I'M BACK!!!!!//Featuring Things I Learned on Hiatus and Why You Should(n't) get a Job

by - October 08, 2018



I'M BACK PEOPLES! And now it's time to throw the confetti and start cheering. (Honestly, I'm sure none of you really thought about me that much while I was gone...but suffice it to say I was thinking of you all and I've missed you!) 

"How much reading did you get done?" I'm sure you're all wondering. "How much writing? How much editing? How much schoolwork? You've still got straight A's, right?"

Hahahahahahahahahahaha. Let's have a chat about hiatus (having taken one successfully, I can now claim to be an expert). I'll share some tips with you, as well as some things I learned (don't worry, only one of them will be precalculus-related) and some things NOT to do. 


5 THINGS I LEARNED ON HIATUS


1. THE INTERNET WILL SURVIVE WITHOUT YOU. 


Crazy, I know! But the even crazier part is: IT'S TRUUUUUEEEEE. Leaving your Instagram account for a month doesn't mean Instagram will spontaneously combust (although it may be running super slow when you come back and make you question why you came off your hiatus in the first place because this is wasting even more time than it normally would). Everyone you know could take a hiatus at the same time, and guess what? THE INTERNET WOULD STILL SURVIVE. It's like a desert cactus. You can't get rid of it. 

(Although I believe those die after a while? Maybe not the best comparison, but we've established already that I am the queen of parentheses, not the queen of similes.) 

But anyway, the point is this. You can leave the internet alone. It probably won't even notice you're gone, if we're all being totally 100% honest. 

Which leads me to the next point: 

2. YOU WILL SURVIVE WITHOUT THE INTERNET.


You'll probably have more time! You'll probably be freer! Your brain will feel like it's on detox! It'll be hard for the first couple days but then, oh glorious then, you'll be alright. And it will be amazing. You're not gonna die. I promise. 

3. YOU PROBABLY DON'T NEED THE INTERNET AS MUCH AS YOU THINK YOU DO.


Now, if you make your actual living through social media, I can understand why this step might not be true. But for the rest of us, who are on social media to expand our reach or even just for fun, it's not that big a deal to take a step back. It really isn't! Take a break. Your readers will understand, and you'll feel better for it. Freedom is a great thing.

4. WHEN YOU JOKE ABOUT BEING ADDICTED TO THE INTERNET? YOU'RE ACTUALLY ADDICTED.


Go cold turkey! Cut it down and weed it out! You don't have to TOTALLY leave the internet, but you do have an addiction to social media and you are going to feel those withdrawals/cravings in the first few days you're gone. Plan for that. Be ready for it. Do other things when you would normally reach for your phone. Condition yourself to not need the internet anymore. Breaking a habit/addiction can be tough, but you can do it. If I can, and I am the least self-controlled person alive, you DEFINITELY can.

5. DO SOMETHING ELSE WITH THE TIME YOU WOULD NORMALLY SPEND ON SOCIAL MEDIA. HAVE A PLAN!


For me, this meant homework. Hours and hours of it. School started in earnest for me this September, so I used the time I would normally be spending on FaceBook and Instagram and Goodreads to get into the wonderful world of tests, assignments, late night paper submissions, and piano practice. I also work a job, which while nice for money burns up about 24+ hours of my time a week, so it's been interesting trying to balance that with everything else.

My hope had been that the time I wasn't spending on social media would give me the time to finish my book, but I didn't have anywhere near that kind of time. I was able to finish beta reading for a friend, but that was...about it. So. Oh well :P

CONCLUSION

Hiatus is a good thing, y'all. Don't discount it. Take time to refresh yourself and detox from the constant bombardment of online life. 





Now a little update about me: I'm going to be posting on TUESDAY mornings now. I know this post is a Monday afternoon (whoops?) and there should be a post coming Friday this week, but regular posting schedule is moving to Tuesday mornings. We'll see if that helps me keep my sanity at all ;) 

Have a great week! I'm so happy to be back! 

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28 comments

  1. Nicole DustOctober 8, 2018 at 3:24 PM

    WHOOOOOO YOU’RE BACK!!!!!!!! *lots of confetti* I’m glad you had a good hiatus, even if it was filled with job and homework! And I definitely understand about moving your blogging schedule around. The writer’s sanity is so low already, keeping it alive is a challenge. XD

    Anyways, welcome back!! :)

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    Replies
    1. R.F. GammonOctober 8, 2018 at 9:05 PM

      Yes, I'm glad to be back! And I'm hopeful most people won't even notice, lol. All of us writers are crazy, but sometimes it requires a little more work than at other times. xD

      Thank you, Nicole! It's good to be back <3

      Delete
  2. Ivie BrooksOctober 8, 2018 at 6:09 PM

    YAY!!!! YOU'RE BACK!!!! MY MIND TWIN IS BACK!! Lol, that sounds weird, but I'M SO HAPPY YOU'RE BACK.

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    Replies
    1. R.F. GammonOctober 8, 2018 at 9:06 PM

      That doesn't sound weird at all! I've missed blogging <3

      Delete
  3. Christine SmithOctober 8, 2018 at 7:00 PM

    YOU'RE BACK, YOU'RE BACK, YOU'RE BACK!!!!!!! *TACKLE-GLOMPS* Um, OF COURSE I missed you! Absolutely! But I'm so glad you made good use of your hiatus and allowed yourself one! It is SO important. And can I just say a big YES to this post!!! I soooo rarely allow myself to drop from the internet completely. There IS an addiction there, it's bad. But taking breaks is such a wonderful thing. I love your points. Such great reminders. Thank you for sharing all of this!

    AND WELCOME BACK!!! :D

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    1. R.F. GammonOctober 8, 2018 at 9:06 PM

      *falls over under weight of tackle-glomp* I MISSED YOU TOO!!!!!! Hiatus is pretty awesome, tbh. I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. <3 You're so welcome!

      AND THANK YOU!!!!!

      Delete
  4. Grace MarieOctober 8, 2018 at 9:27 PM

    WELCOME BACK, FAITH!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Danielle JagoOctober 8, 2018 at 11:08 PM

    OH GOOD!! Yep those things are so totally relatable.... haha!!!
    And WELCOME back!!!!

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    1. R.F. GammonOctober 10, 2018 at 6:13 PM

      Aren’t they? I never realized how true they were until this month XD

      And thank you!

      Delete
  6. Chelsea R.H.October 9, 2018 at 3:13 AM

    Welcome back, Faith! I did miss you (more so because I'd forgotten you were on hiatus and so wondered what had happened to you). I love all these points though. I haven't gone on a complete internet hiatus in ages, but I made a conscious decision this holidays (currently on school holdiays in Australia, yay!) to read instead of reaching for my phone every time I was bored. This has been really great because I've done more reading than I have in ages (speaks volumes of my internet problem) and have actually been able to make my internet usage more meaningful :D

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    1. R.F. GammonOctober 10, 2018 at 6:14 PM

      Awww, that makes me both sad and happy XD I’m so jealous of you being on vacation right now...School is brutal atm. :P I love that idea!

      Delete
  7. Helena GeorgeOctober 9, 2018 at 8:20 AM

    RAFIE’S BACK!!!!!!! I did miss you....but the internet world continued on. But I love your point about having a plan. So true!!! I have so many times decided to not do something with my phone and then piddled around doing something *else* and still ended up getting nothing done.

    I’m considering taking a hiatus of Instagram during November. It’ll certainly help me get my writing done!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. R.F. GammonOctober 11, 2018 at 8:07 AM

      Yes! I really need to put that into motion now that I'm back...I've gone right back to spending hours and hours on my phone. :P

      Ooh, good idea! It can be a little painful but it's SO worth it.

      Delete
  8. Evangeline YackelOctober 9, 2018 at 11:01 AM

    omg hIIIIIIIIIII!!!!! I DID MISS YOU. And now I'm excited for Tuesdays. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  9. MiddleEarthMusicianOctober 9, 2018 at 6:01 PM

    GLAD TO SEE YOU ARE BACK!!! (and I actually did think about you while you were gone XD) Hope you had a wonderful hiatus!!! They are most refreshing. I don't actually post that regularly, so I don't have to take one very often, but I do try to not be on the Internet during any sort of family thing or holiday. It feels great. :-D Can't wait to see your next post!!!

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    1. R.F. GammonOctober 11, 2018 at 8:10 AM

      Awww, I'm glad to be back! <3 I did, honestly. It was pretty great. And that's a good way of looking at it! I should be better about doing that xD Thanks!

      Delete
  10. LiaOctober 9, 2018 at 8:46 PM

    YAAAAAY WELCOME BACK!!!!

    Lilah

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  11. Skye HoffertOctober 9, 2018 at 8:49 PM

    Faith!!! Your back, I missed you!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Nicki ChapelwayOctober 9, 2018 at 9:21 PM

    I'm so glad you're back! And yeah, I did think about you while you were gone ;P Missed you tons!

    After having taken only a partial hiatus last month, I can testify to #4. I would go to open up the internet and then just be like, "WHAT AM I DOING???? I'M SUPPOSED TO BE ON BREAK!" So then I would close it and stare at it forlornly for a few minutes before forcing myself to write again.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. R.F. GammonOctober 11, 2018 at 8:16 AM

      Awww, I missed you tons too <3

      Oh yes. It's so hard to leave it, even if you're not on a full hiatus. The first week or so of mine was torturous, and all I wanted was to get on the computer and do SOMETHING (it didn't matter what xD)

      Delete
  13. BlueOctober 9, 2018 at 11:34 PM

    It's good to have you back again!
    Glad to see your hiatus went well.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Analia @ Wild PenningsOctober 11, 2018 at 8:15 PM

    YAY! It’s great to have you back! :D I TOTALLY agree with you about internet detoxes....I get ridiculously overwhelmed when I look at my blog roll and I run away. 😂 It’s great that you were able to have a good break! I’m getting ready to take one myself, and reading this helped me get into the right mindset. Thank you for sharing!

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  15. Madeline J. RoseOctober 19, 2018 at 3:37 PM

    It really is quite refreshing taking a break from the internet! But I'm glad you're back! ^_^

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Hello, friends! Do make yourselves comfortable and stay for a while--I'd love to chat with you! I simply ask that you keep it clean. :)