This is a guest blog post by Nicholas Cardot from Site Sketch 101 Having just resigned from full-time work myself I understand that running a successful blog while working full-time can be hard work. Nick shares his experiences…
Blogging can be a difficult task. In fact, those who tell you that you can compete with the top bloggers in the blogosphere without having to work very hard are sadly mistaken. It takes hard work. It takes a lot of writing. It takes dedication to provide amazing content to your readers in every article.
And truth be told, most people aren’t full-time bloggers. We don’t all have the luxury of enjoying a full-time income from our blogging efforts. We have to work and sometimes that means long hours.
I currently serve as an Infantryman in the United States Army. I work an average of 60 or more hours every week and I maintain an amazing blog (in my opinion) called Site Sketch 101. It’s not always easy to balance them both, but it’s fun and it can be done.
Let me share with you some of the things that I do to help me write, design, interact and work a job.
1. Always carry a pen and paper with you.
You never know where you’re going to be when you think of any idea that you can use as the topic of an article and with your time limited you can’t afford to forget it. If you think of an idea, write it down right away.
2. Schedule time to work on your blog.
I don’t usually sleep in very late on Saturday morning. I get up, get a glass of milk, and I get to work writing my articles for the coming work. I use the ideas that I came up with throughout the week and I put them into articles.
3. 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. I love helping people grow and develop their skills. I love writing and expressing myself. I have fun doing it. Find a way to make it fun. 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.
Nick uses his blog Site Sketch 101 to express his passion for helping people learn how to blog with awesome content, brilliant designs and commanding influence.
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This is a great article. I, too, work full-time and am starting to get into blogging. I will go check out your site. I know about the pen and paper thing but have yet to be diligent. Got to get going with that.
I can definitely relate to this! I’m trying to juggle a full-time day job, freelancing WordPress blog and site creations on the side, and also trying to keep up with my blog (and failing miserably!)…
Great post! Thanks for helping me not feel so alone!
I guess I should’ve know better than to expect the magic words that would make my blogging journey so much easier
For me, writing the content is only 1 part of setting up a blog (and probably the easiest). The more time consuming parts are setting and maintaining the template (made more difficult by the fact that I don’t know html so am learning it during the process) and then growing your network and becoming known. Everything I’ve read says that this is best done by reading and commenting on other people’s blogs. It is very difficult to be disciplined with the time spent on these 2 and still have time left to write posts.
Hey,
Thanks for the tips and advice. I just wanted to thank you for commenting on my blog. Your blog looks great, I’ll definitely add it to my list
-Ben
Wow! Nick is really good at this and it’s good to see him here too! God he’s like everywhere. And thses tips are just awesome. I know coz I am already followin them.
Cheers!
I schedule time to work on my blog, (not hard ‘cos I find it really fun) but find if I haven’t sat down with a plan for that session I get lost in the internet ether and accomplish very little!!
Couple of simple tips I would sahre for people working and trying to improve their blog…
1.Get a cheap laptop or notebook and write some posts on the train/bus/commute.
2.Stay up until 1 in the morning. Staying up an extra hour is not going to kill you if you are really determined to get your blog to the next level.
3.Work on your boss’s time. I know you are not meant to say this but everybody reads in work so just make sure your reading is around a blog post you want to write that night or a relevant subject.
Better off growing your blog on sombody else’s time than your own I always say!
@Kim – you’re right, some aspects of blogging can be quite challenging. Regardless of if you work full time or not you have to plan to use your time in the most effective manner.
Let’s say you are doing blog comments to promote your blog. This is something I’ve been doing this month (see my stats and goals Nov-Dec post). It’s quite a time-consuming thing to do, especially if you’re actually reading all the posts and then replying with something valuable rather than ‘hey, nice post!’.
It’s all about using the time you have available to you to use your time in the most effective manner. Our time is precious people!
@Niall – Haha, no comment on working on the bosses time. I always used to stay in for my lunch break and read/comment posts, check twitter etc. So that’s an hour or so of extra ‘blogging’ time people could use.
As for staying up till 1. Unfortunately I function so much better if I get a good nights sleep and am up early to start the day. I work much better in the morning. Today is a perfect example of why I need extra sleep. I didn’t get to bed till 12.30ish last night, but didn’t wake till 8.30 and wasn’t getting into ‘blogging/work’ mode till nearly 10. Yesterday, I had written and published a blog post and commented on quite a few blogs already. As well as been through all my emails and caught up on twitter.
This was another reason I left my job so I could live a healthier lifestyle and not have to kill myself to achieve my dreams. I know not everyone can do this, but I think if you really want something you go and get it!
It may be a good idea to go over all the blog-related activites you do and really analyse what is working best and what maybe isn’t working as well as you’d hope. Eliminate the tasks that aren’t working too well and focus more on what is already working.
Hehe, and number 4 – keep your posts short and sweet:)
I’d also recommend carrying a pen and notepad wherever you go. You never know when you will come up with a great idea, but you can guarantee it will disappear like morning mist if you don’t write it down!
The first point that was made about always carrying a pen/pencil and paper is very crucial. Sure you could use a simple notepad or textedit document since you are most likely on your computer while at work. But, the truth is is that you are more likely to write down an idea, leave it in your document, then explore the web for very similar subjects or articles and then you have wasted time developing your blog post.
Instead just do what Nicholas says and I agree too that getting overwhelmed is a very easy thing to do. Sure there are many things to do to insure your blog gets where you want it, but it will not be fun along the way which is not what blogging is about. When talking about blogging and another full-time job, blogging should consist of more fun unlike a full-time blogger who has to run the blog (still have fun) but like a business.
Sometimes I find myself spending more time on my blog than my job this past Summer because the blog interested me more.
Nicholas, I have to admit that I still have this picture of you drinking a glass of milk! For me it is herbal tea, but that’s still better than coffee (or wine). But hey, what ever works is good!
I want to take a minute to thank you for your service in the US Army, it is very much appreciated. I’ve enjoyed my visits to your blog very much and it’s great to see you teamed up with Sarge.
I love these tips. Cheers!
‘Always carry pen and paper with you’… absolutely. I get the idea for blog posts at the craziest of times, middle of the night, out walking the dog, in the park with my daughter, etc. Without my trusty pen and paper I would probably have flitted to another 101 amazing ideas before I’ve even got home and sat in front of the computer.
Great tips,
Karl
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What an excellent tip to carry pen/pencil. Inspiration comes to me mostly when I am doing my day job !!! But switching back and forth between the main job and blogging can sometimes mean losing focus on the first task and then it takes nearly 15minutes to gain focus again. I think it’s important to schedule time, you are absolutely right, and I hardly believe in sleeping late, no matter when one goes to bed!
I am always at people to start their blogs or even their future business sites when they are still in the comfortable position of having a salary from somebody else. I mean who needs an hours lunch break these days? Bring a laptop and write. Use the time on the commute to read and write. Stay up till 2 in the morning, so what if you are tired on somebody else’s time! You can certainly build a very decent audience part time and then convert that fully when you are in a position to leave your job.
I like the pen and paper idea. I keep it simpler than that though: recording myself with the mobile phone … lol
Did you try that too?
@Codrut – I have often thought about using the voice recorder but if I’m out and all I have is my phone I generally write a note in my todo app on iPhone.
[...] 10. The Art Of Juggling A Job And A Blog We all know that it’s hard to blog as well as maintaining a full time job (or being a full time student), and this article lists some great tips for reducing the stress, managing your time better, and, ultimately, running a successful blog! View the full article at BeginnerBlogger.com >>> [...]
I’ve always got my Moleskin and a pen on me and have found it actually to be the most helpful in writing posts while I’m away from my computer.
I also find most of my time is just reading other blogs and commenting on those. Thanks for the other tips!
@Adam – Thanks for stopping by. The Moleskins seem to be very popular. I usually write down notes on my todo app on my iPhone as I don’t think my pockets are big enough to carry pen and paper
I use to carry a pen and paper around with me, but now I just use my blackberry phone to make notes and then I can even email to myself for further reading and all. It makes life so much easier.
I have been trying to schedule time during the day just for blogging, but somehow I either spend less or to much time. I guess I need to work more on that
Pen and Paper, absolutely vital. Sometimes I type an idea straight into my phone and think about the ideas to write about within that post idea.
It can become overwhelming for sure, but no one said it was easy, I do say it’s fun and exciting though and that’s why it’s worth it!
Good post, well worth a re-tweet
@George – Haha I didn’t even think of emailing myself from my phone. That’s much easier than writing it in my todo app then having to write out again since I already email myself ideas and notes anyway. Cheers!
@James – Even though I’m at my desk I still write on pen and paper, it’s much easier when planning out things than typing sometimes, even if I will type it back on the computer.
Cheers for the RT!
Yup, I’m one of those people who walk around with a notebook and pen everywhere. Problem is, when I do get ideas, I dont write them down… silly I know.
I have the fortunately luck of working from home, so I work with my home computer and work computer from the same desk. When I have blog inspiration or ideas, I often will use my lunch break to jot all my stuff down and save it as outlook tasks or email it to myself as reminders. If I worked at a job where I had no computer and I had inspiration, I certainly think writing notes on paper (even if it is a blog topic with a few keywords as inspiration) it would help. If you have a phone that allows voice memo’s you can record your voice as a voice memo too.
@TheShackledMuse I have the same problem for poetry, I think I will remember it later and voila I always forget.