The allure of being a blogger is undeniable: you’re your own boss, you set your hours, work from the comfort of your home, and pursue your passions. It sounds like the perfect job, right? However, the reality is often more complex. Very few bloggers can dedicate themselves solely to their blog, and even fewer generate a substantial income from it. For most, blogging becomes a second or even third job.
Bloggers typically fall into one of two categories: casual or serious.
The casual blogger views their blog primarily as a hobby, maintaining a balanced life alongside it. They might work on a post intermittently, stopping to attend to other responsibilities and returning to it when inspiration strikes. If a finished post doesn’t receive many comments, it’s not a major concern; the casual blogger is content knowing they’ve expressed their thoughts and made them available to anyone interested.
In contrast, the serious blogger treats their blog as a job, one that competes with other crucial aspects of life such as a primary career, family, social engagements, and adequate rest. They are deeply committed, even obsessed, with maintaining their blog, considering it an essential part of their daily routine. They might feel discouraged if a post doesn’t generate comments within 24 hours or if their blog’s traffic doesn’t meet their expectations. This level of dedication can consume a significant amount of time, potentially leading to conflicts between blogging and other life priorities. To avoid this, serious bloggers need to be highly organized and efficient.
Time management is crucial for the serious blogger. If you constantly feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day, you need to understand and implement the fundamental principle of time management: prioritizing. While some tasks are inherently more important than others, essential items may be neglected unless you actively manage your schedule instead of letting random events dictate it. Set your priorities and adhere to them.
To effectively prioritize, create a comprehensive list of everything you need to accomplish. Include everything from committed obligations to desired activities, necessary tasks, and even those you dread but can’t ignore. Dedicate a couple of hours, or more if needed, to compiling this list. This investment of time will pay off as you become more organized.
Important: This list will be a dynamic tool that you’ll use and modify daily. Therefore, create it using software that allows you to easily move items around, add new entries, remove completed tasks, and save the list. Simple options like Notepad or a word processing program will suffice, but specialized programs are also available, some even for free.
Categorize each item on your list by assigning it to one of the following five categories:
1. Must get it done today
2. Must get it done this week
3. Nice to do and might be beneficial
4. Nice to do but not really necessary
5. Unnecessary
With your list categorized, you now have a solid foundation for prioritizing. Start each day with this list, and whenever a new task arises, add it to the appropriate category in its proper place. As “must-do” items are completed and removed from the list, some of the “nice-to-do” items may be elevated in priority, but only if their importance has genuinely increased.
If the sheer number of items in the “Must get it done…” categories feels overwhelming, reassess the importance of each item and reprioritize if possible. If not, identify tasks that you don’t necessarily have to handle yourself, such as minor repairs, business calls, correspondence, editing, or proofreading. Delegate these tasks to a friend, family member, co-worker, or freelancer.