It’s easier to start and grow a blog if you’re not a mom. There, I said the truth. Many moms who are blogging as a side hustle or a full-time business find it very hard to not burn out. The question is how to balance being a mom with blogging for business?
How can you manage to be a great mom and a blogger?
Even blogging as a hobby can be time-consuming and overwhelming. But when you’re blogging as a business, it’s even more intense. You feel like giving up on your blog because you don’t have enough time!
So how do the big, successful bloggers who are moms do it? How do they find time to blog as a mom?
Often by sacrificing time with their kids. We don’t want that.
Nor do we want you burning out, right?
So let’s look at some of the key ways you can blog successfully while still being a happy and good mom.
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How To Balance Being A Mom And A Blogger
Finding the balance between being a mom and blogging is doable. Getting rid of the “mom guilt” for wanting to pursue a blog is also possible.
You just have to find what helps you create that balance!
I spent many years working in the PR world, and after having my son, I decided it was time to be a stay-at-home mom. This blog became not only a creative outlet but also a growing business.
It was easier to start and grow this site when my son was little and I didn’t have a full-time job, as I do now.
And yet, there were always things that took priority! So I get it. It’s not easy to balance time between being a mom and a blogger.
I’ll share with you some of the best practices and productivity tips for bloggers that I use. They help me balance time with my son and husband, and my blog.
You’ll also gain some invaluable tips on finding time to blog as a mom, without reneging on your motherhood duties.
Answering the key question of how do I blog as a mom, and keep my sanity will help you create a groove… a routine that works for you!
Each situation is different.
You may have one child, or three.
You may be a stay-at-home mom, a homeschooling mom or a mom with a full-time job. The complexity of motherhood is different for every mom out there. So don’t beat yourself up over the fact that you may be struggling with it all.
There are solutions… read on!
1. Change Your Mindset
One of the key ways to balance being a mom with blogging is to change your mindset.
Where in the past you could take on every challenge, now with babies and kids, you can’t! You know the saying “pick your battles”? This is exactly that kind of situation.
The hardest thing to do is to realize that you can’t be a superwoman.
But you can work smart! This is the key to success as a busy mom blogger.
So how do you change your mindset?
- Acknowledge that you will have to change your thinking about blogging as a busy mom.
- Recognize what hasn’t worked in the past, and put them on your “don’t keep doing this” list
- Understand WHY you are changing your blogging habits – identify what your previous mindset was doing that negatively affected you and your family
- Recognize that you will fail and return to bad habits: willpower and motivation won’t help you in the long run
- Start with making small changes first
- Acknowledge that you will have failures along the way
When you change your mindset about blogging and understand your limitations, everything else will fall into place. This leads us to the next point.
| RELATED: Powerful Motivational Quotes For Bloggers And Entrepreneurs
2. Get Support From Your Partner
If your partner is supportive of you taking up blogging and growing into a business, you’re lucky. Not all partners are and this can really affect how much time you spend on your blog.
It may require some time spent talking through your goals and showing them your successes. Getting your partner’s buy-in may take some time.
When you do get it or if you already have it, talking about carving out some time each week for blogging activities is an important next step.
You want to give them your attention, but you also need time to focus on blogging tasks.
Plan things out together!
I’ve made a point of doing occasional blogging tasks in the evenings after our son goes to sleep. Luckily, my husband has also done some blogging, so he knows how much needs to be done to make things happen.
We make a point to hang out together as I work on my blog, chatting and keeping connected.
3. Create A Plan To Balance Blogging With Motherhood
Now that you understand that you have to change your mindset, and you have a supportive partner, you can begin making some plans and changes.
Balancing being a mom with blogging requires understanding what your plan and your goals are and how they fit with your lifestyle.
It takes a bit of soul searching and coming to some hard realizations.
Sometimes you can’t put in 20, 30 or 40 hours a week focusing on your blog business. And you have to be fine with that.
Your kids and your partner will come first. You come in a close second. Your self-care and well-being also matter very much.
Be realistic in your blog goals and your plans. If it means you wake up an hour earlier or stay up an hour in the evenings to get two hours a day in, that’s fine.
It just means some of your big goals may take a bit longer to achieve, and you may need to work smarter.
| READ MORE: How To Set Realistic Blog Goals Every Year
4. Do Blogging Work Around Your Kids’ Schedules And Activities
It’s the smartest way to balance being a mom with blogging!
If you’re a stay-at-home mom, this is so much easier to do! If you’re a working mom, it might be a bit more difficult.
Here are some ways to work around your kids’ schedules:
- Consider the time you have when they are at school. Or when they are doing specific tasks for one hour that don’t require your attention if you’re homeschooling them.
- Give your kids a set hour of independent playtime. That’s when you take advantage of some time to focus on blogging tasks. Tell them that they get time to play on their own while you focus on work. Create some ground rules for interruptions.
- See if you can have a grandparent visit for a little while to give you some time to focus on your blog.
- Remember that the best time to get any work done as a mom who blogs and runs an online business is when they sleep.
Create a routine where your kids go to bed at a set time.
Give yourself an hour to two hours of work time. It’s better yet when you can work with your partner around so that you have some connection together!
You may still find that your time gets derailed with a potty break, or a frustrating situation if your kids squabble over something.
However, it’s better than no time! Enjoy the precious moments when you can.
PRO TIP: Try to wake up before 9 AM to boost your productivity and get things done before the morning mayhem.
| Related: Top Work From Home Tips For Productivity And Achieving Your Daily Goals
5. Batch And Use Schedulers For Blogging Tasks
Balance being a mom with blogging by using smart processes!
Batching and scheduling is another way of getting organized and using your time wisely. Activities such as creating social media assets or Pinterest pins can be batched.
For Instagram posts, consider one of my favourites: Planoly. It helps you determine what your posts will look like in your profile, and you can add your captions, ready to post.
Later gives you an opportunity to schedule all your social media and Pinterest in one place. It’s an excellent, affordable scheduling tool for emerging bloggers and online entrepreneurs.
Tools that help you schedule tasks are some of the best ways to spend way less time during the week on your blog. Use them when you can!
| READ MORE: How To Design Pinterest Pins That Attract Clicks
Need Pinterest pin templates for easy pin designs? Check out my batch of 10 free Pinterest pins for some beautiful, easy designs.
| RELATED: Top 10 Tips For Keeping Your Blog Organized
6. Be An Organized Blogging Mom
Use your time wisely, and efficiently to get your blogging goals accomplished!
Balance being a mom and a blogger by getting organized.
Planners and daytimers such as the Mom Agenda are some of the best tools for busy moms who blog. Blocking out time to blogging will help you figure out how you can achieve all of your weekly and daily goals.
Remember to keep time for yourself and your partner as well.
One other way to get organized is to plan editorial calendars for your posts and social media, as well as any product/service launches in advance. This ideally should be done at the beginning of the year.
Use online tools such as Airtable, which comes in a handy app, so you can use it to plan, even when away from your computer.
I use it to write down new blog post ideas as they come to mind. Airtable is awesome because I can use it via an app on my phone and also on my desktop. Perfect for notes and planning while away from home. Try Airtable for free today!
| RELATED: How To Organize Your Blog So It Runs Smoothly
7. Balance Being A Mom With Blogging By Prioritizing
You can balance being a mom with blogging by prioritizing your tasks!
What are your top blogging priorities each week? If your current goal is to produce a blog post a week, drafting and publishing blog posts and promoting them will be your number one priority.
If building your community is important, drop the blog content generation and focus on your social media and your newsletter.
What I like to do is to look at my monthly goals: what do I want to accomplish? Then I split up my priorities each week of the month.
Remember To Take A Day Off From Being Mom
My last tip on how to balance being a mom with blogging is to take a day off occasionally.
Sometimes when you have some very big blogging task to complete – for example, you want to film a video, or you’re creating a course – you may need uninterrupted time.
It’s OK to ask for a day off from being a mom.
This is the time to seek help from your spouse or your parents. Or it may mean calling in a favour from a friend or sibling to keep the kids occupied for the day.
Make it special for your kids, while making it productive for yourself!
| RELATED: How To Be Productive With A New Online Business
PRO TIP: Some entrepreneurial moms will book themselves into a hotel room for a night to put in a full day of blogging/business-related work. Read more about “workcations” in this great post from my friend Daphne – an expert in leaving the 9-to-5 life for your own career.
Balancing Motherhood With Blogging Is Doable
There’s nothing stopping you from being a blogger, except you yourself.
If you choose to use some of my tips, or all of them, you will find ways to balance it all, without sacrificing your time with your kids.
Time is the key to everything when you’re a busy parent. I get it!
If you’re structured and consistent and see your blog as a business, you will grow it and succeed!
Remember, to balance being a mom and blogging:
- Change your mindset
- Get support from your partner
- Create a plan
- Work around your kids’ schedules
- Batch and use schedulers for blogging tasks
- Be an organized blogging mom
- Prioritize your blogging activities
If you need to take a break from blogging because life gets busy, that’s OK Your blog will be waiting for you, just when you left it.
I hope these tips will help you figure out a routine and process that works for you!
And remember, there are ways you can overcome imposter syndrome when everything doesn’t seem to be working for you (and you feel like a fraud).
Need some help balancing stress? Check out this great post from Karen of Balancing Midlife on five common causes of stress in women (including work/life balance) and how to fix them.
QUESTION: How do you balance being a mom with blogging activities?
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I love this! Yes, it’s my biggest struggle from when I started to blog. I like blogging, but I love being a mom. Recently I started to give myself more grace, to slow down and focus on quality blogs rather than quantity. Thank you for this post!
It’s all mindset! And you’re right – giving yourself the time to slow down and focus on priorities. It’s important to long term success.
Great tips for moms! It’s all about balance. Taking a day off every now and then does help to balance out our energies, which is vital for well-being.
Absolutely! That day off can really do wonders.
Love this!!
Finding balance is an ongoing struggle, for sure. Thank you for taking the time to share your tips! I absolutely could not live without my planner, and I’m going to start exploring Planoly.
Thanks again!
My planner and my to-do lists are my saviours each and every day!