DFO: Changing up things

My brief vacation run to California underlines something that I’ve needed to do since my column-writing duties expanded in January. I need to blog less, to provide more time to write. For five months, I’ve tried to merge the two activities of my daily duties. I’ve been able to meet deadlines on the writing side and provide plenty of fodder on the blogging side. But it has taken a toll re: stress. Regularly, I find myself writing columns or collecting column material on my own time, often late at night. I’m trying to please too many people. This has to change. Starting today, I will devote my week day mornings to blogging and the afternoons to column writing. I will continue to monitor the scanner and post breaking and/or important news. At 4:15-4:30, I’ll cap the day by moving up the Photo of the Day, Scanner Traffic, Wild Card and Parting Shot. I have thought about this change for awhile. I don’t want to make it. But I consider it necessary to reduce stress and meet the deadline requirements of my column writing duties within a 40-hour work frame/ DFO.