5 Simple Tips to Balance Your Life & Your Blog
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Are you juggling life’s demands like a job and a family while struggling to figure out how to blog with the power and passion necessary to make it big? You’re not alone.
For those of you who don’t already know, I currently serve as an Infantryman in the United States Army. Each week, I work an average of 60 or more hours while at the same time maintaining this amazing blog (in my opinion).
In fact, just last week, I was gone for field training from Monday morning until late Thursday night. During that time I had no access to any electronics including laptops, cell phones or any means of accessing the internet. I arrived home Thursday night at about 9:30 pm and was back at work on Friday morning at 5:30 am.
Don’t Cheat Yourself… Success Demands Hard Work
Now I’m not saying this to brag on myself for being able to do this, but rather to encourage you. If I can handle this then anyone can. It’s not because I’m so great at doing this stuff, but because I’ve learned a few simple principles that can help to simplify a complicated lifestyle. Grab these principles from me and put them to work in your own life.
Juggling a busy life and a successful blog can be a difficult task. Those who tell you that you can rise to the top without working very hard are mistaken, lying to you, or trying to sell you something. Success demands hard work.
Most people aren’t full-time bloggers. We have to work and sometimes that means long hours away from our blogs, our families and our passions.
5 Simple Tips to Balance Your Life & Your Job
Let me share with you some of the things that I do to help me write, design, interact and work a job.
- Pen & Paper: Always carry a pen and paper with you. You never know when you’re going to think of something useful. When you do, write it down right away.
- Brainstorm: Make use of time that would otherwise be wasted by brainstorming ideas for your website. Use the time that you’re in the shower or the time that you’re in the car driving to or from work.
- Discipline: Schedule time to work on your blog and then stick to your schedule. Use the ideas that you brainstormed throughout the week and put them into articles.
- Streamline: Figure out what it takes to produce a great article and then speed up that process. Get rid of anything that slows you down and develop your system so that you can quickly and efficiently produce high quality articles.
- Relax: Don’t get overwhelmed. If you feel like you’re too stressed out then take a break. I blog because it’s a way for me to relax. I enjoy it. I love interacting with my readers. Enjoy what you do. And when necessary, take breaks.
It is possible to operate an amazing blog and work a full-time job. Don’t think that your limited by your situation. You’re not. You can accomplish amazing things.
But don’t stop learning and growing. Those of us who work full-time have a major disadvantage. We have less time to learn and develop ourselves as bloggers than those without jobs. But that is no excuse. Let’s continually strive to be the best that we can be.
Group Reflection
I shared with you my situation. What about you? What kind of work do you have to juggle alongside of your blog? How many hours a week are you strapped down?
Are there any tips that you can think of that I didn’t include? What principles help you achieve success in balancing the different areas of your life?
Nicholas Cardot
Nick uses his blog Site Sketch 101 to express his passion for helping bloggers and webmasters connect with real people through brilliant designs, unique content, and genuine creativity. Nicholas Cardot has 199 post(s) at Site Sketch 101
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61 Vibrant Comments
I would love to hear yours!
izzat aziz said:
To be honest during holiday i not have much of ‘life’. I rarely going out.. my life 24 hours just at home so I have so much free time.. but because of that I start to involved in something else.. I do a lot of projects.. so I still have no time for my blog even I have so much free time..
But if talk about life and blog, for me no problem at all.. my blog still second to life.. if i need to focus on my life like you say family, job, study for me.. that thing is top priority for me.. i think i not have much problem to leave blog for a while.
Welcome back btw.
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Renz said:
I’m the inverse of you. during holidays, I find myself travelling with friends and family. But I failed to write about it on my blog. Hmm. I really need to have discipline.
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Renz –> Well it’s different for everyone. If you’re busy…you’re busy and there’s nothing you can do about it. But try to carry a notebook with you and when you do get free time then you can whip something together much quicker.
Nicholas Cardot said:
izzat aziz –> There are always a lot of distractions and I fully understand that we all have different priorities in life. It’s just my goal to inspire people to be the best that they can be in this particular pursuit.
Elena said:
First off, I just wanted to say thank you for serving our country. It’s not easy what all of you guys do and you have nothing but total admiration from me. How you can balance blogging and a 60 hour work week is wonderful.
This is a great post Nick. I find that sticking to posting a certain amount of days has really given me the discipline (#3) I need to keep my blog going forward.
#1 couldn’t be more true. For some reason, I always memorize topics but then a couple days later, I can’t remember what my original idea was. I’m hoping that once school finishes for the semester, I’ll be more on the ball when it comes to that.
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Elena –> Sometimes it really is about discipline because we don’t always want to do the things that are the best for us and our pursuits. Sometimes it’s hard work to wake up a little earlier on Saturday or to focus a little extra during our off time.
Deepika said:
we can get idea anytime and anywhere..We can also develop the habit of scheduling the post. I blog for my relaxation. The post i wrote very causally will hit the roof.Sometimes i spend much time for a single post it may not be as much effective. I am trying to give always best content to my readers.. Hope i do so..
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Deepika –> Always keep that as your main focus. You should always strive to give your readers the absolute best that you can provide. If you want to build your following then simply putting up second rate work isn’t enough. You need amazing articles each time.
chandan said:
For me I like more to work for my blog, After I start my blogging life I less interested to go out with my friend, I am enjoying lot with my blogging life.
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Nicholas Cardot said:
chandan –> Blogging really can be fun. And it’s a terrific way to connect with other people who are interested in similar topics.
Chad said:
Having a solid way to capture thoughts on the go is a real necessity. You may not always be able to stick to a tight schedule, so having that material saved up is a huge help when you do find yourself with 2 hours of time to work on your site (like when the kids are finally napping).
You have to always take time to relax as well. We can’t forget to live and experience life, either.
Another great post.
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Chad –> Great points. Sometimes we do need to balance our time with real life. We can’t forget that our kids and families are our first priorities.
Ryhen Satch said:
This is very insipiring, Nicholas, especially for fellow bloggers who are just beginning to get the hang of it. Just like you, I keep the five points you mentioned all the time when it comes to balancing blogging and a demanding life. Personally, I keep a small notebook with me all the time, enough to fit inside my backpocket so that whenever I get an insipiring idea for an article, I’m sure I still have it once I sit down in front of the pc. Leonardo da Vinci is famous for the notes in which he kept his observations of anything around him. I kinda borrowed his style and it works pretty well for me. Also, I follow a principle that keeps me sane enough to blog. I keep doing techniques that work and abandon the ones that produce no results. Helps a lot in maintaining the efficiency and effectiveness of your blogging efforts. =)
Nicholas Cardot said:
Ryhen Satch –> That’s a good policy to go by. I think that a lot of people just post random material and they pay no attention to the ones that produce results and the ones that just sit there. Assessing that is a powerful way to optimize and improve.
Dana @ Online Knowledge said:
Yeah — i am in same situation with you. I work and also try to improve my blog. It is really hard tough but i think i can overcome it. You right that we must be discipline to achieve it.
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Dana @ Online Knowledge –> It is hard and I had a feeling that a lot of people would be in the same situation with me as you expressed. Self discipline really is a necessity to be successful in any of life’s ventures.
Jamei Favreau said:
Very good ideas. Thank you for serving our country and having this blog. I still need to revive my blog from hibernation. I have been saying it for awhile and I just need to do it. I haven’t posted in months. I guess I got disinterested. Even if I do have things to say…
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Jamei Favreau –> Thanks for your support. That’s always greatly appreciated. I just checked out your blog and I think that it would be awesome if you did revive it from hibernation. I look forward to see it living and thriving again.
David | ilcantone.com said:
Hi Nicholas,
You stated above some great points. Discipline and consistent work is a key factor to succeed in the long term.
Another good tip is to avoid distractions and start doing real work. We have tons of distractions: checking rss, stats, emails, twitter, facebook, youtube, other blogs and so on. We should do first the real work and once we’ve finished it we could get distracted doing low value tasks.
See you Nick
My Latest Blog Post: HOW TO DEVELOP PERSISTENCE (Part II)
Nicholas Cardot said:
David | ilcantone.com –> Stats are the killers of young bloggers. They distract massive amounts of time from us. We’ve got to stay focused on the basics like designing our sites and producing amazing content.
Tracey said:
Hi Nick,
An excellent and thought-provoking post! If you can do it while serving in the military… well hey, I think more of us could do it too
I do tend to lose focus, even though my business is building blogs & websites for people & small businesses – I tend to neglect my own personal blogging. Thanks for this timely reminder – and for your excellent blog, and sharing your thoughts so regularly.
Kind regards, and blessings
Tracey
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Tracey –> Just think how much better your business would do if potential clients saw that you personally have an amazing website and blog.
Kidgas said:
All of your points are very good. I work more than 40 hours per week typically as well. I also have 6 kids, 4 of whom do gymnastics. I try to find time to write during times when I am waiting at gymnastics practice or soccer practice.
I will also get up 30-60 min earlier than necessary to work online.
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Kidgas –> That’s a lot of responsibilities. It’s great that you find time in between all of that to take care of your online presence.
Gabe | freebloghelp.com said:
No doubt you have to have a schedule. You have to know when you’re going to blog, when you’re going to read other blogs, etc…
Once you find a schedule that works, then that’s when the discipline kicks in. Too bad most folks don’t have it or lose it in a few months.
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Gabe | freebloghelp.com –> Most people discipline themselves to pursue something only for a short time. It’s like the huge number of people that start to play an instrument and take lessons only for a short time and then quit. The successful ones are the ones that stay with it.
Robomaster @ CoolAppSite said:
I can completely relate to you Nick! I’m a full-time student and it’s so hard to balance schoolwork with blogging, family, and other responsibilities I have.
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Robomaster @ CoolAppSite –> It really can be difficult. But stick with it and develop a great plan that works for you.
Jeevanjacobjohn said:
You are right Nick..Success requires effort and determination. For the Brainstorm part, I usually think about what to write on each day on my blog, when I walk across each hall( to get to other classes). If we get really organized and use time wisely, everything will be alright.Did you get my Guest Post – related email(though contact form) ?
Nicholas Cardot said:
Jeevanjacobjohn –> That’s a great time to think about it and to develop your ideas. Great idea.
Ron Leyba said:
A pen and paper is what I always carry everywhere I go. Same thing with you, I really don’t know where ideas will hit me up.
Many times, when im out and doing some activities, sometimes idea or even a niche to promote hits me up just by looking into something or listening to conversations by other people.
With my pen and paper, I am able to jot down those ideas before something new idea hit me up.
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Ron Leyba –> That’s exactly right. If you don’t write it down then you will most likely simply forget the idea.
Ben l Awesome Wallpapers said:
Very useful post. I too have a hard time balancing my life and my blog. I think a great idea is to make a schedule.
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Ben l Awesome Wallpapers –> It really is a great idea. If you don’t dedicate time to it then you will be driven by whims and will likely not stick with it for very long.
Technology Bee said:
My two shots up for NICK on Pen and paper. That’s how i maintain the balance too. Whenever I get the idea, i write it down for future write up.
Nicholas Cardot said:
Technology Bee –> Thanks. A pen and paper is a powerful resource that way to many people overlook. It really will help a lot.
King Sidharth in Meditation said:
Whoops missed this one. And now I can see I was gonna miss a great deal.
I must say I am following almost every tip expect sticking to a particular time to post on blog.
I am kinda experimenting with different times to know what suits me the best.
Cheers to the awesome blog!
Nicholas Cardot said:
King Sidharth in Meditation –> It’s good to experiment when you’re starting out, but once you figure out a good schedule you’ll want to stick with it. It will help you out a lot.
Sarge | BeginnerBlogger.com said:
This post sounds familiar
I recently left my full-time job to pursue a career online and create the lifestyle I desire.
When I was working full-time you have to be ultra disciplined as you don’t get as much time and you need to make sacrifices.
Sacrifices include sleep, some meals, socialising, missing your favourite TV show etc.
Time management was crucial. My days I dedicated to work (including transport) was 6am – 7pm. So that gave me around 4 hours a day during the week and then the weekend to work on other projects of mine.
To create extra time for myself, 9/10 I would use my work break to work on my blog. Be it writing a blog post, emails, commenting, social media work etc. On the bus rides home I would interact with people on twitter or check emails on my iPhone (god bless that device!)
People have more time than they realise where they could potentially be working on their goals. The trick is to find those times then use it as effectively as you can.
Although I no longer work full time I still wish there was more time in the day. It’s crazy really – I’m getting more done obviously but I’ve now set my goals even higher so the value of time still feels the same.
Our time is valuable and you should treat it like a dollar amount – it’s much more valuable than you think.
Sarge | BeginnerBlogger
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Sarge | BeginnerBlogger.com –> That’s a great summary of time management. Your experience brings a great perspective to this topic. Thanks for taking the time to share such a lengthy comment packed with so much of your experience.
George Serradinho said:
I’m at a stage now where my stress level has dropped and I’m really enjoying blogging. In the beginning I was stressed and felt I needed to be online all the time, that is not the case now.
I always have pen and paper close to me, you never know when that idea comes up. Always be prepared.
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Nicholas Cardot said:
George Serradinho –> I feel the same way and I completely understand the stress of starting out.
Lee Ka Hoong said:
I don’t use Pen and paper, usually I will drop down ideas into my cell phone and save it as draft in the message box. When I go home and I’ll take a bath and get everything done, I’ll take the times to think the points and elaborate them. Then I sit down in front of my laptop and start doing blogging thingy includes writing a blog post.
In fact, I still couldn’t be able to concentrate in writing a blog post, I’ll be distracted by many things such as email, blog commenting and the like.
Anyway, nice post here Nicholas!
Cheers,
Lee
Nicholas Cardot said:
Lee Ka Hoong –> It’s good that you have a system that works for you. You mentioned that you take a bath and think about your points and that you use that time to develop your concepts and I do the same thing with a shower each evening.
Lee Ka Hoong said:
Haha seems that many people is doing this way while bathing, I used to do this when my mind was fresh, sometimes I was too tired after coming back from working and my brain was totally dead.
Anyway, that’s a nice and interesting method to get ideas on the post too.
Nicholas Cardot said:
Lee Ka Hoong –> Yeah. It’s great to figure out when you’re the freshest and to develop your ideas then.
scheng1 said:
I seldom use pen and paper now, except when I read a book, and there are some thought-provoking sentences in the book. I came across this sentence in a legal thriller, “Rights are a thing of man. Loving our neighbor, turning to one another in charity and humility, is a gift we give back to the Lord.”
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Nicholas Cardot said:
scheng1 –> Nice quote. It’s good to write down the things that stand out to you especially if you think that you might be able to use the idea later.
Jennifer said:
Hooah!
Army wife, 4-2 AVN USAG Humphreys.
Had no clue you were military…it’s great to see you’ve become so successful while juggling the field, morning PT, FRG meetings & organizational days.
Really enjoy reading your blog & all your great tips.
I’m afraid I’m the reverse – at least for the next 2 years before our DEROS.
While I have an at-home job, being a wife-in-a-box off-post on what’s still considered a hardship tour can make it difficult to get inspired. Finding the spark that ignites the creative process is what can really hold me back.
If the words won’t come at first, sometimes I’ll start with the pictures & let the story write itself to me.
Much love & best wishes for continued success from an overseas Army wife,
Jennifer
Nicholas Cardot said:
Jennifer –> I hate organization day. The last one we had, it started to pour down rain and my keyless entry for my car no longer works. I’m glad that you’re enjoying the blog and I hope that you won’t hesitate to ask me if you have any questions. Thanks for commenting and connecting with us here.
John Samuel said:
It is very important to maintain this balance. Blogging for me is more like a passion and as you pointed out to carry pen and paper, I jot down my thoughts in my mobile whenever something interesting comes to mind
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Nicholas Cardot said:
John Samuel –> That’s a good habit. These mobile phones are coming with greater and greater capabilities for being used for stuff like that.
Davor Gasparevic said:
I guess I failed on numbers 1., 3. and 4.
well, if 2. and 5. are good, I guess I can fix the rest and make my blogging valuable and efficient.
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Davor Gasparevic –> If you do add 1, 3 and 4 I think that you’ll see an improvement in the way the you get things done.
Nakeva said:
Great post to remind us all to breath and bring some organization to our passion for blogging. I have recently had to take a break and reflect on how to balance everything. Its difficult NOT to blog, but I prefer to produce my level of quality than just out out information. During this time of reflection I see that the business side of blogging does require more structure than I put into it and will pay off in the end. But for the fun side of blogging I definitely need to keep that pen and paper handy because my best ideas come when I’m not even near a computer and mobile blogging is not going to cut it, LOL!
Plan for 2010: Focus and plan time rather than just do it when I can because geez my life is busy!
Nicholas Cardot said:
Nakeva –> That’s a good plan for 2010. And you’re right that quality is definitely more important than quantity. It’s better to produce something that your readers will love then to mass produce junk. Good luck in 2010.
Kok Siong Chen said:
As a new blogger, I spent a lot of time everday on promoting my blog and learn how to optimize it now. I’m a student and only can do this during holiday. Thanks for sharing! I will apply it to balance my student life with blog.
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Keith @ Business3.0 said:
One of my biggest mistakes when I first started blogging was becoming addicted to every single social bookmarking and networking site I discovered or read about. It really wasted hours (probably weeks!) of time that I could have been doing more productive things, the problem was that I thought it was productive!
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Keith @ Business3.0 –> I know that feeling. There’s a lot of misconceptions about social media that we all start off with when we first dive into building our online presence. It’s difficult to figure things out. How much time do you spend on social media now? Which social media outlets do you tend to focus the most on? Is it helping you?
gautam hans said:
I think blogging doesn’t take my time, but the problem is with the social medis. I have to waste a lot of time to be active. And that times , kills some time that I should have used for blogging
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Carrie said:
Another great post, Nick.
I work full-time as a writer and editor for a publishing company in Taipei. Freelance writing assignments also take up a lot of my free time. I publish four web sites, and I’m also a guest writer for Travel and Leisure Asia.
I have to be extremely well-organized in order to fit everything in to my work week. On Sunday evenings, I write out my schedule for the next week and I try my best to meet all my deadlines.
I’m not going to lie. There are some days when I don’t do everything I planned on doing and honestly, I’m fine with that. You can’t be too hard on yourself if you’re doing this kind of work full-time and you don’t make a scheduled post. Just don’t make a habit of not making those scheduled posts!
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