My Rules for the Rest of my Summer Vacation

Lynn Blackburn — Thu, 14 Jul 2016 19:35:00 +0000

As a kid the main advantage I could see to summer vacation was the virtually unlimited reading time it provided. But by July, I was ready for routines, new textbooks, and bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils.

Fast forward a few years, and I’m still not the biggest fan of summer vacation. I appreciate the break from the routine, while simultaneously craving the return of it. I love the potential of a slower pace to our days, but find myself fighting the tendency to fill them to the brim with activity. I enjoy hanging out at the pool or the lake with friends, but dread the laundry that follows.

I want my kids to look back on their summers with delight. Lightning bugs. Popsicles. Staying up late. Sleeping in (although one of mine may NEVER sleep past 6:15…sigh). But I also want to reclaim some of the joy of summers for myself. I want to read more. Write more. Play more. Stress less.

How does a 42-year-old wife, mom of three, author, homeschooling kind of mom actually do this?

Honestly, I have no idea. But I know that it’s the middle of July and while I do have a few truly good things to show for the past few weeks, I can see a disturbing trend. One that involves me spending too much time on my phone and not enough time with my nose in a book. Too much time performing tasks and not nearly enough time playing games.

I do have things I need to accomplish over the next 6 weeks, but I’m thinking there has to be a way to cross off some big to-do list items AND roll into September (it’s really mid-August but I’m in denial) feeling refreshed and ready to tackle a new school year.

I know for myself that a BIG part of my problem is screen time. This is tricky for me, because the whole “writing thing” kind of requires screen time. But you know what it doesn’t require? Facebook.

I love Facebook, but I’ve come to realize that my social media time has gotten out of hand.

So I’ve decided to run a little experiment and I’m telling you about it in order to keep myself accountable. You may have seen this handy little sheet that has made the rounds on Pinterest and Facebook where the kids in the house have a list of things they have to do every day before they get any screen time. (Yes, I do appreciate the irony here). Anyway, I’ve made a few modifications for myself and my life and I’m going to give it a shot for a few weeks and see if I can tell a difference.

Here are my Rules for the rest of my Summer Vacation (Rules apply when I’m at home. There are NO rules when I’m at the lake or in the mountains!) —

Before you start surfing Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, or Instagram for non-work related matters you must:

** Spend some time in the Word.

** Make your bed.

** Hydrate—this means WATER not coffee—not that I won’t also have coffee!

** CrossFit (unless it’s an intentional rest day – I can’t hit the box 7 days a week).

** Read for thirty minutes – for fun, not heavy reading.

** Write for thirty minutes.

** Clean a room (ha – like this even needs to be on the list).

** Tackle one “project” for thirty minutes.

** Do one load of laundry (sigh).

** Play with the kids—go to the pool, throw the football, shoot some hoops, read a book, draw with chalk pastels (I’m terrible at it but the kids like it), color.

** Make contact with a friend—write a letter (imagine!), text, call.

If the whole day happens and I never open my Facebook page and don’t find any cool pins on Pinterest? I think I’d be okay with that.

I’m curious how you handle screen time – not for your kids, but for yourself? If you have any awesome tips or tricks, a funny story or an inspiring one, please share!

The post My Rules for the Rest of my Summer Vacation appeared first on Lynn H. Blackburn.

Thoughtful Thursdays ~ Blog Tour: Social Media Marketing for Writers by Edie Melson

Lynn Blackburn — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 20:22:00 +0000

I’m thrilled to kick off the blog tour for Social Media Marketing for Writers. Edie Melson is one of my favorite people. She has taken me under her wing and carved time out of her schedule to mentor me as I navigate the winding path to publication.

Here are a few things you should know about Edie:

1. She is the busiest woman alive. I have 3 young children so I know what busy looks like. Edie’s workload terrifies me!

2. One reason Edie is so busy is because she’s so incredibly good at what she does and has more job offers than she can handle.

3. The other reason she’s so busy is because she has such a heart for others that it’s hard for her to say no. (Our writing group is going to have to stage an intervention if she keeps saying yes).

4. Edie also has a heart for teaching writers. She wants to see them succeed, wants to see them improve and wants to spare them from making newbie mistakes.

5. Edie is a social media guru. At writers conferences across the nation, she teaches classes on establishing your web presence, writing for the web and social media.

Edie Melson

Now, she’s taken the material that she presents at conferences and on the many blogs she contributes to and compiled all of it into an e-book, Social Media Marketing for Writers and it’s available for download to your Kindle or Nook. If you don’t have a Kindle or a Nook, both offer free applications for your PC or Mac.

Here’s the review I wrote for Amazon and Barnes and Noble:

Whether you’re an aspiring writer building your platform, a newly published author marketing your first book or an established novelist striving to connect with your readers, Social Media Marketing for Writers will give you all the tools you need to establish your virtual presence—and keep your sanity while you do it.

Navigating social media can be overwhelming, but this guide gives step by step instructions for everything from setting up your first blog to structuring your daily on-line activities so you still have time to do what writers do best—write.

If you want to maximize your successes while streamlining your efforts, Social Media Marketing for Writers is the best place to start.

What I didn’t say is that while this book is written for writers, it’s also an invaluable resource for musicians, artists, small business owners or anyone in direct sales.

If you have a product and need a platform, you will benefit from this book.

The other thing I didn’t say is that I had the privilege of sitting down with Edie a few weeks before this book came out and she gave me many of the strategies she presents in this book. I’ve only just begun implementing them, but a quick check of my blog stats and Twitter followers indicates that her methods are already working for me.

I’m sure they’ll work for you, too! If you haven’t yet, what are you waiting for?

Download Social Media Marketing for Writers now!

The post Thoughtful Thursdays ~ Blog Tour: Social Media Marketing for Writers by Edie Melson appeared first on Lynn H. Blackburn.

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My Rules for the Rest of my Summer Vacation

Thoughtful Thursdays ~ Blog Tour: Social Media Marketing for Writers by Edie Melson