It never occurred to me that blogging would involve so much planning and effect. I've been trying to contain the amount of time I spend on here almost since I started.

I've tried blogging at different times of day and night. I've tried dipping in and out on a regular basis to keep on top of friends' posts and replies to comments. I've tried staying away for a few days (I abandoned this strategy pretty quickly as it required more will-power than giving up smoking).

Lately, I've tried posting, then answering comments, then looking at the last page of friends' posts. This has been fairly successful at reducing my time on here. But I've identified a major drawback - I miss the posts of friends who post at different times of day to me and those who blog every few days rather than every few hours.

Are there any other strategies I could try? Come on, help me here. Think of it as one of those ghastly character-building, problem-solving team exercises - I'll even lay on Hobnobs during the coffee break/informal mingling slots.

Right now, I'm off to have a go at a different challenge - an audition.

"This afternoon, Matthew, I will be the Mayoress of York circa 1392."

I hope. In which case this blogging conundrum might be solved for a couple of months.