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How To Manage Blogging And Life

Table of Contents The Way To Balance Blogging And LifeUnderstanding BloggingScheduling BloggingMy New Blogging ScheduleAbout Aha!NOWWrapping Up Believe…
Woman managing blog and life by blogging in the kitchen
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Believe me, this is what I’ve been asked in almost every interview I’ve given so far.

So, I guess these are the questions most bloggers have in mind.

How do you manage your blog and life?” “How are you able to balance blogging and life?

I faced these queries because I’m a stay-at-home mom, though I prefer to be referred as a work-from-home woman.

Either way, people realize that both do not have an easy life.

Taking out time to blog while managing your family and home is difficult, more so, if you want to deliver as per the demands of pro-blogging.

But then it’s the same case if you have a day job or work on a shift and spend time commuting as well.

Who has an easy life anyway? There are always challenges for each one of us, and bloggers are no different.

I really admire people who smartly balance their life and blogging despite facing several challenges.

That’s the spirit of blogging and living life, isn’t it?

So, how is it done?

Many wonder if there is a secret formula that helps balance blogging and life. I’m not aware if there is one, but I’m going to let you know my approach.

I want to help fellow bloggers with the experiences from my blogging journey.

It’s been about five years that I’ve been blogging and this is the 300th post on Aha!NOW. Yes, another milestone! 🙂

In this long journey, I’ve had my share of difficulties and problems, but I’ve also been somewhat successful in managing my life and blogging.

It’s not me alone, but there are plenty of bloggers who are able to achieve this feat. They use the same concepts as mine, but probably in their own different ways.

Let’s read and then discuss them at the end of this post. 🙂

“The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” ~ Mark Twain

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The Way To Balance Blogging And Life

U.S. is the approach you need to take if you want to have the best of blogging and life.

Here, U.S. simply means understanding and scheduling. 🙂

Frankly, balancing blogging and your life is not easy.

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Both are demanding, and there are often times that you think of quitting blogging altogether when it gets overwhelming.

Have you thought of calling it quits as well? Let me know in the comments.

Both blogging and life want your personal involvement and need a big chunk of your time.

Eventually, effective blogging is all about managing your time efficiently.

The right balance also requires planning. Above all, you should have the understanding of your blogging requirements and its results.

Let’s start by analyzing what blogging demands from you so that you can prepare yourself to manage it in a better way.

Understanding Blogging

Blogging is a tedious job that requires you to be a taskmaster and needs your undivided attention too.

It challenges your multitasking abilities. Whether you hate it or love it, you’ve to multitask if you want to be a successful blogger.

I agree that too much of multitasking is not good and is often counterproductive. But it is okay as far as it does not adversely affect your life.

A blogger is a juggler as shown in the image below, juggling the balls of researching, writing, presenting, commenting, promoting, socializing, analyzing, blog maintaining, and lots more!

A blogger juggling various blogging tasks.

You can’t leave out any of these balls of blogging as that may make your blogging incomplete. More so, if you are a work-at-home mom like me, you can add a few more balls!

These are the tasks in blogging that you need to do almost on a daily basis:

  • Commenting (on your own blog and other blogs)
  • Posting on social media (including promotion of your posts and others’ posts)
  • Maintaining your blog
  • Replying to emails

You may need to perform these blogging tasks on a bi-weekly or weekly basis (depending on your blog posting schedule):

  • Keyword, hashtag, and post matter research (not all take this step but it is good if you do)
  • Post writing and formatting
  • Finding and modifying images for posts
  • Analyzing various blog related stats

These may appear to be simple tasks, but their execution takes a lot of time, which is the real bone of contention.

Nevertheless, how you go about it all, depends on your blogging perspective and strategy.

There are blogs and bloggers that get away without spending much time on commenting and socializing.

They are able to achieve this feat after proving their mettle over a period.

But initially you got to rough it out and understand blogging inside out.

Why And What Do You Blog About

This is one of the most important questions that will help you balance or manage your blog and life better – what is your purpose of blogging?

It is an important question because you need to plan your blogging routine as per your answer.

You may say that your blogging purpose is to earn money, to share your knowledge and experiences, to help others, or that it is just your hobby.

These are various ways of blogging and they require different levels of your engagement.

But you would have problems if you aren’t sure why you are blogging, which direction you need to go to, and what is going to be the result of your blogging?

You may spend your time inappropriately or inefficiently, which may disrupt your routine.

Let me share my personal experiences with you.

I started blogging as a hobby. That time I had a single purpose of creating a portfolio to showcase to my clients.

With time I got more involved into blogging and soon got hooked onto it. I got passionate about blogging and put in more time into it than I should have been doing.

Obviously, this practice disrupted my life routine. I had to sacrifice some of my personal and family time to pursue my passion.

I had no blogging plan or strategy in mind that time, being a newbie. I did not have the complete understanding about how to smartly manage my blogging time.

Honestly speaking, as a new blogger, you need to devote time to blogging as per your blogging needs.

If you know how you are going to use blogging, it will be easy for you to know when and how much you should be blogging.

How Much Do You Blog

How many hours do you put in to blogging every day? You need to know and define this.

For proper management of your blog and life, you should know the time you need to spend on blogging.

You can spend and define your blogging time on a daily, bi-weekly, weekly, fortnightly, or monthly basis.

Things become overwhelming when you blog daily, and it’s difficult when you are engaged in other things along with blogging, like your day job or life activities.

[Note: Blogging daily means engaging in any blogging related activity like commenting and promoting, not just publishing blog posts.]

By the way, I’d like to know how many hours do you work per day or per week.

Vinay had written a post on this topic and here is a reminder of that post in the form of an infographic.

Infographic about work hours and life

Do you follow the 8+8+8 routine as shown in the infographic?

I don’t know about other bloggers, but I do not get my 8 hours of sleep, which I admit is not good. Everything you need to know about sleep is in this post.

Neither do I put in so many hours for recreation. So obviously, my work hours are more than 8 hours a day, and sometimes extend to 12 hours a day!

Now, I understand you cannot afford to put in so many blogging hours if you are working elsewhere too.

Depending on your day job and job hours, you may be able to devote 1 to 4 hours per day for blogging.

So in that case, you need to be selective about what you do. This is really important.

You should only take up the tasks that are feasible in your time frame.

I read so many of Neil Patel’s posts and like them because they are so informative. In fact, he surprised me by mentioning me in this post.

Actually, his posts are “guides” to be bookmarked rather than simple blog posts with plenty of food for thought and action.

However, it’s tough to implement all the suggestions mentioned. If you are a newbie blogger, you may experience information overload and probably feel disheartened.

But don’t panic.

You just do what you can in your allotted time by pushing yourself to excel in whatever you do, and strive to do more.

Make a list of the tasks that you need to do and take them up one by one. It is important to prioritize your blogging tasks.

Summing Up

To manage blogging and life, you need to:

  1. Know what do you want to achieve by blogging
  2. Define your blogging tasks
  3. Calculate how much time you can take out for blogging
  4. Decide which are your preferred blogging tasks

When you have the answers to these questions, the next thing you need to do is schedule your tasks.

“Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.” ~ Dale Carnegie

Scheduling Blogging

Following a set timetable and routine is an effective strategy to increase your blogging efficiency.

A schedule always helps to avoid wasting time, which in other terms is saving your precious time.

You may use any available apps to create to-do lists or schedules. You will find some of them in this post.

[Note: I created my daily schedule in MS Word.]

However, I prefer a simple paper and pen method to chalk out my blogging schedule. Interested to know?

Okay, here is what I do.

  • Create a timetable with tasks and time.
  • Fill in the mandatory life tasks.
  • Block time slots for important family related tasks.
  • Use the remaining time slots for blogging activities.

This sounds very logical and simple, isn’t it? Yes, it is! Here is a sample of how it may look like:

Blog-Life daily schedule for mom and work-at-home bloggers

The above is a schedule that I mostly follow. You can create your own time slots and assign tasks that are specific to your daily activities.

You must be wondering why did I add meditation, walking, and stretching to this schedule.

Well, these are essential life tasks and I’d go to the extent to say they are mandatory for bloggers because they tend to lead a sedentary lifestyle.

Here is a post about how sitting is considered as harmful as smoking. Also, meditation and exercise are essential to healthy living.

Yes, you got to give preference to your life activities that include blocking the time for your family and yourself.

That is the first step in achieving a balance between blogging and life.

As it appears from the timetable, I get about 6 hours of blogging time that I can allot to my preferred blogging tasks.

Here is a sample of how you can distribute the blogging tasks spread over a week:

Blogging tasks schedule for work-from-home bloggers
(Click/tap to enlarge)

You can see I’ve distributed the blogging tasks as per my blogging time slots from Monday to Saturday.

You do not see Sunday because that should be strictly a day for the family.

[Note: You can also make Saturday as a no-blogging day, but that would depend on your blogging needs and perspective.]

Though you may not be able to follow the timetable exactly, having one acts as a guideline and helps to manage your tasks.

The various life activities and blogging tasks may not be set in water-tight time compartments. It’s okay if they overlap provided you end up completing all your tasks.

So, I work 6 days a week for a minimum of 6 hours a day, which makes it at least 36 hours a week. However, in practice, my work hours mostly exceed this limit.

Moreover, I try to multitask and perform my social media tasks when I’m watching TV. So, I mostly listen to the TV and rarely see it. Also, I listen to podcasts while working in the kitchen!

Sometimes, I’m even able to do a few blogging tasks on Sundays. These extra hours and multitasking give me bonus blogging time.

Not good I know, but it’s the way I presently manage my blogging and my life!

As I mentioned before, this is just a sample timetable. You can schedule your blogging tasks as per your specific blogging needs and available blogging time.

Here is a schedule that bloggers with a day job can try to follow by changing it to their blogging and life needs and availability of time.

Blog-Life schedule for working people with day job

If you have a hectic daily routine, you may not be able to get more than an hour for blogging on a daily basis and probably use the weekends for major blogging tasks such as writing posts.

Anyhow, you need to at least make time for these essential blogging tasks – writing posts, commenting, and post promotion on social media or blogging communities.

But mind you, not everything goes as per the plan. So, you need to be flexible to change your schedule as per the circumstances.

My sample weekly schedule is created as per my need of publishing posts twice weekly, which is on Monday and Thursday evening respectively.

Such a posting schedule makes it difficult to find time for any other blogging tasks or to take out more time for the family.

Therefore, I’ve now taken a different approach to blogging.

[Note: Many bloggers post often to increase their blog’s Alexa ranking. This post on Alexa rank would help you understand the rank concept and clear your misconceptions, if any.]

My New Blogging Schedule

I’d say a newbie blogger needs to do all it takes initially to make a mark as a blogger, and niche out a place for their blog in the blogosphere.

With time, you can slow down and look for different ways to enhance your blogging and take it to the next level.

However, relationship building and promotional activities remain an integral part of blogging. You may change your ways but may not be able to completely part with them.

This again would depend on your blogging demands and strategy.

If you find blogging is adversely affecting your life and things are becoming overwhelming – then change things for the better!

For example, you can cut down to once a week posts, just as I’ve done, till I accomplish my pending tasks and projects in hand.

[Note: If you have two blogs, you may blog once a week on both and end up with a twice weekly blogging schedule. Many bloggers maintain niche blogs where they post on a monthly basis or hardly post at all.]

However, my blogging strategy is going a different way.

“Efficiency, which is doing things right, is irrelevant until you work on the right things.” ~ Peter Drucker

About Aha!NOW

Since we resumed blogging on Aha!NOW after a blogging break, we’ve had posts by wonderful guest bloggers and Vinay.

Now we are going to take another break from blogging on Aha!NOW till the end of this year.

We are taking this step because we want to put in more time to our pending projects, which is not possible if one is consistently blogging.

Our rigorous blogging style leaves us with little time to spare.

Taking this decision may seem a little unprofessional, but we’ve got to do what suits us as per our conditions and priorities.

So, when you are blogging and feel like it is disrupting your life balance, then take remedial measures and unburden yourself.

Try to work out a new way, schedule, or a strategy. If nothing works, take a break! Recoup by re-strategizing and resume blogging with a renewed force.

Now, you’d see me in the blogosphere and social media networks, though not as often, as I intend to get serious with new blogging projects.

One of the projects is a new blog for the ABC, the popular community for bloggers.

[Note: Register yourself to be one of the first to know when it is launched and avail the early bird offers!]

We are separating the ABC from Aha!NOW, which will remain a multi-niche life blog.

We are making Aha!NOW a multi-author blog now. It will resume from the New Year and include more substance, reaching out to a greater audience.

So, if you are interested in getting your post published on Aha!NOW, you can find all the information here.

As for my blog posts, they will be mostly on my personal blog, HarleenaSingh.com from January onwards. Those will be exclusively dedicated to blogging and more! So, I am preparing for that as well. 🙂

I’d hop in off and on to write on this blog, depending on the time in hand.

Meanwhile, Vinay is working endlessly on his special blog services website for all WordPress bloggers. It should launch anytime next month.

We are determined to launch these projects as soon as possible and make them a success.

With so many things on the platter, we need a little time for working on them, besides your support and understanding!

We understand that you’ve expectations and we do not want to disappoint you. So, are you with us on our journey? 🙂

Man sitting on bench in park scheduling priorities in a diary

Wrapping Up

Blogging is challenging, but there is a way to go about it to make it comfortable.

One of the major issues of blogging is balancing your blog and life equally well without any conflicts.

You need to take up the approach of understanding blogging and creating a schedule that allots time to all important blogging and life activities.

Time management is essential for professional bloggers, besides discipline and passion. This includes scheduling your tasks as per your productive and unproductive hours.

You do not have to think of quitting blogging because of the time-consuming blogging demands.

Instead, you can carry out all blogging tasks if you manage them properly.

Doesn’t matter if you work from home or have a day job – balancing blogging and life activities is possible.

Do not be disheartened if things are not working as planned. Instead, discard the option of giving up by making renewed preparation and strategy to start afresh.

I hope this post helps make blogging easy for you. Cheers, and keep blogging! 🙂

Over to you –

How do you manage your blog and life? What is your schedule to strike a balance between blogging and life tasks? Share your experiences and tips with everybody in the comments.

Photo Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Infographic Credit: RedShed.co.uk

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  1. Managing blogging with daily life is not a rocket science but without a schedule it gets even more difficult than that. Since I am a student so its quite tough for me, as I am in the college till evening and then I have to work out in the gym (can’t stay without that), all I am left with is little night hours but yeah I am able to manage it somehow. For increasing productivity it is better to stay away from mobile phone and social media while creating new content, it wastes most of our time.
    Regards,
    Mark.

  2. Hi Harleena,
    This is an awesome blogpost and very relevant for anyone trying to “strike the balance”, so to speak. And there are really a lot of things I could completely relate to while going through the post. Especially your 2 remarks that are ringing like bells in my head (haha),

    The first remark was the one about deciding what one ones to achieve with the blog / what the objective is. The moment that becomes clear, I think it becomes a lot easier to develop the right mindset. Then allocating the right time to meet that objective is what it is then about. Taking into consideration the other commitments all of us have, I think this is crucial.

    And the second one was about scheduling things as it not just gets you to schedule priorities but also helps prevent wasting time. That is so true! I love the schedule you posted, and while mine slightly varies in some places, its pretty much the same.

    The only thing I wondered about was the 30min slots you have in your schedule. My experience is that I am more efficient by planning bigger chunks of time and fewer ones rather than shorter ones. But I guess this is very person-specific. I am really happy for those who can get efficient little chunks of time in and get things done – that’s quite powerful, too.

    Having my own blog now is transition from being a blog-reader in the past and reading your post now (though it is a bit dated) is really valuable for me. Look forward to reading more of your posts in the future.

  3. Hello Harleen,

    Very great of you picking up such an excellent topic!

    Believe me this is the most crucial thing for me, because i am so much lazy to manage my blog and life both. But you have shared with us some good tips and schedules, definitely these schedules help out most of us.

    Thanks for fantastic share 🙂

    Regards

    Mairaj

  4. wow! this was so informative and I could relate with it but I find it rather difficult because am internet / offline network marketer…hence apart from blogging to promote my offers I also sometime have to make presentation and balancing these things is more than juggling…well done and I know following your guide I will become better at it…thanks so much!

  5. Hello Harleena,

    Balancing life along with blogging is kinda tough. Though the chart you have added to the post seems great, but I don’t think all of us can follow exactly like this because at times you mentioned 30 mins for blogging which I don’t think is possible because when you sit to work. It stretches for long.

  6. As a student I know it is very hard to manage personal life, college life as well as the blogging! I started blogging as a hobby and now its a source of part time income. Handling all daily chores and the blog is very hectic task. Your post is really inspirational and got some idea how to manage these this. Thanks!

  7. Hi Harleena,
    Great post and so informative ..
    this post’s link I just added in my new post ,it is in Malayalam language also I shared this link in my networks
    Thanks
    Muralee

  8. If you are working from home then surely it is really hard. I am facing that now. I decided to get a dedicated room from where I will work on my bog. Because home has lots of distractions. How you deal with those?

  9. I work hard at blogging, running my business, and maintaining a good family life. It is tough, but no harder than working for someone else 8 hours or more each day! And I am doing what I love… helping others!
    It is nice to see you are doing the same… and have your priorities straight. That is really important.

  10. Hi Harleena; Thanks for another most excellent post. so, let me see. I grew up in a family of carnival owners, but I never learned to juggle. I can pitch balls into a milk can, bushel basket, or pickle bucket better than just about anyone; but I never learned to juggle. And even though some blind people excel at it, I stink at multi tasking. That is unless we count scratching penny with my right hand while deleting my spam emails with my left. 🙂 But yes blogging does take a lot of time and energy. I don’t know how much time I spend or on what tasks. I’m thinking that just like with someone needing to lose weight I might aught to start with a time journal and keep track of what I’m doing when for which site and what time of day. I am happy to hear you didn’t suggest a app for time keeping. I keep my calendar in a standard text document and it seems to work okay. As for all the various tasks one of the questions I get asked most is just how do I manage it all period. Its kind of nice to know that sighted people struggle with it too. And you are right about blogging time including more than just the writing of the post. That is such a small part of what we do. The relationship building and promotion activities never stop. Well, I’ve been continue to battle with not having enough energy. I mention this because my doctor’s advice goes along with what you said about understanding. The doc said Max you have to understand your body and accept its limitations. He said when you feel like working no matter when that is; then work your but off. And if you don’t feel like it, then rest or do something fun. I know it sounds simple but the devil is in the execution. We all think we should be doing more and most of us are pushing our bodies beyond our normal limits. A friend of mine added to this suggestion by saying I should make a list of jobs that while productive are things I enjoy doing. Man was that an aha moment. 😀 Right now I’m cruising, so I had to stop by and get back in touch with you sweet harleena with Vinay and with all my awesome aha now peeps affectionately known as ahaians. Have a great week my friends. xoxo max

  11. These are some great tips! I have struggled to find a balance for a while, but I recently found a schedule that works for me. I am a work at home mom and I run a blog. Usually I work 6-8 hours a day then spend a few hours writing/promoting my blog. Weekends are usually spent with my family and spare time on the weekend is spent working on my blog as well. A few things I have found helpful are the scheduling tools, I schedule my blog posts ahead of time and I use buffer to schedule my social media promotions. I still spend time writing and commenting everyday, but the scheduling tools really help me manage my time better. Thanks for sharing!

  12. Hello Harleena,

    This is just … an excellent post!

    And so much congrats to you on 300th post! Way too great! 🙂

    Well, that really is considered myth especially by the new bloggers that all the bloggers’ lives are spent over just blogs, in front of the screens and writing and writing all the time. The daily blogging where the content has to be made up, it is really impossible to keep this habit going for long and most will get tired of their schedules.. which is totally a wrong approach to do the blogging.

    Blogging is really, like you said, to manage your time and keep the life balance equal. Working for long hours are seriously risky for the health as well as productivity level of one’s self.

    Being a juggler, you cannot do all of the things in one time but dedicate the time to every single items involved in managing your blog.

    But before deciding to start a blog, do something first. Decide what to blog about and why. Like you already stated, one has to find out the reason of blogging whether the financial goals, information level, authority, etc. are deemed as the results.

    Well, I have a day job online and it sometimes become so hard to even log-in into the blog to check on things. Right that I have to dedicate and manage my time for the blog to keep it going. I work eight hours on the job during weekdays, so it leaves me no to less time to do something out of work.

    And very good luck with your future’s decision! I am so sure you’ll do really good with them! 🙂

    And so much thanks for the sample schedule! They will help me create my own schedule for my blog. 🙂

    ~ Adeel

  13. You’ve put a lot of work into this post, Harleena! Thx for all your work.

    Blogging can indeed take a huge amount of time if quality is important to the blogger. You can really tell the difference between those who don’t care, and those who do!

    I only do one new post per week as that is all I can manage while juggling all the balls you illustrate in your post. I do enjoy commenting on the blogs of fellow bloggers and the very supportive networks that develop thru blogging groups. We sure can’t do it all on our own!

  14. Hello Harleena,

    This is a a very valuable post! Scheduling is very important. It what can make or break the success of your blog. I really like how you broke down your blogging schedule. I was on a schedule. However, I have had to add a couple of things to it. So, I am rescheduling everything. We as bloggers want to keep fresh content for our audience. Finding things to write about can be a job in itself. Bloggers work hard! 🙂

    Thanks for sharing this with us!

  15. I am just a newbie in the blogging world. It’s been one year since the first time I published my first writing.

    I blog 3-4 hours a day. Besides, blogging I am a salary man leaving home at 06.00 in the morning and back to home at 20.00.

    Yes, I sleep less than 08 hours, even less than 6 hours on many days.

    I can not agree more with all facts that you wrote. They are all facts that I have experienced since one year ago. However, I accepted it as my new life.

    At the first time, my family had difficulties to understand my new activity and life as blogging also take my time for them. Luckily, after some time, they can fully understand and somehow also join my team of blogging, not as a writer but small things like taking photos for my blog or telling interesting story about places they visit to give me ideas about what to write next.

    But in short, all that you have written above are facts.

    I enjoy your writing so much but unfortunately blogging had also confiscated my time allocated to read this blog.

  16. Hi Harleena,
    Very nice post!
    Blogging along with maintaining a family is not so easy. Both need quality time for proper balance.
    For me blogging is my priority as I am single till now. Your blogging timetable are awesome and it is good to follow some actionable strategies to perform well in both. Blogging is something which I like most.
    Have a great day !!

  17. Happy Diwali Harleena Mam and the whole ABC community. First of all, congrats for getting a link on Neil Patel’s site. It’s a big achievement. I have learned a lot from him. He is the king of the internet marketing world. I follow his blog closely. As you said, all the posts are nothing but a full guide that needs to be bookmarked.

    Coming back to the post, I am sure every blogger can relate to this topic. When I stepped in the field of blogging, I was completely unaware of the digital world. Like you, I started writing as a hobby. I got support from the blogging community. I was enjoying the whole process. At that time, I didn’t have any blogging goals. When my articles got published on some big sites, I got more confidence in my writing skills. I am glad I turned my passion into my profession.

    It becomes difficult to schedule time in blogging. These days I am not able to stick to my commenting schedule. Apart from writing for myself, I have to write for the clients also. When we work in an office setting, we know our limitation of working within a 9-5 framework. When we work from home, we need to be more disciplined. I easily cross the eight hr work schedule. Normally, it comes out be 10-12 work hours per day. But, I will re-strategies the whole process by minimizing the work hours for devoting some time for recreational work.

    Best of luck for your new blog. I am sure you will come up with great articles over there. Thanks for coming with a wonderful post.

  18. Hi Harleena,

    Wow…this post has to be one of the requirements before someone starts blogging. Time management is such an important pice of the puzzle.

    I like the way you broke down the schedules to a daily…and then weekly basis. Looks like something from my notebook lol. If we do not consider all the things we need to do during the day, we then will get lost keeping our blogs up to date.

    No matter what stage of life we are at, from taking care of a family, to being at the retirement age and dealing with other things in life, we do need to write them ALL down in order to have our own unique schedule to follow.

    You have given so many ways we can do this, it is amazing and I thank you. It doesn’t matter if we are a new blogger or a seasoned one, this post is a must have for all bloggers. Time! It is precious. We need to make it work for us in order to keep our blogs up to date.

    Thanks so much and you know I’ll be passing this on!

    -Donna

  19. Dear Harleena,

    Congratulations on such a milestone! 300 posts! That is absolutely wonderful – and inspirational!

    It was only a few days ago that I realized my priorities had to shift and become focused on my blogging. This makes your post especially important to me, and I am very grateful for all the wonderful advice and examples you’ve shared in it.

    I also understand the need to take a break and work at the changes that are necessary in the next endeavors you’re planning. They require an energy that’s much easier to sustain when you’re being pulled in so many directions.

    In making blogging a priority, for me it also includes doing guest posts. I’ve been doing a lot of research into self-improvement sites that accept them. While each has its own approach and following, with Aha!Now you have created an integrated and supportive community that is very unique. There is a warmth and camaraderie here that you don’t find on the other sites and it is solely due to you!

    You have created something wonderful, and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s coming next!

    Warmly,
    Quinn

  20. Those are such valuable tips to manage life while blogging. I have been blogging for the past one year. It started as a hobby. But being a stay-at-home mom to two demanding kids, the task is pretty challenging. Lately I have begun to feel the need to setup a time-table and work strictly according to that. Your post has encouraged with me further. Thanks for that and I hope many will benefit from this.

  21. Hi Harleena!

    Thank you this informative post and for letting us know how your plans are for the future. That was very helpful.

    I like how you schedule your day. I have to say that my days look similar to yours. What I struggle with are the unforeseen circumstances. And there is always something. Just last week my son woke up with a high fever which did not go down with medicine. So I had to take him to the clinic and pamper him at home for some days. Same week my car broke down and we needed the plumber.

    I am glad you shared your experience because you have really proven how to do it. All the best, Ilka

  22. Hello Harleena Mam,
    This is my first comment ever on your site.
    Managing blogging with daily life is not a rocket science but without a schedule it gets even more difficult than that. Since I am a student so its quite tough for me, as I am in the college till evening and then I have to work out in the gym (can’t stay without that), all I am left with is little night hours but yeah I am able to manage it somehow. For increasing productivity it is better to stay away from mobile phone and social media while creating new content, it wastes most of our time.

    Regards,
    Karan

  23. Since the time I started blogging, I have never thought of quitting. During college, I had to go for a long blogging break but I feel that was a good decision. Many people say that taking a break can just make your blog dead and so on but it depends on the kind of audience you have and how you implement the break.
    I really liked the plan you have developed for your blogging schedule. I work on a number of blogs and hence it is tough to focus on one blog that much. Also, my working hours can never be less than 11 hours. I find it tough to finish my work in that time as well but had to fight the urge to work for more hours.
    That’s what my experience taught me. 11 hours is my limit. Although I do feel like spending a few more hours on my laptop doing the things I love but eventually they lead to exhaustion. Our mind and body needs rest. If you’re working from home, it becomes necessary to take care of your body and hence I never work more than 11 hours in a day. That works for me.
    good luck for the new projects you’re planning. 🙂

  24. Hi Harleena

    Not only my favorite topic but equally one of the main problems I face daily
    In younger age one has to face two major challenges of continuing studies and doing something to get experience like blogging or any other part time job
    Once a person grows up and gets married he or she has another challenge of managing family and social life both. Here from the main challenge of managing whole life while maintaining an ideal balance of all the must-do-roles begins.

    It is quite interesting that blogging is still either underestimated or overestimated though it’s quite long since it took its shape the way as it is today.

    Quite recently I received a FB message from a quite mature person who slightly complaining told me that he has been blogging for the last two months and yet to make single penny. I just wondered how I should reply to him with a big laughter, with my mum pic or with a lengthy tutorial on how long one should wait to earn money with his blog.

    Another school of thought simply stressed on strategy and says strategy is one of the key magic wands if someone forges and follows it proper he can earn quite big money with it.

    Very few people take blogging as a shop or as a solution provider and that is why it can’t be taken with its true spirit. That is why a huge lot face the problem of balancing life and blogging both in a most successful way.

    Nowadays in my country a news of divorce of a very popular politician is quite hot. Justifying his act an expert very strongly proved it is quite hard succeed in two distinct aspects of life. Only mediocre spend a successful life as a whole including social, personal, family and professional. Several examples we have and we need not to go out from South Asia to get such examples.

    You may disagree with me that in blogging as well one has to work like freak and sacrifice a lot of his personal life to give more time to this amazing field where if one really succeed then sky is the limit for him.

    But for fully grown up people with family responsibility like you and me putting our shoes day and night for just one field is neither rational nor will it take us to highway of success. Then the tips and suggestions you mentioned are the best one to keep an ideal balance and spend a life like a super hero.

    Many thanks for sharing very valuable, viable and leading to success post that obviously would help me more to make my life more stress free and easy to achieve my main goals in life.

    Have a super successful week ahead

  25. Hi Harleena Mam,

    Great Post Indeed!!! In India, only a few who understand Blogging, most call it a time waste, they call us time-wasters wasting hours sitting in front of Computer. But from my point of view, I am giving my full efforts to my blog, taking this career as full time job. So, I doesn’t care about what others say about Blogging.

    And I manage Blogging life pretty well giving 8-12 hours daily.

  26. Hi Harleena,

    A very timely post which is actually a must read for any blogger who is struggling to manage their time or not.

    To have a schedule definitely makes your blogging streamlined which is easy to maintain too. Making a list of to-do things is a habit of many. But most of the times we distract with other stuffs. I won’t say being disciplined & focused will always help. As you said, you had to postpone this post for some other priorities. (By the way, wish you a belated happy b’day. Stay blessed 🙂 ). It was not your decision, nor your choice to postpone this task, but sometimes situations force us to change the importance.

    I have always wanted to get 2 hours at a go to work on my blog. But thanks to kid, most of the times I am not able to accomplish my blogging priorities 🙂 But my family has always been my first priority and I am still learning to strike a balance with my blogging time.

    I won’t say I am very unhappy with the way it’s going, but to have a solid schedule would have definitely given better results.

    Thanks for sharing your blogging schedule in the post. It will definitely motivate to fulfill some from my list, if not all, in the scheduled time. Take care 🙂

  27. Hi Harleena,

    I love this post especially because of where i come from.

    Very few compared to our population understands how hard a work blogging is and they see you as jobless when you aee all up facing your PC.

    I am a full time blogger having to manage my personal blog and creating and siurcing or content for the blog i work for and it takes away almost all my personal time. .. sometimes i wonder what it will be like when i have a serious relationship or perhaps have my children.

    Thanks for sharing.

  28. Oh thank you thank you thank you so much for this blog post. For a while there I thought I was going nuts while trying to build my blog for my business.

    I have a MLM business I decided to build online mainly because I had been using the products for years, loved them so much I wanted to share them with others, so decided to start a blog,

    I transitioned to the business side with this company understanding and knowing full well that not every-one will love and want to use the product like me but there would have to be some others out there just like me right.

    I never knew just what I was getting into starting a blog, what an eye opener. Some of my days start at 8.30 am and don’t finish till 2.30am and 3am, and even then when I shut the computer down and go to bed I still struggle sometimes getting to sleep because I am questioning in my head, did I do enough research, did I post to enough Social Media platforms, what should my next post be about and so much more.

    Reading your post I now realise my time management and organisational skills have been severely lacking all this time and could be the reason why I feel I am not doing enough.

  29. Hello Harleena,

    I have to start by thanking you for this in depth post. Every single blogger can relate to all the points you mentioned in this post. Since I joined the AhaNow community, I’m always wondering how you manage it all and I’m grateful to you for offering us so many tips and ways for better manage both our blogs and our lives.

    After I revamped my blog, I thought I was going to be more consistent posting every single week, but I haven’t been able to maintain that consistency. I am slightly disappointed.

    But I remind myself, I am doing the best I can at this point in time.
    My schedule may not be the best at the moment but it’s a flexible one. and I consider myself lucky to have a husband who supports me in every way possible. As a blogger, I feel this is extremely important.

    Here’s my schedule:
    Dance/exercise 5am – 6am
    Blogging time/reading time – 6am – 8am
    Breakfast/cleaning up the house/getting ready for work – 8am – 10am
    Running my own business with my husband 10am-4pm
    Preparing meals(I do listen to podcasts while cooking too) dinner, time with my husband 4.30pm – 8pm
    Admin work after business hours 8pm-10.30pm
    Blogging time – 10.30pm – 12.30 (sometimes longer)

    The above slightly changes during the week as I am involved in community services and Toastmasters club where I am working on improving my English speaking skills to fulfill my ultimate dream of becoming a motivational speaker.

    Saturday mornings 6am – 10am is restricted to blogging and catching on posts I’ve been wanting to read and comment on.
    I spare some time to work on my own posts as well.
    10 to 12 laundry, cleaning/cooking.

    Saturday afternoon is all about US (hubby and I) and our friends. I have quite a lot of friends and they love catching up with me.
    ( I’m so precious…haha) They are precious to me too:)

    Sundays mornings is blogging time and afternoons RELAX.
    I have an added responsibility at the moment though. My house is under construction, so having to go check on the progress every Sunday:) Exciting times.

    After that I’m usually offline…doing what I love most…chilling out before the start of another week 🙂

    I’m quite satisfied with the manner in which I’m managing things at the moment. At least I’m not compromising on family time/ time with friends/ life itself to blog….except for sleep.

    This year has been full on. It has gone too fast for me. I’m hoping for it to slow down a little bit or may be I should slow down:)
    Nevertheless, I’m happy to have done most of what I had planned for this year.

    I try to do as much as I can when I’m blogging but it’s definitely tough. When I first started blogging, I thought it would be easy. But it quickly dawned on me that it required more of me than simply writing.

    However, I am glad I haven’t considered quitting in spite of feeling overwhelmed at times with it all. I love blogging. It has been and still is challenging, but I WILL NOT QUIT.

    I have bookmarked your post for further reference.

    Have a wonderful break.
    For all the huge projects you and Vinay have to work on…we can all certainly understand and be grateful that this break is a much needed one and will only benefit us more as all that you are working on is for us bloggers and non bloggers.

    While you’re on a break I can catch up on the posts I have missed out here:)

    Thank you so much.

    Take care and we’ll see you back again next year:)

    Much Love
    Hema

  30. Hi Harleena!

    This posts comes at the perfect time for me! I’ve just starts a new project where I plan to post every weekday.

    This is a huge change from my previous posting schedule.

    Blogging is a great commitment and it helps so much that you have shared your time management process.

    I will start looking at where I can best fit the time it takes to write and find photos. And then I will schedule it.

    This will help me be successful in my new challenge.

    I’m looking forward to the upcoming changes to this blogging community. I think it will create some wonderful opportunities for many.

    Thank you!

    Take good care,

    Jenn

  31. Hi Harleena

    This post is a life saver. I use to have a blogging schedule that was so hectic. I blogged for 8 hrs after coming from work. This did not help me and I was not my best self at work.

    So I had to create a new schedule and even go as far as creating a timetable when I visit other blogs during the week. So far this has improved my productivity but I am flexible with it like you have so revealed.

    It is great that you doing a good job of balancing blogging with life. You are inspiration in the blogosphere, making a difference.

    I ma also excited about your personal blog and other projects and you are right that you need to focus on themm. Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to the new changes.

    1. Hi Ikechi,

      So glad you liked the post and could relate to it. 🙂

      I can understand how it can get for those who are working full time, yet manage to blog. It really amazes me how you can do it all!

      Yes indeed, it’s tough to manage blogging and your life if you don’t follow some schedule, and it’s wonderful the way you’ve managed yours. True, one needs to be flexible at times or it can get very overwhelming.

      One’s learned to strike the balance over time, though at times it becomes tough and that’s when one’s got to learn to take it slow and just go with the flow (easier said than done!)

      That’s right! This year is going to be fully focused on productivity and getting those projects online. Hope we get it all done though. 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by, and we wish you every success and happiness in this year as well. 🙂

  32. Wow. I loved the scheduling tips that you shared. I’ve just started blogging and have been struggling with how much time it takes in my schedule. I’m living abroad right now and aside from going to the opera or ballet, there’s not much that I do at night so I’ve been working. This has kept me up all night. I noticed that you do light reading or meditation. Basically, take a computer break at least a half an hour or so before you go to sleep. I’m going to start tonight!

    Thanks!

    1. Welcome to the blog, Eve 🙂

      Glad you liked the schedule and could relate to it. I can understand how it can get for a new blogger, but over time, it’s a choice you need to make, depending on the time you can devote to blogging, keeping the other things aside.

      Light reading or meditation always helps reduce the stress, besides give us a breather, a break from blogging, isn’t it? Yes indeed, all computer work and even your cell phones should be switched off before you sleep. Hope you managed to get started!

      Thanks for stopping by, and if there is anything I can help you with, do let me know, as you are new to the blogosphere. 🙂

      BTW – Do use a gravatar, so we know who we are taking to, just a friendly suggestion, as I see you have a lovely picture at your blog, so use that. 🙂

      1. Thank you, Harleena! 🙂

        I loved the advice about the gravatar (even though it took me forever to follow). However, the mediation and/or a short walk has helped me considerably since I wrote the comment in November and applied it.
        Thanks so much for that! 🙂

  33. Hi Harleena,

    My goodness, what a post. I’m sure with you being a stay-at-home Mom that you are asked a lot about how you fit it all in. I know that those who work a full-time job and still manage blog, well all of you deserve a medal in my opinion. I don’t know how you do it all.

    What you’ve shared here is a great outline to help anyone who may be struggling with trying to figure out how to fit it all in. I’m sure if they’re brand new though, the learning process is much more time consuming. We were once there and had to figure this all out right!

    Sharing example schedules was a great idea and now to hear you’re taking another break. My goodness, you do have a lot of irons in the fire. That’s the thing about blogging, we can’t bite off more than we can chew or it can hurt us in the long run.

    Sounds like though you’re creating another blog for the community and you’re going to be even busier than you are right now. I have a feeling another post will have to come down the pipeline to share with us how you’re able to fit all of that in as well. LOL!!!

    Good luck to you with your new project and I hope it all goes well. Eager to see your new blog so I wish you the best.

    ~Adrienne

    1. Hi Adrienne,

      Sorry for the late reply, but glad to have made it now. 🙂

      Absolutely! It’s not easy to have two teens at home and work alongside, not to mention our dog as well! It’s always hands-full for me. It’s tough at times, but now one’s got used to managing things to get it all done.

      That’s true, and though these guidelines have worked for me, I’ve tweaked them to fit my needs, and so must everyone who wishes to make their own.

      We didn’t take the much needed break and were back within a week, so the projects would now take a wee bit longer as we wanted the break to work on them, but we are working towards it now, though gradually.

      We are making a new ABC, so we can shift to a bigger and better platform, and as it’s all a self-learning curve, we’re taking it slow for starters.

      Thanks so much once again for your kind wishes. Wishing you a happy and successful new year as well. 🙂

  34. Hey Harleena mam,
    I have only 1 word for you “Super” actually you are really a super woman because as i am remembering that you told me once that you have one child approx of my age .And mostly bloggers from all over the world are following to you because they love your way of writing , way of expressing for a single topic.

    and here you have shared mostly all tips and details which are relate to your real life.

    you are really doing a hard work because managing blogging on pro level and then then family life .
    It’s too difficult , mostly people asked in your old interviews that mam how you manage your personal life and blogging and you always replied with a genuine and awesome answer.

    so after a long time as a return gift of you birthday you published this helpful content and i am sure this will rock and inspire many people like me who are managing study with blogging.

    Cheers!

    1. Hi Sanu,

      Good to have you back, and thanks so much for the kind words. 🙂

      I have two daughters, not one! One of them is about your age and the other one is giving her boards this year also, so my hands are full all the time being a full-time-mom- blogger-cum-writer!

      So glad you liked the tips shared along with my schedules, and yes, it’s certainly not easy to manage blogging and your life, especially when you have a full family to take care of, and that includes our pet dog too!

      I always believe in being honest and transparent in my interviews, comments, and replies, anywhere. I have nothing to hide, Sanu, and if I can help people through that, then why not. I still remember my interview at your blog, and look at where you have reached today, which is because of your hard work and dedication as well.

      Thanks for stopping by, and wishing you a very happy & productive year ahead 🙂

  35. Hi Harleena,

    I just can’t believe someone can write such an elaborative, informative, indepth analysis on a single topic, with this awesomeness. This article of yours has made me to not search google again for any information on “how to manage life and blogging” thing as it has given me more than what is required. I am still new to blogging and has got so many dilemmas in these 2-3 months of my Blogging journey and I am one of such persons thing now and then about the topic discussed in this article. I really have to say thanks a ton to you and no words to describe about this masterpiece from you. I have bookmarked this article in my browser as a ready reference and also taken printout for my offline use.I came to know why you have a HUGE followers and why your community is so Rocking!! waiting for any masterpiece from you ..:) take care have a wonderful day!!

    1. Hi Gurunath,

      Thanks so much for your kind words of appreciation, and so glad you liked the post and could relate to it. 🙂

      Even though you are new to blogging, I am sure you must be able to manage blogging and your life well enough, as you’ve been working offline for a long time now. However, the online world can get very demanding and overwhelming at times, so one just needs to be calm, patient, committed, and consistent to keep going.

      Thanks so much for stopping by and bookmarking this post. If there is anything I can help you with, as you are comparatively new, just let me know. Have a nice weekend, and productive year ahead 🙂

  36. Hello Harleena,

    Very informative post! Very insightful as well as you go out on a blogging break once again with a bang! 🙂 Kudos my friend. You’ve done well to share with us on time management with blogging and our life outside of blogging.

    I’ve done poorly when it comes to managing my time between blogging, my day job which sometimes end after 10 hours plus my personal life and as such I died to blogging mid September and even thought of quitting. But I’m not a quitter so I am back again to make another attempt a managing my time to get the most out of everything that I have to do on a daily basis.

    You have provided suggestions by the schedules you’ve shared but not sure how that will even work for me though it is worth the try.

    I am excited for you seemingly that you have this all downpack and ready to take on more projects. I look forward to when each one is launched and to participate in whatever that I can. Sure would like to do a guest post once again 🙂 One question, if you have already registered on this site, do I need to register again via the link shared in this post?

    Thanks for keeping us in the loop. Have a great time

    1. Hi Yvonne,

      So glad you liked the post and could relate to it. 🙂

      We didn’t really go for the blogging break we’d planned, but the few days off was surely a breather! I just shared a few ways that have worked for me, though I keep changing things to suit my requirement and remain consistent in the blogosphere.

      I can well understand what you mean, and I marvel at you for being able to manage it all, along with your full-time job, which isn’t easy! You’re doing so well with the blog now, and I am sure this new year would bring in more peace and happiness for you.

      These schedules have worked at times for me when I was working full-time, but each one would have to tweak it a little as per their needs to see what fits in best with them.

      Yes, we’ve got plans, even for this blog and the new ABC, but are taking it slow – one thing at a time to avoid being overwhelmed because we are blogging alongside, and never really took the much needed blogging break to work on these projects. Yes, you’d need to register again, but you’d know of the new ABC once it’s up for sure.

      Thanks for stopping by, and have a nice weekend 🙂

  37. Hi Harleena, You’re exactly right, blogging can take over your life. I learned with The Wonder of Tech that blogging can consume your life.

    In the beginning I blogged 5 days a week. That was too much and took away from family time. So I cut down to three days a week and now I’m at two days a week at The Wonder of Tech but I have a third article at Voice of America Learning English each week.

    As blogging really is a creative venture, I find that sticking to a strict schedule just doesn’t work for me. I find that blogging takes as much time as I have. If I have just one hour to work, that’s the time it takes to write and article. If I have a full day, that’s how much time I’ll take.

    But one thing I’ve learned quickly is to not blog after my girls get home from school. They need my attention and shouldn’t have to share it with my blog. That means I have to get everything done during the school hours. But as I said in the last paragraph, I take as much time as I have. It’s my job to carve out my blogging time and keep it separate from family time.

    Yes, I do take Saturdays off of my blog. It’s my lowest traffic day anyway so why not use it for family time?

    Like you, I got hooked on blogging. But I know so many people who quit because blogging took over their lives. This helpful article shows us how it’s possible to blog and have a life.

    Congratulations on the new direction you will be taking with this blog, your new blog and ABC. May I make one tiny suggestion?

    I know your 5 year anniversary for Aha!NOW is coming up December 25. Perhaps you should have a post on that day to celebrate?

    I will miss you terribly whilst you’re gone, but look forward eagerly to your return in January.

    <3 <3 <3

    1. Hi Carolyn,

      Sorry for the late repy, but glad to get started with them now. 🙂

      You bet it can, and no one knows it better than those of us who blog consistently, isn’t it?

      I wonder how you managed to blog 5 days a week, Carolyn! I say this because like me, you have teenage kids and a family to take care of, so one can imagine how disciplined you must be, commendable indeed! I’m so glad it’s down to twice a week, along with the other article write up you do, which I think is manageable and gives you time enough in hand.

      You’re absolutely right about that, something we also experience that blogging can take hours to a full day, and sometimes even more for a single post at times!

      I love the attention you give to your family, and that’s something I believe in too, though I do take up the social media and other such tasks, while the family sits together or watches TV in the evenings, nothing that needs my complete attention at work at that time for sure!

      Oh yes! We all need a day off, and mine are also usually Saturday evenings to Sunday evenings if I can make it till then. More than family time, it’s moms-the-chef time for me on weekends!!

      I’ve seen so many of our blogging friend’s leave the blogosphere too, because of various reasons. But the saddest is when blogging takes over your life, leaving you overwhelmed, and as a last resort, you just call it quits. Striking the right balance is the key I feel, and if we can do that as bloggers, we’re on the right path for a long time.

      Thanks for stopping by, and for your lovely suggestion, due to which we didn’t take the long break and kept blogging right through into the New year, celebrating the 5th Anniversary. 🙂

  38. Hi Harleena, I love the charts you shared with us on your time and how you divide it. I’ve found it harder now that I have a dog to take care of and am in a relationship. I have less time then ever to blog besides working full time too. My priorities have shifted since I began blogging but I still enjoy it and would love to make some money with it too. I know it takes time and energy. I think no matter your reasons are you have to like to continue to blog. It seems most bloggers have that will to become successful that drives them to continue on.
    Great topic Harleena as I always wondered how many bloggers did it all. Thanks for sharing with us and for the tips too.

    1. Hi Lisa,

      So glad you liked the charts and all that’s shared in this post. 🙂

      Many congratulations for your new relationship, and yes, I can understand how tough it can get when you are in a new one, which needs time and attention. Oh yes! Pets need their own sweet time too, and they are so similar to having kids at home, who need constant looking after.

      I really wonder how you find time when you work full-time, though many manage it all well, but each to their own. It’s certainly not easy.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views 🙂

  39. Hi Harleena,

    Interesting article. I work full time and I love to blog. Therein lies my issue with time management. During the evening after work, I have to make myself put my computer away in order to prepare for the next day’s journey. Funny I began blogging because I needed an outlet for my passion of organization, and crafting. I thought it would be easy and simply fun. However, after being in it for a year, my focus has changed. I still want to share but I would also like to make a profit from my blogging. Hence what once just a hobby/passion has become a pseudo job.

    I look forward to your new launch and assume that if we are already members of AHA there is no need to sign up for the new and improved ABC. Good luck and much success on your new endeavors and I look forward to perhaps guest posting on the new sites.

    1. Hi Clearissa,

      Wonderful to know more about your schedule, and if your work is your passion, you enjoy it all the more. 🙂

      I can understand what you mean, as working all day can be a tedious task if you don’t take regular breaks in-between.

      Most of us start blogging as an hobby or out of an interest we have in it, and later change our direction, just as you mentioned. I guess because of the time we spend blogging, it makes sense to think about monetizing our blogs or find ways to earn from it, something we are thinking of also.

      The new ABC will take time to come up, as we are working on it gradually, and every member will have to re-register there again, once it’s up.

      Thanks for stopping by and your kind wishes. Have a nice weekend 🙂

  40. Hi Harleena,

    This is one information packed post if I do say so myself 🙂

    And I LOVE the schedules you posted here. In fact, I’m going to save them (and the post itself) for some ongoing structure.

    I will admit that time management has been my biggest challenge, but at least I’m aware of it. I know this is why I’m attracting tips and methods from various people to help me with this – and I’ve been improving on this as of late.

    I personally don’t feel it’s unprofessional at all to take a break. You have a plan in motion – and it sounds like you know quite well what you need to do to make the most out of your tools and capabilities. You’ve been at this for 5 years – and considering it started out as a hobby…where you are now speaks volumes.

    I find you inspiring, and I look forward to learning a lot more from you on your beautiful new blog.

    I wish you a wonderful couple of months Harleena – and again, I thank you for being so generous with your knowledge and experiences 🙂

    1. Hi Dana,

      So glad you liked the post and all that’s mentioned in it. 🙂

      Yes, these schedules are mostly what I follow or have followed when I was working offline, though each one of us has to make one for ourselves, based on what works best for us.

      Wonderful to know about the improvement you’ve made regarding time management, because that IS a problem, especially with bloggers, and if you are a mom blogger – all the more!

      Absolutely agree with you there! Breaks are needed, more so if you have other things planned, besides the breather we all need. However, I couldn’t really take it off as planned and was back sooner than expected. I guess things would just take a slow and gradual pace now, but that’s alright – we are in no rush. Slow and steady does it, isn’t it?

      Thanks so much for your kind words, and so happy if I could inspire you in some ways. The new blog too is coming up, but it still needs to be worked on. Appreciate your kind wishes, and shall soon see you over at your blog. Happy weekend 🙂

  41. Hello Harleena maam,
    You just spoke out every blogger’s plight and gave a fitting solution too. Most bloggers and online marketers struggle with time management may be because we are free to indulge in anything we want (unlike an office where we are governed by a ruly boss!).

    I really missed your meaty posts. I am glad I have one to devour. 😉

    Coming to the post, I fin it extremely hard to manage my offline life along with blogging and I remember I had asked you for your schedule of working.
    I still have it and follow it in parts because the morning part of my day is taken by my offline self where I get no time to meditate or walk.

    Defining what yo want from blogging and how much time you should allocate to it is very important.
    Procrastination is really a killer. And I procrastinate a lot but sometimes it teaches me a clever way to manage my time and do my work at the last minute. But, often these last minute works are not perfect and I need little more time to edit the work done.

    I specifically liked your schedule for those having a day ob. I think I can fit this in my working routine and it will help me along with other readers.

    OMG! you are again on a break?
    Anyways, like you said we have to schedule our priorities and so I wish you all the luck with your priorities (other projects). I hope they become what you have thought them to be. 🙂

    Have a great time 🙂
    -Swadhin

    1. Hi Swadhin,

      So glad you could relate to the post, and yes, managing blogging and life is something most bloggers have issues in I think 🙂

      You are right, most people working online have the disadvantage of following a disciplined routine, as one has in the office. But I guess you can work on that if you make up your mind, isn’t it?

      Really meaty! Yes, been a while, and I’m glad I managed to get down to writing this one, and now the comments.

      I can understand about the problem of time-management, Swadhin. I remember you asking for my schedule, and here you have it, though I don’t always follow it, but try to. I know you have offline tasks to perform also, but it’s good if you can take out time for meditation and exercises of any kind. We don’t get to know at this age, but once we near around 40 or so, it starts showing on us, so better to be careful from before – and being bloggers who lead a sedentary lifestyle, other health issues can cause problems too.

      Procrastination is a killer, and many bloggers face this problem. Yes, working in the last minute is not good, but as I mentioned, if you set a time-table and follow it religiously, you’d get it all done in time. Try it and let me know how it goes. 🙂

      I was on a break, but couldn’t stay on one for more than 2 week!! But glad I had sometime with my Dad who was visiting us, though now it means everything takes a slow pace.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views with us. Have a nice weekend 🙂

  42. Hey Harleena,

    What a brilliant post. I have always wanted a bit of an insight into your schedule. I have blocks of six months chunks. The first six months was called play. Getting to know my way around and learning (I must say I did not expect blogging to be what it is to me today). The first stage was No pressure (even though I put a tonne of pressure on myself – practicing a lot of your advice).

    I take blogging on like I am starting my own business. Which I am, but that is not until the third stage. So my hours are generally from 6am to 8pm, with exercise, meditation and slack time. I only take time off when something comes up and I do it without feeling guilty and I attempt to have one day off a week – only because it really does increase my productivity. But I am always looking for excuses to jump on the net. But discipline is the key.

    There has never been a time I have thought about quitting, my doubt comes in the techie stuff and if I have put enough effort into my posts. I don’t like half hearted attempts – that keeps me on my toes.

    Finally I have found an outlet to share my opinions, but thrilled to be around hard working people. When I hear blogger – I know they put many hours into their job.

    Can’t wait to see what you have got in your future plans – always exciting to know you are up to something. I will come back to the post to see if I can tweak my schedule a little to improve my productivity. Great post – thank you.

    Rachel.

    1. Hi Rachel,

      So glad you liked the post and could relate so well to it. 🙂

      This was just a little glimpse of my schedule, though not always followed exactly, but most of it I do try and follow daily. I know about your first six months, which have been such a learning experience, and certainly much more than what it was for me when I started. So, you’re doing wonderfully for yourself.

      I like the gradual progress you’re making, and it should be like that so that you aren’t overwhelmed. Yet you are much faster than so many of us were, when we started, so that should make you happy!

      Taking time off in-between work, and a day completely off is SO essential, though I still have to get down to really doing it myself. Sunday’s I just hop in for a while and then I am off – still need to keep it a full day off.

      I can understand about the doubt coming in where the tech issues are concerned, and that’s common with most newbies, especially women bloggers. I’m glad Vinay’s there to take care of that aspect, though nowadays you can find any kind of help if you Google for it, isn’t it?

      Yes, always give your full, no matter what the task you perform, whether it’s commenting or writing your posts, or helping anyone. Just like me there!

      You are hard working yourself, so those are the kind of people you’d attract, and it’s always nice to be around such people who inspire and motivate you.

      We still have to get down with the projects mentioned, just never enough time to get it all done, which was the reason we wanted to take the long break. But that never happened, so now we take it slow, steady, and one thing at a time.

      Thanks for your heartfelt comment. Have a nice and relaxing weekend, you deserve it. 🙂

  43. You shared valuable information here Harleena.

    “Blogging is a tedious job” you can say that again my friend! And when you said there are bloggers who can get away with not spending to much time on commenting or socializing, I like to call the cruise control and I’m not there yet. Even if I did I would not stop engaging with my visitors and followers on social media.

    I didn’t have a blogging strategy either when I started. But as soon as I did put one in place I was less overwhelmed and could focus on one task at a time.

    Thank you for sharing this infographic. It was interesting to read the different workweeks and work hours in different countries. I’m glad the 9-day workweek didn’t take either. 🙂

    I put in about 10 hours a day split into a morning and evening shift but I work 6 days a week. I’ve been thinking about my blogging schedule and perhaps cutting back to posting three times a week to focus on other projects. I haven’t decided yet because I’m worried how my visitors will react.

    But after having read your upcoming changes, you’re motivating me to proceed. 🙂

    I don’t follow the 8-8-8 rule at all and like you don’t get enough sleep either. I think my body is used to it already. I’ve tried going to bed early but I wake up earlier, weird? 🙂

    Love the sample blogging schedule you shared too. I need a schedule to include more me time and meditation. 🙂

    Hope you’re having a great day Harleena! I wish you all the success in your new ventures and you will be missed but we at least we can keep in touch on social media :).

    Cori

    1. Hi Cori,

      Sorry for the late reply, but glad I got to the pending few 🙂

      You bet I’d say it over and over again, and I know we sail in the same boat my friend, being mom bloggers, which certainly isn’t easy. I know you can so well relate to this post.

      Yes indeed, as bloggers it’s tough to shut yourself off from socializing, commenting, interacting, and being with others. That’s so much a part of blogging!

      I can understand about the blogging strategy bit, as that comes only with time, and look at you and all the progress you’re making. Commendable indeed, and I am so happy for you my friend.

      I found the workweeks and work hours interesting too, though a mom bloggers work never ends, right? Your working hours are proof of that, while mine – I still have to think when I am not working! I think posting thrice a week, or even twice is a good idea, especially now that you have your other projects to take care of, and once you let your readers know, they’d all understand. So glad the changes we are planning, motivated you in some way.

      I am so short of sleep too, though keep working on getting more of it or try taking a nap in the afternoon, but never enough. So glad you liked the sample blogging schedule too, though each one of us has our own to make and follow.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your wonderful thoughts with us. Yes, I’m back sooner than expected 😉

  44. Hi Harleena,

    That is a wonderfully exhaustive post. I am glad you have such a strict schedule for blogging and have been inspiring so many bloggers with this blog.

    It is predictable that you are preparing for something very special! Wishing you all the success for the ventures and projects you have in hand. Enjoy your time off from Aha now to enter new avenues. Looking forward to meeting you at your new blog also. Have a nice week.

    1. Hi Balroop,

      Glad you liked the post, and sorry for it’s length, though I tried to keep it real short 🙂

      Yes indeed, it’s a strict and disciplined blogging life that I follow, and perhaps it’s helped me achieve a lot of things I wouldn’t have otherwise. So glad I could help and inspire others as well – I’d say my purpose of blogging is somewhat accomplished this ways.

      Absolutely! We are all focused on what we want now, and just need the time to get it all done. One’s got to slow the pace of one thing to accomplish another, isn’t it?

      Thanks so much for your lovely wishes, and I’d hop over off and on to meet you at your blog too. Have a nice week as well. 🙂

  45. Hi Harleena,

    I know what a struggle it can be to work full-time, tend to family and other priorities, while maintaining two blogs and all that goes along with blogging. You know as well as I know, it’s not easy. I have no rhyme or reason to my madness. The thing that helps me most is prescheduling articles.

    I hope you enjoy your break. Looking forward to seeing what you think of next!

    1. Hi Bren,

      You bet it can! Certainly not easy my friend, and I know you were working at a full time job and blogging as well, just wonder how you manage to accomplish it all! More so, now with your two kid’s (your dogs!) it just adds to your challenges. I agree, prescheduling always helps, though not everyone does that due to various reasons.

      Thanks for your wishes, and glad you stopped by. Have a nice week, while we’d soon be starting work as mentioned. Would hop over at your blog soon too. 🙂

  46. Hi Harleena Ma,am
    Wow, I’m so glad I found this post! I really needed to read just these words at just this moment. As I am work in night shift is too difficult to manage time for my blog. Your article helps me alot.
    THANK YOU for this post.

    1. Hi Saurabh,

      Good to see you after long 🙂

      So glad you found the post useful, and yes, I can understand how tough it must be for those who have a job to blog alongside. You mentioned night shift, which just adds to the challenges. I am sure you can slow down your pace for a while and blog when you have the time for it – that’s the key, isn’t it? Learning to balance blogging and your life.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views with us. 🙂

  47. Hey Harleena,

    I am amazed at your busy schedule but good to see you take time for yourself in the form of meditation, walking and yoga. It’s so important.

    I started blogging because I wrote an ebook and was told I needed to have a blog. I’ve often threatened to give up blogging because of the time involved. I don’t have children at home any longer but there are still things that keep me busy.

    I had two blogs at one time but that took up too much of my time even though I’ve only ever blogged once a week. I did have a schedule and I did stick to it. I’ve rarely not posted once a week even when I’ve been away.

    I’ve read several times recently that it’s not necesary to blog frequently but better to spend time promoting your best posts. I’ve decided now to write a post only every other week while I concentrate on other things I want to do that have had to take a back seat previously.It’s quite a relief now I’ve taken the pressure off myself.

    Enjoy the rest of your week.

    1. Hi Sandy,

      Glad you liked it, though this is how I mostly work, though may not follow the timetable exactly always. 🙂

      Just as I was mentioning in my comments before yours, my work hours stretch longer, which results in hardly 5-6 hours of sleep on most days that I try to make up through the afternoon nap, but it’s not the same. I need to work on achieving the 7-8 hours bit at least.

      Being bloggers who lead a sedentary lifestyle, we have to take out time for some form of exercise like walking or playing some sport. Meditation and yoga rejuvenate and help you focus I feel, and adding a few minutes for them is needed.

      I can understand what you mean, and yes, most writers are advised to start a blog and one thing leads to another. True, there are lots of things that keeps a homemaker busy, beside the kids!

      You’re like me there, as I started off with two blogs too, both on the blogger platform initially, but have been active on this one only as for now. However, soon I’d start off with HarleenaSingh.com, which would be a specific niche blog. Still have to make a schedule for it though. 🙂

      Yes, you are very regular with your posts, which is wonderful. I guess if you aren’t much on the social media and various social platforms, you can easily achieve a great deal. So, that’s a choice one has to make also.

      That’s right – writing a post is a small part of blogging, it’s the promotion that matters. So, even if you write once a week and spend the rest of the days in promoting it, I think it’s good enough.

      It all comes down to your decision and what suits you at the end of the day. If we wish to concentrate on other things or have projects in hand, we have to slow our pace and focus on those, just what we are doing also. Work is best enjoyed when it’s done without feeling pressurized, isn’t it?

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views with us. Have a nice week ahead 🙂

  48. Hi Harleena,
    I work full time and since I do a variety of different jobs, it’s already hard to organize my time. I’m still trying to organize my time to fit more blogging in. Even just half an hour a day of writing, is a good start. Living with Multiple Sclerosis, it’s also challenging because I get more tired than I used to. However, I have to remind myself how energizing I find it writing. It’s hard to get started, but then I really enjoy it.

    It was interesting reading your schedule and how you’ve worked thorugh some of these issues. Functioning on less than 8 hours sleep isn’t really an option for me, at least not on a regular basis. I start getting MS symptoms if I do that. Sometimes though, it’s just about making the most of every momnet and not procrastingating. I know that I can be better with that.
    Hope your day is going well,
    Rachel

    1. Hi Rachel,

      Good to have you back after long. 🙂

      Makes me wonder how you manage to do it all! It must be tough to get things done and blog alongside.

      Yes indeed, if you can spend a little time daily for blogging, it’s good enough, because you are working at a lot of other jobs and living with MS is an additional challenge.

      So glad you enjoy what you do, as it takes care of the down times, whenever they come up, isn’t it? I also find blogging and writing to be therapeutic.

      I am happy you found my schedule interesting, though I don’t follow it exactly, and sometimes my work hours exceed than what’s mentioned here. But it’s a general timetable anyone can tweak for themselves.

      You should ideally sleep for 8 hours, and if you are getting that amount of rest, it’s wonderful, even if its because of MS. True, make the best of each moment because those are that count in life, isn’t it? Wish you the best of health. 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts with us. Have a nice week ahead as well, and I’d see you at your blog soon. 🙂

  49. Hey Harleena,

    When it comes to time management I’m all over it. I work full time and trying to manage my blogging time at the same time and yes, it can be challenging.

    The schedule that you have here is similar to my routine. I try to get at least 7 hours of sleep or else I won’t be functioning well throughout the day. Also I’ve been eating a lot healthier which has been giving me a lot more energy and it has sharpen my mind.

    I look forward to the coming year when you and Vinay finish your projects. I’ve been looking forward to your new blog and I’m going to make it a point to guest post here.

    Thanks for keeping us in the loop and for the time management tips! Have a good one!

    1. Hi Sherman,

      I am sure you are a pro at managing your time as you work full time and also blog, which is commendable. 🙂

      Yes, it can be very, very challenging! If those of us who don’t work at a full time job can find it tough to manage blogging and life, one can imagine how it could be for you, though you don’t have a family as yet I guess, so you can still get it all done.

      I did mention 7 hours in the schedule chalked out, but it’s actually not even 6 hours of sleep most of the days, even though I try to make up with an hours rest in the afternoon, but it’s not the same. I need to work on that aspect.

      I remember you’d mentioned about the improvement in your eating habits and it’s wonderful that you’re seeing the change.

      We’d be soon starting off with the pending projects and hopefully get over with them by the end of this year. You are most welcome to send in your guest post pitches – would be a pleasure to have you over as our guest.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences with us. Have a nice week ahead 🙂

  50. Hey Harleena!

    This post was phenomenal and I found it at just the right time because I found out just the other night that I may have a little one on the way… If it turns out to be true, my life is in for a real big change and the way I run my businesses is going to have to change as well.

    I’m not sure if I really believe in work-life balance at first. Now obviously it’s different if you have a family in which you are obligated to support and spend time with. Perhaps my view is a little bit biased because I attribute much of my success due to the fact that I used to work 14-16 hour work days, day in and day out. Without that grinding I would have never took off. I am very thankful I started when I did, because I have no idea how I would’ve done it if I would’ve had a family or a traditional job that required my time. I suppose you can say I definitely did not follow the 8 + 8 + 8 rule. 🙂

    The key thing for me that allowed me to do more with the same amount of time was when I started outsourcing and hiring people to do tasks that weren’t worth my time. This allowed me to focus my time on places of my business where I was needed the most, and allowed me to focus on the areas that made me more money. I have no doubt that if I tried to do all of the work myself, I would burn out and the quality would suffer.

    It’s going to be very interesting to see how I’m going to be able to manage time while taking care of a baby, if it turns out to happen. I am sure I will be referring back to this post in the future. 🙂

    Good to talk to you Harleena!
    – James McAllister

    1. Hi James,

      So glad you liked the post and could relate so well to it. 🙂

      You have a long way to go as you’ve just started, so changes are bound to happen. Anything for the better is always good I’d say. I agree that balancing your work and life isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, though as you tread the path of being a blogger over the years, I am sure you’d have no option but to make some kind of a schedule that would suit your need. Without making one, it could get tough, especially if you want to go on the professional route as a blogger. But to each their own, just as I mentioned in the post too. There are no rules in blogging nor in our life, isn’t it?

      Yes indeed, with a family, things become very different. More so, if you have a family, a job, and are blogging too, it’s all the more tougher! If you are unmarried or single, you don’t have the additional responsibilities, so the time in hand is a lot more to work endlessly, as you are alone and your own boss. I am so happy for you as you started out at this young an age, just like a lot of other young bloggers I know of too. You youngsters certainly have an added advantage, and I wish you the very best.

      True, if you are focused in what your want, you can certainly achieve a lot as you did when you started off. I guess knowing the direction you are headed is what really matters to achieve success.

      Yes, we’d all love to see how things change once you settle down and there’s a family you need to cater to too! Perhaps you’d refer to this article that time. 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences with us. Good talking to you too, and I’d see you over at your blog in a couple of days as well 🙂

  51. Harleena,

    Great post! While reading the post, I found my thoughts in it.

    Yes, blogging along with maintaining a family is not a piece of cake. Both need quality time to balance well.

    For me, the family is my priority. I never do low-quality works offline as everything should be perfect for me. Thus, I don’t have any maid as well.

    The images and your blogging timetable are awesome. Yeah, it is good to follow some actionable strategies to perform well in both.

    Blogging is my passion and I’m getting satisfied in connecting like-minded people.

    Of course, Yoga does magic for me. I have recently started to practise yoga and I can focus on my work.

    You’ve crafted this post in a neat manner so as to inspire women bloggers.

    Good to know about you, keep your good work Harleena.

    Hope you’ve celebrated you bday with your family & friends. Have a good rest of the day 🙂

    1. Hi Nirmala,

      Glad you liked the post and could relate to it. I thought you would, being a woman blogger like me. 🙂

      I completely agree with you, and either of the two will suffer if one of them becomes your priority. The answer lies in balancing the two efficiently.

      Yes indeed, the offline tasks that a homemaker can do efficiently, a maid cannot. I guess keeping a part-time one for the main washing and cleaning is still alright.

      So glad you liked the timetable and images, just what one follows mostly, though I usually go overboard in my work hours, or catch up over the weekend, which I know isn’t right!

      I agree about yoga as it’s got tremendous benefits, so does meditation, if you’ve tried it. They help you stay focused and are good for health too. I love my walks too – they rejuvenate me 🙂

      Thank you for your kind words, and as I was telling Rohan above, because of my birthday yesterday, my family just didn’t let me work on this post, or else it would’ve been shared yesterday. Yes, it’s for women and men bloggers who work from home, and others too, though women could perhaps relate to it more as I’ve shared my experiences in this one. Appreciate you stopping by 🙂

  52. Harleena ma’am, You’ve answered the most important question. I’m sure each and every serious blogger would have struggled with time management.

    Many of us might be just jotting down “Important tasks” each morning and struggling to get those done throughout the day.

    I used to do that way, but after reading this post and a couple of posts at Marie’s blog I’ve decided that I’ll plan and prioritize all my study related tasks and blogging tasks at the beginning of each week.

    Also many among us might be approaching their days with flexibility, but I guess that would not work for me. Because I’ve never been able to effectively use my time that way.

    This level of planning and management may not work for everyone, but there is always an option for re-planning.

    I procrastinate, A LOT! Due to which I had to say “no” to several great opportunities. That is when I realized that I’m not walking my talk (of being #Rohanlicious, which requires me to be opportunistic).

    Social media and constant notifications can sway us away from our schedule. It is so much important to be disciplined and to stick to what has been planned and prioritized.

    Thanks for sharing your time table. Now I know how you manage to do so much. This post will force me to spend more time managing my time from now on. 🙂

    Rohan.

    1. Hi Rohan,

      I hope so too, and you are right, effectively managing your time is the key to getting things done, in time. 🙂

      Absolutely! I’ve done that too. But simply jotting them down and not following them or getting distracted doing other tasks is something common with most people, unless they are really focused and disciplined.

      Being a student, you have to cater to what’s important for your career first I feel, and with the time you have left in hand, the other tasks like blogging etc. can fit in. True, you have to prioritize things that need your foremost attention and plan them all out, just as you mentioned.

      It’s the same with me because if I don’t follow a disciplined routine, I cannot get it all done, and this leads to an overload the next day. But sometimes I’ve to be flexible, just like yesterday, which was my birthday as you know – and it was the day to schedule this post! However, my family just didn’t let me work, and so, this post came up today. To each their own I’d say.

      I agree with you, and what is mentioned in this post is mainly the way I work to get things done – a rough sample. But such is my case, which would be different from the rest, so each one has to chalk out and make a schedule that they can follow comfortably.

      One can understand that, and honestly speaking, I don’t know how you and so many other bloggers who are also studying and working at a full time job, manage to blog! It amazes me. 🙂

      Oh yes! Social media is the biggest time killer, if you don’t manage your time there well enough. So, just close those tabs and the notifications would end. It’s one reason I haven’t connected my mobile to any social media networks, or else I’d never get anything done.

      Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your experiences with us, which would help other bloggers too. I didn’t mean to force you, but I am glad it shows you a little picture of how tedious it can all get if we don’t manage our time and daily tasks. 🙂

      1. Thanks for the reply. I look forward to see the new ABC and I’m sure you’ll be able to do all that you’ve planned. Eagerly waiting to read your posts at your new blog too.

        Wishing you and Vinay sir the best. 🙂

        Rohan.

        1. Most welcome Rohan 🙂

          Yes, the new ABC should be up soon and we’d love to have you all on the new platform. We are gearing up to start all that we’ve planned after the holidays, which includes my new blog.

          Thanks so much once again for your lovely wishes 🙂

  53. Thank you very much for sharing this tips. Actually it’s too tough to maintain this rules for me . I have to think new topics or how to start this writing . I have to spend many times for thinking . I will to maintain this schedule .

    1. Welcome to the blog Partho 🙂

      There are no rules in this post, but only suggestions based on my blogging experiences. In fact, I’ve shared a daily schedule that I follow and you can make your own schedule as per what suits you.

      You can even blog without a schedule if that works for you, but scheduling only make things easy. I understand your problem of finding it hard to find new topics and write posts. For that, I’d suggest you click and read the post of Neil Patel mentioned in this post. I hope that will help you.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts with us 🙂

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