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How to find time to blog as a busy nurse and mom:
My biggest challenge as a busy nurse & mom blogger is simply finding the time to work on my blog. This post discusses ways that I manage to grow my blog despite having a very busy work and home schedule.
#1. Schedule time to blog
Treat your blog as a side job. How much time do you have to invest in it at the moment? Is it only 5 or 10 hours a week like me? That is better than nothing! Its going to take you longer to build a blog and following but it can be done. Building a blog is a marathon, not a sprint.
A lot of people ask me when I have time to work on blogging. The truth is, not much. The only time I have to blog is for up to an hour while my kids are napping and after I put them to sleep at 8pm. On the days I work 12 hour shifts as a nurse I am only able to blog after I get home and shower, and by then it’s usually 9pm. And I need to try and get some sleep since I’m either up for work or being woken up by one of my children by 5:30 or 6 in the morning!
The most important thing that busy bloggers must do is to be with the little bit of time that they do have. You can actually get a lot done in 5 -10 hours a week if you use your time wisely.
#2. Batch write
Instead of writing 1-2 posts a week, try writing 10 over a period of a several days and then schedule them out far in advance. This process can help you free up a lot of time! My process goes something like this:
- Keyword Research and pick titles for 10 blog posts
- Write outlines for ten blog posts
- Do all content creation
- Optimize all SEO
- Go back and insert affiliate links and internal/external links for each post
- Make all graphic designs for each post
- Schedule posts on WordPress scheduler
This process has saved me so much time and just makes blogging more simple.
#3. Outline your blog posts first
Is your writing method just to start writing and see where it takes you? Unfortunately, that may not be the most efficient way to get things done.
When you are trying to inform and create a structured piece, more planning is generally better. After you do your keyword research and pick your title, try writing down each of the points you want to make. Then you can use those points as headers for the post to break it up into smaller, more digestible pieces to read.
Think of your outline as the foundation that you can build amazing content around. Outlining will make your posts easily for you to write, and that will save you time.
#4. Always have a plan for what you are going to do as soon as you have a free moment for blogging.
If you are going to be a blogger you need excellent time management skills. The second I put my kids down for a nap I know exactly what I am going to spend that hour doing (usually content creation).
I do chores around the house and all of the cooking while my kids are awake. That way I can free up some time to work on the blog when my kids are asleep.
#5. Quit doing time wasting activities
Stop using social media. I know people who spend hours on Instagram every single day, yet they swear they are so busy that they never have time to get anything done! I bet if you quit using social media for 1 week you would find that you are suddenly so much more productive. And probably happier and more in the present to boot!
If you are going to be a blogger you have to get really good at using your time wisely. Be overprotective about your time. My time is the most important asset I have and it is important to me. As a result, I rarely use Instagram or Facebook anymore. Hopefully one day I will be able to source out a lot of my work (except content creation, of course), but until then I’ve got a lot of work to do. There is no time to waste.
#6. Use an editorial calendar
I am almost completely paperless, except for my editorial calendar (which I use as a hard copy for pretty much everything that goes into my blog). You can find editorial calendars online, but I have found that by using my hard copy of EPIC blog and my scheduler on WordPress that I stay super organized. I always manage to stay on top of deadlines.
At some point I would love to create my own editorial calendar for bloggers. Until then, my EPIC blog editorial calendar is super helpful!
#7. Listen to blogging podcasts
When you are starting a project and don’t totally have a grasp one what you are doing, there is only one really good thing to do: find people who are doing it well and learn from them!
Anytime I take my children for a walk in the stroller or I am on my commute to and from work I listen to blogging podcasts. Podcasts keep me motivated during the times I am physically unable to blog. Plus I am able to learn from other bloggers who have had some of the same blogging struggles I do.
#8. Make time for rest and rejuvenation
You can only burn that candle from both ends for so long. If you work too hard with no rest then you end up burned out, sick and wondering why you even wanted to be a blogger in the first place. Giving yourself time to rest can also be great for creativity as well.
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