How do I balance blogging and working full time? I don't.
People sometimes ask me why I only post once or twice a week. Don't get me wrong, I would love to write more, but when you work full time, there are only small pockets of time to get any writing done. Realistically the options are: in the morning before work (I'm not a morning person), over lunch (doable) and after work (I've had more than enough screen time by this point). I think the daily work / life balance is best explained in diary format so here goes...
6:00am
Alarm goes. Come to and find one cat under my armpit,
one on my chest, and one on my feet. Classic.
6:10am
The time I actually get up. Some how I have
managed to doze through not only the alarm,
but also multiple feline wake up calls (thanks guys)
6:15 - 6:45am
I exit the bathroom feeling clean as, but also
excited that the hairs in the eczema ravaged
parts of my eyebrows are finally growing back.
This excitement subsides temporarily whilst I
have a 'mare deciding what to wear (standard)
6:50 ish
Quick taming of the hair, though I do tend
towards the bedhead look most days because cba.
7 - 7:30am
Breakfast is something I like to take time with
and enjoy. It gives me time to sit and do ad hoc
computery bits I should have done at the weekend
/ the night before, have a quick snoop at properties
on RightMove and OnTheMarket, and check the
trains (only to discoverer they're screwed. AGAIN).
8:00am
FINALLY leave the house after sorting the cats / myself
/ the dishwasher / washing machine / anything else ad hoc
that needs doing. We have this song and dance every morning
where Mr Curiouser and Curiouser is like "stay home with me today"
and I'm tempted, but work is old school and not very
accommodating with the whole WFH concept (sigh)
accommodating with the whole WFH concept (sigh)
8:??am
Due to the new rail timetable fails, there is no set guarantee
of what train I can get on, or how long I'll be. I take this time
on the commute to reply to Instagram comments and Tweets,
check my emails, look for the latest blogging assignments and
apply to any that are a good fit. Occasionally (read: when I'm
actually organised) I'll remember to bring a notebook so I can
jot down ideas for my novel or blog. I also post most of my
Instagram content during commuter hours as its prime time
for when lots of people are scrolling on their phones.
8:50 - 9:20am
I'll arrive at work at some point within this window,
depending on trains. Work starts at 9.30 and if I'm super early
in and nothing urgent has come up, I will grab a hot chocolate and
dash off some responses to emails from PRs and / or write a little.
9.30am - 1:00pm
W-O-R-K.
Sometimes I cast my eye over my blog email
in case something time sensitive comes in that I
need to jump on. But to be honest, work keeps me busy
and this is a time where blogging has to take a back seat.
1:00 - 2:00pm
Over lunch - when I'm not at the pub or shopping -
I reply to emails and blog comments, read other blogs,
and edit pictures for up-and-coming blog posts. I try and
write a lot of my own blog posts over lunch too because I like
to go out out after work and / or head home and give my full
attention to Mr Curiouser and Curiouser. Plus it sucks to be
hunched over a computer screen all day and then come
home to be... hunched over a screen YET AGAIN.
2:00 - 5:30pm
W-O-R-K.
I do keep an eye on my personal email and blog email
every so often, but rarely as I'm kept busy enough!
5:30 - 6:30pm
HOME TIME! On the train back (provided I'm not going
out out), I again check social media, reply to comments
and post something new on Insta (again, to target the
commuter hours). However I try and keep all of the above
to a minimum on the commute home, preferring to focus
on offline tasks. Like reading. Or scribbling any new ideas
into my notebook and brainstorming ideas for any
collaborations I'm working on.
7:00 - 10:00pm
I tend to get quite fidgety and can't sit still for long,
so try and go out for a run (weather dependent). I try
not to blog on weekday evenings because I don't get a
whole lot of evening as it is (less than 3 hours when you
throw commuting and the lonnnng walk from the station
into the mix). Occasionally for bigger jobs with a more
sizable budget or stricter deadlines, I will get some
photography and / or writing done. But it has to be a
special circumstance. On weekday evenings, besides
cooking, eating, and showering, I will be playing video
games / watching YouTube videos / watching episodes
with Mr Curiouser and Curiouser. We try not to use our
phones when we are together (which I actually quite like).
No matter what we're doing, tea and biscuits are a given.
And at some point a cat will appear and be a wonderful hot
water bottle until a passing car or motorbike freaks
them out and they NEED to go and investigate.
10:00pm
As touched upon about before in my evening
routine post here, this is the time where things
start to get tidied away and the dishwasher goes on.
I'm also rather partial to a glass of milk before bed.
10:30pm
By this time we're usually finished with the
bathroom and all the pre-bed time faff, and
we'll head up to bed. We'll read for a bit and
then have a little time together, just us two. The
bedroom door is closed at this point, but this
doesn't last long. Bailey will literally cry at the
door ALL NIGHT if we leave it closed. The lights
go out and the cats understand that its bed time and
will assume their positions (one or two on the bed
with us, and the third on the floor next to me). Usually
we fall sleep round about 11 or 11.15 so we don't
get a proper 8 hours sleep, but it's enough for us!
If you are a blogger too, how does this compare to your daily routine?
And are you a full time blogger or part time like myself?
