Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! Happy Wednesday to you all.
Okay so this post might not be hugely relevant to all of you because some of you blog full time, however many of us do have other commitments such as a full time job, a busy life or studying. This post is all about helping myself and everyone else to be the best bloggers we can be with the limited time we have available.
I have been asked several times how I find time to Blog and the answer is quite simple…..
I struggle. I work office hours everyday excluding weekends which means by the time I have finished work and I’m ready to sit down and blog, I either feel tired or unmotivated. I’ve been Blogging for some time now and I don’t feel like it’s got any easier for me, I see so many blogging friends coping and balancing the two very well and I’m over here feeling like I’m drowning in it all. Last year I did take a break from blogging, for that exact reason really, everything just got too much and I wasn’t sticking to my schedule at all. But I am back now, I am doing better than I used to and I do feel much better for taking time away and coming back. I thought I would share some ideas that I have come up with just incase anyone else reading this feels like they’re struggling too!!
First up, we need to make a good plan/schedule. I’ve started writing down what my weekly/monthly/yearly goals are so I have something to work towards. I have diaries and mind maps which help me plan out what I will blog about and when I will post it. Sticking to a schedule is difficult when you work full time but it does help with being consistent which so important in this industry! You can make it personal to you so it fits in with your everyday life and eventually you will find out what works best for you. I also have set blogging days, so I upload a blog every Wednesday & Saturday/Sunday – this for me has helped loads because I know what I am working towards and I have deadlines to meet.
The biggest problem I find is that although I am super organised with all my pretty floral diaries, mind maps and coloured charts etc, I struggle to stay committed. Blogging takes up more time than what you think and sometimes I just lose all motivation and commitment. If I want to succeed and do well in this industry I can’t have days/weeks feeling unmotivated, I HAVE to get up and get on. Once you find a pattern and plan that works best for you, the easier it will be to stay committed to it. It can be hard and disheartening when I only see my post got a small amount of likes even though it took me 4 hours to prep, write, create and post it, however this sometimes helps me think actually I can do better than that so next time I will get more likes. It pushes me forward in the right direction!
When I know I am spending an evening blogging or a full day Blogging I have to eliminate any distractions. These distractions can be from the TV to social media and WhatsApp messages, so much can divert my attention which means I will only write one blog post when I could’ve actually prepped 2 or 3 ready to post in the week.
It’s a good idea to schedule your posts which is something I have started to do because it saves so much time in the long run. If I can spend a whole Saturday or Sunday blogging, I will make sure I write at least 3 posts ready for them to be posted the following week. The same goes for my photos, I will photograph the products/blog photos in advance so I can just upload them and post them. I occasionally take photos the night before so I can post them on Twitter during my lunchbreak at work so I still have time to interact with you all!
Finally, please remember to be realistic!! At the start my goal was to upload 3 or 4 times a week!!!!!! I mean that was crazy! My goal now is to post 2 times a week because any more than that and it starts to become a bit of a struggle!! Always stay real with yourself and only do what you can do.
I understand how hard it is, even at weekends I sometimes struggle to blog because I have plans or weekends away etc but it’s all about planning and scheduling. It will get easier (I hope!) – whatever you do, don’t give up!
Grace x
graceeleanor2.wordpress.com 
I am working a full time job. I post everyday. I need to start a 3x a week schedule for balance. I had an IG goal of 10k followers. Once I achieved that I thought I would slow down.
I do alot of blog work in the weekends. I do find myself always working and I really need to slow down.
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