How To Start a Blog With a Busy Schedule [7 Tips for Time Management + Productivity]

The year is 2023. And every. single. person. is. busy.

Hustling, getting married, having babies, raising kids without a village. Life is FAST PACED, BUSY and we're ALL SO DARNED TIRED.

And so how on Earth is one expected to dip their toes into, much less immerse themselves into, a whole new project that requires ALL THIS TIME I DON'T HAVE?!

I started my 2nd blog, my food blog, as a final year Uni student doing her dissertation. I started my e-commerce fashion website when my first child was 9-months-old and I was a sleep-deprived mess. I started my language blog when my second-born was 7-months-old, again in a sleep-deprived, messy state, but this time during a cross-country move. I don't say any of that to boast, but I say it to drill home the point that if anyone has mastered the art of starting big new things during times of stress and chaos, it's me 🤣

Here are 7 tips I've picked up along the way to maximise my efficiency and productivity writing. These are practical, actionable tips, not airy-fairy 'WORK HARDER' nonsense because we all know we need to work harder, but HOW DO YOU DO WORK HARDER?! Read on for deetz.

1. Create a long term content plan, so you won't waste time wondering what to write about

I can't tell you how much of a worthwhile investment of your time it is to just get your head down and create a plan for the next few months. As they say: fail to plan, plan to fail.

Create a list of posts ideas - as many as you want to - and have this list saved somewhere convenient so every time it's time to sit down and write, you're not wasting time ahhhh-ing and oooooh-ing about what to write about. I like creating a one-year plan with all my content ideas and saving them in an Excel sheet, so I'm not stuck with writers block when it's time to start writing.

Your plan may take some time to get down (which is why I described it as an investment of your time) and your research should always be guided by keyword research, so be prepared for this to not be a quick task. But once it's done, you're good for ages. It's like when you do some bulk food prep, even though it takes ages, but you know it'll save you SO much time and future-you will thank you so much for it.

2. Set aside a specific time for blog work and ruthlessly COMMIT to it

I believe this is a real area where a lot of people struggle - prioritising.

You start a blog, you're really excited about it and are ready to put the time in... and then something pressing comes up.

'I'll write that post tomorrow, when the baby naps', you tell yourself. And then nap time rolls around the next day and you notice the laundry hamper is overflowing. Or your tomato plant is dying and needs repotting ASAP. Or that you forgot to fill out that GP form. Aaaaaand then all of a sudden nap time is over. 'No worries, I'll do it tonight'... but later that evening your favourite movie is on and your husband is engrossed in it with a bag of popcorn and you're just SO tired you can't resist. 'I'll wake up before the baby and write!' you promise yourself... rinse and repeat. That blog post? It gets written a whole month later.

I've fallen into this trap several times and it's so easy to let your blog dream fall down your list of priorities because it just doesn't seem as urgent as all those other things.

If you don't make the time, you won't get the time.

In order for your blog to fruit, you need to make that commitment with yourself that you'll prioritise it, even if means ignoring the overflowing laundry hamper or doing that GP form later in the day (your life won't end, I promise).

You need to take your ambitions, your blog and YOURSELF seriously. Set aside that time, even if you can only manage one evening a week, and commit to it. Be loyal to it. Do not undermine yourself or your dreams!

3. Limit distractions and create a highly focused work environment

I'm a mother of two young children - I KNOW the value of time because there's so little of it in the day 🙄🤣 I can't afford to dilly-dally with what little time I AM afforded.

To maximise your time effectively, you need to make sure the time you do get is pure focus.

Put your phone away, tell your partner you'll be writing and need some time alone, turn the TV off, don't bring a meal to your work desk. Utilise every. single. minute. wisely! MAXIMISE DAT TIME.

We're so used to being surrounded by distractions - so much so that working in such a focused environment may feel alien to us. I get it, it felt like that to me too. Once you get into the groove of things though, you'll be surprised at how much work you can get done in such short chunks of time!

4. Keep writing - the more you write, the faster you'll get

When I spend a long time away from writing, getting back to it is a shock to the system. I spend hours writing a basic post. I spend far too long oooh-ing and aaaah-ing at a single word choice.

And when I'm in the zone? I crank out content like I crank out chapattis (if you follow me on my food Instagram you'll know what I mean by this).

The more I write, the quicker and more effortless writing becomes.

And it's like that with all skills, isn't it? The more you run, the quicker you get. The more you read, the faster you finish entire books. The more you drive, the less the motorway will scare the living daylights out of you. And so forth.

Just write.

5. Find ways to write that are convenient to your life situation (e.g. on the WordPress app or in your phone notes)

I started my language blog from bed. I launched it, created the layout, wrote all my posts and designed all the pretty educational material on MyZuban whilst my son was napping on top of me. He was a challenging, clingly little guy and I was nursing him 24/7. When he wasn't nursing, he was crying and screaming at me. I would only use the laptop if I got a chance - so very rarely.

Nowadays, I find myself writing a lot on the Google Docs app on my phone, and then transferring it onto my blog when I get the chance, because whilst my children are no longer in the nap-on-top-of-me stage, I don't always have the luxury to get my laptop out in front of them as they get on with things. One day, lol.

6. Don't be rigid - get comfortable with working in ways that may not be your favourite

Now here's the thing... working on my phone isn't my favourite way to do things. I LOVE typing away at the laptop. I'm really in my element when I can see my thoughts appearing directly onto the big screen.

But listen - if you're not at that stage of life where you have full reign over how you do things, you need to get comfortable with being flexible.

I can be a bit tough-love when it comes to just getting the work done. Excuses just don't get the work done.

'I just can't work on my phone, I don't like it' is not going to build your blog when you can't get to a laptop.

'I find it difficult doing things on the Canva App, I prefer working on my laptop' won't create your graphics for you or get you any digital product sales.

'It takes me longer to work from my phone' - okay, but it's definitely quicker than not getting the work done.

It's hard, but there needs to be a shift in mindset and attitude if you want to get ahead and grow.

7. Understand that writing isn't the be-all-end-all of blogging - there's more elements to it, too

Here's the kicker. Lots of people get hung up over the lack of time they have to write. And I get it, nothing can replace actually writing the content up.

Writing is just one element of creating a blog. Here are other things you can do with your time if you just can't write:

• Listen to podcasts about business, blogging, mindset, productivity, copy writing when you're out on a walk, running errands, driving etc. My favourite blog-related podcasts are 'The Blogging Millionaire', 'Food Blogger Pro', and 'Mediavine on Air'.
• Read books, again on the same topics. My son was a pretty wild child but the one thing he DID seem to let me do around him was read books. Crazy, huh! I recently read 'Oversubscribed' and 'Key Person of Influence' by Daniel Preistley and was blown away!
• Research -reading up about your next planned post and getting some solid information will help make your post, quite literally, the best on the internet. It's always a golden action plan to supplement your knowledge with some additional research.

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I'm going to end with this: I know it's hard. It's so very hard chasing a dream, building something for yourself and adding another ball to a juggling act when you're already so busy.

I see you. I see the struggle. I did it too - and it was hard for me as well. The only thing that really got me through the juggling act was to keep a laser-focus on the end-goal, which was the passive income and ease I'd have in the future. Now that I've gotten to that stage, I'm glad I went through the struggle before.

It takes a huge amount of self-discipline to prefer the long-term gain over the short-term pain. If you're here, reading this and planning to build something big and beautiful for the future-you even though you know it'll be work, hugs for you. You da boss! You can and you WILL do it - and I'll be here rooting for you!

With love, Fatima x