Last Updated on May 4, 2020 by ellduclos

What’s Life Really Like for A Full Time Blogger + Full Time Jobber.

One of my most popular asked questions in Boss Girl Bloggers is, How did you work on your blog and have a full time job at the same time? What is it like? How do you find the time? What does your typical day look like?

These are all great questions! Let me just say this; IT’S A LOT OF FREAKIN’ WORK!

It’s funny because SO many people that don’t blog will look at me and laugh when I tell them I want to blog for a living. They don’t think it’s possible or they just don’t understand how I could! Well, if you have been following me since the beginning, you know that I am doing EVERYTHING I can to prove them wrong.

After just 6 months of blogging I was able to cut back my full time job to PART time! This was a huge step for me because I DO NOT love my FT job. Not many people can say they love their job, and I want to be one of those who can honestly say I love my job! Which is why I started blogging and trying to turn it into my career.

Many don’t understand just how much work goes into blogging. It’s not easy, it’s a lot of hours, and it’s more than just writing.

---

Disclaimer: Affiliate links are used. Read my policy here.

---

 

PASSION, DEDICATION, CONSISTENCY

These are the key words for anyone who is trying to become a full time blogger! If you have passion for blogging you will WANT to put in the work. You will LOVE what you are doing and you will STAY dedicated because you have passion for your blog. Trying to become a full time blogger takes a TON of dedication & consistency. You can’t post one week and then 2 weeks later decide to finally post again. Always stay consistent!!! Treat your blog as if it were already your business + main source of income. would you take multiple weeks off of your FT job? No, probably not. Therefore, you shouldn’t take multiple weeks away from your blog either!

So what is blogging & working full time REALLY like?

---

---

 

This is what it’s like for me…

I wake up and instantly check my phone (horrible I know, but necessary.) I scroll through social media, engage, check my emails, engage in my boss girl bloggers group, check the blog etc.

Then after getting ready for my day I am off to work.

You would think blogging stops at work but NOPE! Any break I get I will be right back on my phone engaging, etc. I am telling you… your phone will be attached to your hand.

After work I head home and unwind. Any free chance I get I look at the phone again.

THEN I will sit down, get my laptop out and start typing away! I create blog posts, interact with my group etc.

I will do this until about 3-4am and then finally I am off to bed just to wake up and repeat!

NOW – What tips do I have to make things less chaotic?

PLAN . PLAN . PLAN

I love using my planner. I am the type of person who needs to write things down. I recommend investing in planners. I have one for my budget, one for my blog posts, and one for daily life. I love planning my blog posts out a MONTH in advance. I will write down what post I want to have up by which day! This helps me stay consistent, and prevents writers block!

Every time I am out and about, if I have an idea come to mind I will write it in my notes (planner or phone depending where I am at the time.) Then at the beginning of the next month I will come back to my notes and plan out the posts that I thought of (:

---

Related: How to Get Organized

---

PRIORITIZE & TIMERS

I also use my planner to write down daily to do lists! I love making a list of tasks that needs to be done for the day. I will list them out from most important to least important. Then I set a timer for my first task. Once the timer is up, if I am not finished I will put it to the bottom of the list! That way I can come back to the task after I try and complete all other tasks. I find that this helps me to make sure that I hit each task that needs to be done that day!

Give Yourself A Day

This is really important because working full time and blogging at the same time can be physically AND mentally exhausting. I like to dedicate Sundays as my “me days.” I focus on nothing but basically myself! I will pamper myself, watch my favorite shows, read my favorite book, or spend time with friends and family. I try my best to stay off my phone – although this doesn’t always happen because I love blogging so much!!! LOL

MORNING ROUTINE

I find that having a morning routine helps to keep my day balanced! Whether it be waking up, having a cup of coffee and journaling EVERY morning or just relaxing. Make sure it’s a routine that you do every morning to help get your day started off on a good note!

UTILIZE YOUR BREAKS

If you have a lunch break or any breaks throughout your day, make sure to focus on your blog during this time. Whether it be typing up a new blog post or engaging on your social medias. Even researching about your blog etc. As long as you are focusing on helping your blog during this time you will be on the right track.

WAKE UP EARLIER / GO TO BED LATER

Of course this doesn’t sound fun but it’s necessary! In the beginning you have to do what it takes to get your blog going so that you can eventually get rid of that full time job. (if that’s the goal, which it is for me!) SO waking up earlier and working on your blog or staying up later and working on your blog might be necessary. You can say goodbye to your sleep and hello to coffee or tea daily.

FOCUS ON MONETIZING

I always say it doesn’t hurt to try and start monetizing your blog in the beginning if your end goal is to have a career in blogging! I started trying to monetize my blog 2 months in because I knew what I wanted my end result to be. There are so many different ways to monetize your blog. Once you are making some money through your blog you might be able to cut back your hours at your full time job! After 6 months of blogging I was able to cut back to a part time job rather than full time.

Here is a helpful article to help you monetize:

How I turned my blog into a career 6 months

AUTO PILOT SCHEDULING

So I was a firm advocator for just posting things on my own and not using automatic schedulers. I was able to grow my Pinterest views to 1.6 million monthly views this way. I finally caved and invested in Tailwind because my time was becoming limited. IT ACTUALLY HELPS!

I love Tailwind now! I use it to schedule my pins on Pinterest and you can also use it for Instagram too! It’s like putting your content and sharing it on auto pilot. Without having to actually do it yourself. You can set it for whatever times you’d like. This makes life a lot easier.

Tailwind has also helped my blog traffic go up too!!

Get your first month FREE using THIS LINK

BULK DAY

If you have one day that you know you have off and can dedicate fully to your blog. DO SO. During this day you should plan in bulk. Type up as many blog posts as possible. Have photo shoots during this day and plan your content for the upcoming week. I find this helps me a lot that way I am not struggling to come up with the content during a day that I have to work. Usually weekends are really good for this!

BRING OLD POSTS BACK TO LIFE

This is a great trick that many successful bloggers use! You may have old posts that aren’t getting any action anymore because you have “forgotten” about them or just don’t try to make them known. WELL, it’s actually a great idea to go back to old posts and give them a “new vibe” and bring them back to life! Create a new Pinterest graphic and freshen up the words. Once you freshen the old post up, Pin away and promote it again! This can help you if you are out of time and aren’t able to type up a whole new blog post! It will also keep traffic coming onto your blog when you are unable to put up new content. Reasons why I LOVE utilizing Pinterest for my blog.

---

Related: How to Update Old Content

---

ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS

I find that one of the main reasons many struggle with working full time and blogging full time is DISTRACTIONS. If you have distractions, that will take away from your blog time. For example: Your phone, a tv, children, family members. It’s important that when you DO plan time to work on your blog, you are making sure that there will be no distractions. Whether that be working while the kids are sleeping OR hiding your phone so you aren’t tempted to look at it while you are working. This is SO important to make sure you are making the most of your free time.

ENGAGE WHILE YOU RELAX

When you are relaxing at the end of the night, whether it be watching tv or laying in bed; engage on social media and with other bloggers. I always do this while I watch my favorite tv show. Like I said, for me there really are NO DAYS OFF. I am constantly working at my blog and social media. That’s just because I am so determined to make blogging my full time job! You have to do what you have to do!

INVEST IN A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

If you really don’t have the time but you have the funds, you can invest in a Virtual Assistant who can help you out with the small tasks like – Emailing, promoting your content, managing your social medias, and more! This will take some weight off your shoulders and allow you to have more time with your family! I have yet to do this but I know many who have and swear by VA’s.

INVEST IN A BLOG COACH

I may be biased because I am a blog coach, BUT all of my clients are so thankful that they have taken the time/money to invest in a blog coach. A blog coach can really help you to stay focused, on tasks, and will help you achieve milestones when it comes to your blog/biz. For me as a blog coach we have one on one sessions where we will plan out content, talk about traffic strategies, time management, set and reach deadlines, start monetizing your blog, && even discuss how to use WordPress because I know that can be a challenge for many!

Want to hear more about my coaching services: Check it out here

---

I hope these tips + tricks will help you take on 2018! This will be the year we turn our blog into our full time career! Do you have what it takes?!

Are you ready to start your own blog? Here’s how!

 

Until Next Time,

xx

Ell