Last year, (yikes, where has the time gone?) I shared tips on how to
effectively blog from the comfort of your own home, and I thought it was about
time to share some follow-up tips on how to blog while you’ve also got a full time 9-5.
To be completely candid with y’all, it’s hard to work full time hours and then
turn around and put in more hours working on the blog. Not to mention juggling
both while caring for a tiny human and having pregnancy hormones wreck havoc on my psyche. I truly think there’s an artistry to effectively
utilizing your time, especially when you can be pulled in many different directions
on any given day, but I also believe that if you care about something you make
time for it.

You’ve probably heard many, if not all, of the
tips & tricks I’m sharing today. They aren’t new concepts and you’ve
probably read similar articles in the past, but that’s a testament of why
they work. You’ve gotta try them out consistently and adjust to your working
style for you to get your groove.

1// Make a plan.

While this
is obvious, it’s probably the most important tip I’ve got to give. Keep a
running list of post ideas for when you’re in a pinch, and believe me when I
say, you’ll be in a pinch. An editorial calendar can also provide a
birds-eye-view of the what you’ve got going for the month and can help you
identify where you may have holes.

Tools: Evernote (free), Simplenote

(free), Kapost ($95+), HubSpot (free)

2// Stock pile posts. 

You’ve got the day gig
and the side hustle that is your blog, so there will come a time when you say,
“To hell with blogging tonight.” If that’s the case, by having a reservoir of
already prepared and edited posts, the blog doesn’t have to suffer. And neither
do you.

3// Schedule social media. 

It’s only smart to
schedule tweets, pins, Facebook posts and any other social media networks to
avoid being chained to your computer or cell phone.

Tools: Ahalogy for Pinterest

(free), dlvr.it for
Twitter and Facebook (free), Latergram for Instagram (depends on usage)

4// Establish a routine.

Whether it’s at night
during the work week or a few hours during the weekend to prepare content for
the week, it’s important to have a set routine as to when you dedicate time for
your blog. It ensure that you have allotted ‘office
hours’ for yourself because you, more than anyone
else, knows when you can put time into your blog.

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