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This is my first summer on Steemit and it has proven to be much more work than I thought it would be.  

Despite my ability to constantly forget to take pictures, I have been able to publish some decent content between camping trips.

Since I started, I have always tried to publish at least one post a day.  Even on the weekends I wanted to make sure I was putting content out there.

I have quickly learned this summer that it just isn't possible.  That being said, here is my first gold nugget of information:

#### You have to be able to take a break from it.  

Even if it is just for a couple of days, it is important to not to immerse yourself so much in your Steemit life that you forget the life that is going on around you.

Some users are able to blend the line between the two better than others.  Usually they are users who have been on the platform for a while and have a large number of active followers and significant Steem Power.

For the rest of us, we need to be more like my dog and take some time to disconnect.  This doesn't mean you need to stop checking your Gina or Steemify alerts, but just don't feel pressured to put out content all the time.

The last thing you want to do is burnout.  Steemit still has a lot of track ahead of it and you are going to want to make sure you are along for the ride.

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The second thing I learned takes place after you come back from that weekend break...

#### Catching up is a lot of work!

If you have people that you follow consistently, the SmartSteem browser extension is great for allowing you to select favorite users and get caught up on what they posted while you were off.

It can be daunting though!  I know from personal experience it can take me a whole morning just to get caught-up.  That's why I also have to teach myself moderation through the day.

It can be addictive watching all of the new posts come across your feed.  My advice is to set aside a small amount of time each day for commenting.  Most people that post aren't going to care if you are the first person to comment or the fifth, as long as you have a good comment.

I know some people use Steemit as their main source of income, but if it starts to feel like a job or too much work, you and your readers are going to gain nothing from it.

My final bonus tidbit is this:

#### I've started to learn to be more generous with my VP

I used to try to make sure my VP was between 90 and 100 percent.  That just isn't feasible if you want to build proper relationships on Steemit though.  

I think for now keeping my VP between 50 and 100 percent is a more reasonable goal.  It is important to get my vote out there and let others know that I support the work they are doing.  

If I am hoarding it all to myself, how is that benefiting the community?

I hope you can take some of these pointers to heart and find a great balance between who you are and what you do.

[![steemengineBannerAnimation(test).gif](https://steemitimages.com/DQmbL3cUmuD8wEbAhqqPtZcxA1QX1PmgQjY6nsMb5XZBepw/steemengineBannerAnimation(test).gif)](https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@thesteemengine/introducing-the-steem-engine-initiative)

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