I am part of numerous blogging support groups and an ongoing theme I see is other bloggers stating (or complaining) that they do not have time to blog. I wanted to share what a typical day in my life looks like.
A little about me
I work full time out of the home as a branch manager for a financial institution I also own two successful blogs; Thinking Outside The Sandbox and Thinking Outside The Sandbox: Family. I have a 2.5 year old, a 60+ lb mutt (Eko) and a husband. We live in a rural area with just over an acre of land.
Typical weekday
7:00 – 7:20 Press the snooze button and wake up. Let out the dog.
7:20 – 8:00 Have a shower if needed. Get ready for work including getting my daughter dressed, fed and ready to go to daycare. If my husband is home he will watch her so I can have breakfast and do my hair/makeup. If he has left for work I will probably skip breakfast as there is not enough time. Check all the mouse traps (ahhh farmhouse living) and make sure the dog has food/water. Make sure Eko is inside and hopefully brew some coffee to put in the travel mug.
8:00 – 8:10 Get my daughter to the car and into her car seat. Make sure whatever she wants to watch on the drive (The Wiggles, Thomas the Tank Engine or Bubble Guppies) is queued up to the beginning. Make sure I have her bag for daycare and snacks for the ride home.
8:10 – 8:45 Drive to daycare while talking to my daughter and listening/singing along to whatever she is watching. Drop her off at daycare.
8:45 – 9:00 Drive to work while listening to a podcast about how to improve at blogging.
9:00 – 1:00 Show up just minutes before my staff does so it looks like I am completely on the ball and have been working for awhile. Work away at my day job while checking my phone (Facebook and email) a few times to make sure nothing crazy is happening with the blog and my contributors are all ok.
1:00 – 2:00 Lunch time. Grab a quick bite to eat and work on the blog from my phone. Check stats, answer emails and chat with Cat via Facebook.
2:00 – 5:00 Back to work and check my phone a couple more times.
5:00 – 5:15 Get in the car to pick up my daughter from daycare while finishing up the podcast I started earlier or starting a new one.
5:15 – 5:50 Drive home with my daughter while talking to her about her day and listening/singing along to whatever show she is watching.
5:50 – 7:30 We are finally home. I let the dog outside, make supper, play and unwind a bit from the day. If it’s bad weather outside I may check my email but mainly it is family time. Any errands that need to be run are usually done before we get home. If we need to run errands it ‘eats’ into this time.
7:30 – 8:00 Bath time and get ready for bed.
8:00 – 8:30 Watch shows in ‘mommy’s bed’. My daughter plays games on the ipad and my husband and I watch something on Netflix. We usually pop popcorn and hang out together in bed.
8:30 – 8:45 Bed time for my daughter.
8:45 – 10:00 Blog time. Create images for the next day’s post, answer emails, update docs and anything else blog related.
10:00 – 11:30 Hang out with my husband and watch some tv. Sometimes I blog during this time as well. Let out the dog for the last time.
11:30 Bed
There it is. A day in my life. Of course sometimes things come up and our schedule gets a bit wonky.
As you can see I blog when I can and I make it work.
I am busy but I love blogging so I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Do you work and blog? Or work and run a business? What does your schedule look like?
Love this! I work full time too… I usually blog on my phone when I am sitting on the couch with my hubby after we put the kids to bed. Then I edit it during my lunch at my desk. 🙂
those are great tips. Thanks Lauren!
Well, I am exhausted after just reading that! It totally makes me thankful that I do not have to go to a full time job, even though some days I would rather be doing that instead of being elbow deep in play-doh, cereal and dirty dishes simultaneously (I don’t recommend this). Though I do work from home (part-time) and for myself amid caring for 2 preschoolers and their demands, it has nothing on your daily schedule!
That sounds super busy too. Did you notice cleaning was not on the list lol. At least your dishes are getting cleaned 😉
This is great inspiration for any one who works full time either in our out of home. Loved this post. Sharing
I just wonder why I don’t get as much done as you. I just quit my full time job and spend hours on my blog and get nothing done. I need to focus on writing and not all the other stuff I guess.
It can be harder to get things done when you have more time. I would try writing a schedule out in blocks of time — e.g. 9-11am write, 11-12pm schedule social media, 12-1pm lunch etc. That way you have set time and do not spend to much time thinking about what needs to be done and just doing it.
PS congrats on making your blog your full time job.
I have always worked from home so blogging was easier. Now I am working full time 7:30 – 3:30 as an elementary librarian. I don’t have access at school to social media, etc. I have to do everything from home. I am not a night owl, but do get up at 5:45 each morning, but I’m in bed asleep by 10. I am trying to learn to balance my new routine.
Hello there! I am also working full-time and blogging. Sometimes I feel tired I recognize but I enjoy blogging :). I must make a better Schedule for my day and get more organized but for now I think I a doing ok. Thanks for tips!
This is helpful information. I work full time from home and have a 2 yr old and a 7 year old. I only go into the office once a week. This article helps me realize that I can definitely blog on the side. Appreciate the sample schedule and advice.