Aff links // Last year, I published a post talking about the lost art of blogging for fun. This post got QUITE a reaction, with a lot of people agreeing with what I was saying and also claiming that they need advice on that very topic. There not enough advice available for those who don’t want to turn their blog into a full-time job and because of that, I think we forget that that’s still a valid way to blog. I’m starting my advice today with some time management tips for hobby bloggers.
Photo by Tanya Trukyr on Unsplash
In that particular post, I mentioned I was going to start a series of blog posts for hobby bloggers with advice and tips on how you can grow and manage your blog without the added pressure of feeling like you *have* to make money or take it full-time. And I’m thrilled to bring you the first of those posts todays! And first up, we have…
Time management tips for hobby bloggers
I wanted to address this first because it’s something that crops up over and over again. How to manage your time when you DON’T have all the time in the world to spend on your blog. Most of us have additional responsibilities but if your blog is a hobby, then chances are you also have a full-time job outside of that. Potentially along with kids, pets, husbands, health issues – you name it.
With any hobby, it’s important to find a balance. If something is a hobby, then chances are there are other things that take up more of your time and more of your energy. And there will DEFINITELY be other things that take up more responsibility than your blog. You don’t have all the time in the day to work on your blog – but that’s okay.
Let’s look into some time management tips specifically for hobby bloggers (although almost anyone can take these on board!):
Understand what you want from your blog first
In order to manage your time effectively for your blog, you need to understand what it is you want or need from your blog first. With full-time bloggers, this is much easier to identify. But if you’re blogging as a hobby, it can definitely be a bit harder and take a little more time to decipher.
So I urge you to get clear on the vision you have for your blog and YES you can have a plan and a vision even if you’re not looking to make money or go full-time. What are your core values and how do they related to your blog and what you write about? Do you want to help people with a certain topic?
Don’t spread yourself too thin
Once you have your vision and you know exactly what you want from your blog, it’s time to start thinking about how to best execute that. Let’s not beat around the bush, blogging and all the additional “stuff” that comes with it takes up a LOT of time. Creating and scheduling pins, creating Instagram content, writing blog posts, replying to comments, being active on Twitter. It is a LOT. Especially if you don’t have all the time in the world.
So this is where you’ll need to have a think about your platforms and how they’re performing and think about how to best utilize those platforms for what you want to get out of your blog. You might want to dedicate all your time to your blog and ONE other platform and grow that one to a higher standard before moving on to the next.
The last thing you want to do is half-ass everything and not grow anywhere.
Know where your priorities lie
This point ties in nicely with the above. Once you’ve established your best platforms and methods for growth, you’ll want to evaluate where your priorities lie within those platforms. So whilst yes, you might BE on all platforms (Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram etc), you need to realise where your priorities lie and which platforms you’re going to be focusing on the most.
For example, if you’re blogging as a hobby and have no intention of ever applying for AD networks, such as Mediavine, then getting a HUGE amount of monthly blog views might NOT be a priority for you. So you can put that time and effort elsewhere.
Get mega organized to aid time management
Organization is keyyyyy. If you know me at all, you’ll know being organized is one of my favourite things in the world and I would literally just be laying in bed staring at my ceiling if I didn’t keep my life organized because I wouldn’t know what to do. So for those of y’all who are hobby bloggers and need some time management tips, this is a BIG one.
Em is the Queen of productivity and her eBook covers the psychology of procrastination, tips on how to stop procrastinating and be more productive, how to avoid burn out, suggested apps AND additional printables for you to print out to help aid with your day to day productivity.
If you struggle with productivity, this is a great place to start. You can grab Perfect Productivity for just £8.99 here! Productivity is relevant to all areas of your life – not just blogging!
Use tools and resources to help make your life easier
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s absolutely okay to spend money on a blogging even if you’re a hobby blogger. Most hobbies cost. And blogging is no different. So this is where this point comes in. Don’t be afraid to invest in tools and resources to make your life EASIER (if you can, of course).
For tweet scheduling I’d highly recommend Buffer. They have an upgraded version which you can pay for which allows you to schedule a TON of tweets, which would be really helpful for those with limited time throughout the week. Bulk scheduling tweets saves a LOT of time.
I’d also recommend things like Pinterest templates. We all know how much time an effort Pinterest can take so having pre-made pins is SO helpful. I absolutely love this bundle from Amber at The Unpredicted Page and I use these templates regularly. Grab her 45 Pretty Pinterest Templates Kit for just £6.99 here!
Create a blogging schedule
This point won’t resonate with everyone because some people don’t like schedules and that’s fine but it’s something I would highly recommend, especially for hobby bloggers. The reason I’d suggest this is because having a schedule takes away a lot of thinking time. And knowing exactly what you’re posting and when saves a lot of hassle and makes your blogging life a lot more productive.
Schedule your content in advance
And continuing with this point, I’d also recommend scheduling your content in advance. I will suggest this until I’m blue in the face but my GOD it doesn’t half boost your organization and productivity tenfold.
This example above is a very basic schedule that you can create on a spreadsheet to help keep track of your schedule and blog posts. This looks very similar to my own schedule and I can tell you that it helps me stay SO organized with what I’m posting and when.