Do Some Days Seem To Blur By Online For You?
Do You Have Days That Seem To Just Blur By Online and Offline?
Do you have days that seem to blur by online and offline? Do you feel like the day ended and you really didn’t participate in it fully? Maybe because it is October and the days are getting shorter that it feels that way to me these past few days. Or could it be from being everywhere all the time online and in person?
My days usually start around 3-5 a.m. I just can’t sleep anymore most mornings so I get up. And the first thing I do is glance at the Droid and see what is new as I walk downstairs to turn on the laptop and the coffee maker. It really is my favorite time of the day. Very peaceful unless my son has left his TV on downstairs to sleep by. Then as 7 a.m. crawls upon me it’s race time to finish up my latest project and get ready for the day job. How many places do you visit online each a.m.? Is this why time seems to blur by online each day? (Years ago it was spent watching TV news with coffee first thing in the a.m.)
Places I visit Online Each Morning
- Email – Both Yahoo and Gmail
- Twitter – Multiple Accounts
- Facebook – And multiple Facebook Pages
- Blogs – Here and There
- Stumble Upon – Not daily but several times weekly
- Squidoo- Not every day but lately working it more and still learning my way through it
- Weather - Sometimes check to see what the days’ weather will bring
- WSJ, CNN, Huffington Post, The Drudge Report and Projo (local) to check news briefly but not every a.m.
- Scoop.it – Not as often as I’d like
- Pinterest – Almost Daily
- HerSocialNetwork – Several times weekly
- The Sits Girls – Not as often as I’d like
- Blog Engage – Another great community
Around 5 a.m. Twitter friends are getting up and tweets start to fly.
@lisapatbMorning! How are you this a.m.?
— Bren(@PibblesNMe) October 2, 2012
@lisapatb wooWOOF Whether yer up r down, furriends r gr8 to have around Itz why I #Follow u Hope every1else does too! #poochsmooches
— DrDogs247 (@DrDogs247) October 3, 2012
And then the dreaded 7 a.m. time comes and it’s time to move faster and by 7:30 panic arrives as I jump into the shower. The day seems to start to blur by online on my Droid as I dry my hair and multi-task. How many things do you do at once while you are on Twitter or Facebook?
I was never late before until I started working our online sites and blogging. I used to be early for work. Now I’m on time or late most day. Then of course I’m online at work where I visit LinkedIn and WSJ and news on the industry and accounts I handle.
Lunch time is back to block commenting and the social sites. I do take a day or two a week off to walk or sometimes have a meeting and then the pressure is really on. That means catch up time is needed. More hours at night. And the night begins to blur by online too. Before you know it is bedtime.
I found this fitting quote that may mean technology has NOT made time go by faster:
An Old Quote
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
~William Shakespeare
What do you think? Has technology and social sites made our days blur by online?
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About Lisa
Helping Others to Thrive Online Through Social Media, Blogging and SEO. What good is knowledge if you cannot share it with others?
20+ years experience in marketing/advertising with 3 years experience blogging, social media and SEO.
47 Responses to Do Some Days Seem To Blur By Online For You?
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You’re up before me. I think I’m early, but I won’t start until close to 0530
I used to have different routines, but now, I just go through all my tasks (I use Things for that). And when I’m done with my tasks, I start checking email, read blogs and use social media. This doesn’t always work, but that’s what I try to do. Get the most important things done first, and then do all the other things. So, my days usually don’t seem to blur, unless I have lots of meetings (but that’s not online)
Jens P. Berget recently posted..I Am Whining and there is a marketing lesson for you
Hi Jens, I wasn’t always up that early – as I get older seem to need less sleep but some weekends I do take a 3 hour nap
I do prefer to have a list – when I get overwhelmed I start to make a list, it does help. Thanks for coming by and telling us your routine too.
Things are blurry alright Lisa!
Yes indeed, social media and technology are the main culprits, though the main person behind letting all this happen is really us. If we want we can really control a lot of things, though we instead get caught in all the things you mentioned above, and one thing just moves to another.
If my email account is opened, so is my Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites, and it just carries on and on. Again, the controls are in our hand to just shut them all down and work – yet we are seldom able to do it – isn’t it?
Wow! That is pretty early! And I thought I was the only one getting up at 5 a.m! But I need to because of my kids and I love my early morning walks. I just don’t start work till 8, once I’m through with reading the morning news, breakfast and everything else. And yes, after about 1-2 hours, I just close everything else and then work as I have those peaceful morning hours for working. Later once the kids are back and more towards the evenings, its more of commenting, social media, and light kind of work.
I guess being a freelance writer, blogger, and Mom isn’t easy and one surely needs to find ways and means to tackle the day efficiently – isn’t it?
Thanks for sharing.
Harleena Singh recently posted..The Right Time For a Change
Hi Harleena. On Occasional especially when I’m writing I do shut them all down to concentrate. It does seem to be more productive that way. Do you work outside the home too? Wow, I would be surprised with your blog. It sure is not easy juggling it all. I don’t think I could do all I do if my kids were not older now.
Not at all Lisa!
I wouldn’t ever be able to handle an outside job and blogging.
I took up blogging only after I quit my full time job, and it’s much better this ways, though you really need to know how to manage your time around. More so with kids around, it’s not easy.
Harleena Singh recently posted..How to Avoid Misunderstanding Others
Hi Harleena, I wasn’t sure thanks for clarifying that one
Is your best time when they are asleep?
Oh no! All of us have similar sleep patterns, so it helps because we get up and sleep at the same time most of the time. My best work time is when they are off to school and college.
Harleena Singh recently posted..Does a Painful Breast Indicate Breast Cancer
Ah yes, I think it’s our biological clocks that make us sleep when we do
Where to begin?!? Funny that I ran across your post this morning via my BlogFrog community. I rarely get a chance to pop in and catch up with what everyone is doing – but this morning I was going through and checking links on my blog.
The Man Thing (TMT) and I had a conversation about this just last night. Well actually, HE had the conversation while I was busy banging away on the keyboard – precisely his point. He says I’m addicted, and that it needs to STOP.
I’m a stay at home mom with two boys in school. My morning starts at 6:45 a.m. when the alarm goes off. Turn the tv on and make a cup of coffee or grab a Pepsi, and wake the youngest at 7 a.m. and then the eldest at 7:30 a.m. TMT gets woken up at 8:00 a.m. and by 8:30 a.m. usually, everyone is out of the house and my online day begins.
I belong to several Facebook groups, mom blogging groups, creative groups … I average anywhere between a couple hundred to over 1,000 emails daily. I also belong to the Boosters Club at my eldest son’s school, and do work there as the communications officer taking care of the Club Facebook page and website and online store. I am literally glued to the computer until 2:30 p.m. when the youngest comes home. We go through homework and talk about his day, and by 3 p.m. he’s out the door and off to play and I’m back on the computer. 4 p.m. arrives along with the eldest son, another half hour with him and back on the computer. I hop off around 6 p.m. to throw something together for dinner, but by 8 p.m. I’m usually back online again till 11 p.m. or midnight. I absentmindedly kiss the kids goodnight and keep on typing.
So yes, I’m completely *too* plugged in and need to learn to set boundaries for myself. I promised TMT last night that I would (a) spend more time with the children in the evening and (b) spend more time with him in the evening instead of being glued to the computer. So now the problem is trying to figure out how to fit those online hours between 2:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. into an already crammed morning and early afternoon.
It’s not gonna be pretty!
Hi Kim. My hubby says that too. Yikes, that’s a lot of emails though I’ve never counted mine. I try to take Friday nights off from being online (it’s slow that night anyways). And one other night too. Sometimes I do have family get together on weekends or will do a movie besides my regular walks to get away as well. Glad to know I’m not alone in this type of venture
You get up between 3:00 and 5:00 am Lisa? OMG girl… Okay, I blame is all on never having children so my biological clock never went off. I can sleep girl and I love my sleep. I have to set my alarm every morning to get my you know what out of bed.
Now I love working at home so I’m not as rushed as you are and all the other working women who have offline jobs as well. I so admire you and how you’re able to handle it all.
Sometimes I still do feel like there is never enough hours in the day to accomplish everything that I need to unfortunately. I try to play catch up on the weekends with things but there are times I just have to get off this computer. Like this weekend I have some outside projects that have to be done. But I still love what I do and wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Happy fall and here is to cooler days and much more success!
~Adrienne
Adrienne recently posted..Give Me 5 Minutes And I Will Make You A Better Blogger
Hi Adrienne, as I’ve gotten older I don’t seem to need the sleep like I used to. And sometimes on the weekends I do nap, sometimes for 3 hours! Then I feel like I need to catch up again – it’s like housework, it’s never done with the blogs and retail sites. But I enjoy it much more than the housework. Thanks Adrianne and you enjoy the cooler days too
Ugh! I still say you get up too early!
The hubs leaves about 450 am. That’s when I get woke up and Titan crawls into bed with me. 455 am, I grab my EVO on my nightstand and start my social networking catch up. Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo Mail, Gmail, and my Reader are my favs. I do this while laying in bed, giving Titan some love, and watching the local news. The rest of my morning (other than showering) is spent with my EVO by my side, usually tweeting away. I’m totally plugged in and am loss without my phone. I think back to the days when I wasn’t so “plugged in”, and realize I was more productive. 
Great post Lisa and happy to see I maybe your twitter above! 
Brenda recently posted..Let’s Be Frank
Hi Brenda, I always loved mornings, even as a kid
I can’t imagine not having the phone or laptop in the a.m. now. When I write though I do turn off the “social” sites and concentrate much better.
Maybe that’s my problem with writing, I just can’t unplug!
Brenda recently posted..Let’s Be Frank
I know, I just did this a.m. and got a lot done on sites without any interruptions. But we have fun plugged in, dont’ we Brenda?
Absolutely! What better way to stay in touch with the ones you love?
Brenda recently posted..How Much Can You Tell?
Hi Lisa,
Sometimes I feel it too
But when it happens, I try to off from my usual stuff for a while. Do you feel guilty if you weren’t on the watch about what’s happening online around you? 
I believe multi-tasking is a best thing to follow, but overdoing it or try to do it when we can’t / don’t feel doing it is really bad. I think sometimes it comes out and feel we weren’t able to do much as we do on other days
We want everyday to be a great day, right? The great day is one of our previous days, but we have to remember everyday is not the same day.
We are being overloaded with information and always trying to engaged in every way possible
Sometimes it feels like eventhough we are not the machines as computers or mobiles, we are just happen to be machines too. I believe it’s the complexity of our lives 
Remember you were writing blog posts and articles with no internet or mobile quickly than you did with ‘em?
We tend to believe mobile and internet are the best priorities sometimes as we live online most of our days. But it’s just in our imagination and actually they are not our best priorities at all. I think we tend to enforce ourselves into tasks no matter what. I don’t say that don’t meet deadlines, but need to prioritize our day, right? 
I just have a To-Do file, which I write what are the jobs have to be done for next days. It shouldn’t be for whole day ’cause unexpected things can happen. Leave some room for it
I just make sure I’ve finished my pre-defined tasks for the day, and I’m satisfied. I think you can try it out too Lisa 
Add priorities and divide tasks. Don’t look at the whole picture at once and try to struggle with it.
Cheers…
(dofollow)
Mayura recently posted..How to Change Your Blog Address in Blogger
Hi Mayura, so time doesn’t slow down in your part of the world? If I were off for days then I’d feel guilty but not for just hours. I have always loved multi-tasking because I get bored easily. But sometimes I get overwhelmed – and that’s when I start making lists to check off and it calms me right down. Interesting comparison between us and machines. I love dividing things up into smaller parts – it does make it easy and more attainable. Thanks for the the suggestion
Oops… Being off for days will definitely put us on trouble as we are engaged in different types of duties
I love multi-tasking too and do mostly. We bloggers do, right? 
But everyday may not work out with multi-tasking. I mean, we may do a lot of tasks but productivity will goes down and feels we haven’t been corporating well. I that’s what we tend to think it’s a bad day for us 
Lists helping me lately to prioritize and focus on what’s most important on a day 
Cheers…
(dofollow)
Mayura recently posted..How to Change Your Blog Address in Blogger
Hi Mayura, yes those days will take us away from our schedules. You are correct about bloggers being multi-taskers. Big time! I don’t know how some do everything that they accomplish. Now back to my list – have a great day
Mine?
I usually wake up around 6:00AM and snooze another ten minutes. Get out of bed, turn the laptop on (The other computer we have is always on). I check my website, check for comments and reply. Twitter is next to check for mentions and say my thanks for those, check the weather, Google+ and scan the morning paper online to check the latest news. Look up some things, check GMail and my work mail and agenda for the day.
Have a smoke (yes I smoke…) and a tea, do some speedbrowsing, wake J up, make coffee, switch on the TV, Jump in the shower, shave. check computer one more time and turn off the laptop. Watch some more news, finish tea, have my brekkie, and off to work. Check messages on my cell in the tram, reply. 15 min walk and I’m ready for the day. Leave work at 18:00 – 18:30 walk to the tram, ride home…
I know what you mean tho. “What have I been doing all day”… “What did I really finish”… I try to keep work away from my social life. Sometimes it really feels like “The day has gone bye…”
Hi Jan, but what do you go to bed? I usually crash by 9 or sometimes even earlier. Interesting take from your part of the world too. Sounds like the stress is not just in the US anymore
What type of news do you watch?
Oh you mean the whole day? I’ll skip the sleeping part, because that’s boring….
Stress. Yup, comes with the line of work I do.
Like i said, I leave work around 18:30, home by 19:30. Talk a little, make dinner, eat, watch some TV and get some PC time, Blog, reply mails, comment on blogs, check Twitter, do some research. When it’s getting a little late I play a couple of games (Angry Birds Competition) on Facebook. (YES I do that. lol) and crash anywhere between 12:00 01:00. Get up at 06:00 and the whole charade starts over again. I’m pooped when it’s Friday.. The Weekend! Time to relax. Crash around 09:00PM? No, I can’t do that…
Oh you don’t need much sleep, that’s how you were on a roll with those posts . I can’t believe you have time for games too. Someday
Thanks for reminding us we’re not alone up in the wee hours of the morning! Enjoy your day!
That happens to me when I’m home on weekends working away Corina. Love to lose weight too.
I was talking to my room-mate on Monday. In which I told her, “Monday already. Wasn’t it just Monday….” dramatic pause…”One week ago”. The unexpectedness of the truth caught her off guard and she laughed.
I have periods of “flow”. when I write. Time passes and I don’t even notice because I am so focused. It is a good feeling. Almost like a meditation. I don’t mind the blur at all.
Susan Silver recently posted..Do You Have 20 Minutes for the Future?
Hi Susan, interesting take on your blur. I like it too when I’m busy and don’t notice the time unless it’s past my bedtime
First, I do feel like many days are the same, and thus blur together; freaky.
Second, it seems you’re waking up when I’m heading to bed, as I often don’t get to bed until between 2:30 and 3:30 in the morning. And I don’t see that changing any time soon. lol
Third, I have tried breaking things up here and there. I did my experiment where I actually stayed off any real technology other than texting with my wife on my smartphone for an entire day, something I’d never done when I didn’t have something else planned. It was an odd day but it also told me that I’m definitely too dependent on the computer and need to probably find ways to get away from it more often so I will do other stuff like read or watch a movie here and there, even exercise… nah, let’s not use exercise.
Kindred spirits in a way; yeah!
Mitch Mitchell recently posted..Following Others In Social Media As A Growth Strategy… Let’s Talk
Hi Mitch, wow, you have the opposite schedule than me, as far as times to go to bed. It is amazing how dependent we have become on the smartphones and computers. Today would have been my grandmother’s birthday, she would never believe the technology we now have. I try to walk or hit the gym 3-4 times per week. You are skipping that one?
I haven’t been to the gym because it was so warm all summer I preferred walking at the lake for my workout instead. As it’s starting to get cooler I’m thinking about changing that strategy; we’ll see.
Mitch Mitchell recently posted..5 Problems With Guest Posting/Writing Requests
Mitch, I do the same thing too, I much prefer to be outside walking than the gym if I can. It does get hard in the winter to get there though.
3-5 am? Wow!
Can’t do that
I can’t do it. I usually sleep around 11:30 12 (Usually spent time watching movies). And get up at 7:30-8 
(I still get around 8 hours sleep 
). Most of my days works based on my college schedule (I have to get up early on Tuesdays and Thurs because my class starts at 8).
Interesting things you got there, Lisa
Commenting blocks? You got to tell me how you work it out 
Is it like pomodoro technique commenting?
Hi Jeevan, oh difference schedule. What do you mean by commenting blocks?
I mean, block commenting (you mentioned that you do block commenting during lunch).
Hi Jeevan, Yes, that’s it. Now it makes sense
Thanks for clarifying.
Hi Lisa
Whoa girl! You sound like a hamster running on a wheel!
When I was working I had to get up at 5 am and by the time the day was over I was tired. Maybe due to the fact that I worked around so much negative energy it drained the life out of me. Home about 4:30 and tired enough to sleep by 8:30. Sleep was always off and on so sleeping through the night as been a huge problem.
Take a deep breath and figure out what really is the most important things in your life.
Even though I am currently unemployed I find that there is never enough hours in a day to do all that I want to do. I just try to pick a few things that seem the most important at the time and let the rest wait. I have had to quit doing somethings that would not change the outcome…maybe they were worthwhile knowledge wise, but since I wasn’t going to act on them I decided not to bother until I lay more ground work for the direction I am going in.
You can’t do it all and be it all for everyone. I have this attitude now that, well I have always hated dusting. It seems like a fruitless activity, it is never noticed when it is done, but always noticed if it is not. So, since we don’t hardly ever have anyone over, my comments to my husband are, if bothers you, you know where the dust rag is. I guess it doesn’t bother him, sure I get to it once in awhile but it is not on any of my priority lists.
Have a great week,
Mary
Oh yes, if there is negativity that can wear you down and make you sleepy. I think I get so excited to more things that it causes me not to sleep. You really can’t do it all and be all to everyone. You have to prioritize that. I find myself saying no more often now. Have a great week too Mary.
Hi Lisa – I can certainly relate to that. Time management is the hardest thing to get to grips with online. The hours just whizz by and the great danger is the 80/20 rule goes out the window – hours spent checking emails, dodging low-flying shiny objects and responding to people on social media, but where’s that post I was going to write?
I love your list of morning visits – I’m afraid my main early morning visit is across the local golf course with the dogs….
Sue
Sue Neal recently posted..Writing Tips: How to Discover Your Unique Writer’s Voice
If it’s a walk on the course I’m jealous Sue! I do try to get walks in daily but doesn’t always happen. Always said when I retire I’d get a dog. Thanks for coming by. I really believe in that 80/20 rule for a lot of things.
Yes, being connected is a problem. I’m having trouble writing on earth and feel like I’m missing something when I’m not online. I think we’re all addicts.
I don’t know how you do it. You are amazing!
Lauren recently posted..Day 7 of 30 Days of Photographs III – Craftsman
Hi Lauren, yes, I think we are addicts too. I do shut off online when I write blogs. I try to get offline for hours but boy not easy when orders come in or I see all kinds of notifications on my Droid. I guess we could have worse addictions right? I believe I do as much as I do because I don’t need as much sleep plus I truly love it
Thanks!
I understand what you are saying and I go through it all the time. When you are surfing on the net you actually don’t realize how much time flew by. You started doing something and suddenly you look at the watch and realize two hours have already passed and you have no idea how. It is just a rut that everybody gets stuck in their life sometime or the other.
Monotonous work has this kind of effect on you. That is why I like doing freelancing work. You get to make your own schedules according to your convenience. But still there are times when I have a slipped to the virtual world only to realize that I am just wasting my time and not being productive.
Hi Thomas, yes that is an excellent point, thanks!
Yes some days are like that. I think everyone has days like that where they work like a robot without thinking or understanding what they are doing. The thing with work is, everyday we to do the same thing over and over again. Everyday is so similar that we don’t even remember what we did yesterday. Its like we are stuck in the never ending cycle.