In this post I want to talk about Time Management and Bloggers. I’ve been a blogger for a long time now and there have been times in the past when blogging and running a business have totally consumed my life. If you aren’t careful, you can spend more time staring at the computer than spending your time with your family.
…Not always a bad thing ha!
I have recently started blogging again and I have made a packed with my good self, that I will not concentrate on my blog or business for more than 2 hours a day.
(Unless my family have other commitments anyways, in which case I have a free pass!)
Hoorah!
You might be thinking…
…2 hours! What the heck can you get done in 2 hours?
But honestly you’ll be surprised. The trick is to be prepared. You will need to spend 5 minutes, (preferably the day before) outlining what tasks you’ll want to concentrate on. To do this I use my universe approach. Something I have been doing for about 7 years. Here’s what to do…
Take a piece of paper or a notebook and draw a line down the middle. In the right hand column, write out your complete to do list. At the top of the column write ‘Universe To Do’. Then on the left hand side, write the words ‘My To Do’s’ or your name.
Under your column write 3 things that you are going to realistically achieve that day. They are normally things a bit bigger than replying to an email or making a phone call and they will be tasks that you would feel like you had really accomplished if you could them off your list.
Completing a do list (even of just 3 things) feels very satisfying. Sometimes you will finish your ‘to do’s’ quickly and will then have time to do the tasks on your universe list, and other times, as if by magic the Universe will complete the tasks for you.
It all comes down to intention but you will be surprised about how things happen. I’ve had a neighbour cut my grass or a member of my team complete something without me even asking them to do anything!
To make sure you don’t go over your 2 hours. I like to use a free service called Toggl. There are lots of different time management apps. But I particularly like Toggl because you can track time on multiple devices and mobile apps. So if you are on the go, or at different locations you can still log all your time You can also save your time by project, client and task, which is really great if you want to bill your time or you just want to know how much time you spend doing different activities.
Throughout the week you’ll be amazed at how much you can get done in just 2 hours a day. My to do list this week looked something like this:
Mon – Write Blog Post, Create Image, Share Blog Post
Tues – Re-connect with 10 bloggers, read 3 blog posts, respond to blog comments
Wed – Write newsletter, engage in community, mind map community image ideas
Thurs – Watch Webinar, mind map possible course content, mind map blog post idea
Fri – Review affiliate links, review business finances, reply to business emails
Sat – Read 3 blogs, engage in community, tweet and connect with new followers,
Sun – Send out newsletter, engage with 10 bloggers, draft new blog post.
Time Management and Blogging
Sometimes you’ll overestimate or underestimate how long something is going to take and if that happens it’s OK. All you need to do is rewrite your to do list and add in the things you want to concentrate on again. I rewrite my lists every day. It might seem like a lot to do, but it actually helps to concentrate your mind and also allows you to add in any new tasks that come to light, perhaps after a call you had an email you received or you’ve had another brilliant idea.
I’m going to keep persevering with the 2 hour approach. In a years time, I would love to share some great successes and achievements I’ve had by doing this and maybe even make it a course!
If you’ve enjoyed this post you might enjoy a similar post where I explain how to write a blog post in 25 minutes, this blog post was technically 28minutes and 56seconds but who’s counting?
Oh wait I am!…
I hope you enjoyed this post about time management and bloggers. Please tell us below how you manage your time and how often you spend on your business, please also share with your friends and followers if you have enjoyed this post.
October 8, 2016 at 4:16 am
What an excellent motivator for people, Beth.
When I coach bloggers, they are always concerned about how much time it will take, and particularly, if they really have enough time to get results from blogging.
I always tell them that it’s not so much the amount of time you invest, but that you do so meaningfully and consistently.
You’ve illustrated how much people can get done with just 2 hours a day. For many others, 2 hours is just a warm-up of Facebooking and inbox monitoring.
In 8 hours, they might sometimes have 2 hours that are productive, like you showed in your 2-hour example.
Love it 🙂
October 8, 2016 at 3:40 pm
Hi David,
Lovely to see you on my blog again. Hope you are well. Yes, consistency is the other key and I think when you plan your time, you can avoid the scrolling facebook and inbox
patrolling.
I’m skipping over to you blog to catch up on you blog now 🙂
Beth
October 8, 2016 at 8:11 pm
You have the skill of giving advice in a light hearted way. I have read blogs that although provide the detail are rather boring to read.
Having a set plan to take your draft blog through to completion means you stay on track. I draft my blog on a Thursday and spell check and send on a Sunday evening. I like the routine.
October 8, 2016 at 8:27 pm
Hi Beth,
What can I say, perfect timing!
I have been thinking about time management for this past 1-2 weeks and I am so glad I read your post.
I am going to be checking out the Toggl service and hold my self accountable.
While blogging and everything associated with it is fun, it should not impact the time with your family.
Putting some boundaries and discipline would certainly be a good thing.
You have give some great ideas for time management. I am going to experiment with them and figure what is going to work for me.
–Michael
October 8, 2016 at 11:49 pm
Hi Beth,
Enjoyed reading your personal ‘to do’ list. If I don’t turn on my pc without a list, I’m liable to wander around poking at anything that catches my fancy. Hard to get my work done that way. 😉
Another benefit of doing a daily ‘to day’ list is how it clears your mind and helps you to fall asleep.
Edward
October 9, 2016 at 3:20 pm
I used to waste so much time browsing and reading and I got little done that needed doing. I still spend a lot more than 2 hours a day online and my blog posts sometimes take me hours.
I’ve now got an email filtering system going which means I only see important mail in my main inbox – the rest waits for another time. That’s made a big difference.
I like the way you split up your time and will rethink my own to-do list. Thanks Beth.
October 9, 2016 at 3:55 pm
Hi Beth,
People have all kinds of different schedules.
Some are moms who are blogging part-time, others have full time careers and just blog on weekends, or an hour in the evening.
So you have to make the most of your time, no matter what your situation.
Find a quiet place where you’re undisturbed, and give all your focus to what you’re doing for an hour. If you do it once a day, you have one hour that was well spent. If you can do this more, all the better, but what’s important is to make your time count and not be disturbed by chores, phone calls, and all the rest.
Nice article, and it shows that people don’t need to spend 100 hours a day to make things happen on their blogs.
-Donna
October 9, 2016 at 5:50 pm
Hi Donna,
You are absolutely right. No schedule fits all situations. I think the key is to find what works, be clear on what you want to achieve and show up every week.
Beth
October 9, 2016 at 5:53 pm
Hi Sue
An email filtering system is a good shout. I use unroll.me which sends me an email once a day with only the important stuff. It helps us prioritise and stop the patrolling of
the inbox.
Thanks for your comment.
Beth
October 9, 2016 at 5:54 pm
Lol at you poking around on the Internet! Thanks for the comment Mr Ed.
October 9, 2016 at 5:55 pm
Thanks for the comment Michael and please let me know how you get on with Toggl or any other great time management app. Good luck!
October 9, 2016 at 5:59 pm
Hi Phoenicia, thanks so much for the comment. I’m glad you enjoyed the style of my post. I like to make things simple so I tend write in a particular tone. Great that you have a blogging schedule that works for you. Looking forward to reading your blog posts and please feel free to join my blogging community. http://simplebloggingnetwork.com/join-the-community
October 10, 2016 at 8:35 am
Hello Beth,
Thanks for sharing with us your vision of dealing with blog management! I’d like to read about different ways of content sharing and connecting with other bloggers.
Nice to see that you use time tracking software – more and more people are aware of its importance for work time and personal activities.
Instead of Toggl, I use TimeCamp which I found here: https://www.timecamp.com. It’s better for me because it offers more features in the free version than the others and the basic plan cost is affordable.
Ola
October 11, 2016 at 5:32 pm
Excellent tips Beth and I am all for working smarter. I have no problem managing the time I work on my blog, but do find it challenging to keep all the other balls up in the air – writing – books, articles, and of course posts, course development, art for my motivational products, etc. Thank heavens I love it all!
October 12, 2016 at 7:06 pm
I thoroughly enjoyed this post. Time management has always been an issue for me. One of the things that you explained well is the importance of lists! There must be a balance as well too! Great breakdown. Thanks
Ava
October 15, 2016 at 12:30 am
Hey Beth 🙂
Great tips for time management blogging!
October 15, 2016 at 5:00 pm
Hi Ava,
Thank you for your comments and for visiting my blog. I am glad that you found my post useful. If you liked this post and would like to be involved in the Simple Blogging Network community please don’t hesitate to join u at https://simplebloggingnetwork.com/join-the-community/
Beth 🙂
October 15, 2016 at 5:32 pm
Hi Aleksandra,
Thank you so much for your comment and thank you for telling me about Timecamp. I have never heard of that before so I will check it out. If you are interested in connecting with other bloggers please fell free to join my free blogging community at https://simplebloggingnetwork.com/join-the-community
Hope to see you here again soon.
Beth
October 15, 2016 at 8:25 pm
Hey, Beth, very helpful post. I always find myself somewhere between being on schedule then the rest of the day I’m off track. After reading your post it is evident to me that I am not consistent because I haven’t written my schedule down it’s in my head. Wrong method for sure.
October 16, 2016 at 4:12 am
Hi Beth,
It is true if we really want we can focus and a few things and get them done. It is a good plan you have .
I like your “Universe To do”
Thank you
Erika
October 16, 2016 at 5:23 pm
Hello Beth! Kudo’s for you my friend! 2 hours a day! Yikes I have no idea how you do it! Yes I did see your list, but it takes me 2 hours to write my blog post! Then a few more hours to share it! Perhaps I am doing ti wrong HEHE
It is a good thing I love what I do HUH?
Thanks for the motivation! I will be sure to share this post with my team, as we all could learn how to spend less time here online..
Chery :))
October 17, 2016 at 4:25 am
Hi Beth
More than ever before, I am starting to look into time management and blogging. I like the idea of two hours daily and I see that with such discipline, you can have spare time for other activities.
Thanks for sharing. Take care
October 17, 2016 at 4:45 pm
Dear Beth, Thank you for replying to my message. It’s wonderful to have a response. I will join the community as you have recommended and visit your site again for more insightful information. Really, I am so happy that you have replied! Thanks.
October 18, 2016 at 6:51 am
This is fabulous. Thank you, especially, for sharing your weekly schedule. It is so helpful to see how one realistically breaks down some of these tasks.
October 20, 2016 at 1:16 pm
Ah, now that’s funny because I write really short posts so they only take a few minutes! I agree about lists and having different tasks for different days. I have a bit of a plan like that, I developed a worksheet a few years ago that I released with a time management product I wrote and I use the sheet all the time. It’s a great tool (and as I made it I love it!!)
Great post, thanks, Beth.
Enjoy the journey!
October 23, 2016 at 6:19 pm
Hey Mandy, that’s great that you have a system you work to. Thanks for your comment.
October 23, 2016 at 6:28 pm
You’re welcome Elise and so glad that you stopped by. I’m heading over to your site now 🙂
October 23, 2016 at 6:30 pm
Hi Ava,
You are welcome. Looking forward to networking with you in the community. 🙂
Beth
October 23, 2016 at 6:31 pm
Hi Ikechi,
I would love to know if you try the 2 hours a day approach. I find it works wonders and I dont feel so guilty if I simply don’t have the time. I can always pick up the next day.
Beth
March 6, 2017 at 12:03 am
Great list! I have adopted a practice of using colored note cards to keep various types of activities organized. I also make an effort to make these lists the night before, or first thing in the morning. It really helps me feel more organized and focused.