20150120

Blogging Tips || How I Juggle Blogging with a 9-5



I only really started my blog towards the end of my final year at university. Over summer I was interning but it wasn't too bad as there was time in the evening to take photos and looking back it doesn't seem as though I put as much into my blog as I do now. So the past 3 months have been a big change; my blog has become a lot more popular and I'm holding down a permanent 9-5 as well as trying to have a life! These are my top tips of how I personally make time for it all...

Plan Ahead

This is super-important. Instead of having hundreds of drafts saved and no idea of when they'll become posts, I make an event on my 'Blog Schedule' iCloud Calendar. It means I can pick things up, move them around and access my schedule on my iPhone, iPad and MacBook. The calendar view also means I can clearly see the distribution of my posts over the month and see when I need to get the photos done for them. Having an idea of when a post is planned in for helps to turn your ideas into pictures and words.

Schedule, Schedule, Schedule

One of last week's Twitter chats got a bit heated over scheduling. Without it I wouldn't have time to blog, let alone as consistently as I try to. I think it's absolute nonsense that your posts won't be passionate or spontaneous if you use scheduling; it just means it goes live a little later. I schedule tweets throughout the day, once every 2 hours between 10am and 6pm then once every hour 7pm-9pm. It's a really good way of driving traffic to some older posts. I schedule my posts because I often don't have time to write them on the day I want them to go live and I like them to go up at the same time every day. I think consistency is good; people know that posts go up at midday and if they tune in every other day there'll be a new one! I always leave space for a random post if I'm just feeling a bit inspired. I mostly keep my weekday blogging activities to putting the finishing touches on posts, commenting on other blogs, Twitter chats and replying to emails as I often can't face writing entire posts from scratch after work.   

Bulk Photos

In winter, daylight is scarce so I take my photos well in advance! I'll have a photo session around once every fortnight on a weekend  (usually a lazy Sunday!) during the daylight hours. I think some things you can definitely get away with using lighting but I always include swatches, which I think are best done the old-fashioned way. I also do just prefer the look of my photos in natural light. Make sure you pick a spot that has good lighting; most of my photos are taken in my conservatory.   

Lists

I find lists really useful, as there's nothing worse than taking the perfect photo then realising you forgot to add a product that's supposed to be featured in the post! So if I'm doing a collective haul or favourites post, I'll make myself a list of the products I need to include in case my mind goes blank when I have limited time. 

That's how I do it! I find that these allow for me to have a life, knowing all my blog stuff is still running consistently in the background without me having to 'force' my posts out.

What are your top tips that help you make time for blogging?

 


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50 comments

  1. I find keeping to a regular schedule tough as I work long and irregular hours! Although I am trying to now keep to a schedule and things are improving...slowly but surely! Lovely post

    Sophie xxx
    https://bluntsbookblog.wordpress.com/

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    1. Yeah it must be even harder if you don't always know that far in advance what hours you're going to be working :( I guess that makes scheduling even more helpful! xx

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  2. I too am holding down a 9-5 whilst trying to maintain my blog. It's still relatively new (I only started it in October) but I definitely find that taking photos in bulk is the way forward, especially as you said, the light is scarce in winter. I will definitely try the list idea as I am quite a forgetful person. xx

    www.kirstytalks.co.uk

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  3. I'm still at university but I've tried to make myself really organised as I work full time in the holidays. I always schedule posts a couple days in advance alongside tweets and I also do my photography all at once. I think these tips are great for anyone wanting to get more organised, thanks for sharing! :)

    Sarah / Sarah Smiles

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    1. You're welcome hun! It's common sense after a while but when I first started out none of these things occurred to me! xx

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  4. Love this post :) it's so true, and I completely agree, there's nothing wrong with scheduling posts! I'd forget otherwise!

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    1. Me too! And there'd be like 3 days in a row then 4 without or something! xx

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  5. very useful tips :) I love scheduling posts when im busy x

    www.beckysbeautique.co.uk

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    1. You're welcome :) it really is the way to juggle it all! xx

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  6. This is such a helpful post thanks hun!! I work a 7-5 haa!!! So these tips are very helpful!

    www.throughthemirror.co.uk

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    1. I can't imagine how much more hard that must be to find the time - you have my sympathy haha xx

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  7. I always schedule my posts, like you said there still spontaneous whether you post them the same day or a week from then - and you know your post has been published when your busy at work.

    Great tips

    Lauren xo

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    1. Exactly - not sure why people don't understand that haha xx

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  8. These are some amazing tips. As someone who struggles with time, what with A-Levels and then possibly a future part time job, these tips will come in handy x

    pintsizedbeauty.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Glad it helped! A-Levels are such a jam-packed time in your life xx

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  9. Fabulous post, with some amazing tips! :) I know how hard it can be to work full time and blog, I do the same when it comes to bulk photos I've just invested in some studio lights so that I can take photos on a night :)

    Charlee XO | CharmedCharlee

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    1. Yeah I did try lighting but it doesn't work so well for me - I guess the option's always there though if I absolutely can't take them in the day! xx

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  10. I've been working 9-5 for nearly a year now, but still find it difficult to create a good balance between work and my blog! But this year, I bought a specific diary to plan, post and schedule posts. Hopefully that will help a lot.xx

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    1. Yeah hopefully it will help you keep sight of what you have planned in and help you make it happen :) xx

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  11. You got it just right! Scheduling is everything and its extremly important to shoot a lot of photos on saturday or sundays because its the only chance to get pics with daylight at the moment. Thats what I do.

    xoxo Colli // tobeyoutiful

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    1. Yeah it's the best way to do it wherever possible xx

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  12. You sound super organised, love it! Completely agree about scheduling! You're still passionate when writing posts, the fact they're not published immediately doesn't alter the writing haha!

    Style Sunrise ☀

    :)
    x


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  13. Great tips! Scheduling both posts and tweets and also taking photos in bulks definitely makes blogging a LOT easier. I think some people are just very judgemental in those chats so I just ignore their comments. I applaud you for managing a 9-5 job and still blogging everyday. I have actually reduced my blogging because it all became a bit too much for me. Whenever I wasn't at work, I was on the computer so I was having no time for myself, no time for my hubby and it was just taking over my life way too much. So I decided to take a step back this year and now I only post 1-2x a week and to be honest, I'm much happier. I've started enjoying other hobbies again, like reading, spending a lot more time with my other half, going out more and also going to bed on time, which was another problem I was facing. Blogging was keeping me up late and I was always tired. lol So yeah, I'm impressed with how organised you are and how well you cope with it all. Keep up the good work. :) xx

    Renata | Speaking Beauty UK

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    1. Yeah I'm not sure why - seems a very random thing to be self-righteous over! I'm down to 4-5 times a day now, which is working well for me at the moment :)
      I completely agree, it can be overwhelming and take over your life outside of work. Props to you for recognising you needed to take a step back xx

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  14. I agree with all these helpful tips and I don't know where I'd be without scheduling...xx

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    1. Me neither - probably 3 posts on a Sunday and none the rest of the week haha xx

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  15. I certainly think that your bulk photo idea is a fantastic one! I struggle with lighting so much, that it has prevented or delayed some of my posts. Great tips! x

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    1. Yeah it's such a bummer when you have a post that's ready to go but you have no photos to go on it! xx

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  16. Definitely all of the above! I have like 3 planners and loads of notes on my phone. I also have an Instagram schedule, haha! I have to be organised, otherwise, I won't be able to keep up. xx

    Julie
    www.rainingcake.com

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    1. Wow Instagram Schedule? You're on it! Good for you :) xx

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  17. Lovely tips! I honestly cannot live without a schedule or planning posts in advance when it comes to blogging, I panic so much if I don't know what post is going up next! xx

    clarkecouture.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. I know right - I like to just be able to see what I have coming up for the week and plan my blog work accordingly xx

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  18. I've got into doing regular posts over the last few months and I'm always looking for tips! I can schedule and plan the writing part just fine but I really need to organise my photography schedule better (says the Photography graduate). Great post, thanks for sharing xx

    alicered.co.uk

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    1. Yeah the photography is the hard part to get time for as there's no squeezing it in at midnight or on your lunch break! Glad it helped! xx

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  19. Lists and planning are so important! I don't know how I'd do it without making countless lists. xx

    Ioanna | Hearting.co.uk

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  20. Great tips. I keep a rather big notebook. And every time I get a new product, it get's listed in my notebook, I also state if I have done swatches and taken Pictures yet. Then I just cross them off as I go along with the reviews. I always have products in rotation so I pretty much always have something to review.

    Plus I also keep a notebook on blogpost ideas, I take it with me everywhere so I can scribble them Down, and then cross them off as I write them. I also always photograph and swatch everything as soon as I get the products so that the Pictures are ready for when I need them. I have started doint this because I felt like the last thing I always needed to do, to get a post ready was swatches. For some reason, swatches are my least favorite thing to do. So I'm more strict about that now. Plus I built a light box so I can take Pictures whenever I want no matter the time or season.

    Loevens makeup rambles

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    1. That's a really good idea! And I know what you mean about swatches - so time-consuming to put them on and then get a good shot! xx

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  21. Wow, people care about scheduling?! If I didn't schedule, all my blog posts would go live at midnight my time which means a lot of my readers would likely miss them. That's ridiculous - I'm still really passionate about what I write. Plus, sometimes I'll write 2 posts at once and don't want to publish them at the same time.

    I use wordpress and have a calendar plug in where I drag around posts which has been really useful. I take my photos in the weekend too, although it's summer in NZ so I can do some in the evening after work but usually I'm feeling a bit too tired.

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  22. Great help! I do all of these because otherwise I would just be STRESS central! Scheduling is such a life saver, both posts and tweets with links to posts because I'm often too busy to remember during the day :)

    KatHorrocks.com

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  23. Good tips, although sometimes I just wish I had more time to focus on my blog!
    Love your blog, your photography is fab.
    Sam xx

    http://www.beautifie.com

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  24. I think this is one of my downfalls in blogging - scheduling! This post has motivated me to be more organised and schedule some tweets. Although I do sometimes feel like I might lose followers by tweeting about my blog too much! it's a tough one x

    www.thevivacestyle.com

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    1. Wel if people don't want to see about your blog, they shouldn't be following you tbh. Don't be afraid; it's what your account is there for :) xx

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  25. scheduling and binge blogging is a MUST for me. i do a lot of photos on a saturday and just write and write on sundays to get my posts scheduled. i've also started waking earlier to get other blogging things done like getting through my blog roll and making comments. so far, the schedule worsk really well for me and i'm scheduled to the end of march now which is great!
    Jenn
    A Beautiful Zen

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    1. That's pretty much my routine too! And wow super-organised :) good for you xx

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  26. Awesome list -- I LOVE scheduling! I work a 9-5 job and commute (drive) for two and a half hours each day so there just isn't time to both post and tweet organically! (And maybe people that do have too much time on their hands?!) I'm in Australia so I haven't had to blog through winter yet but bulk photos will have to be the key!
    Brianna || http://extraordinarydaysblog.com

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