Nobody probably even noticed, but for a whole week, I haven't published any new content (comments or post). There are a few reasons that I slowed down and stopped being so engaged (save for a couple of resteems and a vote here and there.
I started to get negative
Anyone who knows me will tell you I am one of the most positive and optimistic (some would say too optimistic) people you will ever meet. It's rare that I see the downsides of something, or if I do, will not harp on them.
When I realised I was being cynical and not as optimistic as I usually am, I knew I had to step away somewhat and just stop. The timing of this was perfect given I had an unexpected work deadline popup.
Life got in the way
I have a full-time job because like most I cannot be full-time Steem because it's not sustainable and the wealth opportunity to do so just is not there.
At my day job I had an unexpected deadline and when I say unexpected I mean, the CTO came into my office and basically threw all of my previous priorities out of the window (planned business priorities) because we had a demo for the board of directors.
The board basically controls our little independent arm of the company, deciding whether to give us funding for the year or not. So when they ask for something, we all make it happen even if it means fucking up everyone else's day, week and or priorities.
I was working long days, long nights to get this demo ready (which we did). It was stressful and somewhat of a burnful experience.
Steem was taking over
I love to write, I love Steem and I enjoy talking about almost anything. But, Steem had become an addiction of sorts for me and I realise that many might not think this is bad, but it was honestly starting to dominate so much of my time.
I have a Dropbox folder of 500-600 ideas (some almost finished, some just drafts, some just the title) so I can publish as often as I like because I rarely have to start from scratch (I've got content going back years).
If you have been following me for the last eight months, you'll notice there have been many periods where I can publish upwards of five posts per day. It still takes time to finish a post, find images and then publish it.
So, I have decided to step back and be pickier when it comes to what I post. This might mean a drop in frequency of posting (it might not), but I will be more engaged and proud of my content.