Well, if there is anything I have learned from blogging over the past several months, it is how to manage my time and schedule better. Time management is key when you are a blogger, especially if you are working full-time. Blogging is a side hustle for the majority of us bloggers. It is important to remember to find what works for you in managing your time.

I learned really quickly that there is no such thing as work-life balance. It is virtually impossible to find the perfect balance. But, you can find what works for you.

FIRST, think about what your ultimate goals are.  Do you want to quit your day job? Work from home to have more time with your kids (or dog, lol)? Do you want millions of followers and to run your own business? Or do you just want a creative outlet? Figure out what your goal is and let that guide you to finding the right “balance”.

Here are 6 time management techniques to help you balance having a blog and a full-time job:

Plan and Schedule

This might seem like a no brainer but, it is so important to have a plan and schedule your blog posts and social media content ahead of time. This will help you be able to prioritize your weekly and monthly tasks and goals.

At the beginning of every month set aside time to brainstorm your content and plan out your calendar. This will help you avoid falling behind or getting in a creative rut.

Set aside time to work on your blog, whether it is before work, after work, over the weekend, etc. Find a time that works for you and stick with it.

Find hours that work for you

We all work best at different times. For me personally, I have never been a morning person. But, I am also not an evening person (how ironic). I do my best work in the afternoon after I’ve had my food and woken up a little. So, I get to work one hour early and take a two-hour lunch break where I work on writing my blog posts, editing photos, and responding the e-mails.

It is important that you find the time you’re most productive and utilize it.

If you are a morning person, wake up a couple hours before work and get your blogging done. Then when you come home from work you have the whole afternoon free to relax.

Not a morning person? Maybe you’re a night owl. When you get home from work take a quick nap, get dinner and then buckle down and work on your blog.

Outsource tasks

This was one of the best things I ever did for my blog! We all have things we absolutely love about blogging and wouldn’t want to give up. But, there are also a handful of tasks that I would greatly pay someone else to take care of. For me, it editing photos.

Find something that takes up a lot of your time, that you don’t particularly enjoy and OUTSOURCE IT! Trust me when I say this is worth your investment, especially for those ladies working full-time. Invest in yourself, your brand, and your blog and you will see a return because you will have more time work on what you love.

Set a time to stop, sleep, and relax

If you’re anything like me, blogging is ingrained in your everyday lifestyle. My blog is just as much a part of my and I am apart of it. Sometimes its hard to press the “off button.”

With any job, it is easy to start to suffer from burn out. To combat burnout and to stay inspired I have found it incredibly important to take time off every week. For me, I choose not to work on the weekend (until about 6-7 pm on Sunday). Weekends are my time off. In addition, walks with my dog and dinners with my boyfriend every night is my time to relax and put my phone away.

Put your phone down

I know what you’re thinking; “but, half of my job is Instagram, I have to be on my phone!”

I don’t care. Put your phone down. Post your Instagram, add the hashtags and let Instagram do its job while you do yours. Your phone can suck a lot of time out of your day.

I would always complain that I needed more time in my day and that there simply wasn’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. However, once I began to put my phone down I was able to focus more on the tasks I had been putting off for months like taking a Pinterest course, setting up email marketing, and creating a media kit.

Don’t believe me? download the app Moment and find out just how much time you’re spending on your phone and then set up time limits. Moment will let you know when you are spending too much time on your phone.

Be flexible, it’s okay

The great thing about blogging is you are your own boss. You are in complete control of your time and content. With that, you get an incredible amount of flexibility. When you plan ahead and manage your time wisely it’s okay to take a day off every once and while. Not feeling inspired with the content you’re creating? Take a break and come back to it a few days later. Listen to your mind and body and remind yourself your time and schedule is flexible.

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Don’t forget to check out the rest of my blogging series here. I have posts filled with all the tips and tricks I have learned over the past few months. From how to leverage Instagram to tips for new bloggers. Even, a blog post checklist. Check it all out here.