4 Great Ways to Balance Blogging and a Full-Time Job

Life is busy! Finding ways to balance blogging and a full-time job can be tricky, but with my four tips, you can be off to a great start.

4 Ways to Balance Blogging and a Full-Time Job

I have to admit it.  I have three passions, and two of them are teaching and blogging.  For me, blogging is reaching out and relating to your readers.  Blogging is telling a story that has probably happened to many, but only a few dare to share.  If you’re a blogger, I’m sure you feel as I do, and I believe that’s a good thing.

But what if besides being a blogger, you are also either a full-time Mom or professional? And, you wish you could blog more often, but haven’t been able to balance blogging and a full-time job?

Go ahead and ‘PIN’ me so you can easily find this post again.

I have been blogging for the last six years. And in my case, I’m not a Mom, but I am a full-time teacher. Which as you probably know, implies teaching five different subjects, planning, making quizzes and tests for each of the subjects. Then marking papers. Don’t forget about dealing with parents, colleagues, or with “she-said-I-said” problems. Plus, I sometimes tutor in the afternoon or the weekends.  Being a teacher is a never ending job.

[clickToTweet tweet=”4 Great Ways to Balance #Blogging and a Full-Time #Job” quote=”4 Great Ways to Balance Blogging and a Full-Time Job”]

That is why if you are a blogger, but you are also a full-time professional, as I am, it is not likely to use your “spare time” for blogging because you will not have extra time.  You must blog intentionally.  And sometimes it’s not easy after a 9-5, that’s why I would like to give you four simple ways to balance blogging and a full-time job.

 1 – Get a Blogging Notebook

Using a notepad or a pocket notebook can make your blogging life a lot easier.  How many times do you find yourself marking something at work or typing something, and suddenly the ideas start popping in your head like popcorn?  Then that is when you need your notepad.  It can take you up to 4 minutes to write those thoughts down.  Believe me, you have to write them down. Otherwise, there’s a pretty big chance that you might forget it.

Then that is when you need your notepad.  It can take you up to 4 minutes to write those ideas down.  Believe me, you have to write them down. Otherwise, there’s a pretty big chance that you might forget it.

Now, I’m not saying that all of the sudden you get complete posts epiphany, but you do get bits and pieces, and those are the once you shouldn’t let fly away.

If you think a notepad it’s too 20th century, you can also use notepad for mobile, but don’t stop writing!

2. The Camera

When you are always on the run, like I am, it is important to be always be prepared with your camera because you never know when the right moment for the right pic will arrive.  This doesn’t mean that you have to carry with your DSLR camera around (unless you are a professional photographer) but for the rest of us mortals, it can be a bit tricky to do so.

[clickToTweet tweet=”On a tight #blogging schedule, it’s important to be prepared!” quote=”On a tight blogging schedule, it’s important to be prepared!”]

For example, I am a fourth-grade teacher, and I have a class of 29 students with three sets of twins!  I cannot imagine taking my camera with me without it being threatened so I would recommend using your phone and carrying it pretty much everywhere.  It is a lot easier to slip your phone in your back pocket!  But do make sure your phone has a decent camera on your phone for quality purposes. Here are some great tips for taking great pictures.

3. Have a Agenda

I mentioned before that to post regularly you must blog intentionally.  That means that you must set a time on your agenda or calendar and answer the following questions:

• What days can I blog? (Sun-Sat)
• At what time of the day can I blog?(morning, afternoon or evening)
• How many hours can I invest?

Once you have realistically answered these questions, you have to remember to respect those times.

4. Get the Right Tools

As a professional who is always on the run and have a million deadlines, appointments and papers to mark, it is of great importance to have a useful tool to help you with your blog life!

• WordPress app for phone or tablet.  If your blog is powered by WordPress, then you must download this app!  It will not only help you to make drafts and publish, but it can also be your notepad on the go.  Even though the app does lack a few features that you find on the web version,  it is a very useful tool.
• Picture Editor.  Personally, I use PicMonkey to edit my pics when I am on the go.  You can use that one or any other of your choice, but it is necessary to be able to edit photos even when you are not in front of your desktop.
• Linked accounts.  Do you have a Facebook Page, Instagram, Twitter or any other social media related to your blog?  Download an app where you can link all your accounts and schedule when to publish them. You may like to use Buffer for scheduling your social media posts.

Remember it is never too late to start setting yourself realistic goals and sticking to them!  Hope you find these tips helpful!  Do you have any other idea to help others balance blogging and a full-time job?  Share them below!