Being a full time blogger is rewarding but also difficult to balance sometimes. Being able to work for yourself and set your own schedule seems like the ideal situation, but if you don’t structure it correctly, you could find yourself more stressed out and not very productive.
I have been blogging for over 5 years now, and I have to admit that I struggled at first to find my rhythm within the industry. I was juggling kids, home, and starting a new business. But once I developed a schedule that truly worked for me, I started to see progress and experienced less stress.
This is just my personal schedule that works for my life. It’s not perfect by any means, but I’m always fine-tuning it and discovering ways I can increase productivity without sacrificing time.
Mornings – Must Start with Coffee
Let’s be honest, I have a slight addiction to coffee… I like regular coffee, espresso, bulletproof, and even cold brew in the summer. So it’s a given that my mornings must start with a cup of coffee.
I usually wake up around 5:30am, make coffee, wake up my son for track practice, and then start my day.
After my first cup (or 3) of coffee, I usually sit down and plan out my day with my journal. I love journals because they keep me focused on what needs to get done and also help me to see what I’ve accomplished already.
I will typically write out a task list for the day, starting with the most important project and prioritizing down to the last task. I list the most important tasks first so that I make sure to get them done right off the bat.
After creating my daily task list, I get started checking them off. Sometimes I have bills I need to pay, and other times I have blog research to do.
Here’s what a typical morning looks like for me:
5:30am: Wake up, make bed, make coffee, work on journal and task list
6:15am: Take son to school, read a few pages from the current book I’m reading (right now it’s Legendary Marketer)
7:00am: Begin working on task list, do keyword research for next blog post, structure/outline blog post
9:00am: Start creating content for blog post
11:00am: Gather links to add to blog post as well as relevant images or video
Afternoons – Getting Stuff Done
While mornings are spent preparing for the day and usually writing content for my blog, my afternoons are filled with checking off the remaining tasks that need to be done.
This could be creating a YouTube video based on the blog post I wrote that morning, or spending some time answering emails and checking on my affiliate programs.
Currently I am trying to be more consistent and grow my YouTube Channel so I am usually recording a video and editing it in the afternoons. My goal right now is to upload every day for a full 30 days in a row.
Around 3pm, I usually have to go pick up my youngest son from school unless he has after-school activities that day. But once I get back home, I pick up wherever I left off and continue working.
So here’s what my typical afternoon might consist of:
- Publishing Blog Post (written that morning)
- Recording and Editing YouTube Video
- Answering Emails
- Uploading video to YouTube
- Marketing previous blog posts on Pinterest, Twitter, FB, etc
- Picking up Son from school
- Eating a keto friendly lunch
Evenings – Changes on a Daily Basis
So as you can imagine, my evenings are usually spent winding down and spending time with my family. I make dinner on some nights and others I go to my kids school events like choir concerts, track meets, etc.
I also spend time preparing for my next day. I once again sit down with my journal and write down tasks that I know I need to accomplish and also reflect on the ones that I actually got done during the current day. I also brainstorm ideas for my next blog post or video.
Another thing I tend to do in the evenings is work on my daily housework list. I have a schedule set up where I clean 2-3 rooms per day throughout the entire week. This keeps me from having to spend one whole day JUST cleaning the house.
Weekends – Still Grinding
So when it comes to the weekends, I usually still try to get work done. Of course, it’s not as structured as during the week, but I will try to compose at least 1 blog post throughout the weekend and record a few videos for the YouTube.
A lot of times I am actually traveling across the great state of Texas. But even when I’m traveling, I will sit down for an hour or two and work on my business. I think of it like this… I’m able to travel BECAUSE I am a full time blogger, so I should at least put some work in when I can.
I will typically wake up (and have coffee of course) in the hotel and sit down at my computer for some quality work time. After about 2 hours of solid work, it’s about time that things start opening and I make my way out into the world to enjoy whatever city I happen to be in.
When I’m at home for the weekend, I do the same thing. I dedicate about 2-3 hours a day to work on my business and then I spend the rest of the time working around the house and dining out with my family.
A Day in the Life of a Blogger – Be Your Own Boss
My days are not always the same, but this is a typical scenario in my life. The beauty of being your own boss is that you can set whatever schedule works for you and it can change at will.
I like having structure and that usually makes me more productive and helps me stay on task. But I know other bloggers who just wake up, blog if they feel like it, and then spend the day playing frisbee in the park. That works for them and that’s great!
The point is, do what works for you. You may have younger kids that need more of your attention… or you may not have kids at all. Structure your business in a way that allows you to succeed at business AND at life (whatever your life looks like).
Also, I will end by saying that in order to be successful at anything you need to put in the work. So don’t just think you are going to be able to sit on your couch watching reruns of Friends all day long and have a successful business. Blogging certainly gives you the ability to have more freedom in your life, but you need to be careful how you implement that freedom.
Don’t let it get in the way of your dreams and your overall success. Work hard and the payoff will be extremely rewarding!
