Are you a new blogger like me? If so, read below on how I maintain blog life balance and inspiration!
If there’s anything I’ve learned as a new blogger, it’s that the struggle is real when it comes to blog life balance. It’s so addicting to check the real-time stats from Google Analytics to refreshing Instagram to see how many likes your last post has received. It’s so fun to chat with other blog friends and read the latest comment on your blog. From writing content to blog promotion across ALLTHESOCIALMEDIA, blog life can be a total time-suck. Sometimes, without you even realizing how much time has passed!
In order to keep blogging fun and enjoyable, I’ve been trying hard to not lose focus of my blog life balance. I think it’s important for my sanity and helps me not to lose inspiration as I get further along in this blogger journey.
These are a few blogger life rules I live by to maintain balance and inspiration.
1.) Set a Schedule
I’ve fallen into a groove of posting new content twice a week. I usually post on Mondays and Thursdays or Tuesdays and Fridays. But depending on the week, my inspiration (or lack thereof), there is much fluidity in my blog schedule. It’s been a good number for me and doesn’t impede on my work or family time during the week. I usually write at night after the kids are down for the night, but I also like to have nights off from writing so I can enjoy time with friends, my husband, or alone! I don’t beat myself up if I don’t post new content twice a week either.
2.) Read Other Blogs
While in the thick of promoting my content, I realized I come across hundreds of blogs from different Facebook groups that I participate in. This past month, I made it a point to read (instead of glossing over) these blogs and find inspiration from other bloggers. From their photos to content and writing skills, I’ve been mindful of connecting with bloggers that I truly enjoy following and reading. Instead of just whizzing by to fulfill FB group obligations, I thoughtfully choose other bloggers to learn from and have been so inspired by them.
3.) Find Your Tribe
The blogger life struggle can only be understood by other bloggers. I’ve been lucky enough to have connected with so many kind, thoughtful, and genuine mom bloggers who have become friends in such a short time. For real though, I feel like I’ve known some of them my whole life! Celebrating and commiserating with these women, outside of the blog life, has been so crucial to my blog life balance. Whether it is a coffee date, chats about our latest crazy Instastory, attending a fun blogger event or a moms’ night out to see “Bad Moms,” it’s been so much fun to spend quality time both on and offline with my new mama blogger friends. They just totally get me. And inspire me. And make me laugh. Yep, they’re all my #momgoals every day.
4.) Support is Key
My husband is my rock. He works a grueling work schedule and often gives me time to sleep in on the weekends. (Because DUH, blog life is addicting and sleep is your enemy.) He’s also training to become my Instagram Husband (aka Photog!), haha. It makes blog life so fun when we are working / having fun together for a post. And those off days when I’m just not feeling it? My husband is my number one fan. He’s the one that tells me how great I’m doing, even when I’m not. He gets more excited than I do when I have a great blog post that gets traffic. Seriously though, my love language is words of affirmation. Without his support, I think my head would be spinning almost daily trying to maintain sanity keeping up this blog.
5.) Take Time Off
Over the last month, I purposely avoided the blog and social media on weekends. I typically don’t post to Instagram. I don’t write, unless something really inspires me to write. And I only log on late Sunday nights to double check my schedule for the upcoming week. This is a key factor in not getting burnt out with the blogger life. Being disconnected and void of distractions makes me truly enjoy the moments of the weekends with my family and friends. It’s great for the blog too, because they are my greatest source of inspiration.
While there’s a whole slew of things I can do or change to get better at maintaining blog life balance, this is what I’m practicing right now, and for the most part, it’s working!
Are there any blog life rules you live by? Any tips for finding balance?
YAS to all of this! Any tips on setting a schedule?
I work a F/T job and have two kids, so I realistically timed how long it takes me to write a post and based it off of that. My writing sessions are actually the part that takes me the least amount of time. I knew I couldn’t do every day during the week and even 3 posts seemed like a stretch, so I started with two and it’s worked well for me so far.
Finding the tribe. Essential. Great read!!
So essential, thanks for reading friend!
Just another reason to come back to your blog! Great tips. I need to be better with scheduling so I don’t overwhelm myself. And…go see my post today. You may be mentioned 🙂 Have a great week!
Thank you so much for your support and encouragement. You are so amazing!!!!
Great tips! Thanks so much for sharing!
xo, Amanda | http://www.thegoldengirldiary.com
thanks so much for reading!
GUUURRRLLLL YOU SAW BAD MOMS WITHOUT ME!?!?! LOL I wish we lived near each other 🙁
You are SO right about every single item here. Finding your tribe (not yet found lol), taking time off and not feeling guilty for it, scheduling something that is realistic for your life…and you are SO LUCKY to have a hubby photographer hahaha. I hand my phone to my 3 year old lol!!!
Love ya girl! Love the post.
hahahah so sorry, i betrayed you. LOL Wish you were closer!!! Don’t worry, your 3 yo is a better photo than my husband at this point!
Thanks for sharing these tips! I definitely need to do more connecting besides commenting and find people I can actually get to know. Sometimes I can feel very alone in this, like I’m just trying to keep up.
Keep your head up!!! The blog world is so big sometimes, but put yourself out there and definitely try to connect. Helps with the stresses of blogging!
Love your blog! I’ve been blogging for 7 years and nearly gave it up in the last year due to lack of inspiration. But I’ve recently hit a wave of inspo and have been thinking of all these topics and want to get my blog re-branded, etc. Even though you’ve only been blogging a short time, I feel like I’m learning from you! Also, getting some inspiration from you, too! I wanted to move away from a mommy blog to a lifestyle blog, but I see here that you have both. Love it!
Question, how have you met blogger friends in person? Feels like my internet friends I’ve made over the years have never crossed into real life friends!
Thanks so much Courtney! I used to blog personally back in the day! It’s definitely a different world being public. I luckily was able to get connected with local MI bloggers and instagrammers and we’ve met up at blogger events and had coffee dates that naturally turned into play dates and etc. I hope you’re able to meet some of them in person soon!
Agree with the schedule one for sure! I started posting kind of randomly but found it a bit stressful. Now I do the twice a week thing as well. I am headed back to work after a maternity leave so I will see how that goes with blogging, but I am hopeful I can keep it going. I am a big fan of scheduling posts for weeks I know will be very busy. I will write a few and schedule them in advance and then get on with my life while the blog keeps running.
Good luck with the transition back to work! And congrats on your new bundle of joy!
IT’s true. It’s hard to find a tribe though. I keep trying to find it though. Your blog is very nice and you have good sound advice here. Thank you
It definitely is hard. I took it one friend at a time and was able to meet people that way! Thank you so much for reading!
I absolutely love your blog and enjoy following you on this incredible journey. I couldn’t agree with you more, the struggle is soooo real. Balancing my marriage, my kids, blogging and still have time for myself is extremely challenging. What works for me also is sticking to a schedule. I like the idea of only posting on Tues/Thurs (or whatever the case may be)- I’ll have to try that! Thanks for all the tips and keep at it mama!
You are so sweet Leslie! So glad to have come across each other in this blog world! Schedule is key!!
I love your posts. I have read your blog posts before and used your info about following Facebook threads to promote and found it inspirational. Definitely using this advice as well.
Thank you so much, I’m so glad you find it helpful. It makes me so happy that these posts are helping other bloggers!
Support is SO key!!! Absolutely agree – it can be so easy to feel like you’re working your butt off and getting nothing out of it. Those rocks are important!
Yes, support is everything!!!
I couldn’t agree with you more. I have found that I do all of these regularly, especially take a break. You can’t force this and forcing blogging makes it not so fun!
Yes, forcing it never works out!
This is great, I can definitely relate in needing to find balance between blogging and life! I always like reading posts that remind me it’s possible, especially with so many other mommy bloggers going through the same thing as me 🙂 It’s inspiring!
Thanks so much for reading Jenni! I’m so glad we’ve crossed paths!
I’m blogging six months now but I was drowning in a sea of pressure once I got stuck in. I had no balance at all. Sometimes I barely ate. Getting to that point, I took a break and remembered what life was and formed my schedule from there. Every day is a learning curve in the blogging world.
Seriously, blogging never sleeps! Your blog is so great Amy!
You’re in my blog tribe mama!!!!! I love your post ideas and think you’re the ultimate #bossbabe. Now if only we could meet for cocktails.
Great advice, especially reading other blogs… Reading is one of my favorite things to do and sometimes I get so wrapped up in my own work that I forget to go look around!
http://www.thewanderingbrunette.com/
It really is hard to take a minute to read, especially intentionally!
I love these tips! You’re spot on. It’s so important to stay balanced. Otherwise you aren’t in a state to produce your best work 🙂
I love that! Yes, I’m so glad for the wknd breaks!!
Love these rules! It has been so valuable for me to find my “tribe” I don’t know how I could do it without my blogging besties!
Yes, love my blog friends!
Ahhh! I love that you schedule posts 2x a week. I get down on myself for not posting everyday!
I knew going into this that with my job and two kids that I couldn’t be a frequent poster! You’re doing great Heather!
This is a great post and great tips! Scheduling and finding your tribe and ideal audience is so important!
Yes all very important to keeping sane!
I love these ideas! I have found that it’s easy to get burned out if you don’t have a good balance!
So easy to get sucked into and burnt out!! I’m trying to be very mindful of that!
Great tips!! It’s so hard to shut my blog brain off, but when I do, I end up actually finding more balance. Love it.
Seriously blog brain runs 24/7! I love that I have the wknds to regroup! Thanks for reading Meg!
These are great! I’m having such a hard time balancing.
Aw I hope you’re not getting too unbalanced friend!!
Finding your tribe is so important. I think that’s where new bloggers fail. That’s where you find your support.
Definitely, it’s hard to put yourself out there, but it’s been the best part of it all!
I love all these tips. Especially keeping the weekends social media free…it can so quickly consume your time!
I love my social media free weekends!
These tips are super helpful! I’m still trying to get into a posting groove. I don’t feel consistently inspired so having set scheduled days might be something that makes a difference.
yes! I hope it works out for your Brittany!
Love this. I am fairly new to blogging to and this helps.
I love that it’s helpful!!
These are great tips. A schedule is my goal. I have been posting sporadically this summer and its way too stressful, but kids go back this week and I am looking forward to the structure that brings. I also love your advice about taking a break. Another thing I need to do more of.
Thanks for reading, I hope your new schedule brings you more balance!!
Love number 4! It is so important to have an amazing support system. Especially when you are a newbie and you may feel like this blogging life is pointless. I also have an Instagram husband in training LOL
LOL yay for Instagram husbands in training!!!
I agree with everything you have to say within this post! I love all of the wonderful bloggers I have met since becoming a blogger myself. I love the blogging community and how we work with each other instead of against each other. We all have something different to bring to the table, and I love that! For balance, I schedule my posts for the exact same time of day [4 AM]. I then promote my posts between 6:30AM to 8AM, depending on my how my day is scheduled. I like to follow up with comments on other blogger sites after work, and before my husband is home from work. I find this helps tremendously! My followers know what to expect from me, and I am able to put away social media by the time my husband is home. The only part I struggle with is time for writing, but I am working on it.
I like that idea! I think I will schedule them to post earlier than I do now!
I am not skilled at setting a schedule, even though I know how important it is to stay sane when I’m trying to blog, work fulltime, and have a social life.
I’m glad your husband is very support of all that you do 🙂
It definitely is a struggle. It’s a loose schedule and I give myself grace when I don’t stick to it!
Such great tips! I find having a schedule really does help, I find it keeps me responsible and helps me prioritize!
La Belle Sirene
Definitely helps with keeping everything organized!
Great tips! Finding your tribe is so important.
xoxo, Jenny
it’s been the best part of blogging, truly!
I sense some time off coming to my blogging world soon. I think that helps take some of the pressure off!
Take a break Emily, you deserve it!
I needed this post today! Sometimes I feel like I’m drowning!!
Aw yay Krista, I’m glad it helped. I def have those days often!!
Great tips! I have been trying to find a tribe, it is hard when you live in a rural area to meet up in real life.
How do you take weekends off? I feel like it is the only time I get to work uninterrupted since my hubby is home to watch kids.
It’s definitely hard to get together especially when we all have little ones at home! I write at night during the week when the kids are down and I promote in the morning before work and while the kids are at preschool/my mom’s!
These are some amazing tips! I especially agree with setting a schedule. My husband works crazy long hours in the medical field, and I’ve learned to get my work done when he’s at work, so we can spend time together when he’s home. I also try and take off when he’s off too.
Definitely! Time with hubby is SO important!!!
Having a tribe is eeeeverything!
The best part of the blogging world!
Loved all your ideas and tips. One rule I live by is writing down ideas as they come to me. I’ll either email them to myself or write them on a notepad to schedule into my editorial calendar later. That’s always when they’re the freshest and they’ll never be quite as inspired again (if they ever returned! haha!).
Yes! My notepad on my phone is filled with random ideas. Or I write down as soon as I wake up because I have random ideas in my sleep! LOL
Those tips are so true and I sometimes forget that it is ok to take a break! I must do better with that!
You deserve it!!!
These are some great rules! I started blogging last October and have learned a lot since then about scheduling and trying not to be obsessed with numbers. I’ve been working on connecting with PEOPLE and not just some random person in the blogosphere who happens to find my post (through a group or otherwise).
Yes! Connecting with other bloggers has been the best part of it all!
Thanks so much for writing this! I always wonder how other bloggers manage their time because sometimes I feel like I’m struggling!
Hoppin on the struggle bus a lot! Haha, I’ve been trying hard to avoid it these days!
These are some great tips! I really need to follow a schedule. I think that’s my biggest issue!
It’s still hard to stick by it, but it def helps to have a rough schedule!
I love these tips! It is so hard to balance any time you work from home, but I feel like blogging is something unique because it never sleeps and there is always something you could be doing!
SO true, blogging is never over for the day. So you have to make yourself step away!
I am new too and I had no idea how much I would get involved and how much time I love putting into it. These tips are so important. I am studying as well as working, plus kids so I need to make sure I try and even it out somehow!
You are amazing doing it all! I work too and sometimes it’s just overload. Stepping away on the wknds helps a ton!
Love the idea of stepping away on the weekends – need to find my blogging “groove”! Thanks for sharing these tips.
Thanks for reading Val, so glad to be in our pod and net together!
Love these! I definitely get so much inspiration by reading other blogs!
Love connecting with other bloggers! Like you Morgan! 🙂
Great tips! I don’t post on Instagram on weekends, and I like to post on my blog twice a week (or at least I’m trying haha) Thanks for sharing this :))
Woot love your schedule 🙂
This is awesome!! I too need to take time off!! Love this post.
Thank you for reading!
Love these tips! I definitely need to connect with more bloggers in my niche. Also taking time off on the weekends is a good idea too.
Connecting with other bloggers has been the best part of it all!
Such a great post! I think this is a problem so many people struggle with so it’s important to know how to deal with it. I think it’s so important to take time off, especially when you need it.
It’s definitely a struggle to not fall into the rabbit hole that is blogging. Breaks are so good!
These are great tips! I love that we’ve connected – you inspire me!
So happy we “met,” you inspire me!!!
These are great tips! As a new blogger I have fallen victim to many of these pit falls! For me I am really working on being intentional with my time where blogging is concerned.
I’m right there with you girl!
I truly think I need to take some time off because I’m so bad at actually taking a break at any point in time because I definitely want to work and continue doing what I’m doing so I find it tough to do that, but it’s absolutely necessary! xx Adaleta Avdic
It’s such a struggle to back away, but breaks are so good! Take one you deserve it!
Thanks for sharing! Good to know I’m not the only one who struggles to find inspo and balance! Great tips 🙂
Definitely a struggle!
This is awesome and I can totally relate to you! My main love language is words of affirmation too. I will have to remember that and load you up on compliments ha ha. 🙂 I think you are so sweet and doing great at this.
xo, Nicole
You are too sweet my friend. I will def return the words of affirmation!
Good points! I recently started keeping a planner for my blogging/social media sites. It has been a life saver. And I agree with you, taking time off is important! Sometimes I have to make myself take a break!
This is a fab post Jee. I find that I struggle to maintain balance too. Unplugging on the weekends helps so much! But I need to work on weekday balance. I do the same thing you do with reading and collecting inspiration from other bloggers. There are a few ladies that really inspire me and I am hoping I am learning from their fabulousness.
Finding my tribe is something I desperately need to do. I have quite a few mom friends who I can lean on when I need to, so that is so great, but I need some BLOGGER friends. People who “get it” you know? That’s definitely going to be something I’m going to work on (: As well as setting a schedule…but that sounds like a lot of work!