My name is Sweeney, and I'm addicted to Steemit.

Now, there are certainly worse things I could be addicted too, but my obsession has started to affect other aspects of my life.
Finding a work/life balance is something I know many people struggle with, and I'm no different. It's always been a problem with me. I'm very entrepreneurial, and have never had a problem putting in 100 hours per week on a multiple side hustles or business ideas, with little regard for those around me, but it's something I need to fix.

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I've spread myself a bit thin...

Steemit is an amazing place full of opportunities for those willing to achieve them, and my entrepreneurial spirit has lead me to start not one, not two, but three side projects on top of my regular blog, which will likely always be my highest priority. More important than anything I have here on Steemit, or anywhere else for that matter, are my two growing boys and beautiful fiance. If I don't give them the attention they deserve, my intense desire to hustle will be for naught.

My first side project on Steemit was an mmorpg with Steem rewards for players, and a donation shop that would exclusively accept STEEM. I haven't entirely scrapped the idea, I think it's a great way to create cashflow (even a small amount) to the chain by requiring it to purchase in-game perks. The idea has been on the back burner for a while now, and the @thriveordie account is almost finished powering down for now. I may end up picking this back up in the future, and SMTs may help me accomplish some of my goals with that.

About two months after I joined, I started @steemparents. The account curates/promotes/rewards authors who write quality content about children, parenting, and families. I felt, and still do, that our wonderful platform lacked a thriving community for parents to discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly of parenting. This is probably the most meaningful of my projects, both to me personally, and to those whom I reward. I actually plan to majorly increase my efforts with SteemParents in the very near future.

A month or two ago, I decided to run a big Dungeons & Dragons game, giving away all the liquid sbd the account generated. I soon came to realize the scope of what I had gotten myself into, and have now decided that I cannot possibly devote the time it would require to take on such a venture. I apologize to all those who have come to like the idea of D&D for STEEM. The current prize pool will be paid out, then it's a power down for @battleborn, too. 😢

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A solution to the problem.

Moving forward, I need to structure my time a lot better. Instead of spending all of my free time looking for 20 minutes to do this, or an hour to write that, I need to treat all of my projects collectively, as a second job. It's time to work smarter, not harder. This means building a "schedule" of times that I can devote to Steemit and other things, while setting aside time to pay attention to the little things in life.

Spreading my time and effort across so many different projects also greatly slows my overall rate of growth on the platform. I should be focused on providing the most valuable content I can, in the smallest amount of time possible. For those of my readers who are enjoying my Super Cool Science S#!t series, you can look forward to many more articles to come. Not only are they performing well, I get a sense of accomplishment each time I finish one.

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Adding value isn't just about post rewards.

The two most valuable things I can bring to the Steem Blockchain are love and knowledge. In my opinion, these are more valuable than all the money in the world. I want to use my personal account to spread knowledge and awareness of the world around us. This will also be introducing a couple new contests/challenges I've been thinking up to get people motivated to change the world, even on the smallest of scales.

As I said earlier, I plan to kick myself in the ass when it comes to getting @steemparents organized and ready for the public at large. This will include searching for collaborators, team members, and sponsors, in an effort to make as large an impact on as many parents as we can. I've always been very reluctant to pull other people into a personal project, but as I age, I'm learning that a community cannot be built or led by one man.

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Everyone has something different that motivates them.

For me, that something is these three beautiful faces, and an overwhelming desire to learn something new every single day. I want to raise intelligent, imaginative, polite, and productive men, and to share my journey with others. I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity that has been provided to me here on Steemit, and I'm grateful for every single person who takes the time to follow me and read my posts, without you guys, I wouldn't be here. I need to make sure, though, that this amazing opportunity does not cloud my view of what actually matters in life.

One day, I truly believe I'll be earning enough here to quit my day job, and spend much more of my time with all my fellow steemians, but for now, I need to rein in it in a bit, and keep myself at "part time hours".

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If you enjoyed reading this article, consider upvoting and/or resteeming it. I try very hard to deliver quality, original content, and often my posts fly under the radar. I'm still a growing minnow (actually just a redfish), and I could use all the help I can get! Now that I've gotten that out of the way, you have yourself a wonderful day!

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