Sunday Musings | Working Full Time & Managing Your Blog

This topic is something I
personally have been really struggling with recently. As I write this I am in the
passenger seat of my boyfriend’s car typing away in Microsoft Word, en route up
north to visit my family. Tonight I have a flight to Zante for my best
friend’s wedding on Tuesday. Wednesday morning I will fly back for wedding
three up in the Yorkshire Dales. At the end of the week I have a photoshoot in
Richmond. My diary, is pretty hectic to say the least. Wedding one by the way,
was last night, and I am very tired.
I was supposed to have had this
Sunday Musings post written and scheduled last week, along with posts for every
single day of the week over next week, whilst I am away.
Unfortunately, this just did not
go to plan. To say I have been stressing over this would be an understatement.
I honestly thought I had organisation
down, or at least I thought I was getting better at it. Earlier this month I
set out a Blogging Schedule for all of August. For each day I had planned a
post, for the majority of which I have already taken photographs for. I even
had a list of ideas of content for September, and had started planning posts
for the upcoming month.
This is my downfall. I love a
list
. However, what is the point in list making if you never work your way through
it? I need to reign in my list making and actually get on with the work in
mind.
I came across a blog post by
Media Marmalade, yesterday in fact, regarding working full time and managing a
blog
. I found it really helpful; click here, to see what I am talking about. It
got me thinking about the ways I manage my own full time job as well as my blog…
What I have learned along the way are
these little tips:
Use your weekends wisely – Make time
to socialise, and let your hair down after a hard week at work, but also keep
aside a couple of hours to get all your blog photos done in bulk. It saves me
so much time getting a batch of product shots done in an afternoon, rather than
doing them sporadically throughout the week.
Make use of folders – On my
laptop I have a To Edit Folder and an Edited Folder. Inside the Edited Folder I
have individual folders titled accordingly to the product photography inside. I
also have an Archive folder of past blog photos. I like to keep on top of this
so I can see how much editing I have to do and how many posts I need to
schedule.
Blogger Scheduling: I draft up
all the titles of my post and scribble down a date for when I plan to set these
posts live. Having a list of “Drafts” is a constant reminder of how much work I
have to do and if the list ever runs dry I know when I need to start brain
storming.
Photoshop – I edit all of my
photos using Photoshop CS6 Extended. I have got a certain flow down now when it
comes to editing, but as it is something I love, I sometimes get carried away
with it. I have had to learn to limit myself on editing time. I also make sure
I only have Photoshop open when editing, so that I do not browse the internet
opening further distractions. On a side note here, if you would like to see a Photography tips post or a post on editing do let me know!
Emails – I try and respond to an
email as soon as it falls into my Inbox, as soon as I have replied, I move this
email into a Blogging folder. I have OCD so if I don’t move important emails
into folders I end up accidentally trashing things. Keep on top of your emails,
this is important, as it helps you to build stronger relationships with PR
& readers.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
This is something I should have done. I recently wrote a guest post for the
lovely Liza from Glam Beautys, as she was away on holiday with her family.
Thinking about it, I should have asked other bloggers if they would like the opportunity
to write a post on my blog. This would have taken the pressure of creating
content in time off me as others would have helped.
My boyfriend is a photographer &
Photoshop wiz. He can see when I am struggling and will offer to help take
photographs for me and then edit them straight away so I don’t have to worry
about anything. He even helps come up with ideas for my blog too.
Friends can also be a great
source for help, sometimes I struggle with coming up with titles for my posts
and my friend Megan from Wonderful You is someone I can lean on when I have
writer’s block. She is actually pretty fabulous with all other blog advice too actually.
What I need to improve:

Time Management: This is
something I think you can always work on. I need to start getting up earlier
and making the most of my mornings. On the days I have done this I have been
able to maintain posting daily.
Balance: Getting up early, may
all be well and good, but if I am burning the candle at both ends, and
forgetting important things like breakfast, it is only going to end up in a big
fat mess.
Priorities: As I love editing and
photography so much, I end up unnecessarily taking photographs before I need
to, when in my drafts are important posts that need to be put live. This will
come in time I think.
Sleep: I either sleep too much or
I am too tired, having zero energy, resulting in me being so unproductive. This
causes a downward spiral of stress, feeling lethargic and not only does my blog
suffer but it has a roll on effect to everything else going on.
I really do admire
those that work full time and have this blogging thaang down to a tea, because
it is not ruddy easy. Being organised does not come naturally to me, but this
blog is my passion and the only way I can keep creating great content and continuing to work hard during my day job, is by giving
myself a kick up the backside.

Let me know your
thoughts on tips on this topic, I would love to hear from you.