It has been a while since I last posted here. Mostly, that was due to changes in my professional life. The changes are positive (more transitions), yet it left me uncertain which direction to take with my writing. Things are settling down in that regard.

I can also blame one of my clients, who unbeknownst to her, influenced the lack of posts here. During the holidays, this client went on a social media diet in response to coming down with a bad case of “social media fatigue.” Working full time and also running her own business, her time feels precious. Yet she found herself drawn to social media not only to post, but also to read others’ posts to stay on top of things, socially and professionally. For her, the answer was to unplug. No photos of her dog (whom she loves very much). No checking to see what others were doing in their daily lives. No reading blogs. No posting about her business.

Many unplugged days later, my client found that although the world moved on without her postings, she was no less informed about the important things. And, her business did not fold. This revelation prompted her to make some changes. First, she hired an intern to take over the social media strategy for her business. For her personal postings, she decided in the New Year her use of social media would involve being mindful and intentional about what she shared. Additionally, she was willing to try curtailing her use of social media by checking in and posting briefly only three times a day. The result? She feels more relaxed and is getting more done in the workplace and in her personal life.

Which brings me full circle back to my lack of postings on my blog, Facebook page, and Twitter account. I have always intended to share information that inspires, drives change, and/or entertains. Intentional? Check. Mindful? I wasn’t sure. I felt pressure to “post early and often” enough to remain in view. Why? Social media experts suggest business owners post frequent blogs; and newsletters; and tweets; and photos to remain top-of-mind. I followed this advice. However, I find myself deleting many of these from other sources because I feel too overwhelmed by the amount of information I receive. It wasn’t that I found no value in their messages; it was simply too much from too many sources. If I felt this way, what about my “followers”? Could the social media experts be wrong? I don’t know.

What I do know is that by following my client’s lead, I feel refreshed. My business still exists and continues to flourish. I am now both, mindful and intentional, in my use of social media. This means that you may hear from me less often sometimes, and more often during other times. My posts still aim to inspire, drive change, and entertain. And I will mindfully consider how often I post, and my reason for it, as I consider the receivers of this information.