‘I really want to start a blog, but I don’t know how I’d find time to blog.’
‘I’ve started a blog, but I just don’t have the time to keep it up!’
‘I’ll start a blog when my kids start school.’
We hear statements like this far too often from our Mothers & Shakers clients. Small business owners who want to start a blog to grow their business. Bloggers who’ve taken the leap, but are struggling to keep up. No matter why you want to do it, finding time to blog can be a major hurdle.
Before we get into some of our best time-management tips, here’s a word to focus on: PRIORITISE! To help you do that, we’ve even created a free printable weekly planner that you can download below.
So what exactly do we mean by prioritise? We all make time for what we believe is important in our lives. If we love to exercise, no matter how busy, we will find the time. If we love to watch Netflix, we’ll be there every night glued to the latest series. You get the idea.
You'll also receive our newsletter with juicy tips, insider tricks, news and more. You can opt out anytime but we'll be sorry to see you go.
The point is that if you prioritise something, it will happen. You will find the time and do it. Often we don’t consciously think of our priorities, we just do them as a matter of habit. Take a moment to think about how you spend your time each day; better yet, write down how you’ve spent each hour for two weeks. This will give you a clear view of where your priorities lie.
If blogging is a priority, you can make it work. That said, sometimes it can take a while to find your blogging rhythm. So here are some tips on finding time to blog, especially if you are truly time short.
How to find time to blog
1. Track your time
This is a tip we picked up in a book called ‘The Compound Effect’ (which we recommend you read if you haven’t already). As we briefly mentioned above, get a notebook and write down how you spend each waking minute of every day. Be as specific as you can and do this for two weeks. This may sound tedious, but it’s so worth it. You may be shocked at how much time you spend on social media or in front of the TV.
2. Find your WHY
Sometimes blogging feels overwhelming. It seems like you need to generate ideas, create content, share it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and a million other places. Then, you need to reply to comments, create a community, find ways to monetise your blog, reply to emails, make videos… the list goes on and on.
As a veteran blogger, ‘overwhelm’ is my middle name! It’s far too easy to get trapped on a hamster wheel of blogging. The result? You either burn out fast, or grind to a halt.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. First, go back to basics. Ask yourself why you want to start (or why you’ve started) a blog in the first place. Is it to share a message you’re passionate about? To create a digital portfolio to attract clients? To grow your sales? Is your blog the first step towards writing a book? What is your WHY?
Once you’re clear on why you want to blog, you will have more clarity about what daily/weekly/quarterly actions to prioritise. This will greatly reduce that feeling of spinning your wheels and getting nowhere!
3. FIND the time
‘Find the time from where?’ we hear you say. The reality is that everyone on this planet is given 24 hours a day. So how come some people manage to get incredible amounts done in the same 24 hours, while others are always complaining about a lack of time.
Can you wake up an hour earlier or go to bed an hour later? Do you have a long commute? Can you use that time to write your posts? Can your partner look after the kids for a few hours each weekend? If you’ve done the time tracking exercise mentioned above, what can you cut out and use as time to blog instead? And it’s fair to say we always find the time for stuff we really want to do.
4. Planning is key
You’ve heard it a thousand times, but we’ll say it again. Plan your time. Get a paper diary or use an app like Google Calendar. Map out the time you’re going to spend on your blog, and add it just like any other appointment or deadline. If you schedule time to blog, it’s much more likely to happen. Don’t forget to download the free weekly planner which will help you plan and prioritise the important stuff.
5. Become an idea collector
One of the biggest stumbling blocks is the ‘I don’t know what to write about’ syndrome. Sitting at your keyboard, staring at a blank screen, can be very frustrating.
Imagine if you had a list of 100+ ideas that you could dip in to whenever you needed to? Sounds too good to be true? Trust us, anyone can make this happen. All you have to do is build up an ideas bank.
Here are three ways Nomita (one of our very own team) collects her ideas:
A. Brainstorming: at least once, if not twice a week. I set aside 30 minute blocks of time (although I know others who do daily brainstorms for just 10 minutes) and write down every post idea that comes to me no matter how ridiculous, impossible or dumb it may seem. This may feel like a waste of time when you could be blogging instead. However, it will boost your productivity immensely.
B. Writing it down: I always have a notebook to hand, as I never know when an idea will strike. If you don’t write it down, sometimes it’s gone forever.
C. Using Pinterest: while I’m surfing the web, I see a lot of images and ideas that inspire me. It could be as simple as a colour, a shape, or just a word. I’ve created a secret Pinterest board where I pin things, and add a note as to why they inspired me.
6. Use pockets of time
In an ideal world, it would be great to block out 3-5 hours a day to work only on our blogs. But that’s not always easy if you’ve got kids, a full time job, dinner to put on the table and everything else.
When you can, block out a solid chunk of time — e.g. an hour before the kids get up, or after they go to bed. But don’t underestimate the small pockets of time you could use to jot down ideas or share something on social media. Maybe you have a 15 minute walk to work. Could you use this to listen to a blogging podcast? Or maybe you could grab 10 minutes to answer an email while your kids are happily playing or during their TV time.
7. Don’t over-commit
Before you start your blog, think realistically about the time you can devote to it and then decide on your posting frequency. Can you manage two posts a week or are you able to post daily? The number of times you post isn’t nearly as important as how consistently you post. Even if it’s just one weekly post, try and stick to that. You can always increase your output if you find you have more time. Setting an achievable target from the start will leave you feeling less overwhelmed.
8. Create an Editorial calendar
Last but not least, schedule your posts! Once you’ve got a bank of ideas, create an editorial calendar, and take all the guess work and time wasting out of the equation. If you’re posting once a week or less, you can easily schedule your posts for two to three months at a time.
An editorial calendar will not only save you hours, it will also help you organise your posts so there is a natural flow to your blog.
So there you have it. A little time spent on preparation and time management upfront can save you a lot of time in the long run. And as a result, you will find time to blog no matter how busy you feel.
Don’t forget to download your free printable weekly planner above or below. We’ve created it so that there’s 2 planners per A4 sheet. All you need to do is print it off and cut along the trim lines.
P.S. If you’re unsure of how to start a blog, we can help. We’ve got a detailed step-by-step course coming out very soon. Sign up here to make sure you don’t miss out.
Leave a Reply