Many bloggers and aspiring bloggers worry about how they can balance a full-time job, a family, and blogging.
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Aside from these personal necessities, bloggers must market their blogs, build a presence on social media channels, and complete a slew of other duties to generate money online. If you’re wondering how to get everything done without losing your mind, stay tuned because this piece will provide some pointers and suggestions to help you get started.
The struggle is REAL!
I work as a full-time project manager, and I’m also a self-published author and now a blogger. I have a husband, two children, and a dog (Creed). Whew, that was a mouthful! When I first decided to start a blog, I had no idea what I was doing. I researched and discovered that starting a blog takes time and patience. I didn’t have any of these things, but I wanted to put myself out there and pursue something new. As I studied all of the stages of being a great blogger, I became increasingly aware that it was consuming a large portion of the time I would typically spend with my husband and children. I knew I had to develop a plan to ensure that no one or nothing was overlooked.
I love blogging, and I’m not going to pretend that it’s easy with everything else I have going on in my life. But it’s also gratifying. I connect with people, share what I love, and make a little money while doing it. I can’t imagine giving it up, but sometimes I wish there were more hours in the day.
Here are the tips that have helped me:
- Find Your Passion
- Set Realistic Goals
- Plan Ahead
- Make Use of Excellent Blogging Tools
- Wake Up Early
- Be Transparent About Your Blog With Your Spouse and Children
- Set Aside Time for Both Family and Blogging
- Get Your Family Involved in the Blogging Process
- Take Time for Self-Care
- Remember to Have Fun!
- Don’t Give Up!
Find Your Passion
The first step to becoming a blogger is to find your passion. This is the most important thing you can do for yourself because it will be what keeps you going when things get tough. Make sure that this passion is something that you enjoy doing, something that you can write about constantly, making you proud of yourself when you complete a task.
In my case, I’m passionate about self-care and empowering others to achieve their personal and professional goals. So, I started my blog to do just that. It makes me smile when I create and provide helpful tips that have helped me through my insecurities and challenges.
Set Realistic Goals
To minimize the likelihood of compromise on your goals, you must set realistic goals. If you place your sights too high and lose focus, you may quit before giving yourself a fighting chance at success. Your attempts at juggling everything may go awry if there are too many elements in play, so pick and choose your battles wisely. Make lists of what needs to be done and prioritize accordingly.
Keep in mind that reasonable goals are quantifiable – so rather than saying “I want to learn more about photography,” say “I will take one photography class next month” or “I will spend an hour each week learning about photography online.” It is also essential to make sure the said goals are manageable within your time constraints – perhaps instead of vowing to spend an hour every day, try for one hour every other day until it feels like second nature.
Plan Ahead
The key to success in blogging (and business) is planning. If you do not plan and schedule things, they will fall through the cracks quickly. For example, if you schedule out your blog posts monthly, it will be easy to see what posts need to go live each week. When I plan, I love using a notebook to write everything down first, and then I’ll execute. I love using this notebook to plan out my schedule. It has bright colors that keep me inspired and motivated.
If you are pre-planning your content, too, it’s super easy to know what needs to be written and when it needs to be completed. Another great thing about planning is that you can get ahead on social media scheduling to have time to spend quality time with your family!
Make Use of Excellent Blogging Tools
With the right strategies and tools, it’s possible to maintain a successful blog even while working a full-time job and raising a family. The key is to have systems to manage your content seamlessly and efficiently. One of the best ways to do this is using great blogging tools. These tools have saved me so much time. I recommend them to anyone who blogs and is considering blogging.
I use Canva, Tailwind, and Creative Market to ensure my blog is always running at its peak performance.
Canva: This tool is fantastic. I love that I can use it to design anything from a photo collage to a business card and that it’s free! It helps me create beautiful graphics for my website and social media accounts.
Tailwind: This tool is why I have time for anything other than blogging. With it, I can schedule all my Instagram posts in advance, so they go live without me having to lift a finger. Once they’re scheduled, Tailwind will post them automatically—I don’t even have to check in on them!
Creative Market: This site is where you can find fonts, graphics, and photos, you name it. They have thousands of beautiful hand-drawn fonts at incredibly low prices (like five bucks!). They also offer templates for things like logos and business cards if you need something quick.
Wake Up Early
Wake up early to give yourself time to get ready for your day and get right into your tasks. This will make you more productive and give you the quiet you need to concentrate.
When we talk about waking up early, I’m talking about before everyone else in the house wakes up. That way, you can have time alone to do what needs to be done without interruptions from children or pets (or spouse)!
Be Transparent About Your Blog With Your Spouse and Children
It is essential to be transparent about your blogging schedule with your children and spouse to maintain balance.
After all, you want to be able to spend time with your loved ones while also getting work done. To do that, you should communicate clearly with your family regarding the time you need to blog.
It is easy to think you can do it “on the side.” However, blogging is an activity that requires a substantial investment of time and effort if you want it to succeed. If you are not upfront about how much time it will take daily, then your family may feel as though they are being neglected or ignored when you sit down at your computer for hours at a stretch without any warning beforehand.
Set Aside Time for Both Family and Blogging
One of the most critical aspects of managing a blog and working full time with a family is setting aside time for everything.
If you spend all day blogging and neglecting your family, it gets complicated. Similarly, if you spend all day with your family but never work on your blog, that can be equally problematic.
To avoid this dilemma, make it a point to set aside time for all of it. Do what works best for you and your family, even if that means staying up late after everyone has gone to bed – find some way to make it work!
Get Your Family Involved in the Blogging Process
One of the best parts about blogging is to include your children and spouse in the process. You can get them involved by asking them to help you research, write, or even take photos for your blog. My son and daughter are very creative and come up with great ideas for me to use for my blog. My husband is my go-to when asking for advice and what he thinks about a specific post, title, and aesthetics. When you involve your family, they can see why you enjoy having a blog. It is also a way to show your children how to have good work ethics.
Take Time for Self-Care
Self-care is my jam! No matter your job, you probably know how important self-care is. It’s more than necessary—it’s essential for your health and well-being. However, many of us don’t practice self-care the way we should. We feel too busy to exercise, read a book, or go to the spa.
But in reality, if you don’t take time to care for yourself and your needs, you will burn out quickly and become less productive at work and home. When I was younger, I never thought about self-care. One day my body told me to have several seats. I was exhausted, anxious, and overwhelmed and didn’t have the strength to do anything.
Don’t let that happen to you! Self-care is so important to me that I have created a monthly Self-Care Challenge exclusively for my subscribers! Incorporate some simple self-care strategies into your daily routine to be happy and productive. You will be able to be there for yourself, work, family, and your blog.
Sign up to be an exclusive member of my tribe by clicking this link.
Remember to Have Fun!
It is so important to have fun with your blog.
You might feel like you have to write about a new topic every day or that you need to post every day, but this isn’t the case at all. Don’t be afraid to take a break and enjoy the process.
You don’t have to take yourself too seriously when it comes to blogging. It can be a fun hobby that helps you relieve stress and meet new people. You’ll make the best content if you’re having an enjoyable time doing it!
Don’t Give Up!
While it may be challenging to maintain a positive outlook at times, you have to remember why you wanted to start a blog in the first place. Is it because you want to help other people, or do you want to leave your full-time job and make money blogging? Whatever your reason was for starting your blog, keep the end goal in mind, and don’t give up!
When juggling blogging, family, and full-time jobs, staying motivated can be challenging. It would help if you took time each day or week to reflect on what you’ve accomplished thus far. Taking time out of each day will help refocus your energy on continuing through the process without giving up.
With planning and dedication, you can find balance
If you’re serious about building your blog into something significant and worthwhile, don’t allow yourself to get bogged down by the things that keep you from blogging. Sure, it can be a challenge to juggle all of these duties at once, but with a bit of planning and dedication, you can easily find a healthy balance.
I hope you’ve found these tips helpful and that they have opened your eyes to a new way of approaching advocacy through blogging. Most importantly, I hope you’ve learned that blogging can be easy and fun, provided you set realistic goals, maintain a schedule and appreciate the process.
How Do You Juggle It all? Let me know in the comments below!
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