Hello everyone
After months of almost non-stop Steeming, over the past couple of days I have taken a small break from producing content to focus a little more on life away from the screen.
My personality traits do tend to lead me all-in on things of interest, and it's a struggle sometimes to find any sort of balance - I now have @osm0sis to help with this though as she has returned from France at the same time as the sunshine has arrived here on the island of Mallorca :D
We've spent the last few days outside enjoying the sunshine and becoming reacquainted with each other and this small seaside town. There will of course be photos, and hopefully, video proof of this over the coming months as we try to share the summer with you guys.
The break came at a good time
On Tuesday, having just completed my weekly utopian-io report, I was greeted with a comment on the post congratulating me on the 'nice photos', stating that they 'deserved an award'. A quick check on other comments made by this account showed that they were spamming this comment all over the Blockchain. I decided to spend some voting power, reducing any pending payouts over the past 7 days to $0.00, and then went on to the next posts that were targeted and advised the owners to remove the rewards for this low quality engagement.
My next comment was on a report showing 'supportive voters', of which I saw numerous Bid-bot and vote sellers in the list. I left a comment trying to help by offering a list of these accounts, which was misunderstood by the content creator who replied back ratherly 'sharply', and that pretty much took the rest of the wind out of my sails.
Seeking balance
pixabay source
While this break was short, it has given me awareness of the need for balance - 10 to 15 hours in front of the screen each day is pretty hardcore, and there is a lot of cool stuff waiting outside! I hope to find a happy medium between both being active here, and engaging in activities away from the computer.
I'll still be here producing the Curation and Engagement League post on sunday, contributing to Utopian on tuesday, submitting quality work to @curie (March has been my best month yet!), and hopefully engaging with the people I follow, and vice versa.
And, there is also another project here in Steamland which is on the go. I'm very excited about this and all will be revealed very soon!
I suspect this will reduce the number of posts I produce each week, but could mean an increase in other areas of engagement - and that's all I am saying for now :)
Thank you everyone for all your support over the past year. I shall see you all on the Steem Blockchain soon.
Asher @abh12345
Nice post
When you are in the driver seat even more so an entrepreneur it often does not mix well with “life balance.” You have those people who just need to have someone else be the boss and they have not realized this yet. Then you have the people who will never turn down an opportunity no matter how small of an impact it will have and how demanding it is.
In places like Steemit, many seem very concerned with taking a break. They think in terms of “what if that kills my momentum?” While numbers could be lower the longer break you tend to take. There nothing more killing to one’s momentum then someone past there burn out phase and just the “I don’t give a dang anymore.” Once you lose that spark that made your blogs something amazing to enjoy it’s hard to get that back.
Workaholics need breaks like everyone else. Otherwise, their entire life passes by them and one day they wake up and realize “this is all I have and it was not worth it.” Some very smart people leave behind some finically rewards environments because they found something worth so much more than what money can bring.
That is great you have the next best thing when you yourself don’t know when to take a break. Someone else to poke you and remind you there other things to do in life!
Hey @enjar
Thanks for the reply, you make good sense :)
It is a bit of worry about momentum that 'forces' people to continue on, but as you say, quality of content can suffer due to this and so maybe it is not the best thing to do and the break would be better in the long run.
Cheers
Asher
ps.I know someone who particularly liked the last couple of paragraphs of your reply :)
Take it from someone who's near a beach...get out there and enjoy it all!! There are days when I do spend way too many hours on my computer (how else am I going to keep my crown? ;), but when I get to the ocean and in the water, everything else simply falls by the way side.
Thank you sincerely for everything that you do here Ash, and thank you for 'going after' those who don't really appreciate what steemit is all about. I can only imagine how tiring the useless comments are, for example, 'a no vote on a comment (I saw that here!), but I think the same here as I do in real life...don't waste your wonderful positive energy on the negative, because it only tends to bring you down. People like that are simply not worth your time.
I'm also waiting with baited breath for your announcement; whatever it is, coming from you, will be awesome!
Finally, and most importantly, if you're reading this, stop, shut your computer down, and get out with @osm0sis! I for one won't hold it against you if you don't upvote and comment back to me back haha
Hi Lynn :)
Well today the weather is not so great, so a good chance to reply to all these kind messages. You are right about time, I really don't have enough of it to waste on negative things!
Hopefully the announcement will be soon :D
Thanks for the very kind message, wishing you a lovely Easter weekend!
Oh you are so welcome; and fair enough! The weather is the same here, so I certainly can't judge you, especially considering how sweet your comment was ;)
I can't wait to hear what your announcement is !
Have a wonderful Easter weekend as well!
Asher, great to see you taking a vacation, you've earned it for sure... I know you say that you will still be around, but I hope you do find that balance in your real life because everyone needs it! We know what you have done and who you are, so don't feel like the place will fall apart when you're gone! We got your back ;)
You have been the uniter and brought many of us together. I know I speak for many when I say that we see it and we're very appreciative. If you hadn't shown me so quickly what it was like to be a #stewardsofgondor member, I don't know if I would even be here right now. You demonstrated how this platform should be used through your selflessness and attention to building up the community from the bottom up. I believe your way is a model that all the other larger steemians should follow, so that makes you a natural leader!
As for this comment:
I hope this means what I think it means... If so, I will indeed rally the troops behind you!
Have a great time and I'll see you around (occasionally)... And yes keep those pics coming so we can see what life is like in your beautiful island!
ps... I was talking with the Queen @lynncoyle1 the other day and she was telling me how much your league has really motivated her. (she is rather competitive) I think she's going for the record number of weeks at the top, once she got the crown she doesn't want to let it go... lol
These are some very kind words here Dave...as always!
hahaha @davemccoy, quit talking behind my back...although you mentioned my name, so I'll pretend that that you, me and @abh12345 are sitting around a table (or at the beach ;) with a beer in hand haha
I am a little competitive, but having to be away the last couple of days due to Brian's health, made me realize that I simply hate missing out on all of the awesome interaction that occurs between all of us here! I feel like I'm missing out on a the best party of the year, even though I got an invitation ;)
lol... a little competitive... I think I would love to play you in a board game like monopoly... You are super competitive but also a sandbagger... Do you know what a sandbagger is???
Ohh poor little ole me?
But the good thing you said is that you are part of this big party and here's a secret..
when you aren't here we miss you and its not nearly as fun! ;)
bahahahaha a sandbagger!! Now why would I even know what a sandbagger is?? :)
I'll play you monopoly, but I get to be the banker haha Actually bad idea...me an numbers. I trust you, so you're the banker. And I bet I will win haha Who lil ole me? Competitive??
I love your 'secret' though! I'm so glad I add to this party of ours ;)
omgosh of course.. ask @beeyou, we both said last night it was dead without you... so even though you weren't around, I'm sure your ears were burning! And its on, Monopoly one day... that or a game of steemit card quest with Max's deck of cards.... And you and the bee can fight over who gets Asher's card!!! :P
Thank you that's very nice to hear ;)
ok you're on...Max's cards...your pack. Mine's staying closed because they will be worth something someday ;)
admit it, you just want my rookie card!!! :P
Thank you Dave, very kind!
There are a lot of good things that have come from the previous months time and effort spent here, and I know it's not been wasted. I'm sure the fort will be held well, and I'll try not be feel too guilty about not making the rounds every single day.
Lynn will be tough to topple, but if anyone can, you might be the person :)
Thanks again for all the motivation and support of the past few months, it's been a great help.
Ash
I also find it difficult to have a balance .... how to work whit curie? I heard something about it but maybe you can tell me this thing better. More then this I have got a question for you : I was reading the blue paper trying to figure out how will the rewards evolve in the future. I read on the blue paper that the rewards come from inflation , and that the inflation will decrease until it reaches a certain minimum level. Now the question is , if it is true and as seen that steemit grows at a rate of 100000 user a month , isn’t it true that the average rewards will go down in steem? I think that if I have a certain fixed amount of steem power, the value in steem of my vote will go down. But I am not sure to understand well so I ask you if you kindly want to help me understand this point. I also think that this could be compensated by the value of steem going up in dollars and so the reward in dollar could not decrease. About your future projects, are you talking of witnessing? I could have all that is needed to do it too. Byby thanks in advance
Take a breather! Enjoy @osm0sis... enjoy the time together, enjoy life.
We all need a break sometimes and the upcoming summer months are perfect.
looking forward to your posts no matter how few they will be.
And... a new project? Now this shall be exciting!
Hey @goldendawne
Thanks for the kind words, we will certainly be heeding them :) I so much prefer the warmer months and will be making the most of them, without leaving my Steem friends behind of course.
Hopefully we'll have lots of sunshine to share.
Oh yes, and the project too - more on that soon! :D
Oh I know about this it was the topic of my last post. But the response was amazing from my followers.
Sadly people seem to forget their manners when online. Being annoymous allows people to act in ways that they never would in person.
Think @tarazkp might of had the best comment on my post and think it applies here perfectly "Screw them."
Damn!
Just read your post, that is not cool at all.
You (and Dan) are right about anonymity causing some issues like this, I see and arguement for both less of it, and more (hidden wallets etc), so it's a tricky one.
I guess trolling on a chat app will always be around though. 'Screw them' indeed.
Thanks for taking a read. It had one unexpected response which was great. The first person who put me off a first, but I was completely over it as we had agreed to be peaceful without apologies can on and apologized which meant raising his hand and saying this was me. That said a lot about him and was nice to see that it was an isolated incident.
Chat trolls are the worst and they have been around as long as chat rooms. Don't think there is much that can change that.
Yes i saw that, that was good of him.
I moderated a chat room for years, the trolls never cease, and if they serve their bans and continue, you actually end up with sympathy for them. A strange world :)
I'm completely sure this new project is related to the integration of steemit in SharePoint ;P
😂
Do you need some SharePoint assistance?
Not anymore, I moved to other business :)
Yeah? Where too? :D
Even ordinary 8 to 17 workers from are entitled to annual vacation. We all need a rest, after which we can return with a fresh head and new ideas.
You perform a lot of important and useful work on Steemit, but the life is much wider than the PC screen, and it passes by when you sit in front of the monitor. Enjoy your summer, the time spent with your friends and loved ones! Have a good time!
Enjoy the break Asher !
I have the same all or nothing issue that I am trying to balance during the summer. Steemit highly rewards consistant daily posts which is very hard if you don't settle with making 'cheap shitposts'. The overall quality on this platform would really benefit is there was a way to equally reward only a couple posts each week taking some of the pressure off.
Thanks!
Bang on with the above. I wonder how we can make that happen?
My autovote will still be running of course, but that does suit daily posters more I guess.
Anyway, have a good Easter, see if you can balance some eggs + steemit :)
Yeah Asher we can have you being burnt out! Go and balance your life! you have been doing so many things in the platform.
Thanks Mav, I struggle with juggling but shall have a go!
I know hahaha women are way better in doing that as compared to us men but we know you'll manage.
Sounds a bit weird perhaps but I'm so happy to hear you say this @abh12345.
As I've mentioned I've been struggling with this myself, ever since I won the league and received your generous delegations, and have been trying to be more balanced in my approach. I've not been happy with the amount of time I spend in front of the screen and, recently, there has been family stuff that has forced me off.
I'm now away from home visiting friends and I'm grateful for the chance to take a big step back and get things into perspective again.
It's good to hear you stepping back and moving towards the "cool stuff waiting outside". Sounds fun!
I'm thinking this will be easier to do with the summer coming as the outdoors calls even louder! 😁
Have a wonder full weekend and thanks again for all you do. 😍
Hi Gillian
It's not weird, thank you for being honest :)
I think most of the engagement league crew have put a huge effort in this past few months, and each of us deserves some 'life' time. The summer is the right time to go for this for me, but i'll still be around and I hope you and everyone else is too.
Thank you! and you too:)
Got to get that work-life balance sorted out. Look forward to more of your great content when you get to it.
Thanks man, much appreciated.
Have a great weekend!
Balance is key! And steemians especially need to take care of their rhythm. We can easily spend 15 hours in front of the apps without even noticing it. Taking breaks is really important.
I'm also one of the all-in types that're able to forget everything around them when they're dedicated to a thing. So I can really relate.
Then it's good to have amazing people around us who remind us of the greatness of life itself. There's actually muuuuch more than just the internet... Enjoy a hopefully sunny and warm Easter on the beautiful isle of Mallorca! You fully deserve it :-)
Big hugs and merry Easter to you and @osm0sis
PS: Do you join the witness forum on Saturday again?
Thank you for the warm easter wishes, the weather is looking up and we have been outside enjoying it :D
Sorry I missed the forum today, I will be catching up soon though as it's normally well worth listening in and being part of the chat audience :)
Enjoy your time off, @abh12345. There are more things to life than sitting behind a screen, no matter how great this community is.
Don’t wait until life forces you to find a balance.
Well i do personally feel that after taking a break from the regularity (tasks) one feel even more relaxed and performs brilliantly.
Pretty logical suggestion Asher;)
I am also trying to take a short break of 72 hours from every form of virtual world just to welcome the Summer Season ;)
My best wishes and prayers are always with you Stay blessed !
Thank you Salman
I'm glad to hear you have worked a break into your Steeming to enjoy the summer too :)
Thanks for visiting!
Asher
Since you are on holiday I won't type much. All I'll say is have some fun.
And maybe grab a camera and take some shots. You might as well give some 'nice photo' commenters a chance to be right for once 😀. See you around.
Hahaha 😂
Nice one! If elear56 appears again I don't care what they write!
Hey Asher! Enjoy your pause ;-) I'm taking a break too, and going a few days to Italy :-)
Ciao ciao
I saw that!
Good luck on your adventures in Italy @steemitri, even Mannequins need a rest too :)
12 to 15 hours a day in front of the computer screen is pretty hard on a body. I should know! lol I too, am rethinking how to approach Steemit. I need to be able to produce quality content and curate. I need to find my balance which has been a bit tricky. You have me very curious about this new project! Don't keep us is suspense too long.
Yes agreed - that time needs to come down whatever happens.
I hope you find the right balance and will try not to keep you and all waiting for too long! :)
Always important to take some time of and to place everything in perspective! Only this can shown you the real values of the things happening in life! For sure if you are living on such a beautiful island!
I do appreciate the posts, in which you gave us sime insights with your top10s or 20s!
I’m looking forward to your new project cause it will probably blow us all away 😁!
Good luck with it and see you on Sunday with curation and commitment league!
Yes we are in a beautiful place, and with the sun now starting to shine we will be making the most of it!
See you on Sunday if not before :D
Enjoy it. Live your life like tou think it should be done.
Curious if I am going to make it to the top 10 again. Had a slow start, trying to catch up. But perhaps it could be too little too late!
I do have small surprise for you, really will have to read my next posts. Don’t expect too much of it cause I’mnot a wealthy men but I am in a thankfull mood!
Thanks I'll do my best 😁
Must go check your posts now...
I usually have to be reminded to take a break myself, but I'm not living on an island in the Mediterranean off the coast of Spain, either! Wow! So blessed!
Sounds to me that getting out and about will also mean you have plenty of material to post about. That would be awesome, though I do enjoy the forays to the database you do, too. :)
In the end, we all do what we have to around here, and finding balance is a part of that. So, do what you got to do, dude! Health and happiness.
Yeah we are in a lovely place, and it would be rude not to get out and about and enjoy it.
As you say, this should mean a wider variety of content too - the data posts will not vanish though :D
Thanks a lot, have a nice rest of your day @glenabrethsen
Seems as if ALOT of people are taking a break right now. probably a good time for minnows and newer users to catch up, althogh I must admit its a bit boring on here lately
Yeah I've noticed that too. You know when you submit a post and it's at the top of the 'New' page when it gets added to the Blockchain then things are quiet - That is the first time that's happened in a long long time!
I'll be here still, just planning on not devoting so much time which I concede to being a little over the top in recent months. I agree though, minnows and all users who continue working hard should hopefully reap the rewards when the busy period begins again.
Cheers!
lol yeah I had a post hit like #10 in the hot category, I knew instantly something is up.
A break is always needed when posting quality content every day. Before you know it becomes more of a chore instead of fun. Lately I have been doing 3-4 quality posts a week mixed with those shitty challenges that take 5-10 minutes, it actually works wonders and gives me enough time to take a break without halting posting. Maybe you want me to challenge you tomorrow morning in the one I am currently doing ? XD
Mixing the posts up sounds like an option for sure, I'll have a think.
Apart from replying to the comments here and a bit of voting around the place, I may not be around for the challenge so if you have a backup and don't mind a potential no-show then go for it 😁
ok, I edited the post, your name is now there too XD https://steemit.com/children/@trumpman/the-charity-donation-challenge-day-3-xamogelo-toy-paidioy
Nice idea!
Enjoy all the joys of spring! Take us on those cycling tours with more snaps of the beautiful ocean. :)
Thank you!
That sounds like a super plan 😊 Have a lovely Easter!
Ah! I just came to check because I haven't seen you in my feed for a while :)
We all need a break sometimes! It's OK :)
Hey!
6am seems like a good time to try and get through my replies - all part of the balance project 😀
Yes a few less posts each week at present, but I'm still trying to do as much spying as possible. Thanks for checking in on me!
oh i've already asked about you and if the league would be open this week, but i'm glad you're back! I just wanted to ask you about a no vote I got on a comment:(
A no vote on a comment?
Yes don't worry, the League will be here for sure!
"Technology Breaks" are a pretty important part of good mental health. I can appreciate the "all-in" approach to something we are interested in, but it's not always easy to stay fresh if we don't take some time to decompress.
As a cat, of course, most of my "activity" revolves around napping...
=^..^=
Oh to be a curating cat! 😁
Balance... Got to learn that too...... ;)
It's easier said than done for sure!
(He says replying to comments at 6am!)
that is very well deserving break even i think lot of people need to take break as crypto too is down and the activity is on a low right now so enjoy life and be energetic :D have a great time asher enjoy :D
Thanks @blazing!
Iam truly sorry to here what happened. A break will be great for you. You will comeback all energized and full of ideas.
Blanlance is the key word! Wishing you all the best!
Thanks, it was no biggie really, but did confirm a small break was required!
Glad to hear it!
This is funny to read when I have to take one day off to run to immigration and another to go to my embassy this week. So now I'm in a panic to get posts ready and somehow get them done on those days. Enjoy your break and I will pretend it's me!
What is Steamland ? Its a new project you are starting ?
Off late, I have decided to spend less time posting and more time curating. But you have certainly been able to create pretty good engagement with the community.
Amazing post.
I appreciate your blog..
Very interesting
good job
You once wrote that you rent some SP, at least if I remember correct?
Does it mean you rent from demotruk? Can I ask you what you pay for renting?
Do you mind me asking such a question? And/or if you prefer I can ask you via Steemit chat or Discord?
You can see it in my wallet and the delegation amount by other means, and so I don't mind stating it is 40 STEEM/month for 4000SP.