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One of the biggest challenges of being a blogger? Balancing blogging with a full-time job.
Well, you’re not alone.
I used to be so lost when it came to balancing blogging with school. And even now, I still struggle with it. But along the way, I have picked some tricks and advice that have made it a lot easier!
So, sit back, relax, and get ready for a post that’s jam-packed with information about how to find time for blogging when you have a full-time job.
Before we get started, if you are looking to start a successful money-making blog of your own, check out this step-by-step guide for beginners!
Create a Reasonable Blogging Schedule
It all starts with a reasonable blogging schedule. This will help you stay organized and on top of your busy schedule.
Now, whether you decide to create a blogging schedule by week or by month is totally up to you. I personally like to spend time on Sundays to plan out what tasks need to get done each day for the following week.
That way, I have a better idea of what time I have to work on my blog that week and if I need to find more time (which I will talk about a little later on).
I use this planner to keep track of everything relating to my blog. But, you could also use Google Calendar if you prefer a digital planner.
Batch Your Blogging Work
Batching is a blogger’s best friend! But, what is batching? Simply put, it’s completing one task until you’re finished, and only after you’ve completed that task will you move on to the next.
For example, you might come up with a blog post idea, take photos for that one post, edit those photos, and then write content for that post.
Takes a lot of time, right?
But, what if you set aside a couple of hours to come up with blog post ideas for the next couple of weeks to a month, followed by a day of shooting photos for those posts, then editing all of those photos, and so forth.
For reference, here is the batching schedule I follow:
- Spend 1-2 hours to come up with blog post ideas for the next month and put them into my planner
- Figure out what photos I need to shoot for those posts and pick a day dedicated to taking photos f
- Edit all of the photos I took and choose which ones I want to include in my posts
- Drop those photos into posts
- Write content for each post
- Look over/finalize each post
And, that’s it! So much more efficient!
Less is More
We have all heard the saying “Less is more” right?!
Well, it also applies to blogging.
While we (as bloggers) want to put out as much content as possible for our readers, putting out less content that is high-quality is so much better than putting out a bunch of content that is low quality, (in other words) content that nobody wants to read.
So, be realistic with yourself. If you can only put out a high-quality post that you’re proud of once a week, then only post once a week.
I think it’s safe to say that your readers would prefer fewer posts that are higher quality.
Cut Out Distractions
It’s really easy to get home from work, plop yourself on the couch, and watch Netflix. And while that may sound amazing, it’s not going to get you anywhere in terms of blogging.
So, instead of giving yourself the option of working on your bed (which is just the place to fall asleep after a long day of work), sit at the kitchen table where you know you won’t be able to fall asleep.
If you know your roommates will be having friends over and watching movies, go to Starbucks after work. That way, you won’t even have a chance of being distracted.
Change Up Your Work Environment
Okay, if I’m being totally honest, I get distracted super easily.
Like, all I have to do is look around my room for two seconds, and I will completely lose focus and start thinking about other things (not related to what I’m doing).
That’s why I like to change up my work environment and head over to a local coffee shop where I know I will be able to get a lot more work done.
You know yourself best, so if you know you won’t be able to work productively at home, change up your work environment.
Find a place that allows you to focus and get work done. For me, that’s a local coffee shop, but for you, that might be a nearby park or library.
Know that You Have to Make Sacrifices
Blogging success does not come without making sacrifices. Because if it were that easy, then everyone would do it.
Making sacrifices might mean skipping out on a lot of other things, like going to the movies with your friends, taking your sweet time getting ready in the morning, spending quality time with your family… and sleep. Yes, it had to be said.
But, maybe that’s not worth it to you. Maybe, you would rather go to dinner with your friends every week, binge the new season of your favorite Netflix show, and sleep in.
If making sacrifices isn’t worth it to you, that’s totally fine.
After all, only you should choose how you live your life and what you want to do with it.
Am I saying that in order to be a successful blogger you need to ignore all other aspects of life and focus all of your time on blogging? Absolutely not!
Life is made up of a balance.
But I would be lying to you if I told you that you could be a successful blogger all while never making any sacrifices.
So, I’m am going to be real with you. If you are not willing to put in the time, money, effort, and sacrifices it takes to become a successful blogger, then you probably don’t want it bad enough.
And again, that is totally fine!
I’m not trying to talk you out of becoming or continuing as a blogger, I just want you to have realistic expectations of what it’s like so you don’t invest everything into your business, only to realize later on that it’s not worth it to you.
Find Time for Blogging
Finding time goes hand and hand with making sacrifices.
We can’t make more time in a day. If we could, then all of us would do it. But, we do get to choose where we spend it.
So instead of waking up an hour before work, wake up two hours earlier. That way, you have an extra hour to work on your blog.
During your lunch break at work, take that time to work on your next blog post. And on the bus ride home, create Pinterest pins for that same post you were working on earlier.
Before you go to bed when you would normally watch an episode of your favorite show, use that hour to respond to brands and other emails related to your blog.
That’s almost three hours every day!
Now, you might not need all of that time. But when you’re planning out your blogging schedule, account for how long you will need to work on your blog each day to complete your tasks.
Then find that time each day, as I did above.
Final Thoughts
Whew, that was a lot!
I hope you found this post helpful in how to find time for blogging with a full-time job. If you enjoyed this post, make sure to check out this master list of blog post ideas to drive traffic to your blog.
And for those of you who are looking to start a blog, check out this beginner-friendly guide on how to start a successful blog that makes money.
If you have any questions for me, or would just like to say hi, I would love to hear from you in the comments below!
