Tips for Maintaining a Blog While Working a Day Job

 

Tips for having a blog and working a day jobHappy Friday friends! Today I wanted to share some tips for how I stay on top of my blog while also working a full time job. It isn’t always easy – and I’m definitely not perfect, but these are a few things I think every part time blogger should keep in the back of their minds when it comes to blogging. I love Katie’s Bliss and hope to continue my site for years to come…while also working a day job 🙂

Surround yourself with people that support and understand what you do

Whether it’s your boyfriend, family or bff – it’s important to have an encouraging support system if you’re managing two careers. I know for a fact my blog/YouTube channel wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for Nick. He takes all my photos on weekends and evenings – basically whenever him and I have free time, which unfortunately we don’t have too much of. I’ve had a few stressful moments where I’ve felt like I couldn’t handle blogging on top of my full time job but he and my family are very supportive and are always there to build me up on days when I feel down or overwhelmed.

Set boundaries

It’s really important to me that my blog and my day job don’t mix. I know everyone’s different but when I’m at work – I’m at work. I won’t ever even bring up my blog with my coworkers – though they will sometimes and I’m fine with that since they’re so supportive 🙂 I love my site and I’m proud of it, but I don’t want it to define me – especially at the workplace. It always surprises me when I’m chatting with other bloggers and they’re like, o yeah I blog at work all the time, don’t you? That’s something I’d never do – I wouldn’t have the time! And even if I did have the time it wouldn’t feel right. I like keeping the two separated – much simpler. But to each his own!

Utilize Hootsuite and other scheduling tools

Guys Hootsuite is my Godsend! Since I’m clearly at work during the day I obviously can’t be on Twitter and Facebook doing all my own live updates. Every morning before I leave for work I preschedule all my tweets and Facebook updates using Hootsuite. I also will schedule all my posts and videos using the different presets on WordPress and YouTube. Scheduling ahead of time makes everything about being a part time blogger so much easier.

Keep in mind your priorities

For me, my day job is always going to come first before my blog. My blog is a top priority, but on busy weeks when I have a lot going on at work I have no qualms about cutting back on my posts or not taking the time to schedule my social media updates. It always stinks when I can’t fit in time for my blog but it’s my reality and I’m cool with it.

There are also just those times where I’d rather my spend my entire weekend laying around on the couch and not work on editing my photos or answering my blog emails. I used to feel guilty, or even lazy, when I would take time for myself but I’ve come to realize there is nothing wrong with that. If you’re managing a blog and a full time job it’s important to have ‘me’ time. Cut yourself some slack – you are managing two jobs after all!

Don’t compare yourself to full time bloggers

I cannot stress this enough – if you blog part time, do not compare yourself to people who blog for a career! It will be your downfall! I struggled with this a little bit when I first moved to New York. I’d be at work and scroll down my Instagram feed and feel little tinges of disappointment every time I saw a full time blogger working on a collaboration or meeting with a brand. You just gotta remember the 10 hours a day you’re at your office, full time bloggers are devoting that time solely towards their sites. Can you image what you could do with all that time? I’d probably be killing it too if I could put the energy I put into my job into my blog – but that’s not what I want, and probably not what you want either! Just try your best not to compare yourself to others – it’s such a confidence killer!

Set goals

If you don’t have the time to be thinking and strategizing about your blog all day then make a point to set some long term goals for yourself. Now these don’t have to be huge goals – make them reasonable. It’s definitely a cheerful moment for me any time I meet a goal when it comes to my blog, no matter how big or small. Make yourself a list of what you want to accomplish and make a point to start checking them off!

It’s also important to not beat yourself up if you don’t meet a goal as soon as you’d like. Give yourself a break and remind yourself that blogging isn’t your full time job. Focus more on the goals you have met and give yourself a pat on the back for completing them in the first place 🙂

Don’t bite off more than you can chew

Now this is one thing I’ve definitely improved on over the last year. When I first moved to New York I was so excited when brands first started reaching out to me and I started getting invites to events – it was the coolest feeling! Coming from college in North Carolina I had never attended a fashion show and I had never met another blogger like myself so it was amazing that I was now being included in this world that I had only seen on the Internet and on TV. However I began to get overwhelmed really fast. I felt obligated to go to every press preview I was invited to and couldn’t ever say ‘No’ to another blogger reaching out to me for brunch or coffee. On top of that traveling around the city is expensive. I don’t have the extra funds to frivolously spend on cabs to go to an event for a brand that I really could care less about/doesn’t translate to my blog. I now make it a point to only attend events for brands I genuinely care about and make time for close friends/blogger pals that mean something to me. I get two days per week off and I try to spend them wisely.

This is also important when it comes to collaborations. It stinks but sometimes you just have to say no to opportunities – I’ve had to. When I’m doing a collaboration or working with a brand, it’s more important to product quality content and devote my time to that one company- rather than take on multiple projects at one time and potentially risk not being able to fulfill the commitment. Trust me, brands will appreciate the professionalism!

Stay organized

It’s vital to stay organized if you blog part time – something I definitely struggle with. I’m awful at keeping track of my receipts and expenses, so you can only manage what a nightmare it was for me when I had to do my taxes this year – ugh, torturous. So for the rest of 2014 I’m making it my mission to really treat Katie’s Bliss like a real business. I plan on staying on top of my emails (as best as I can), keeping a log of my income and filing all my paperwork. If you guys have any tips for how stay organized please let me know…

Do you work full time and blog? If so, what are your tips for managing the two? Let me know what you think in the comments!

- Katie

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