Blogging With a Full Time Job

image from weheartit.com

Finding the time to sit down and put together a blog post when you've got work and a social life to juggle too can be a little tricky. When I first started blogging 5 months ago, I would sit down when I got home from work in the evenings and write out my post to go live that evening. Doing this every other night wasn't working for me. I would often be very tired when I come home and would not feel like sitting at my laptop when I've already been staring at a computer screen all day. After about a month or so, I finally settled into a routine that I was happy with, to ensure I was still getting out the content I wanted but still had a positive attitude towards blogging and ensuring it didn't become like a chore to me. I am by no means a blogging expert and I'm certainly not professing that this is the way all bloggers must do it, but I thought I'd share with you the tips I've picked up along the way, if some of you are finding it hard to keep up your blog whilst working full time.


Plan ahead. I try to keep a list of blog posts that I know I want to write in the near future, so that I've got some content in mind already and I'm not just staring blankly into my laptop trying to come up with an idea for a post when the time comes to write it. I find the list apps on my phone, of which there are many free ones to choose from, are really useful for keeping a record of this. I have my phone with me virtually all of the time so, whenever some inspiration hits me, I have my list to hand to add to. I also keep a notebook so that I can expand on my post ideas and plan a structure to my posts, and a diary to plan which post up is going to go up when, and identify where I have any empty spaces in my blogging schedule.

Schedule posts. Some people don't like to do this, as they like to write whatever they feel, whenever the mood takes them, but I find it really useful to write up a number of posts in one go and then schedule them for various days throughout the week. I don't have a great deal of spare time outside of work at the moment, so bulk writing during a spare few hours and scheduling posts for weekdays ensures my readers are getting regular posts to read. Scheduling posts can also be handy if you know you have a busy period, or a holiday, coming up - you know your blog is covered whilst you are away. You can schedule posts by selecting a date and time down the right hand side of the screen when you are composing your posts. Just remember to hit "Publish" rather than "Save" when you having finished your post - I learnt this the hard way!

Try to stick to a routine. Unless I have any social plans, Sunday afternoon is my blogging time each week. Of course it's not always going to be possible to stick to the same time every week - life is going to get in the way at some point - but I think it's important to try to stick to some sort of blogging routine whenever possible. Having time set aside to focus on your passion is going to make it much easier to get regular content out to your readers. I start off just after lunch by taking all the photos I'm going to need for the next week's posts and editing them if needed. I'll then spend the next few hours writing up as many posts as I can for the coming week, referring to the notes I've already made to help with my writing. Occasionally I'll run out of time before all of my posts are written but as long as I've got my notes written out and my photos taken in good lighting, I'll put aside a bit of time during the week to get them finished up before they are due to be published.

Use your lunch break. Lunch breaks can be a great time to get a bit of blogging in. I work in the middle of the countryside, so there's not much for me to do at lunchtime outside of the office, so I use this time as an opportunity to write up my notes for blog posts I have on my "to write" list, or catch up on my reading list on Bloglovin. You could also use the time to write up some posts, if you know you won't have any time after work. Even if you don't have the images with you, you can write up the posts and save them in your drafts for later, when you have a few minutes to add the images in.

Blog on the go. If you do a lot of commuting and spending time on trains or buses, your phone or your tablet could be your best friend when it comes to keeping up with your blog. You could use the time to send and schedule tweets about your blog posts, catch up on your reading list, or write up a few new posts. The Blogger app is very basic but, again, you can could write up the content of your blog and save the draft to add images later.

Remember it's a hobby. Although some people run their blog alongside their job for a second income, the majority of us are simply doing it for fun because it's something we are passionate about. So that's just what we need to make it - fun! Don't put any unnecessary pressure on yourself to get posts up if you haven't got the time, no ones going to hold it against you. And, if you need to take time out for whatever reason, remember it's ok to do so. Loyal readers will still be there when you decide it's time to come back to your blog again. Don't let your blog become more important than your social life or your job - after all you still need those bills paying!

Do you have any other tips for blogging with a full time job?