You started a blog as a mom and are excited for blogging and getting to know other bloggers.
Yay!
But, then, life goes on, and you realize you really don’t have time for a blog.
A week turns into a month, and before you know it, it’s been six months since you wrote your last blog post.
And the eBook you want to write isn’t even halfway done.
I’ve been blogging for five years now, and my twins are six years old.
Oh, and not to forget – I also have 7+ blogs I manage, 2 Facebook pages, 2 Facebook groups, and I’m a freelance writer, so I write blog posts for big brands.
Some people may be wondering, how can I do this all?
I don’t have a VA either!
So, how do I do this?
I thought I would share with you how I balance my blogs and being a mom in this post and hopefully inspire you to keep on blogging!
I Have Help
There would be absolutely no way for me to do what I’m doing without my husband.
He is the bulk of my help, and I’m forever grateful for that. When the twins started school, my husband decided to be more involved in my business. He manages customer support, all the tech issues that arise monthly, updating my WordPress blogs, manages affiliates, and so much more.
This leaves me to be creative – my strength.
I can focus on writing, networking, and creating valuable content for my followers.
But, you might be thinking, how can I write a blog post for all seven of my blogs?
I don’t. Not all my sites need recurring content, and two of them are contributor blogs.
But, I do have a small team of writers to help me create content for my niche blogs. I personally write for Twins Mommy and Elna Cain as these are my main sites and my main brand builders.
And let’s not forget the grandparents! They help with childcare once a week, and if one twin is sick, they are more than happy to pick up the other twin from school and watch over them.
This upcoming Friday is a Pro-D day, which is a teacher professional development day and no school for the kids.
The grandparents will take the twins and do a sleepover. So this gives me time for more work and to spend time with hubby!
I Use Days
Since my twins are in school Monday-Friday, these are the days I do my work.
My twins are at school from 9 am until I leave the house at 3 pm to pick them up. This gives me six hours a day – 30 hours a week to build two businesses.
I also sometimes work at night as well, but only for an hour or two if I need to finish projects.
Since I have several projects, I use days to denote what blog I work on.
Generally, Thursdays are Smart Mom Ideas days, and Fridays are Imperfectly Perfect Mama days. The rest of the week is split between Twins Mommy and Elna Cain.
I recently did a blog challenge where I wrote a blog post every day. This meant I would focus on one blog every day, and I did for Twins Mommy. I wrote for 10 days straight.
But, the writing bug was in me, and I decided to continue my blog challenge on Elna Cain. However, I managed to only write for 4 days straight, due to personal reasons interfering.
A typical work schedule is:
- 9am-12pm – email/social (welcome new course members) and write a blog post/pin graphic
- 12-1pm – lunch break (walk, talk to hubby, chores, social)
- 1-3pm – format blog posts for my blogs, pin graphics, work on course lessons
- 3-8pm – mom time and chores
If I find I don’t get all my work done during the day, I do have the option to work at night when my twins are in bed, but I’m finding that I need this time to prep for the next day and tie any loose ends.
I also use night time for more education time and client time.
If I’m knee-deep in course lessons, then I use my lunch break and night time to create those lessons.
And, of course, my schedule isn’t set in stone. It’s highly flexible.
Any big projects are noted in my Bullet Journal and if anything comes up – like picking up two major freelance writing clients – then I adjust.
I Automate and Delegate As Much As I Can
I could not have grown several blogs at once without automating some processes and delegating tasks.
Tailwind and Buffer are the two social media automation tools I use.
This also helps me with posting in my Facebook groups.
While I try to be active in both my groups every day, there might be several days where I am not active in my groups and I rely on group members to help me “police” my group.
I’m forever grateful to the handful of mom bloggers that want to make Mom to Mompreneur a promotion free group.
A big thing I’m working on is delegating tasks to other people. I can give content topics to writers, but I’m working on delegating more tasks to a VA.
I have a “VA,” but I haven’t given her any tasks. It could be a controlling issue, or I’m just not ready. I like the balance I have created!
I Focus on the Big Three
If it were up to me, I would spend all my time writing!
But I can’t. I might have 10 emails from course students, or have to welcome 20 new students or look over a contract from a freelance writing client.
I also have to look at the big picture – what are my blogging goals for the year?
So, for me to prioritize, I focus on a day and pick three big tasks for that day.
They can be business related or personal/family related.
For example, today’s big three are:
- Call for an eye exam
- Write a blog post for Twins Mommy
- Solidify summer activities for twins this summer
As long as I accomplish these tasks, I feel great! That I’m more productive!
Work Ends at 3:30 pm
I work on not bleeding work into my time as a mom. I am back to mom mode at 3:30 pm and focus on the house, chores, and the twins during this time.
This is helping me form a meal plan since the twins have soccer two times a week and we have to be on our game for those nights!
But, I do know for many new bloggers, the idea of blogging and making money online is so amazing that you end up constantly thinking about it! I was like that for the first year of blogging and had to learn to stop business when I was done with “work.”
My husband and I also set our work days and make it a point to end at that time every day. Some days I’m pulling my husband out of the office or he’s doing that to me, and it’s a challenge for sure!
Weekends are Family Time
The weekends are mostly family time and organizing the house.
This is where I catch up if I missed some chores during the week, and it’s a time to have fun with the twins.
But, we still do some blogging over the weekend – usually when the twins are in bed or early morning – but mostly my husband is using this time.
It’s Possible to Balance it All
Balancing everything as a working mom is a struggle.
Now, throw in a blog, and you have a lot on your plate, mama!
My journey into blogging happened when I was a stay-at-home mom, so my perspective might be a little different.
I’m not sure I would have started blogging if I had a traditional job outside the home.
If you just started a mom blog, focus on the big three, and consider automating some of your tasks!
How do you balance a blog and being a mom?
Share in the comments!
And please remember to pin me!
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