Those who say that blogging is like cakewalk are actually lying. To be honest, How to manage job and blog together, same question is for me also. for a blog to grow, the blogger needs to put in hours of hard-work. Blogging is not just about putting together a list of articles and publishing them. There is more to it. Researching, Typing, Proofreading, Promoting, Networking etc are just parts of the big picture- Blogging! In short, the entire process is time-consuming!
How to manage job and blog together
Now, I’m not saying that blogging is rocket science! But it takes some effort, and more than that, time, to succeed in blogging. There are people, who make a living out of it! We call them pro-bloggers. They are free to devote 24 hours towards maintaining and enhancing their blogs.
But wait, you have a day job, haven’t you? Or you could be a student, who needs to attend classes every day. I know many part-time bloggers, who always complain about lack of time. They have day jobs/ schools/ colleges to attend. They blame the mediocrity of their blog on this very lack of time.
I’ve been through this scenario. I must say I’m still a student, but still manage to juggle my blogging activities and my student life! This is possible only due to some time management tips, scheduling and some other preparations. I’m just about to reveal my techniques to you all.
How to schedule your blogging activities
Since I’m a student, day times are devoted to attending classes (usually boring). I take on my blogging responsibilities during night/early in the morning. Here are some tips that’ll help you make a schedule :
Keep a Note Book and Pencil Handy
You might be thinking what a pencil and note-book has to do with blogging schedule. Wait, it is not for making a schedule! For blogging, you need articles related to your niche. Articles don’t appear magically out of thin air.
Quality articles are produced after various stages like typing, proofreading etc. But the first step involved in creating an article is finding the right topic to write about. Yes, you can write an article only if you have a topic/idea to write about, in your mind!
Such ideas can strike your mind literally anytime. It could be when- you are attending classes/at job/in bathroom etc. When ideas strike, take out the book and pencil and note them down, however silly they might be. I use the ‘Papyrus’ app on my mobile to scribble down topics and ideas that come to my mind. Always be ready to note down ideas related to topic. Work on only those topics, which you think can write well about.
1. Limit the frequency of updating your blog. Choose 2-3 specific days of a week for publishing new posts
It is necessary to update a blog regularly. But there is no written rule to do it daily. For the busy ones, I recommend to choose 2-3 days a week, for publishing new posts. Limit the frequency of updating your blog. Our aim is to slow down this process for the benefit of the blog!
Let us take an example. If I choose Monday, Thursday and Saturday as the days for publishing new articles, I’ve got ample amount of time to work on those articles.
On Tuesday, after arriving from work/college, you may take out your note-book and work on the article for couple of hours. This work can be done early in the morning too.
Thus you have Tuesday and Wednesday to research on the topic, develop an article and proof read it! On Thursday, as per our schedule publish it.
By following such a schedule, the frequency of new posts getting published will decrease. But it will definitely increase the quality of the content. In the long run, it is quality, not quantity, that matters!
2. Automate the task of Social sharing and bookmarking
With a clever schedule like the one I mentioned above, creating quality content is no more a problem. The problem that remains is- sharing and promoting content.
Promoting and sharing the blog posts on Social networking sites is very important. These sites create a ‘ripple effect’. When one visitor likes/shares a post, 10 others will take notice of it. This ‘ripple’ effect can drive in valuable traffic.
But sharing blog posts on all such sites is time consuming. But why bother when this process can be automated? WordPress bloggers can use Jetpack to auto-publish the posts on Social networking sites. Also check out this list of automatic and semi-automatic social sharing and bookmarking tools:
Jetpack by WordPress can be used to share blog posts on social sites automatically.
Hootsuite
SocialOomph.com for automatic Tweets, Facebook status updates
Try out socialmarker.com for easily submitting blog content to popular bookmarking sites
3. Creative and Productive ways to use remaining time
If you follow the scheduling tips and automated social sharing tips, I bet you’ll save a decent amount of time. Here is a list of very productive activities you must do utilizing this ‘saved’ time. Note that these activities also play a major role in making blogging a successful venture.
# Read useful blogs related to your niche and comment
This activity brings with it many advantages. First of all, you gain lots of useful information by reading such blogs. By commenting, your blog will get more exposure than before. The most important advantage is that commenting can be used for ‘networking’ with fellow bloggers! Through commenting, beneficial relations can be built.
# Re-share your old posts on social networking sites
Now that you have some time to spare, why not re-share your old, evergreen posts on social networking sites? It is a brilliant idea to re-share old posts on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.
# Make your presence felt on groups and forums
If you still have time to spare, try spending it wisely on various Facebook and G+ groups related to your blog’s niche. Be an active member, share content, ask questions and solve problems. Besides the groups on Social networking sites, become member of forums that are related to your niche.
That’s it guys. These are the basics of scheduling and time management you should address. I’m not saying to go for the exact same routine. Make changes and improve. Don’t let your busy schedule ruin your blog. If you have suggestions, feel free to make use of the comment section.
