How I Balance School, Work, and Blogging

Happy Tuesday!

First off, I wanted to share that I think I may begin posting on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays now instead of Mondays. I just feel like it is way too much for me to get a post up on Monday. However, this may change after this next weekend because after this weekend, flex nights are over. We’ll see though! Today, I wanted to talk about how I balance work, school, and blogging; which can be very difficult sometimes.

Trying to balance these things can seem like the most difficult juggling act. Going to school Monday nights, Tuesdays and Thursdays; working Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays; plus finding time to squeeze in homework, and blogging. {Oh and going on vacation or day trips with Matt? Basically non-existent.}

It would seem that going through this would make me lose my sanity, and I’m surprised I haven’t lost it already. Te delicate balancing act of school, life, blogging, and work is something that I feel I’m constantly refining and trying to make perfect.

Plan

The biggest thing that has helped me is being able to plan when posts are due, when assignments are do, and how to spend the time in between. By planning, I mean that I plan out at which points in the day am I going to do which set of tasks. I use Trello as my editorial calendar and to keep track of my assignments for class. Doing this allows me to see what is due when and helps me break down when I need to get things done.

Related: How You Can Use Trello for Your Classes

Besides using Trello, I also have my class and work schedules on Google Calendar. So with my schedule in my phone and assignments/blog posts on Trello, it’s pretty easy for me to be able to plan everything else in between those times.

Block Out Time

In addition to planning, I have to block out the specific times and allocate it to one thing. Meaning, in between my first two classes, I write a blog post for later in the week, while after my second class I do homework for the upcoming week. Yes usually my sections start to blur as I’m interested in blog post stats, etc; however most of the time if I dedicate some time to blogging, I stick to blogging and if I dedicate time to homework, I stick to homework. I’m someone who is easily distracted, especially when working on a computer, that’s why it is important for me to make distinct times to do certain tasks, so I can make sure that I focus on them and get as much done in the allotted amount of time.

Prioritize

There are definitely times where I have to say that “you know, I just can’t get a quality blog post up on Monday” {which is how it’s been the past couple of weeks} and instead I put up a post on Tuesday or I just forgo a blog post until Wednesday. I always feel bad when this happens but I know that, right now, school and my assignments are number one, with this blog being a very close second. It’s always hard to make choices on what I need to pass on at the time and what I really need to get done, but at the end of the day I know it’s what’s for the best.

Like I said, it’s a delicate balancing act trying to balance work, school, and blogging but I enjoy blogging and my job, and I have to finish school. So until the end of the year, this is how it will be!

Do you have any tips for balancing blogging with work and school?