What I've Learned About Doing Less (And Creating More)
You know that moment when something you genuinely love starts to feel like something you dread?
That's not a dramatic thing to admit. It happens slowly — so slowly you almost don't notice it. You start writing and then pause to wonder how it will land. You share something you're proud of and then brace yourself for the response. You open your laptop and sit there for a minute too long, trying to figure out where to start.
That was me, about six months ago. And instead of pushing through it, I did something I have done a few times — I stopped.
The Part I Want to Be Honest About
Here's the thing about maintaining a public blog that invites feedback: it's a generous act, but it can also be a quietly destabilizing one.
Over time, I noticed that the open feedback loop was getting to me more than I expected. Not because anyone was cruel — it was honestly the crickets — and it changed how I was writing. I started writing with growing blog number Jan mind. I second-guessed my examples, my phrasing, my opinions. I started hedging.
And then I started dreading hitting publish, or rather writing anything at all.
Rather than let that quietly hollow out my love for this work, I made the choice to step back. Not forever — just long enough to remember why I do this in the first place.
Where My Energy Actually Went
Here's what I want you to know: I didn't stop working. Not even close.
I just stopped performing and creating myself into someone I wasn’t.
While I was away from the blog, I went deep into the work I actually love most — building lessons, creating resources, designing curriculum. I wasn't writing posts; I was writing things that teachers and homeschool parents could actually pick up and use. Reference guides. Analysis frameworks. Planning templates. A full 36-week independent literature curriculum.
It turns out that when you remove the pressure of a public audience, you create differently. More freely. More generously, honestly. I built more in these past several months than I had in a long time.
I also stayed connected — if you followed along on Instagram or Facebook, you know I never really went quiet. I just shifted where I was showing up.
What Homeschooling Looks Like Right Now
I'm still in it, by the way. Still homeschooling, still living the beautiful chaos of it.
This season has looked different for us — I've been leaning hard into unit studies that let my kids follow their curiosity rather than just checking boxes. We've had more rabbit trails, more unexpected conversations, more of those moments where learning actually feels alive. It's been a good reminder of why we do this.
I've also been more intentional about not making myself the single point of failure in our school day. That shift — from me being the engine to building systems that run with more independence — has quietly changed everything about how our days feel.
More on all of that soon. A lot more.
What This Blog Is Becoming
I'm coming back to writing with a different shape in mind for this space.
Less pressure to post constantly. Less chasing an algorithm. Definitely less performance and attention seeking feedback. More of what actually matters — resources, ideas, conversations about literature and learning that are worth having.
I've been building something behind the scenes: a whole collection of printable resources, curriculum frameworks, and literary analysis tools that I can't wait to share with you. Some of them will be free. Some will be things you can use in your co-op, your classroom, or your kitchen table school. All of them were made with actual teaching in mind, not just content creation.
This blog is going to reflect that. Focused. Useful. Worth your time.
I'm Glad You're Still Here
If you're reading this, thank you. Whether you've been here since the beginning or you just stumbled in — welcome.
I don't take it lightly that you'd spend a few minutes reading something I wrote. So I'm going to make sure what I write is worth it.
There's a lot coming, and I'm genuinely excited about it in a way I haven't felt about this space in a while. I think that's a good sign.
Stay tuned. It's going to be good.
— Meggen
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