Have you ever felt like you were living two lives?? Like during the day you're worker, student, mom, etc... and then every other free moment you're crafter and blogger extraordinaire?? I know how difficult it can be at times to want to do one thing, but have to do another (ie work instead of sit at home blogging all the livelong day). It's tough being a blogger and a full time worker; it's even more difficult when you have other responsibilities as well. I'm no expert by any means, but I have found several things that have helped me through the years and things I'm having to resort back to now that I've started my full time job. I just thought I'd share these helpful tips with you, in case you may be struggling in this area.
1. You don't need to blog every single day. I know that this is difficult because I feel like I owe it to my readers to have something awesome to say, or to show pretty pictures or something else equally inspiring every day, but sometimes it's just not realistic. Sometimes the day simply has no free minutes and we have to remind ourselves that the blog world will go on. Your blog will be there the next day and the next and yes, your readers will be to. Maybe try not to make it a habit, but if you miss a few days here and there, the world will not implode.
2. Take photos of the little things. Sometimes we may feel like we can only post about our day if it's terribly exciting or there's an actual event, and so it's frustrating when we find ourselves only going to work and having a few hours at home... take photos of the little things throughout your day that make everything worth it; a yummy chai tea, a pretty sunrise, your new nailpolish, etc. Capturing these moments will not only allow you to share your day in a unique way, but also inspire you throughout the day.
3. Plan. We all know I love love to plan. Sometimes our lack of time comes from lack of planning. No one wants to live by a schedule, but it really is the most productive way to accomplish everything you need to. When I know I have a lot to do, I will grab a pen and paper and write out my to do's, then I'll list them in order of "Need to Get Done", then I list out my day by time and plug those things in accordingly. Sometimes things get left off and have to get done another day, but that's completely fine. Setting a schedule will help you utilize all the time you have and allow you to do the things you actually enjoy doing.
4. You make time for the things you care about. I love to craft and I love to blog, but I will never substitute time with family or friends to do either of those things. This was a promise I made myself in the very beginning. I never wanted to be so consumed with writing about my life that I wasn't enjoying the experience of those things. In the same regard, if blogging is your passion then you will cut out time for it, if that means you miss that episode of New Girl this week then so be it, or if it means you need to multitask and eat while you type, then do it! Whatever it takes.
5. Don't stretch yourself too thin. It's okay to say no. If you're like me, then you want to take on the world everyday, no matter what it means. I kind of strive on stressful situations (that's not terribly healthy) so I will usually say yes to everything asked of me. Also I'm a bit of a people pleaser, so that doesn't help. I think it's extremely important to make a list (surprise surprise) of your priorities, and list as many as you think is realistically possible to make important in your life. I'd say 4-5 is normal. My list goes like this: God, family/friends, work, ministry, personal time (craft, blog, etc). I'm not saying that's the best order and honestly sometimes it depends on the day, but those are the things of importance to me and things that I know I can have time for on a daily basis.
I feel like there's so many more things to help us balance our time, but these are the ones that help me the most; it's not a recipe for the perfect well balanced life, but it is a start. Good luck and if you have any tips, share them below, I'd love to hear them!
xo.
Melisa
