Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Well, I’m on the fence regarding adjusting my 2013 schedule. On the one side, I really enjoy the “normal” posting schedule where I post about a set topic each day. On the other side, I liked January’s theme and each day’s post relating to that topic.

In trying to mesh the two ideas together, I am not currently succeeding. Trying to force a topic into a category is not my style or objective. I do not write just to have a post written for the day.

With timely information, I carefully choose my topics for each category typically a month in advance. Although I do make changes, I keep to the plan most of the time.

In my Happy New Year post, I announced my desire for these monthly themes:

Using Time Wisely Monthly Themes

• January: Planning for Success

• February: Investing your Time

• March: Springing into Action

The Planning for Success topic worked well. However, there were a number of family activities and typical posts (i.e., goals, counting my blessings, and filing system) that took a backseat due to the topic. I liked the theme and think I might consider selecting one a quarter rather than every month.

I know I formerly posted that I would evaluate this plan in March; however, I just did not want to wait that long. So, these are the pros and cons I saw to the theme-based approach in January:

Pros

• Same theme for each post
• Ease of using the same photo
• Keeps the momentum building
• Increases interaction

Cons

• Same image
• Long list of prior days
• No room for typical posts

For me, the pros outweigh the cons. I could easily change the image each day and adjust the long list, but I am left with sticking to the theme for cohesion. Though I liked this type of theme, I prefer the standard posting schedule. For now, I have gone back to my standard posting schedule, but I would like to learn from this experiment and try again in a couple of months.

Now that I have shared my thoughts, I welcome and invite you to post feedback as to your pros and cons to the January series. As I am not an all-or-nothing decision maker, I willingly compromise and adapt to reach the best possible solution. I think with a bit of tweaking, the theme-based approach may work once in awhile, but then again, I’m on the fence. Listening for your input!

Question: What’s your take on the theme-based January series?