Tips for Balancing Blogging With a Full Time Job
It's difficult enough trying to run a blog without a full time job, let alone with one. It can be quite the challenge, but there are a few things you can try that will make the juggling act somewhat easier. From bulk writing blog posts when you get a spare minute to taking regular breaks away from the screen, here are a few tips for balancing a full time job with running a blog! If you have any tips yourself, then leave them in the comment section below and we can all learn from each other :)
Make a schedule
This will help you to stay on top of blogging, even if your schedule involves writing a blog post once a month. We're all very busy, so fitting time in just to write and publish a blog post a month can be quite the achievement when you run your own blog, especially if you take photos and do SEO yourself as well.
I find spreadsheets to be quite useful as you can do some detailed planning, including the topic you want to write about together with the title of the blog post and even some photo ideas to go with it. A schedule will also help you to maintain a routine, making it more likely that you'll stick to the schedule you've outlined for yourself.
Allocate yourself blogging time
As mentioned before, even if you write one blog post a month, it's important that you allocate yourself some time to do some writing and creative work. Whether you spend a couple of hours writing on a Saturday evening or spend half an hour here and there over the course of a few days, allocating time specifically for your blog will do the world of good when it comes to balancing a full time job with running your own blog.
Bulk write and schedule blog posts
This would be perfect for if you decide to block out several hours to do some writing. Despite the fact that this will take a considerable amount of time, as you'll need to do some planning before you get going, it'll be well worth it when the super busy weeks at work roll around.
Write several blog posts, take a few photographs to go with them, even if it's just a header image, and then schedule them to go up in intervals. This way, you'll be able to relax, safe in the knowledge that your readers are still receiving regular content. You'll even be able to schedule Tweets on Twitter, so you won't even have to be present on social media to promote your new posts.
Stay committed to your plan
Once you get into the habit, your blogging schedule will become second nature to you, so it's well worth getting a plan in place and a few dates outlined for publishing as well. This way, you'll be able to do some more seasonal posts alongside some of your more generic ideas.
I also take photographs in bulk, so I'll always have a header image no matter what it is I'm writing about. All of those things will help you to stick to your plan, enabling you to get content published at a date and time to suit you and your everyday life, even if you hold down a full time job!
Take a break if you feel you need it
Life can be quite overwhelming and busy at times, so we all need some downtime in order to recharge our batteries and be refreshed again for another working day. Having a full time job can make blogging more difficult as after an eight hour day of looking at a screen, the last thing you want to do for the evening is look at another screen. All I want to do is relax, eat dinner and go to sleep most nights, simply because, by the end of the day, I'm absolutely shattered.
Therefore, you must take breaks whenever you feel you need to take one, otherwise you could burn out relatively quickly. Your blog must work around your job and not the other way around, so take time away from blogging if you feel like you need some time off to relax and recharge.
***
I hope you enjoyed this blog post! If you have anymore tips for balancing a blog with a full time job, then leave them in the comments below, it would be great to bounce some ideas and advice around for other bloggers. I'll see you again very soon with a brand new blog post for you :)
***
WHERE TO FIND ME
PREVIOUS BLOG POST
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Thank you so much Lorna! I definitely needed to read this. I’ve just started a full time job- I graduated in the summer- and I’m beginning to get used to working all day but still don’t want to give up blogging and that creative side. I’ve started to allocate some blogging time in the evenings but I’ll use the other tips as well. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteAoife x | www.aoifecaitriona.co.uk