It's Too Much "Work" For Retirement

It’s not really surprising, at least not for me. It was something I questioned in the back of my mind during the time of writing down ideas and putting some of them into action. Did I really want to do this?

Multiple blogs, different accounts feeding into those blogs to generate new traffic. Spending time on the internet on other blogs, making comments to increase visibility of the hound blogs. Did I really want to make a commitment to do this?

Based on working full-time online from 2005 – 2008 and then part time around a job from 2009 – 2011, I know how much effort it takes to build an online business and even more time to maintain it. It is time consuming and hard work. It’s just not showing up on occasion to post on a blog or read those blogs of others.

Yes, I’m talking about the 3 different websites for the hounds – plus the plan to add Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus accounts for each of them. That is not what I want online. I do not want nor maintain that many online accounts. Less is better in my eyes.

I didn’t retire to work a different job, nor to work part-time. I retired to kick-back, do the least amount possible, downsize commitments and responsibilities — along with that, I was willing to live with a lot less income than I had been living on working. Some days in retirement means doing absolutely nothing and I am enjoying it!

Moab Area Hwy 128

So, there will be no Facebook, Twitter or Google Plus accounts for the hounds. I am not even sure if I’ll maintain their websites.

It was less than a year ago where I decided to take a break from blogging not really sure I was even coming back to blog. I did and I am glad I did. That is, working only 1 blog, not 4 plus my personal private journal. Last February I deleted my Google Plus account. I shut off my Facebook account and spent less time away from the computer. It felt fantastic.

How would that work with 4 different websites and all those other accounts?

Rifle Gap SP, Colorado

So it WAS something I kept thinking about while spending the past week building the sites, moving them etc. Was it something I really wanted to do, knowing it required a large commitment. All that was good and fun to do, even with the frustrations. Why? Because I was able to complete the job even with the frustrations. It was also something I needed for my frame of mind at that time. Too much dwelling on things is never healthy.

Now for all those readers that love reading about the hounds from their point of view … that will still take place. Those views will be posted on this blog, not every post but just as much as was being said on their own sites.

That is something I will think about. I’m sure some are asking if you can write their points of view here, then why not over their on their sites? That’s a good question. Is it worth $125 per year for hosting cost and domains. Okay…so I could move their blogs back to the free side of WordPress.

That’s the thing though … I don’t want to post on 4 different blogs/websites. I want to come to one blog and cover all of their and my activities.

The purpose of this blog remains the same as it did when I started the blog in October 2011. I wanted to document what I found out in my RV research, and any travels we did. That gradually turn into the direction of blogging about life here in the ‘tropics’. Then it was less RV talk and more photos and posting about the hounds or whatever projects I had to do around home.

That’s the way this blog will continue.

I cannot make the commitment to run a whole dog life online. I still want our lives to be less online and more in real time. As the weather gets warmer, as in the past, I will be spending less time on the computer as will the hounds. There will be more photography with better weather but that still means less computer time and more ‘living’ time.

We still have plans to travel this spring and/or summer. We still have plans to blog about what we do (even at home) and where we go … we just don’ have plans of waking up everyday with a job to do.

Retirement in the ‘tropics’ of Southern Indiana means not working !!