I’ve been getting a lot of questions over the past month or so from friends and followers on Instagram asking me: “How do you run a blog while working a full-time job?” And, “How do you make it look so easy?” This really inspired me to write today’s post for you all and hopefully inspire those of you who are on the same boat as me that work a full-time job during the week while also running a blog and want to successfully do both.
First off, doing both is not an easy task. While it may look easy and appear easy through what you see on an Instagram feed or other social posts, there is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into that Instagram feed and those blog posts that you read. The number one thing that seems to be overlooked about bloggers is how much time and energy they spend working on their blogs and social accounts. What may appear quick and effortless actually takes quite a bit of work and time, just like any other job.
My Key Tips:
1. Prioritize & Commit
I have been blogging for over 3 years now and it has become a huge part of my life, I really cannot imagine my life without blogging as I have such a strong passion for it and is something I never want to stop doing. I love it so much and it is fun work for me! With how important it is to me and how much I love to blog, it is one of my top priorities and something I am very committed to. I really wanted to stress this here that if you are not truly passionate about blogging, getting burnt out from running a blog while working a full-time job can really drain you and make it a whole lot less fun.
The second I come home from work each day, I work on my blog. Whether that be engaging on social media to help grow my following, responding to DM’s, brainstorming content ideas, working on emails with brands, etc., I am always working.
2. Know When to Rest and Take a Break
One of the hardest things about working in the blogging/influencer industry is that you’re basically always “on”. It really is a 24/7 type of deal. With that being said, it is really up to you to know when you need to take a break and reset. For me, personally, I tend to get a little burnt out and ready for a little break on Friday’s. I don’t spend as much time on social media on Friday’s and just enjoy my time after work on Friday’s by having date nights with my boyfriend, spending time with friends, or simply enjoying some me time. It is much needed and something I highly recommend for you all to do as well, because everyone needs a little break every once in a while. Same goes for Saturday’s some of the time too.
As I continue to grow my blog, I have really worked on the consistency of my blog and social posts each week, because the more you work, the more you’ll grow and see more successful results from your time spent on it. However, if you’re just not feeling it or feeling a little uninspired, do not hesitate to take a break! It’s better to produce content that you’re proud of rather than forcing it just to have a post each day. Take a couple days or a week off and let the inspiration come back to you!
3. Work Hard & Dream Big
One of my favorite quotes that continues to inspire me each and every day is: “Dreams don’t work unless you do.” This may be the one quote that has truly stopped me in my tracks and really made me think about the long-term goals I have for my blog and inspires me to work hard at it each and every day to achieve those goals. I want you to stop here for a minute and really think about the long-term goals you have for your blog. Where do you want to be in terms of your blog in 1 year? 5 years? Even, 10 years? What do you hope to accomplish in that time? What brands do you want to work with and what do you need to do to make that happen? Whatever your dreams may be for your blog, work hard at it and make them a reality!
For me, one of my biggest goals I had this year for my blog was to get more into travel blogging and working more with travel brands as I have such a passion for traveling and exploring new places. So, what I did to make that a reality was I took a vacation in May to celebrate my college graduation. And while having SO much fun on the trip, I also spent a lot of the trip shooting content in order to create more travel content for my blog and Instagram. This, in turn, landed me a travel collaboration the following month in which I got to take a short trip to the Oregon Coast!
What An Average Weeks Looks Like For Me:
To help provide a bit of insight into my schedule working a full-time job Monday-Friday while also running a blog, I thought it might be helpful to share what an average week looks like for me for how I do both. What may work for me may not be what works for you, but hopefully, this provides a bit of help in finding what works best for you and your schedule to successfully manage both.
Monday-Thursday: Work full-time day job. Post one Instagram post, post on stories, engage on social media to help grow my following, respond to DM’s, brainstorm content ideas, work on emails with brands, etc.
Friday: Work full-time day job. Take a mini-break from social media and blogging. Usually, just engage on social media to help grow my following in the mornings and don’t spend as much time on my phone in the afternoons/evenings.
Saturday: Relax or do something fun. Usually, engage on social media to help grow my following at various times throughout the day. Instagram stories. If good content or depending on brands I’m working with and the campaign, post on the weekends.
Sunday: Shoot content, “media-prep”, write blog posts for the week. Each Sunday I usually go out and shoot photos either with my boyfriend (my primary blog photographer) or, if he’s busy since he works a lot on the weekends, I go out and shoot with my tripod. I also write a majority of my blog posts for the week on Sunday’s and schedule them out for the days I want them posted. I then plan out my Instagram content for the week and get them all ready to go, that way Monday-Thursday morning I can just simply post the photo with everything prepared. Because let’s face it, the last thing I want to do at 6:00 in the morning is think of a caption, what photo to share, and what hashtags to use when that work could be done ahead of time.
I tend to not write blog content during the week or shoot content because after work Monday-Friday I like to have my own breaks by doing the work I do through Instagram, taking care of adult responsibilities, enjoy me-time and time with my boyfriend, etc. This is just the schedule that has worked best for me to manage a full-time job, run a blog, take care of adult responsibilities, while also making time for the people in my life and me-time.
However, as my blog continues to grow as well as the amount of work, this schedule may shift a bit requiring me to get some content during the weekdays too. But for now, this is what’s working best for me and having fun with it!
Thank you so much for reading and I hope this post was useful for those of you who blog and work a full-time job!
XX
Kelsie