You’ve just started your blog.

Or, perhaps you’ve been blogging for a while.

Either way, blogging while still working full time is no easy picnic in the park.

It comes with a lot of hard work, time and effort put in all the while not losing your sanity.

Any fellow bloggers who still work full time? ✨

I’ve been working a 9-5 since I started my blogging business nearly two years ago now.

If I can juggle a 9-5 and have a successful blogging business, there is no reason why you can’t.

All you need is to utilize and manage the time that you do have. 

Here are my best productivity tips for new bloggers and entrepreneurs who still have a full-time job on the side.

 

 

Related Reads:

• Why You Should Start A Blog This Year
• Why Blogging Is Perfect For Introverts
• 10 Lessons I Learned My First Year Blogging

 

 

Here is the YouTube video for my visual learners.

 

 

 

A Little Note: Quitting Your 9-5

I know I know, you want to quit your job and make a sweet living online.

My advice is to not rush into making your ultimate leap from your 9-5 until you have enough funds saved up that will last you at least 6 months and until you are happy where you are.

Don’t quit your job just because you think everything will be better once you have.

If you can learn to manage your mindset and be happy where you are NOW, that is when you know you’re ready to jump and leave your 9-5.

Your thoughts and feelings will follow you wherever you go, so make sure you’re not taking action from a scarce and unhappy place. 

I just wanted to get that out of the way. ✨

 

Here they are.

Productivity Tips For Bloggers Who Still Work Full Time:

 

 

1. Forget About Perfection

You need to forget about perfection in 3-2-1.

Learning to let go of perfection is the best productivity tip I can give you as a blogger who also works full time.

I’m not saying you can get by with writing only decent blog posts – they still need to be valuable.

However, aiming for B minus work (as I’ve learned from my life coach Brooke Castillo) is what will set you free and give you heaps of time back. 

I mean, think of the hours you spend perfecting a blog post before hitting that publish now button.

You can always go back and “perfect” it later.

You cannot edit a blank page, but you can certainly edit a bad page.

Don’t let perfection be the death of your blog.

Be okay with B minus work and just get it out there.

 

 

2. Utilize Your Time Well

As a blogger who works full time, your time is limited and oh-so-precious.

Leverage and utilize any time you can get your hands on.

Even if this means getting up at 5 AM to write blog posts (this is what I do – I wake up really early).

Not a morning person? Spend your afternoon or evening blogging.

Work on your blogging biz during your lunch breaks and go to a café to blog so you’re not distracted by your colleagues who just don’t get it.

Here’s another tip: Listen to marketing podcasts on your commute and in your downtime. I absolutely adore Amy Porterfield’s Online Marketing Made Easy podcast. 

At the beginning of my blogging journey, my weekends completely disappeared. 

In fact, they were non-existent.

I didn’t mind having to say no to social gatherings (hello fellow introverts!) because I was so determined to make this blogging thing work. 

Spend as much time on your blog as you possibly can during your free time, downtime and on your weekends.

I totally understand if you have kids and other obligations, but if you’re serious about turning your blog into a full-time job – you’ll find the time to do so. 

Prioritize your blog when you can – that’s the best you can do. 

 

 

3. Marry Your Calendar

You are now in a very serious relationship with your calendar. 

Whatever goes on there, you do.

No questions asked.

Honor your relationship with yourself.

Show up for yourself and your calendar like you would if you had a meeting with the CEO of a company.

You are THAT important. ❤️

 

 

4. Schedule Your Results

When you plan your days, weeks and months – don’t just plan the activity, plan for the results you expect to get.

If you do this, your mind goes to work.

The more specific you get about the results you want to produce, the better. 

If your plans are vague, your results will be vague, and you won’t be as focused as you would need to be to produce at a high level.

For example:

• Don’t just schedule time to work on your blog.
• Schedule time to produce the exact results you want: write 1000 words, create 3 pins for the blog post, write a valuable email to your list, etc.

Become uber-specific. 

 

 

Busy bee? Pin this article for later.

 

 

5. Create a Content Calendar

Much like an editorial calendar – create your own content calendar for your blog.

Have a brainstorming session once a month where you come up with new ideas for blog posts and scribble them all down on post-its, in a Google Doc or whatever floats your boat. 

If you can come up with 12 amazing ideas for blog posts – that’s 3 months’ worth of content right there (assuming you’re publishing one blog post per week).

Add your blog post ideas to your content calendar.

You don’t have to worry about the perfect headline at this stage.

It’s all about getting your creative juices flowing, adding your ideas to your calendar so you never have to stress over what to write about ever again.

Life and time saver – I am telling you. ✨

 

 

6. Batch Content Creation

The time has come to batch your content.

I love batching my content so that I don’t have to worry about writing new blog posts on the fly every single Sunday.

Choose a day that works for you and write as many drafts as you can.

Since we’re all still working full time here, this means sitting down to write early in the morning alternatively in the evening. 

Schedule your content creation hours on your calendar and follow through on your plans with yourself. 

Make sure you schedule your content creation during your peak performance period, meaning when you have the creative energy and mental focus to put in the work. 

This will be different for everybody.

I, for example, have my creative peak in the morning – from 6 AM to 8 AM and that is when I do my most important tasks.

I save the lighter tasks for after my 9-5, such as replying to emails or creating new pins. 

By batching my blog posts (or any type of content creation in your business – creating pins, social media captions, writing emails) every Wednesday (my official batching day), it lets me be creative and work on other things in my business for the rest of the week. 

When you’re writing blog posts, you’re the technician in your business.

Don’t forget to channel the role of the entrepreneur as well and work ON your business.

I learned this from the brilliant book, The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber.

 

 

7. Automation, baby!

Automate your blogging business as much as you can.

Use automation tools to lessen your workload. 

Put in the work upfront and let the automation tools do the work for you.

Take advantage of modern technology wherever possible.

For example:

• Tailwind for scheduling pins on Pinterest.
• Planoly for scheduling Instagram and Facebook posts.
• ConvertKit for automatically sending emails to new subscribers. 
• Leadpages and OptinMonster to collect and attract new leads (dreamy subscribers✨).

I cannot say enough amazing things about automating your blogging business.

In fact, I’d like to marry automatization (permission to divorce my Google calendar?)

 

 

8. Baby Steps

Forget the dream vision for now.

When you’re in it, you just need to get things done and out of the way.

Focus on the baby steps and on one thing at a time.

Break your dream vision down into manageable baby steps.

Make it as easy as possible for you to take action.

As bloggers, we have big dreams – dreams of turning our blogging business into a full-time gig.

These big dreams can sometimes feel overwhelming and act as a stressful trigger when we need to sit down and do the work – write the blog post, create the pins and come up with new Instagram captions. 

Forget about the big dream vision for now, break it all down, and work your way through one baby step at a time. 

 

 

Don’t Forget To Take Breaks

Juggling a full-time job and a full-time blogging business is challenging and there is so much that goes into blogging.

I mean, you essentially have two full-time jobs that require time and effort. 

This is why it’s so important to take breaks, schedule white space on your calendar and get some breathing room every now and then.

Try working 25 minutes on a task, take a break for 5 and resume.

This is called the Pomodoro technique and it’s something that I’ve found to be super helpful when I just need to get things done, can’t afford procrastination but still need a break in between tasks.

If you put too much pressure on yourself and continue to work with no breaks insight, you’re going to pay for it later.

Dreamer, take breaks. ✨

Everyone needs a little white space on their calendar. 

 

 

How To Start A Blog As An Introvert

If you haven’t yet jumped on the blogging train, you can join my FREE blogging course, specifically designed for introverts and dreamers like you and me. 

Blogging has changed my life. 

I started a blog because I wanted more out of life than a 9-5, I wanted to create something extraordinary for myself and I wanted to be the one who called the shots.

I wanted freedom.

If I can start a blog, so can you. 

Ready to hop on the blogging train?

Join my FREE blogging course, Start Your Dream Blog below and create something extraordinary just for you – today.