past weekend I took a simple job and made it a two day affair.  I knew the size and scope of the job that I committed to, this wasn't the oversight, it was the fact I missed my window of opportunity to make it "quick and easy" by accepting it past the hours of operation of the business I had to take it to without any backup plan.  The old adage of "putting all my eggs in one omelette" comes to mind, but that never really made much sense until now.  (I do know its actually basket, not omelette).

Here's a quick timeline outlining my "activites"  -

So after all the running around, the setup and design took less than an hour - with the manual bindery etc that was required to finish the job -  approximately 2 hours.  A two hour project from start to finish took closer to 11 hours of my time between Saturday and Sunday.

That's a good chunk of my "free time" because I didn't do my research or have a backup plan once my original idea was out the window.  Despite that, it's always important to look to the positives in any case, which is if I undertake this or a project similar again, to get the info/documents/files etc I need beforehand to make it a one hour project or if required take into account that extra hour or two to complete any additional manual processes without sweating the deadline.  I also now know what print shops do what and what limitations they have, and knowing that can save me some time in the future.

All things considered, this project was not worth my time in monetary terms but as a freelance lesson in doing my research, it was a goldmine - IF - I do not let this would-be "history" lesson repeat itself.

I do fancy myself a reasonably smart individual - to some extent - and would hope this lesson isn't lost on me, although there are also other things to consider here.  Mainly, the attitude of being a "Yes" man and the tendency to take on all projects no questions asked and just find a way to complete the job, whatever it takes.  With the resources I now have, which are considerably less now after not having an XGS site at my disposal, the second part of this lesson is to understand my strengths, weaknesses, and most importantly my limitations in terms of product delivery.  A key component when required to deliver  a physical product like posters, cards, cds or dvds - which may require an outside company or process that is out of my control and subject to workflow restrictions and business hours.  This is unlike simply creating a digital file which relies solely only on software and software knowledge as is the case with most of the jobs I have done.

For future jobs if I can have a solid confirmation of the resources I will need to access (maybe a backup plan or three if physical product delivery is required) and combine that with an honest assessment of what I am capable of delivering - I should be able to avoid a future opportunity of "easy" employment going awry, which may from time to time require me to turn down some jobs.  In such cases it's important to not look at this not as a failure, just as this past weekend was important in realizing the value of planning, but see it as a win - freeing up time and not taking on needless stress when a particular job may be too much to take on - as well as the opportunity to learn something useful when challenges do arise as they undoubtedly will.