Samantha blogs at Coco Travels about travel and adventure and also works freelance as a Digital Marketer. Her blog specialises in UK travel, quirky accommodation and dog friendly holidays. You’ll find her hiking near her home in the Peak District with her King Charles Spaniel, Alfie, swimming in the sea or taking in the sunset with a glass of bubbles. cocobutterblog.co.uk
Currently reading: How To Manage A Successful Blog Alongside A Full Time Job Click To Tweet Ever feel like you’re so busy you don’t even have time to brush your teeth? We know the feeling! Blogging alongside a full time job can be stressful and it seems like you’ll never get to the end of your monster to-do list.
Whether you’re blogging with a view to making it your full time hustle or it’s just a hobby that you enjoy, it’s hard to keep up with everything that needs to be done to make a blog successful, while you’re also working hard at your full time job.
There’s blog post writing, blog design, social media, SEO – the list is never ending!
But it can be done! There are no end of bloggers who are at the top of their game while also working 35+ hours each week.
With these helpful tips that we’ve put together, you’ll be smashing that blog in no time!
Organisation is key
As with most things in life, the key to managing your time when you’re blogging is to be highly organised. To some people this comes naturally but others may need to work on it.
People work in different ways and so you’ll need to find what works for you.
Maybe it’s writing everything down on paper and ticking off tasks as you go along, maybe sticking up post-its is for you or perhaps you prefer an online project management tool like Trello. Try each method and see which you prefer.
Splitting your to-do list into daily, weekly and monthly tasks will help you keep sight of what you need to achieve each time and ticking things off or deleting them will help you to see how much you’ve done.
It’s also important to manage your time, especially if you work shifts or you have a job where you need to travel. Be sure to add all of your work commitments into your calendar or diary so that you know what blogging events or jobs you can then accept and be realistic about this.
Make the most of your time
Although working full time does take up a big chunk of your day, there is still some time left over for blogging and everything that goes with it. Can you fit in some blogging before you start work, or even on your commute?
Perhaps you can use your lunch break to post on the Gram, add a new blog post or shoot some content? This is definitely easier to do if you’re working from home but it’s not impossible if you’re office-based.
Just be sure to check your work policies to ensure that you’re not doing anything you could get in trouble for.
If you haven’t used all of your annual leave for the year and you’re not going to then maybe consider taking a few days off to catch up and get ahead on your blog. Set a routine for these days as if you were at work but use the time instead for blogging.
Scheduling is your friend
If you’re finding it difficult to find time to post and promote your blog on your social media channels then a scheduling tool could be a huge help for you. Try something like Hootsuite or Hubspot and spend an hour at the beginning of the week scheduling in your posts.
Most social media scheduling tools have free versions if you don’t have the budget to pay for them.
And scheduling isn’t just for social media – you can schedule your blog posts too! Once you’re in the zone writing-wise get as much done as you can and schedule any completed blog posts to post on another day.
This can also help to cover you when you’re away on holiday too so you can really switch off without needing to worry about what’s happening on your blog.
Prioritise the most important things
We’ve all heard that content is king and that’s what most people come to your blog for, but should writing another new blog post be at the top of your list?
Would your time be better spent optimising some of your existing posts for SEO so that you can rank higher on Google and get more visitors or working on your blog design? It’s up to you which you think are the most important thing but make sure that you get these tasks completed first.
Of course, you should be sure to prioritise any paid blog work or partnerships that you have to ensure that you meet those deadlines and don’t let any brands down. This professionalism should ensure that they think of you again next time they’re looking for collaborations.
You should also consider all of the social media channels which you promote your blog on. Do you need all of them? If there are any that aren’t doing so well or aren’t relevant to your audience then maybe you could free up some of your time by getting rid of these and prioritising others instead.
Get help when you need it
If you’re making money from your blog or you have some spare which you’d like to invest then consider paying someone to help with some aspects of your blog.
Maybe you really struggle with the design of it or you don’t know where to start when it comes to SEO. There are professionals out there to suit every budget and it can really help take some of the load off of you.
If you can’t afford to pay anyone to help you out then consider skills swapping with a fellow blogger.
Don’t burn yourself out
Working so hard can mean that you start to get fatigued and stressed and over a long period of time this can lead to burnout and you could even end up making yourself poorly. Don’t forget to make time for yourself and your family and practice a bit of selfcare from time to time. Try not to be too hard on yourself if you just need a bit of a breather.
If you’re starting to feel a bit overwhelmed with everything you’ve got going on then check out our tips for dealing with burnout.
Remember why you started to blog in the first place and make sure you’re still enjoying it.
We hope these tips have helped! What are your top tips for managing a successful blog alongside a full time job? Let us know in the comments!
Kim
Great tips! As someone who works full time and is trying to make my blog a success, I’ll be taking some of these on board!