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Back Road BearsEmails, website updates, message forums, Facebook, blogging, online directories to keep current, eBay, Etsy, more emails and website updates, another online community to check out, join, participate in, oh yeah, the blog again and more emails to respond to!!!!!!
I can't keep up! How do you all find time to actually MAKE bears????????
I LOOOOOVE that I've made friends and gained collectors from all over the planet! It's so cool! Really, it is! The support and information we share with eachother as artists is invaluable and I wouldn't trade it for the world! None of that would be possible without the internet, I realize.
And I love chatting with everyone.... some of you, whom I've never met, I consider closer friends than some of my longtime friends I see on a regular basis! None of that would be possible without the internet! The inspiration, laughter, tears, knowledge, friendship, business connections...... it's all just amazing and such an important part of my daily life, personally and professionally! :hug:
But it now takes up so much time and actually brings a level of guilt that I carry around with me when I'm off doing other things and suddenly remember I still haven't responded to so-and-so's email from last week! Or I haven't posted to my blog in weeks... or that a collector emailed me about making something for her but I haven't responded yet and that I've got to get those items listed in my Etsy/eBay shop... they've been sitting there for weeks! WHEN am I supposed to make bears????
Anyone else on internet overload??
Past Time Bears:doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: You nailed it, Daphne. I don't "do" nearly all of the online stuff you mentioned above (blog, MySpace, Facebook, Etsy, etc.), but I still spend most of my waking hours on the computer. Eeeeeeek. I did FINALLY finish my first bear of 2009 today, so I suppose I'm getting something done off line, still . . . . . . . . I do relate. :hug: :hug: :hug:
FenBeary FolkI hear ya, BUT when I lost my pc in november, it was horrible.......................beyond words
Here's what I do..................................I have 5 to 6 internet pages open at once (tabs) and flit between them all, I have 3/4 hour in the morning and rush to get ready for work and I burn the tea :crackup: :crackup: in the evening. WELL they won't get food poisoning !!!!!!
I also have a list of emails that I need to answer and reply to the top one when I have time.....................my emails always start "I'm sorry..." 
Would love to hear how everyone else does it 
I'd go crazy if I tried to do it all... I home school my three children which takes a lot of time. I just stick with my website, ebay, teddy talk & regular emails - I just don't have time for a blog, face book or anything else. Just keeping up with what I do now takes away valuable creating time! :doh:
Oh my gosh Dahne, you are reading my mind today ! I've been having the same internal dialogue. I find I just can't keep up anymore, and feel so guilty when I fall behind on emails etc. I don't know what the answer is but I can empathise. But , by trying to "do it all" I end up doing none of it well enough in my opinion anyway. I end up spending way too much time on the computer and not enough time actually sewing.
The hard part is deciding what to cut back on, as it all seems so important. Oh....I did decide that facebook had to go. It can chew up so much time.
So much for computers making our lives easier :crackup:
Dances With Teddy BearsDaphne
You took the words right out of my mouth, the thought right out of my head! And everyone elses!!!:P
I haven't the answer, either. But I, too, need one!
The computer time I give myself flies by way too fast. And I'm always behind, especially with emails. Starting emails with "I'm sorry", yep, me too.
I guess cutting back somewhere helps. But it's a hard choice. I scratched Facebook off my to-do list. Not completely, but a lot.
I love to Blog, I'm hooked there. And I can't live without TT! And I'm contemplating a website.
But where to find the time?
So glad you brought this up, Daphne.
Good to know we're all in this slowly sinking boat. :crackup:
Multi-tasking and a laptop!! :crackup:
Seriously though, I find I really have to be disciplined. I also have to pick and choose my "entertainment". For example: Do I want to chat on Facebook or watch T.V.? If it's reality T.V. then I can do both at the same time without having to follow a plot. ha!
The thing I'm not so good at keeping up with is comments on my blog. If I'm asked a question then I try really hard to respond as soon as possible. If it's a general comment I usually don't follow-up with another comment. So many people have the no-replyblogger thing attached anyway so sending a reply note is fruitless.
I don't belong to My Space because a friend told me it was "so Junior High". Well, I don't want to be Junior High. I may act Junior High, but I don't want to BE Junior High.
:crackup: :crackup:
I'm also not making a whole lot of bears right now. My larger bears aren't selling as quickly as they used to so I'm not willing to put the effort into them right now only to have them sit around here. It's just not good business sense. My antique business is doing well so that's where my concentration is. I'm lucky that I have another outlet in which to be creative. That's a Saturday, Sunday, Monday business for me so I have the rest of the week to work on whatever else I want, or need, to work on.
I think it all boils down to picking what works for you and sticking to just those things and trying NOT to do it all. You don't have to. The reason I say this is: A female friend of mine, at the age of 37 (with two small children I might add), just had a heart attack.
It took six tries with the paddles to bring her back to life. They don't know if she's sustained any brain damage yet or not. She's having open heart surgery tomorrow. She's one of those people, much like me and so many others of you out there, that tries to do it all. It's been a huge wake up call for me. I'm not trying to do it all anymore. I'll still do a lot because that's just what I like to do. I just won't make myself nuts over it or feel guilty about it any more.
Life is short. You shouldn't spend it feeling guilty because you haven't updated your blog in a few days or haven't joined this or that group.
Well.....I got on a little rant there, didn't I?!! I'm just say'n..............
Warmest and biggest bear hugs, :hug:
Aleta
Fulrfun BearsSorry to hear about your friend sending wishes her way.
Newcastle, OntarioI hear you Daphne! I think it tends to be wives or females that have gotten hooked on the internet, more than men. I think we like the social aspect of it all - it's like I have two lives, my home life and the one on the internet. I may have it easier because when we moved here, I chose not to meet people. I had a neighbour in our old town, who literally sucked the life out of me, so I deliberately didn't want to have a large social circle, and I like to be on my own, to play with new things.
That's what is so appealing about the online life for me - when I want to be social I go to Teddy-talk or send an email to a friend and when want to be on my own, I can, with a click of a button. Suits my personality to a tee! I try to answer emails right away, but I don't have an outside job like you do. I'm determined to be better at blog updates, since Paula has done such a great job of the "Top100Bearsites" - it has increased my traffic a lot. I check Teddy-talk, first thing in the morning and last thing at night and usually once during the day. I keep my mini Asus laptop in my study, and if I need to check something on the internet, I can do it quickly, without having to leave the studio and I can get on and off quickly, without being too tempted to check everything else.
Hubby has a Facebook account, so he deals with the family updates and emails etc and keeps me informed about what's going on. I've avoided joining -I don't care for Facebook at all. It's too disjointed for me. I'd rather play with new art work.
My biggest obstacle is babysitting, because our daughter's schedule is subject to last minute change. I really do enjoy having Corson for the day, but it's hard when I have a day planned and get a call at 10:00 p.m. to ask if I could change plans and babysit! Hubby will be away for two days this week and I was so looking forward to trying new things, BUT now I'm babysitting. I guess it's the inability to make plans that is so hard. But then I think, how long will he want to spend time with us.
I guess Aleta has pretty much said it - we have to really think about what's most important to us and let some of the other stuff go, without feeling guilty - life is too short. Having a heart attack at 37 is so tragic - I hope things turn out well for your friend, Aleta.
hugs,
Brenda
Back Road Bears...it's like I have two lives, my home life and the one on the internet.
BINGO!!!
So glad to know I'm not alone, Ladies!!!
Tammy - I tagged you on my blog cause I figured you needed one more internet thing to do!!! LOL! (That was actually BEFORE this thread!)
Aleta - OK, OK, I'm done over extending myself! Gosh, I hope your friend makes a good recovery!
Benson BearsYep, the laptop was a wonderful addition to our family, and wireless broadband, otherwise you guys would never have had the pleasure of my company! :crackup: :crackup:
I find myself spending way too much time on the poota, but at least with this little one, I can have it sitting with me and just check in from time to time while I'm sewing. 
I HAVE decided that that some discipline is called for and now I try to restrict my actual "active" pootering to my meal breaks. I'm writing this as I have my "wake up Linda" cup of coffee. I'll have a quick look at some other stuff then get on with my sewing. I just have to be careful my lunch doesn't extend into afternoon tea and then dinner!! :crackup: :crackup:
OK I'm off now, see ya later!
Tuppies TeddiesI have a pooter time first thing in the morning and then last time before bed.
So during the remaining hours of the day I can sew, or garden or fall asleep in the chair.
Dear Ladies, please let me be a part in this discussion - I'm a bear-maker for about 4 years, in the early beginning I had 3 jobs, I had my job as a half-day-working secretary, my job as a ballet-teacher in my own ballet-school and more than thad I had my family with my wonderful husband (the best husband in all over the world 
) and my two wonderful children and I had to look after my parents.
All this work doing I found the time starting with bear-making. It didn't take so long and I was caught by the virus (bear-making-fever) and I needed more and more time. Looking after my work in the office, my children, my parents and and and .......... and of course looking after my website, which I did all of my own and I found so many nice friends in the worldwideweb ........
In the meantime I stopped being a ballet-teacher unfortunatly because of my back-ache and some other reasons and I thought well I will have more time for my bears. But no - this didn't work - emails, website, work and bears - sometime I would like to have the day not 24 hours but 48 hours and the night 12 hours.
But I'm happy to hear that we are all feeling the same and that out there in the big world we have the same "problems" with our virus ..... 
I hope to be able to make it all every day and to be on TT at least once a day and I'm so happy to be a part here in the big family of TT - therefore I will add some hours a day for joining here in this big family and of course creating my Dreli-bears and doing the rest of work as usual
Do you know people, who say that they are bored - I know some - and I often think, why can't they give their time to me, I would need so much time added to mine ............. :dance: :clap:
Have a wonderful day and always think, that we have to do one thing after the other - keep doing your beloved work first and than look at the other things - and first of all - try to have a wonderful husband like mine, who is really the "best husband in all over the world" and try to love the life .............
Waggle BearsYou are spot on, Daphne. Like Tammy, I've been having this conversation with myself, too, for a while now. I'm in an area where there are no bear people so I do enjoy the contacts I have here, and Paula just gave us another for bear-centered people. I'm truly thinking about limiting myself to those groups/guilds that help me grow with my bears.
I hope your friend is ok, Aleta. Such a young age is scary. I have a girlfriend who also had a heart attack but she was late 40's/early 50's. She wasn't even sure that was what she was having. She's very thin, but really doesn't eat all that well. I think she's had to change her habits and she gets regular checks.
Wazza Bears AustraliaI do have to agree to extent. I love networking BUT I think even though I have sold off etsy I might close my store as I really don't have time. I have tried to do a blog but I seem to just ignore it. It seems to hard. I usually come TT morning and night, to read and couple of the other forums. And I stick with my website and ebay. So I think blogging and etsy are out for me. For the time being.
Bubble Up Bears!Aleta,
If I may ask, your antique business, is it a shop or do you sell on line?
:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: I hear you!!! I also can't keep up, and now that you mentioned it I think I have a few emails from last week that I haven't answered! sorry!!!
I do my best with TT, eBay, my website, Facebook, and need to get on the NCTB Wiki again, but still need to create....how I do it....some days I just rely on the blackberry and Ipod and don't sit down at the computer, just turn on the audiobooks and create, that seems to keep me from spending hours on the computer, but when I do that other things get neglected, but then I get up early one morning and reply to emails.
it has worked for me so far, but there are still so many things I would like to participate in, and every day see new posts for new groups to join, I would love to dearly but just don't have the time, and I have come to the realization that I cant sign up with every invite, not going to happen if I want to stay sane and keep from running myself into the ground.
I just got around to placing an order for fur that should have been placed months ago!!!
hugs,
Krista
Daphne, you're not alone! My family are all moaning at me lately because I have refused to join Facebook ... I really can't justify time spent Facebooking when I could be doing other things though. That's not to say I don't want contact with my family, but I really object to having to connect with my own family via the computer, when most of them live locally! And whatever happened to phone calls eh? I love to chat on the phone! Whilst it offers such great opportunities, the computer also has the potential to steal away from relationships ... it's way too easy to bash out a one liner, rather than make a call and listen to a relative actually speak.
It's also tough to decide what's useful on the internet and what is pleasant, but less useful in terms of business. I try to spend an hour or two every morning coming up with bear related computer stuff ... website updates, blog updates, email responses first, then a fairly quick dip into TT and BBN. As you know, lately I've also taken the plunge and set up another couple of community based projects ... time consuming to start with, but worth the effort I hope in the long run. When I set up British Bears on the Net last year, I worried I'd never have time to keep on top of it, but these things settle into their own rhythm eventually and then it's just a case of popping in daily for a few moments to see what's new. It's been a great way for UK bear people to connect and I think worth the initial time investment because of that.
I'm one of those people who can't only make bears; because I work from home full time, I need other avenues to keep my grey matter ticking over, or I'd go stir crazy. I recognised a long time ago that I work best at my craft after lunch, so most of the time, I do everything else in the morning and then take myself up to my sewing room for the afternoon.
And to think my family don't understand why I'm so tired by the time I've cooked their tea - because I work from home that's somehow meant to be less tiring! 
Back Road BearsWell, ladies, I knew I wouldn't be alone in this whole internet/rest-of-life tug of war!! :hug:
Paula, I'm with you on the telephone... I can multi-task when on the phone getting housework or bears made at the same time! And in the end it seems quicker and much more fulfilling than the back and forth over days correspondence that happens with email. Never mind its so much more personal!!!
For me Facebook is easier and less time consuming than all the individual forums and email as many of my friends are on FB and many, many TTers and some of my collectors. So I can go to one place, read my wall and the live feed, post a one liner that lets people know what I'm up to or that I'm atleast still alive and then off I go! I can also share photos and have sold a couple of bears to people who saw my work on FB. I guess for me its a way to stay in touch with the masses without it taking up too much time. I don't do all the applications... sending virtual gifts or adopting a virtual pet on FB... that's too time consuming.
Like you, Paula, I can't just make bears... thats why I started organizing shows.. I want to do bear industry related things but would go stir-crazy if all I did was sew. I teach workshops to have the human contact. I do the internet to connect with people and promote by business endeavors. Unlike you, I'm not as disciplined and organized...and that's where my problem lies..... got to work on that!!!
Custom TeddysI, too, have been feeling the stress. I am trying hard to take baby steps as far as internet activities go. I started with a My Space area (but I can't do the invite friends thing); then I started hanging out here in TT and have expanded to blogging and FB (although I'm still struggling with FB). I don't want to get so overwhelmed with it all that I just roll up into a ball and quit everything. I have gotten to know a few of you through my blog and TT and it is great fun. So, my motto these days is simply to "keep it simple" and try to just do one thing at a time. For me, its the intergration of the best of both worlds.... my quiet time with teddy bears and my social time with you. Love you all, Vicki
Matilda Huggington-beareYou don't keep up! thats the trick...take time to opped out and go on holiday.
Back Road BearsYou don't keep up! thats the trick...take time to opped out and go on holiday. :lol:
Now you're talking!!!
TeenytinyteddybearsLots of you have very valid points, but Ellen, I am going to print yours out and look at it every day as my 1st priority. I live very far away from friends and family and have used FB to stay in touch. But don't do all the silly add on things they have. It is just so much easier to put photos onto one place and everyone around the world (my every one's) can see them. Feel no need for the other stuff. Love watching the comments on TT and this makes me feel like I am somehow in contact with people. But learned the very hard way that the internet cannot replace genuine friends. Also used to sit and wait for it to be time for someone from "home" to be online to talk to me. I figured they busy with their lives and that just aint going to happen, and no amount of staring at the screen is going to change that. So now I have a bit of time in the morning to catch up with anyone that was online at night, read news etc. Then I clean the house. Hubby comes home for lunch and that is a nice break. Then sew in the afternoon. Around 3 I check to see if anyone from SA is online, time for a cup of tea. And carry on sewing. By about 6 I am ready to stop, watch an old re run of ER and make dinner. I am only online longer if I have something to research, or in fairness if the lonelies really get me. It has taken a long while to realise that the world will not stop turning if I am not online. There still are days that I see it as a lifeline, but more and more it is just becoming a handy tool.
Waggle BearsCan I be blunt without me meaning to be in any way unfriendly? It's all about fear. Fear of missing something, fear of being missed by others, fear of not doing everything perfectly and fear of not being able to do everything. Unless you are the world's best multi-tasker, you just can not do everything. You have to simplify your life in some way. I am not being blunt without reason, I have just been just as blunt to myself actually about the very same thing
Ellen, I think you are right on, at least for me and in so many parts of my life. Thanks for your post; it was as if you talking directly to me about me. :hug: :hug: :hug:
What a great thread! I've been offline myself a bit recently - and the thought of just trying to "catch up" was a bit overwhelming to me and probably even delayed my return.
Fabulous responses, and Ellen, you hit the nail on the head for me... fear that I might miss something.
I'm hoping that now I'll not be afraid to take breaks from online stuff, and when I come back I hope not to feel that I have to "catch up" (ie: read EVERYTHING that I missed), but just start up again.
