3 Simple Ways to Balance Blogging & Your Full-Time Gig

The question I get most often when I tell people I’m a blogger is, “Oh! How awesome is it doing that full-time?” Well, let me be the first to tell you that blogging is awesome, and it’s also a lot of hard work! Tons of emails (which I thoroughly enjoy getting, but can take quite a bit of time to answer), weekend shoots, late-night writing, so on and so forth. However, the bigger piece here is that I’m not a full-time blogger. Instead, I balance blogging with my full-time gig in social media.

How to Balance Blogging and Your Full-Time Gig

Yeah! Surprise! I work my 9-5, and around those hours I keep this here blog up and running. It’s a lot of work, takes a ton of dedication – yet I do it because I love it so much (and you! Thank you for being here and reading this!). Now, I know there are a ton of other bloggers who do the same thing – balancing work and blogging is tough stuff, you get it. So, I’m hoping to share a few of my favorite tips in balancing your two ‘lives’.

1.  Find your most productive hours

If I didn’t figure out years ago that I’m most productive in the morning, I would not be able to successfully balance blogging and my full-time gig. It simply wouldn’t happen. In fact, I wake up around 5:30 am every weekday morning (6:30 am on weekends) to get about 2-3 hours of blog tasks and projects completed before heading to my full-time gig. I allocate that time in the very early morning to answering emails, writing blog posts, and editing photos. It’s my most productive time, so I try to make full use of it by working on the tasks that require the most brain power and attention – like writing and working with my brand partners!

2. Write everything down (immediately)

Think of a brilliant blog post topic? Jot it down on a sticky note, or better yet – download the WordPress app and throw it in your editorial calendar! Set up a meeting or phone call with a brand? Put it in your calendar now. Don’t wait to throw it in your calendar until all the details are ironed out because chances are, you might forget about it and double book yourself.

I like to use the app ‘Clear’ to keep an ongoing list of future blog posts. When an idea hits me, I quickly open up the app and add it to the list. It takes no more than 30 seconds and now I know I won’t forget my grand idea!

3. Plan ahead

I plan out my week on Sunday. It’s how I get by. Every week I write down my after-work meetings, before-work coffee dates, and which tasks need to be completed and in what order. I plan out when I’ll be writing each post, photographing it, etc. It’s hard to balance blogging and working full-time, but planning ahead is key. That way you won’t end up scrambling at the last minute all the time. Don’t be fooled, this still happens, but planning ahead helps minimize it!

Are you balancing blogging and working full-time? What are some planning tips that help you keep everything in check?

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