Reevaluating My Time

in #steemit6 years ago (edited)

A little over a week ago, I started Steeming hardcore again after being pretty idle for a few weeks. Starting out, the renewed dedication had me bright eyed and bushy tailed. I started the never forget series, and started the #steemandme challenge, it's really cool reading everyone's perspectives!

Then something happened. Yesterday, and the day before, I had a couple of conversations about steem, and the struggles we are having. Since then it's just been nagging at me.

Today, I had to drive my daughter to the dentist 45 minutes away. Much of the travel time, I found myself evaluating the time spent here.

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It probably takes an average of 10 minutes for me to make a comment. One reason is because I use my phone, and that takes longer than typing, and another reason is because I want it to be perfect. They are often a paragraph or two in length.

I looked at my comment to reply ratio from the last 7 days and did the math. I made 33 comments that no one replied to. That's around 5 hours that resulted in no engagement.

80 of my comments were not upvoted. That's about 13 hours of time.

Counting up the amounts of the comments that were upvoted, I made $3.05. I wrote 145 comments total.

This isn't considering the posts, which take 1 to 5 hours. The highest one was around $18. The time taken to research and write this one was 4-5 hours.

I'm not complaining, these are just the facts.

Don't misunderstand, I'm grateful for the positives.

This is just sinking in hard today. I feel so many things right now, and have so many thoughts, but I really don't want to go into detail about everything I think and feel.

snowpea ❤

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Thanks for steemandme challenge and your support

Absolutely, I enjoyed your post! :)

I need to stop likin stuff

Haha, yeah, it's hard to be disciplined sometimes.

I had a similar experience a few months ago. It did not go away.

What happened to you @onnovocks?

I came to the realization that the time spent on posting will likely never be worth it for me. The posts I make take 2 days to create, so I need to do something else.

Two days?? Must've been amazing content to take you that long!

Not really. Traditionally bands play 3 sets of 45 minutes each, so when you include set up time and tear down, you have a 6 hour day just to get the footage. I use 2 cameras, so the next day I have 2h and 15m of footage per camera to transfer and review, that's another 5 hours. Then I do the same with 2 sound tracks, because on a small stage not all instruments are mic'd, meaning I can't record with just one microphone. Only then can I start to create a video, ..if the footage is usable. Then I wait for permission to publish, ..in writing. That often includes sending unlisted video links to performers/copyright owners etc. So yeah, I came to the conclusion that it isn't worth it to put in this kind of time and effort.

For what it is worth, I always respond and actually had to fight myself from commenting on one of your last posts, but you asked us not to. I look forward to your posts, and comments. And, you always get my upvote. I do get what you mean though, and have cut many out since coming here for just these reasons, also the ones that will give 2%-10% vote that is maybe worth .01 thinking you have to subsidize it with that dustsweeper. I swept some dust off for sure by stopping that engagement with them, lol.

Glad to have you back by the way. I worry something may have happened when you are gone for awhile. So glad that everyone is adjusting to school (other than you maybe tearing your hair out driving them, lol).

How is Jared doing?

I could probably count the people I would really miss communicating with if I left on one hand, and you are one of them. :) I appreciate your support, and you are a valuable part of my Steem experience. There are only 4 people who manually upvote all my posts lol. The rest of the consistent votes are from the alliance autovoter.

Jared's the same pretty much. Well worse actually. Sleeps in until noon, then lays down in the living room and watches TV for the rest of the day. I do everything. He started a new medication and is finally seeing a therapist, so hopefully that is effective.

I appreciate your support, and you are a valuable part of my Steem experience.

Thank you. Since starting my new job I am not on as much as I was while in Tucson, so don't think I have snubbed you if it takes me a day or two before voting/commenting.

Sorry to hear Jared is still down. Especially with winter coming as it brings him down like so many of us. I hope you can sometimes find some refuge (you time) as that has to be draining at times holding it all together. Keeping you in my prayers.

don't think I have snubbed you if it takes me a day or two before voting/commenting.

You never know, you got rid of all those dustvote people. ;) I'll keep that in mind though. Thank you for the prayers. Much appreciated. Also maybe what I can count on two hands and two feet. I wasn't really being fair there.

You know that's the problem with certain steemers around here. For example, I used to write a lot of comments, specially of things that I liked that they wrote, but nothing... Not a single comment, no nothing. After a while I began thinking, do these people are really worth my attention? So, if after a while they don't show living sings, I eventually unsubscribe them.

The good side of that is that I tend to engage more in conversations with people who really take their time to read and answer my comments, and they are constructive and fun.

So, don't get discouraged @snowpea, I think that's part of the steemit experience! I mean choosing which steemers are worth of your time and effort!

Nice post by the way! 😀 🙌🙌🙌

Yes, I suppose it happens to everyone and it's part of the experience. Having the actual numbers before me was a bit of an eye opener though. I think that many of the people who do that are already established and successful here, so they don't feel the need to respond to everyone, as it doesn't hurt their wallet at all. This might sound childish, but it hurts my feelings when I like someone but they want nothing to do with me. Then they will turn around and complain about how people don't stay here, when they are perpetuating the problem by ignoring their followers.

Also, I'm just thinking what am I doing here? Because for the last week I've been spending every spare moment on Steem, and really would anyone even notice if I left? Comment on an old post to see how I was doing? Awesome people, but I don't do that... At the same time those who actually depend on me that are right in front of me are being ignored while I'm on my phone and for what? I don't really know anymore. Thanks for your comment @cpol, and sorry you had to listen to my rant. :)

Don't worry about it @snowpea, I understand completely how you feel, specially the part you said it hurts your feelings. It happens to me also, but I try not to pay much attention to it, it's hard I know, but I prefer not to get involved too much, and that's easy said than done!

What you said about the ones that depend on you, it's a great insight. I think at the end, it's good to revaluate things in life, and that will always be a healthy exercise. 😃

Just keep doing what you love most and ignore those who don't deserve your attention.

I typed a text message on my phone once last year and it sucked - never again - doing Steemit comments on a phone? have you tried cleaning your car with a toothbrush?

I don't now how Steem will play out but I keep asking people to name the competition - and so far I'm not exactly worried :)

Using my phone isn't by choice. My computer is at my dad's so he can fix it. Yes, it's like cleaning a car with a toothbrush. LOL

Really there is no real competition, however, it's not like I'm single without kids and I have all this time and freedom. Time on steem isn't really helping me provide for them, like six months ago when I could cash out between $30-$60/day. So am I really doing the right thing here? That's something I struggle with right now.

Thanks for your input @frot! :)

Wow were you really making that much?

That is impressive - no I don't think you could earn that now as fresh income, but if the value of Steemit climbs from 85 cents back up to $6 from this point there is scope for some good gains.

Did you buy a Lambo?

Well, it was a curse that had a silver lining. CPS was after us and I wrote about it here with the awesome support of @familyprotection. With the price of steem $3-4 at that time, that's what I was able to transfer on my shift card.

No. I bought boring stuff. Like paper towels. ;)

Just not the same...

a nice evaluation of your time spent.....