Lake Atitlan, Panajachel, Guatemala

Friday, June 4, 2010

I lOVE a Challenge

The incredible Jackee of Winded Words set out a May challenge that dealt with blogging (adding new blogs & commenting on old and new) and writing x-number of words a day. And the idea was not just to meet goals but to learn things along the way. What I learned:

That I can post 3 times a week instead of 5 and still be happy.

That I can limit my comment time to an hour a day and still keep in touch with my blogging friends. I don't have to comment on every post every time. (Even though I want to, I restrain myself to save time.)

That my world won't collapse around me if I join Twitter and Facebook. (Which I did!)

That I can write an average of 2000 words a day and still keep up with my other responsibilities.

And here's my prize:



Yes, folks, I survived the May Scramble, I got more balance in my life even while adding more social media and writing more words per day. Plus I got a cupcake!!

Thanks, Jackee, for throwing down the gauntlet. Because I can't resist a challenge. Or a cupcake.







38 comments:

  1. Congrats on making it through the May challenge!

    I am still working on the most efficient way to read/comment on my blogs. I tell myself I don't have to comment on every one every day....but it's SOOOO hard letting some go! Thanks for letting me know it's possible.

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  2. Congrats, Karen! It's nice to find balance, and it sounds like this really helped you do it!

    Did you get any of my various messages about BuNoWriMo? I tried blog, email, and my blog... it is an OPEN group on FB, so just find us and press join!

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  3. Wow. So how do you only blog one hour a day? I need a lesson from you. :0)

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  4. Good job, Karen. That's great! :) Your cupcake looks delicious, too.

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  5. Congrats, Karen. And I sooo loved your comments about balance. Speaking of which, when someone leaves a comment, I don't really think that means that person expects a reply/e-mail. A comment's like a spoonful of ice cream not the whole bowl, at least, to me. Maybe I'm off here. Don't know.

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  6. Good stuff! Wish I'd known about that one.

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  7. congrats!
    btw- i appreciate the fact you comment on so many blogs. i think it is very nice and supportive of you!

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  8. And okay Kathi, maybe it is more like 2 hrs. a day. But I'm trying to streamline that down to 1.

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  9. Congratulations on reaching your goal. I'll have to look you up on Facebook (when I get a chance to log in this weekend). Enjoy your cupcake. :)

    Mason
    Thoughts in Progress

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  10. Woo hoo - good job and definitely a lesson there for all of us.

    Sure hope you have a great weekend :)

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  11. Ooooh, I love cupcakes! Congrats on yours. It's so nice to find that we can write and still get everything else done we need to each day...or mostly done. I didn't clean today like I should have. Oops! That's why I didn't get a cupcake. I think as women we naturally expect more of ourselves - set that bar pretty high! We think we can do and have it all so it's easy to lose perspective and, ultimately, balance. It's always so wonderful when we find it again. Enjoy that cupcake - best part is, virtual cupcakes look yummy and don't add the pounds!

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  12. I wasn't aware of the May Scramble until the last few days. I could use that kind of discipline. It sounds like you did a great job.

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  13. Good for you for meeting your goals and for learning from them; it sounds like your attitude towards blogging and social media networking are things that we can all learn from. I definitely need to learn to limit my blogging time. I've been blogging MWF but I must admit I spend more than an hour each day checking out other people's blogs.

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  14. Sweet prize! I love me some cupcakes (I made homemade from scratch dark chocolate brownies tonight, they were a delight!).

    PS: Goals are good. I need a kick in the pants for mine...

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  15. Well done for doing the challenge. I really like your blog time-saving advice - need to try something similar myself.

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  16. Way to go, Karen!

    (I think I'll just eat the cake!)

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  17. Well done Karen :) I must find you on Twitter now!

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  18. Well done Karen! Sounds like it was successful, indeed. I admit I'm struggling with the amount of comment time I put in. I mean, I love blogging and visiting blogs, but... it is very time consuming.

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  19. I agree... balance is so important!

    Following you on twitter now!

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  20. Congratulations!! And best of all you got a lovely cupcake!! Good for you and well done!

    Take care
    x

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  21. Wow! Great work. But what flavor was your cupcake. That's what I really want to know. :-)

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  22. Congratulations on rising to the challenge. I imagine that we all struggle with balance in our lives to some extent.

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  23. That's great. It's difficult to find a balance. I'm always seeking it but always having difficulty finding. I think my problem is I like to add to my workload so much.

    CD

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  24. Congrats on finishing the challenge - I won my cupcake, too. :)

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  25. Congratulations!
    Hope she does the challenge next year, too.

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  26. Diane, Now it's on to BuNoWriMo!

    Susan, You did? Awesome! I'm just hoping I can maintain some balance through the summer now.

    Clarissa, I understand the temptation. We get things under control and think, Cool! now I can do more! Aargh!

    And the cupcake is white with white icing. I save my chocolate for brownies!

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  27. Kudos on your internet time management skills! I'm hoping to hone my own soon. :)

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  28. Congratulations, Karen! I'm glad you're happy with balancing all that writers need to balance these days. It's not easy trying to do it all.

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  29. Karen, that's awesome! Sounds like you found some major balance, which is half the battle!

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  30. Congrats! I hope the cupcake was good:) I'm trying to do the same, I can sit for hours and comment - it's hopeless! So I've come to terms with the fact that I can't comment on every post on every blog. I'm not superwoman, after all:)

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  31. Congrats! That's terrific! I'm doing something similar, *trying* to write a chapter a day (or at least as close to a chapter a day as I can) to try to finish my book by Labor Day. You're right about the learning -- I'm learning that I CAN balance my time and spend less time in the blog world, more time with the MS.

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  32. Congratulations! Sounds like May was the month of self discovery:)

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  33. Wish I'd known about that challenge, that's Hardcore! There's an awaed for you on my Blog.

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  34. Good for you! Congratulations!

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  35. Congratulations karen and will talk to you on Twitter now too!!1

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  36. Yay! I'm glad you joined Twitter and Facebook! I friended you on both, as well as Goodreads, where I cruised all your excellent book picks and reviews. You are very well read!! Inspiring! :-)

    - Corra

    the victorian heroine

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Comments are welcome!