I’ve been frustrated lately.
You see I have this blog, you’re actually reading it now. Over the last month or so, I haven’t put much effort into it.
It’s not because I’m bored with it, or don’t like enjoy doing it. It’s because I don’t have the time to focus on it.
The issue is, I hold down a day job. You know the routine, get up at 5:30, get the kids off to school, spend anywhere from 2 – 4 hours commuting to and from work, and a minimum of 8 hours in the office.
By the time I get home, I’m tired.
But I’m not done yet. Forgot about that hockey game I need to get my son to, need to play legos with the 3 year old, oh and I have that presentation I need to finish up for the 9:00 meeting in the morning. Shouldn’t have gone to lunch today, wait a minute, I didn’t.
Ok, so how do I find the time to work on this blog?
That’s the challenge isn’t it? Which is all the more reason why you need a successful blogging strategy if you want to blog while holding down a full time job.
They Never Said This Was Going To Be Easy
To have a successful blogging strategy, you need to treat your blog as a business. If you put the effort into it, chances are it will be a success. If you don’t, then it will go the way of the 1000’s of other blogs that just die ever single day of the week.
Blogging is hard work. Not hard in the sense of manual labor, but hard in that it’s time consuming.
Take a look at the things you need to do each and every week:
Research
There’s a lot of research that goes into blogging. Don’t necessarily expect to plop down in front of your computer and start cranking out posts.
You need to brainstorm post ideas, gather ideas for that post, do your fact checking, find statistics, etc…
Which leads us to…
Writing Awesome Content
It takes time to write great content.
I’m not a journalist by trade, so writing isn’t what I would consider my strong point. For me to pull together a 1500+ word post and edit it can take me anywhere from 5 – 10 hours based upon the topic I’m writing.
Networking
As I’ve been trying to preach on this blog, if you don’t network, the chances of your blog succeeding is nada, zero, nil.
Networking is all of the following:
Finding the right bloggers in your niche
Responding to comments on your blog
Commenting on other blogs (over and over and over)
Sharing content on social media
Networking off your blog should take up as much time, if not more, as the work you are doing on your blog.
Guest Posting
Think writing content on your blog is enough? Nope!
If you want to increase visitors to your site, you need to guest post on other blogs. This involves more research on the blogger, finding the right topic, writing even better content, and responding to comments on your guest post.
The Technical Stuff
Let’s not forget maintaining your blog.
There’s always new plugin’s to find, email marketing, theme’s to keep updated, analyzing metrics. The list goes on and on…
As you can see, there’s a lot of work involved in this blogging thing.
If you are still wondering if you can be successful at blogging while holding down a full time job, the short answer is yes.
But be prepared, it’s going to be a lot of work.
Here are 6 tips to a successful blogging strategy while holding down a full time job.
Successful Blogging Strategy With A Full Time Job
So is it possible? Sure it is. A ton of people are successful part-time bloggers.
Here’s a few folks that you may not realize hold down full time jobs, but are still able to run a successful blog.
Kevin Duncan – Be A Better Blogger, Steven Wilson – High Powered SEO, Luke Jordan – InterGeek, Lisa Sicard – Inspire To Thrive, Richard Martin – The Smart Income Detective. These are just a few names of bloggers that I follow on a regular basis.
So how do you blog while holding down a full time job?
That’s the question we want to answer isn’t it? Let’s take a look at some things you can do to implement a successful blogging strategy while holding down a full-time job.
It all really comes down to time management.
Post At Your Own Pace
You’ll see a lot of advice that states you should be posting 2 – 3 times a week if you are starting out a blog.
I call BS on that.
Number one, I don’t have the time to do that given everything else going on in my life.
Number two, I really don’t think that’s necessary.
Post at your own pace. If you can only post once every two weeks, define that timeframe as your publishing schedule.
Whatever your schedule happens to be, just be sure to stick to it.
Leverage Your Lunch Hour
We all have a lunch hour, or 30 minutes, or something don’t we?
I have the luxury of having a number of eating establishments at my place or work. Potbelly being my favorite, turkey on flatbread – everything buy mayo and go light on the hot peppers, but that’s a topic for another post.
My point is, I can run downstairs, grab a sandwich, and bring it back to my desk while I’m doing some work.
If by chance I’m having a light day, I can use that time to write some content or do some blog commenting.
Brainstorm During Your Commute
I do some of my best thinking on my drive to and from work.
On a good day my commute is at least an hour, on a bad day it can take upwards of two hours. That gives me a lot of time to think about things.
I can brainstorm topics for new posts, strategies to implement on email marketing, think about technical upgrades to my site, etc…
Bonus Points – Use your shower time. I’m not one to sing in the shower in the morning, but I do think about strategies for my blog.
Leverage Your Smartphone
With the advent of smartphones, you can pretty much do anything anywhere.
One of the best apps I have ever downloaded is the WordPress application for my iPhone. I can check my stats, approve comments, and even reply to comments.
Granted it’s not quite as easy as doing things on a computer, but I can do some of the day-to-day things wherever I’m at.
I do a lot of this during lunches and while waiting for hockey and guitar practice to finish up.
Bonus Points – Leverage your Smartphone during boring conference calls to pass the time.
Work After The Kids Go To Bed
You may have to give up watching Sports Center every night after the spouse and kids go to bed, but what better time is there then this to focus on your blog? Talk about true distraction free writing.
I’m a night owl, and even though I get up early for work, I tend to find myself staying up to midnight on most nights. I can get quite a bit done if I use this time wisely.
Block A Few Hours On The Weekend
This one is the most difficult. After working all week, my weekends are meant for family. Then whatever little time is left over, you have to fit in yard work, errands, and all the other misc. stuff you don’t have time for during the week.
However, if you can convince the spouse that you really like to tinker with your blog, I’m sure they’ll let you have an hour or two to yourself. Right?
You can always leverage the previous point and stay up late, which is what I seem to do.
Yes It Is Possible
There it is…
6 ideas to implementing a successful blogging strategy while holding down a full time job.
It is possible, but I’m going to warn you, it’s not easy. Finding the time to work on your blog on top of your day job and everything else is a challenge.
This is one of the biggest frustrations I find with blogging. There’s just not enough time in the day to get everything done.
Whether you blog full or part time, what are your time management secrets? I’m sure we would all like to know how you do it (I know I would).
And by the way, if you know of other bloggers that hold down full-time jobs, would you mind sharing their blogs with us? I’d love to be able to connect with them as well.
If you’re interested in learning more about Blogging Flail, simply click here.
Craig,
I saw your blog post link late at night and planned on reading in the morning, and clicked. . . and I was in…Too late to turn back now! LOL
Great job on the intro, by the way – excellent in fact!
You’re absolutely right to start with research – that is oh so important because we will never be perceived as an authority if we just share what we think all the time. We need to check into the facts and share what we find to be true. Of course, we can share our experience which weighs heavily on value, but facts are always appreciated.
I’ve read many stories about folks that sleep very little for a period of 4-6 months to jump start their business online. Extreme measures can be attempted for short periods of time, but of course, cannot last for a long term without damaging affects.
You’re absolutely right! I was taught to post every day in the beginning so that the search engines will get in the habit of crawling my site. Now I post once per week, and may be switching to two, we’ll see.
Actually, I’ve been very privileged because I’ve had my husband as the main breadwinner while I could focus full time on my business from the get-go. But I have paid cash for my son’s college education and many other things that has really helped our family.
Working after the kids go to bed and on the weekend is doable, thanks for sharing that. I think if you focus on a ’power-hour’ – have what your action steps are totally mapped out prior and your power hour is to get it done and finished that is could definitely work really well.
When I paid $100 for 5 hours of Internet satelite time on a cruise ship once, you better believe I got everything I needed to get done in that one measely hour per day.
“The task at hand will increase to fill the time allotted it.”
So, if you set limits on things, it will help.
When I didn’t feel like cleaning the house, I pretended I was having company in an hour, and got everything spic ’n span by the time they were supposed to arrive. Then I could sit down with an iced tea and enjoy the other 2-3 hours it would have normally taken me. LOL
Just sharing what has worked for me, Craig, you’ve already got awesome tips you’re sharing, perfectly wonderful!
Love your attitude. Yes it is possible!
Thanks – sharing this around…
Talk soon,
˜Carol
And I thought I was the night owl. I saw your comment last night and was surprised to still see you on-line. That’s usually the time I do my best work 🙂
Thanks for the great comment Carol. I like the power hour concept. You’re right, if you truly focus on that hour, and I mean really focus, you can use that time to your advantage. As you said, set your limit on a task. I can use that advice, as I’m always getting sidetracked on another thing or two.
I’m thinking of doing a follow up to this, and may just leverage some of your advice in that. Appreciate you sharing the things that worked for you.
Thank you for the kind words, I do really appreciate that. This is one of the things that keeps me going…
Have a great rest of your week!
Hi Craig,
You are SO SO right. I can totally relate to EVERY word in this post, right from the intro to the last line, because I was blogging part time for about 2 years. I know how tight and terrible you feel when you have a day job AND a business on the side.
My commuting time was just like yours and yes we have weekly seminars and presentations too. We have to publish research papers, etc. and you know what, I and my hubby are research partners at work (we co-publish our findings) – this means we end up doing work-related discussions even in our house!
Shower is my best place to think and plan about my business. I not only get cool blog post ideas, but also think about critical strategies to implement in my business, all in the shower.
Weekend – yes I had to put myself to work during weekends, but I didn’t find that too exhausting because my business is what I loved (as opposed to my day job LOL).
Planning the week (for my business related activities) on Sunday evening has given me clarity and focus to work on the most important things for my business progress – squeezing in every bit of time I get 🙂
Yes nobody said it is easy! Thanks for the wonderful tips! I totally enjoyed your post 🙂
Have a great week!
Cheers,
Jane.
I think a lot of bloggers started out this way Jane.
Your like me. My wife and myself both work at the same company, although in different divisions, but it doesn’t stop us from bouncing ideas off of each other. So I can relate.
I love the shower for thinking. It’s kind of my way to get the day started on the right foot, and I do come up with some neat ideas to try.
I also don’t mind the late nights with my blog. I actually enjoy doing that, and it’s a whole lot more fun that my day job 🙂
Thanks again for the great comment Jane. Have a great week.
Hi Craig,
Interesting post!
You really brings up an interesting topic for discussion. 🙂
I know how you feel. Indeed, when we are blogging, we will find that 24 hours in a day is not enough. There’s so much we have to do. Blog commenting and replying to every comment. It was really busy day.
I was scheduled to publish a post every week and I thought it was a nice balance. Since English is not my native language, I have a hard time to create a single article.
There are many friends who told me to do something important first. Yes, it is all about priorities. I tried to do the difficult things first. However, sometimes there are a lot of events for me in doing so. LOL
Thanks for sharing, Craig.
Do have a wonderful week ahead.
~Nanda
There’s never enough time in the day Nanda. When you figure out how to squeeze in a few more hours, you be sure to let me know.
It’s always something, writing posts, networking, commenting, there’s just so much to do with the blog. I really think most people underestimate the work that’s involved.
Thanks for the comment sire, and you have a great week as well.
Preach! Im glad you said something, because many times I feel like there are many big bloggers out there that just knock the stuff out TOO easy, and don’t go into the details of their daily grind, giving others the misconception that its all just a walk in the park.
I also agree that you dont HAVE to post 2-3 times a week. Its just as good if you take the time to post that one really good piece, then wait a bit till you post again. People that are genuinely interested will definitely check back to see if you have anything new come out.
Ha – Hey Candice, how’s things going?
It’s really not a walk in the park is it? This blogging thing is hard work. I think you’re right, a lot of new bloggers see how easy the big boy’s/girl’s make it look, and they end up with a rude awakening. It takes a lot of time if you want to nail this networking thing and get that level of engagement on your site. It’s harder still when you are trying to juggle a full-time job on top of things.
I’ve never really understood the 2-3 times a week posting. I guess if you have the time sure. But there’s a whole lot involved if you want to create a decent post. And you’re right, if someone is interested enough in your blog, they’ll be back.
Thanks again for the comment, and it’s great seeing you around here. Have a great week Candice!
Hi Craig.
Interesting post.
I work full time also, but not a 9-5 as we all know it. I work 12 hour shifts in the energy industry. I do 2x days, followed by 2x nights, and then I get 6 off, rolling like that constantly.
So I do get time off, probably more so than the normal 9-5 person…but still, I find it hard sometimes. The biggest thing for me is tiredness. So after my night shifts, I am very tired, the last thing I want to do is write a blog post.
I agree, you don’t have to publish 2-3 times a week. I aim for 4 posts per month, if I don’t get to that, I don’t beat myself up. This month I have only done 2 so far, but again, it’s just what I have time for, especially as I have other sites to look after and maintain.
Some good tips here Craig. The drive to work for me includes a lot of business related podcasts – great driving and learning at the same time!
Now I feel for excluding you from my list Richard. I had no idea you also held down a full-time job. It really doesn’t matter if it’s a 9-5 gig or something else, the point is you need to juggle your blogging with your normal job. Apparently you are doing very well with that! While it sounds like having 6 days off between shifts would be great, I’m sure it comes with its own set of challenges as well.
I’m going to add you to my list now.
I really try to post 2x per month, but I’m with you, if I don’t get to that it’s not the end of the world. I may have to try listening to some podcasts during my commute. Seems like a few folks are doing that.
Thanks for the comment Richard, must appreciated!
Hey Craig,
I think anyone that holds down a full-time job and has a family yet still is blogging is wonder woman or man. I mean my goodness, I would be worn out. I remember the corporate grind.
Since I live alone that means I have to take care of everything, even getting the car worked on so that doesn’t leave a lot of extra time. By the time you’ve worked a full day, and I never had just an 8 hour day, I came home literally worn out. I was a couch potato when I got home because I was just beat only to get up and start all over again the next day.
With that kind of schedule though I can understand why some people would want to create something better for themselves to escape that kind of life. I know it can be done because I always ate lunch at my desk so I could get other things done. I would definitely be taking advantage of that time for sure.
I think if you want a better life and you believe blogging can help with that then I definitely agree with you. It’s a choice and we all have to decide what it is that we want. I think you should pick a schedule and stick with it. Set time aside to do specific things and be consistent with those steps. Even if you can’t do this full-time yet it can and will work with the right determination and will to succeed.
Thanks for sharing this with us Craig and I’m so thrilled to see you still at this and teaching others how they can do the same.
~Adrienne
Thanks for the kind words Adrienne! While I’m not sure I would consider myself a superhero or anything like that, I do agree that it takes a certain kind of individual to work full-time and blog part-time.
If one is serious about trying to make a better life for themselves at some point, blogging is a good option to look into. However they need to be prepared for the work involved. It’s a Plan B for me, or at least an option for a Plan B. Given the way companies are so focused on the bottom line, one needs to be prepared for downsizing at any point.
Thank you for the comment as usual, appreciate your insight, and I know everyone else does as well.
Have a great rest of your week.
[ Smiles ] Yes, blogging can be quite challenging; especially when one works full-time.
Brian-storming during a commute is a fabulous idea (I do it).
Also, if you scheduled your blog, it would take the heavy burden off of your shoulders; add them to your blog on weekends and schedule them to be automatically posted during the week. So, when you come home from work, all you have to do is to just concentrate on responding to comments.
Thanks Renard!
The thing about brainstorming, is you can do it at almost any point you have a few extra minutes. You are right, scheduling posts would indeed help. However the problem I have is finding the time to create these extra posts to have on hand in order to schedule them. I need to find a few extra day’s to just focus on writing content and I’d be all set.
Thanks for the comment and have a great week!
Hi, Craig.
That was interesting to read, as I can relate to much of how you are feeling.
I, too have not written a new post now for eight weeks. That has been partly due to many important commitments, as well as being hit by some circumstances beyond my control. However, I’m pleased to say that I am in the process of writing my next post, which is already looking by far to be my best yet.
I agree that it is important to find the right schedule that works, and stick to it. It may not be what we consider ideal, but the most important thing for now is that it works.
Well done for getting back on track. I think it’s my first time here, but I’ll look out for your future posts.
Nathan.
Thanks Nathan – I do know what you mean about getting off-track with things. It’s tough when there are so many things going on, and other stuff happens in life which needs to be focused on.
Looking forward to reading your next latest & greatest post.
Appreciate the kind words, and thanks in advance for wanting to come back.
Hey Craig,
This is a great post.
Blogging is a lot of hard work and many people starting out don’t believe that. They see the countless success stories from popular bloggers and think that they can get started blogging and get the same … or similar results.
Problem is, they don’t.
Everything you said is accurate.
The research. The awesome content. The networking. The guest posting, The technical stuff. They all take time.
“You’ll see a lot of advice that states you should be posting 2 – 3 times a week if you are starting out a blog.”
I don’t believe in that … although, I may do my own case study in the future to prove if it’s bares any relevance … but that’s too much for me at the moment. I’ll tell you this, I would be willing to test out once every 2 weeks though and see how that works.
Great post.
– Andrew
You’re right Andrew, it seems like most people that just get started underestimate how much work is involved. While it’s not overly difficult to start a blog, it is very time consuming if you want to take that blog to the next level.
The frequency of posting is a whole can of worms isn’t it? I can see a benefit with possibly increasing traffic if you post multiple times per week, and that’s also a great way to throw up some new content on your site. Outside of that, I’m not sure. If you do a case study I’d be very interested in reading that. I also have that topic planned for an upcoming post, but definitely don’t have the time to do a case study right now.
Thanks for the comment Andrew. Have a great day!
Craig,
This is a great post and managing time is something I’m sure we all struggle with.
I’m fortunate that I don’t have TWO full-time jobs like yourself and others – the 9-5 day job and the 24/7 parenting gig. It amazes me that people like you can still come up with regular, high quality content.
Thanks for including me in this; although I wouldn’t dub my site ‘successful’, not by a long shot!
I’m happy to talk about my metrics and never want to pretend to be something bigger than I am, that’s why I really like your site and monthly reports; they’re down to earth and show the world the real grind that most bloggers go through to get every backlink and earn the not-so-mega moolah.
At the end of the day, the most important metrics are revenue and profit; I’m at £0 on both counts – is that a success? 😉 . Monetisation isn’t something I’ve focused on – and won’t focus on – until I’ve been going for at least six months.
Keep up the great work on the site, thanks as always for your shout outs on here and on G+.
All the best,
Luke Jordan
Intergeek
Thanks Luke, appreciate the kind words.
I’m with ya’ about not pretending to be something I’m not. It is a grind! It’s hard work and can be very frustrating at times. I’m a long way from considering myself a success, but at least I haven’t given up yet.
Monetizing my blog hasn’t been something I’ve been focused on either. I’ve got some work to do before I get to that point. So I’m batting .000 as well.
BTW – Don’t sell yourself short Luke. You blog is new and given your spunk and writing style, I expect to see great things from you. Don’t let me down.
Have a great weekend, and we’ll chat soon.
Man! These are some excellent tips!
I can’t agree more with your tips. I think I all boils down to knowing and accepting you can’t do everything.
That was hard for me for a while. I wanted to but couldn’t put the time I wanted into the blog. I saw all these full timers who say the spend 12 hours a day on their blog.
Then Steve Chou will say something like he spends 2 hours a day on his blog and podcast. Now he put in the work in the beginning but it proves that if you continue to work hard that you can get to a place where you can grow you blog with minimum time investment and still do well.
Thanks for including me in this man. Have a good weekend.
Thanks Steven, and glad I’ve met you and could include you in this post.
It’s tough knowing that successful bloggers put so much time and effort into their blogs, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise to me. And it can be frustrating when you just don’t have that same amount of time to put into your blog. While you may not be able to be quite as successful, I still think you can show some success (but you need to find the time to do things).
Great to have you here, and have a great rest of your weekend.
Hi Craig,
That was an excellent post and you are to be admired for the hard work you’re putting in.
I’m luck in that although my blog is my part-time income, my full-time income is also my own business – so at least I get to schedule my own time. I’m also lucky that this means I don’t have a commute to suffer.
One of my biggest regrets is that I devoted too much time to my business at the expense of time spent with my sons when they were younger, so I’m pleased you’re not making that mistake.
I think you’ve covered all the tips I use myself for productivity. One thing I find really helpful is to jot all ideas down somewhere “Evernote” or in a draft blog post so that I don’t forget them, with my “double life”.
Have a good week, Joy
That was very kind of you Joy, thank you!
I do the same thing with Evernote. It’s like carrying a notebook with you everywhere you go, and whenever I think of an idea for my blog, I simply jot it down. Great tip to add!
Hope you have a great week ahead of yourself. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
Hi Craig,
I got to hand it to you bud; that’s quite a skate around the time management pond. However, I would be drowning. Even if I could take a few hours to sneak to the keyboard, it wouldn’t take the partner long to walk in the office and interrupt my intentions to blog. 🙂
I realize having a full-time job, being a dad, and wanting alone time in front of the television can make it hard for a working man to create a blog post in a timely manner.
However, look at my life. I’m a mom, wife and run a house full-time. I cook, clean, do laundry and dishes while vacuuming, making dinner and cleaning out toilets. Then, we check the mail, run errands and do grocery shopping and banking on Thursdays.
I have an offline business as well as two online. ROFL
When do you suppose I have time to SNEAK away to the blog?
All good ideas to squeeze time in for the dad who works a FT job. Now, about washing windows… You game? 🙂
Have a great week!
– Bonnie
Skate around the time management pond – I like that!
You’re in the same boat Bonnie. Doesn’t really matter if you are holding down a job in an office setting or a stay at home mom that needs to keep the house in order while juggling the needs of family. same difference to me.
It all comes down to finding the time to sneak the blogging/on-line business into your life.
BTW – I hire out my windows (actually my wife does) 🙂
Thanks for the wonderful comment Bonnie! Have a great rest of your week!
This is such a great post that really inspired me. I’m a fairly new blogger as of December. I love blogging, and am starting grad school in September. I’m torn because this is a passion of mine and I don’t know how I’m going to maintain it once I start school again. Right now, I work 10 hours a day (50-55 hours a week) and sometimes like you, I can’t help but feel frustrated due to not having enough time. I know that blogs take a while to grow, but let’s just say…I am a very impatient person. Like you, I consider myself a “techy” and an expert at social media, and I’m a bit disappointed with my progress and pageviews thus far. It’s great to find a blog that incorporates these “average person” struggles instead of most blogs I find where people seem like they do it full time. Hello! We can’t just all quit our jobs! 🙂 I love your approach to blogging and how you stress “quality” over quantity. It shows that you truly care and give everything you have into your writing. I don’t subscribe to most blogs, but I subscribed to yours!! Best wishes.
Thank you Chelsea. I’ll award you comment of the month for this! Seriously, I’m so glad this inspired you.
I’m with you about being impatient. If I don’t see my numbers going up every month, I’m annoyed, and trying to analyze and come up with different things to try and right the ship. Oh yea, and I have to fit that in with everything else.
So stick with it, and don’t get all hung up about your blog. Pick a regular posting schedule, whatever works for you, and just try to stick with that. If you miss a post, don’t beat yourself up. I find when I’m starting to get stressed about things, I just need to take a few day’s away from the blog. Guess what, it’s still here when I get back to it, and my regular readers are still coming around.
Thank you for subscribing, that means a lot to me. I did check out your blog the other day, and going to get back over there right now to take another look. Have a great rest of your week!
Hi Craig
Much needed post indeed as now competition in blogosphere is so stiff and one does not have that much courage to be a successful blogger at the cost of his on-going not-so-bad day job.
Now newbie and struggling bloggers don’t want to take risk of quitting their day job just on bright prospects in blogging they want to first fully establish and then like to become full time blogger.
The tips you mentioned here are pretty awesome and I do agree with you there is no rule of thumb for posting frequency and the convenience is the only criteria to decide how often one should post.
Thanks a lot for sharing this wonderful post.
Thanks for the kind words Mi!
I do need to apologize about not responding sooner. As was the case with Lisa, for some strange reason both your comments ended up in my spam folder. Unfortunately I don’t check that as often as I should. Sorry about that.
I wish I could just quit my day job, maybe someday 🙂
Hi Craig,
It is an awesome post, I would say.
I am a student blogger. Sometimes it feels very difficult to stick with blogging while I am a student.
You hit the spot. The tip I am using the most is related to smartphones. I have downloaded WordPress in it. I use it to reply to comments and check the stats. Sometimes it is also used to do urgent updates of my posts.
I have found this post from Twitter. Glad to be here. Sharing this on all my social media accounts.
You will see me often here.
Regards,
Rahul
I am so glad to meet you Craig!
This post is such an inspiration to those who work full-time jobs, have families, and handle a multitude of other priorities but still want to be a successful blogger. I have struggled with just this over the past 3-4 years. I want to blog. I love to write! I want to make some extra change via my blog if possible. However, getting the time has always been hard for me. I work a stressful job. Even when I’m not at work, my brain it always thinking my job and what hasn’t been done and what has yet to be done. Then the family life. I’m married and have a dysfunctional and very needy rescue dog. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t change the family part of my life for the world. But the full-time job? Yes, stress takes a toll on everyone and the sooner one can get away from it the better we can be. This is where I decided I want to start monetizing my blog and make a little cash. Does that mean I need to post everyday or 4 out of 7 days a week to do it? I don’t think so. I don’t believe a lot of what I read on the web about do’s and don’ts about blogging. I think we are all unique individuals and what works for one, may not for the other. We have to find our own rhythm and have at it!
I could ramble on forever but I do want to thank you again for this inspiring post. I have found more strength and determination in just reading about others, like myself, that are making it happen.
Thank you again! Definitely passing this along!
B
Hey Brenda, happy to meet you as well!
I’m glad to hear this inspired you. I with you, finding the time to do everything I want to do is such a challenge. I’ve been wanting to do some guest posting since Feb, at least that was part of my strategy. Just haven’t found the time to be able to do that. I may actually need to pause the posting on this blog to allow me to find the time to write for other blogs. Crazy huh?
Dogs are the best aren’t they. They are like 3 year olds that never grow up.
You nailed it, just because something works for another blogger doesn’t mean it’s the best thing for you blog. I take everything I read with a grain of salt. If something sounds intriguing I’ll give it a shot, but that something needs to fit into my limited time. If they are telling me to post multiple times a week, that’s not going to happen.
Thanks for the ramble 🙂 I really appreciate the kind words and you taking the time to leave such a great comment.
We;ll be seeing you around Brenda.
Thanks for taking the time to reply! Hope you have a fab week ahead!
B
Hello Craig, Thanks for your complete guideline. This is my first time visit on your Blog. I was searching for this guideline. To be honest really just amazing Post. By reading your this article, just got the killer tips. And oh Yes, I love Guest Post. AS well i think that this is the best way to connect with other Bloggers. I am going to follow your others methods from today
Cheers
Thanks, glad you could found this helpful. I also think Guest Posting is a great way to network with other bloggers, I just need to find the time to do that on top of everything else.
Thanks for stopping by.
Hi Craig, it sure isn’t easy! You really have to want to do it, be excited about it and find some time in your day or night. I’ve had extra challenges this past year with mom getting cancer and passing, to helping dad and then my accident….
You also have to learn not to put too much pressure on yourself or you will not like it or get excited to start a new post. You have to be careful as well to put your loved ones first and not let your online business consume you.
Thanks Craig for the mention and bringing this topic to the forefront.
Have a wonderful weekend!
First off, I need to apologize for not responding to this sooner. For some reason your comment ended up in my spam folder, and I don’t always check that on a timely basis. Sorry about that Lisa!
I know, it is a challenge. Part of that challenge is focusing on the things that matter most, family, and trying to make the most of the remaining time to work on the business side of things.
Appreciate the comment Lisa!
Excellent post Craig!
And thank goodness, absolutely none of successful marketing online
is easy!
Because if it were, the competition is virtually every niche, would be practically insurmountable!
Especially for the initial lesser financed start ups!
You’ve outlined an extremely workable plan for anyone that’s serious to consistently
find some gaps here & there to both advance their continuous education and to
systematically move their business along!
All that’s basically needed is the true will to do so!Thanks for showcasing what’s truly
possible, when there’s definitely a true will and desire to do so!
Thanks for sharing these thoughts, tips, tricks for managing a blog while running a full time day job. It’s definitely tough, but another tip I’d add would be a change in blogging model.
Other than creating awesome huge content of 1500 words or more, it’s possible to build a highly successful blog using a micro-blogging model, or even a curation blogging model (eg. Lifehacker.com), etc.
Curate interesting excerpts of content, links or videos… leave one or two paragraphs of commentary… and I would say that would provide great value as long as you’re curating great stuff.
Other than that, you can always take several of your curation pieces and put it into a huge blog post by combining everything together once you have enough bits or pieces.
Photoblogging is another “short on time” blogging model.
I don’t believe there are any rules when it comes to blogging. You can create your own models to suit your timeline and lifestyle…
Wow, this helped a bunch! As a blogging newbie, there’s a barrage of info and it’s difficult to decipher which would benefit me the most. And since I love your blog and it’s pretty successful, I’ll trust your advice haha Keep it up!