Well.. That would obviously depend on what "realistic return" would mean. Some people would probably be thrilled and satisfied with a few dollars every week, meanwhile others probably need a couple of hundreds of dollars to feel satisfied. In my case, I would say that I'm more than satisfied with what I've earned so far. Especially since I don't publish posts on Steemit to make money. I don't expect money on any of my posts so every single cent is a huge bonus for me. With that being said, if I would see my hours on Steemit as working hours. Then I wouldn't have earned near what I would have charged for those hours as I spend about 10 hours per day here. :)