I have been blogging now for nearly 18 months and I can confidently say it is my favourite hobby. However, as any fellow bloggers out there will know, blogging is so time consuming. There are always posts to be written, photos to be taken, promotion to be done, comments to read..oh the list goes on. A blogger’s to do list really is endless. With baby number two due to arrive in less than 8 weeks, I am starting to have a serious think about my blog and how I am going to be able to keep it going when I have a newborn as well as Leo to look after. I have decided to create a new blogging schedule in an attempt to be able to keep on writing, even through the sleep deprived and baby brain days.
My new blogging schedule
Every blogger is different and what, how and when people write varies from blogger to blogger. Some people write a new post every day, others only publish something new a couple of times a month and there are bloggers that will only reach for the laptop when inspiration hits. I am not here to tell you the secret to creating the perfect blogging schedule as I don’t think there is one. I am a firm believer in doing what you want when it comes to blogging, it is your blog after all and up to you how often you want to write. Blogging is not a one size fits all kind of deal, we all have different lives and circumstances and what works well for one blogger isn’t necessarily going to work for another. Personally, I like to publish at least one post on the same day every week, I write in advance and I feel relaxed knowing I will always have something ready to go live on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Most weeks I publish between 3-5 posts and, at the minute, I am happy with this. However, I am not sure I can commit to this once baby is here. I no way want to give up blogging but I also don’t want to miss out on any of those precious newborn moments either. Leo is going to need extra attention from me too as I am sure having a new baby in the house and having to share me with his new brother isn’t going to be easy for him.
A new blogging schedule seems like a good solution for me in the build up to baby’s arrival and I will try to stick to it once my boy is here – maybe not in those crazy first couple of weeks after the birth though! I love my blog but given a choice between living my life and writing about it, obviously I am going to choose to live it. My blog will always be here for me when I want it, Leo will only be home with me for one more year before he starts school and we all know how crazily fast baby’s first year whizzes by.
Here it is, my new blogging schedule, coming in to place as of today..
* I will be writing 3 posts a week only.
* One post will be a vlog. My videos will be about the things I would normally write about but chatting to camera is much less time consuming than sitting and writing and requires far less brain power. Lazy maybe, but when the newborn days hit and my mind has once again succumb to baby brain. I think vlogging is a good way for me to still be getting what I have to say out there. I may be wearing sunglasses and be rocking a mum bun though so you can’t see how tired I look!
* New posts will go live on Monday, Wednesday and Friday as usual.
* I will be being more selective with the linkys I join. I am very loyal when it comes to where I link up and I always feel guilty if I miss a week and end up commenting loads the next week to try and make up for it. Most weeks I join in with at least 13 linkys. I love spreading some love around the blogging community and discovering new blogs but reading and commenting on even just the minimum posts takes up a lot of time. From now on I will mix up the linkys I join, instead of trying to make it to them all every week I will link up with a few and then link up with the ones I missed the following week instead.
* My blog newsletter will go live every Friday as usual but instead of creating a new one each week, from now on I will be sending one automatically created by mailchimp using my RSS feed. This will save me about an hour every Friday morning where I could be cuddling my baby or playing games with Leo.
* I am looking for guest bloggers to come and feature on my blog in those inevitable weeks where I will just be too exhausted to string an eligible sentence together. If you are interested in writing a post for me to share over here on Naptime Natter, please get in touch (wendy@naptimenatter.com).
* I will still (hopefully!) be working with brands, writing reviews and interesting sponsored content. However, if I am lucky enough to have lots of brand work lined up I will make sure only one sponsored post/review is published a week. Whilst I absolutely love working with brands, it is still important to me that the majority of my blog content is born from ideas that are completely my own and posts mostly centre around my family and experiences. One sponsored post/review a week to two personal posts seems like the perfect formula to me.
That’s it. There are not many dramatic changes but hopefully this new schedule will free up some of my time. I think this tiny step back from blogging is going to make the juggling act of finding that family/writing life balance a little easier. Blogging may be my favourite hobby, it may even be a source of income sometimes but it is in no way my whole life. I love to write but I love spending precious time and creating beautiful memories with my family even more.
Do you have a blogging schedule? What do you find works best for you? Also, bloggers with newborns..how do you do it, seriously?! Oh, does anyone else get linky guilt or is that just me? I would love to hear your thoughts.
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8 weeks wow so close now, yay! Can not wait to hear of his arrival! I loved you dad tag and how he spoke of Leo being born. I think it is great that you are thinking about what you need and what your family needs, having a new baby is beautiful but also involves not much time for anything but staring into their gorgeous faces, feeding, nappy changes and lots of Leo cuddles too of course. I don’t have a schedule other than getting my #mg linky up for the week, otherwise I post when I can and when I have something to say. I should be more organised but I am not lol, like todays #mg post I only wrote it today, I am so not a planner. In fact hubby and I wonder how we get anything done as we both procrastinate. Plus with kids life is busy, fun but busy! Thanks for linking up lovely, I always love your posts and love that you are taking care of what you need xx
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13 linkys a week! Wow I’m lucky if I manage 3 lol! I post 3 times a week usually but it’s a hit and miss during the school holidays for me x
Wow! well done you for being so organized. I don’t have schedule, just anytime when I can. But I try to post at least once a week or two the most, that’s the only time I have. Blogging is so much hardwork and it’s sometimes difficult to juggle it around with family time. #AnythingGoes
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13 linkys wow!you are dedicated! not long to go now, pretty exciting ๐ We’ll all be waiting to hear your news ๐ my schedule is similiar to yours. i’m trying to be more specific about my content and when my posts go out. you’re right, blogging takes up so much time. Having a new born will change things dramatically #mg
I think you’re amazing and a Superwoman Take it slow. 13 linkups – just thinking of that feels exhausting. Take care of yourself, love. You said it – live first, blog later. Hugs. #mg
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I think that everyone has a schedule that is best for them, and putting your family first is the most important thing. With four children I manage to post once a week and link up to as many linkies as possible. I post on IG every day if I have something to share, sometimes more if we are busy, sometimes not at all if we aren’t. I’m not the kind of blogger who will post just for the sake of it, I take very little notice of stats or followers, I blog because I love to write about my family, but spending time with them will ALWAYS be more important! #mg
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I know exactly what you mean about linky guilt. I always feel so bad if I can’t link up every week, but I kept gradually adding to the number of linkies that I was doing to the point that it was becoming unmanageable with two little ones. Like you I now try to alternate and so I’m rarely at the same linky two weeks on a row, but I do as much as I can and I think that’s all any of us can do. We always love it when you link up with us at #fartglitter, but totally understand – and we’ll be here for you whenever you can make it so that we can read all about Leo and your new bundle of fun when the time comes! Not long now. Thanks for joinging in #fartglitter ๐ xx
It is so exciting for you at this time of your lives and you are so right to prioritise and your commitments still sound quite high to your blog so you must be very driven. I have felt the same with the children over the school holidays and there has to be a case of living first then blogging not bloggging to live which is so easy to do considering it is fun, we enjoy it and the blogosphere world and all that comes with it is so addictive. Wishing you every luck for the new arrival and enjoy it!! ๐ #mg Lou
visiting again from #TwinklyTuesday
Can’t wait to see your baby photo when the little one arrives. My kids are all at school now, but before that I found making time for blogging hard. I normally did it when they were having a nap or in the evenings. #TwinklyTuesday
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That sounds like a really sensible plan – I agree that linkys can be really time consuming, but I think mixing them up is a great idea and will mean that you won’t be missing out on your favourites. I don’t have a set schedule but I try to post 4 times a week at the minute – like you say though, whatever works for your personal circumstances. Exciting times ahead for you! xx #TwinklyTuesday
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Hats off to you for going for 3 a week with a newborn. I only do 2 a week now. I’m comfortable with that and I feel I can have a couple of weeks in advance scheduled and be safe in the knowledge I don’t have to be in a mad panic. Having said that, my blog post this week is quite the contrary.
Good luck with the new schedule and of course with the imminent arrival of your little one. #fartglitter
Sounds very sensible. I find blogging very time consuming, super satisfying but at the end of the day life has to come first as you so rightly point out. Now I’m working again I’ve cut down to about 3 posts a week which feels much more manageable than posting every day as I was before. It is also making me focus more on the quality of my conten. I do miss joining into linkys though and have been trying to focus on that again recently. Good luck with baby number 2! xx #twinklytuesday
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8 weeks! So exciting! You have some serious linky commitment! I think a blog schedule is a good idea, I’m often up far too late in the night typing or commenting away when I should be asleep! #bloggerclubuk
8 weeks to go. How time flies:) I’m new at mommy blogging and I try doing my best. #FartGlitter
This is a great post Wendy. At the end of the day we could spend most of the day blogging but we do have families (and jobs and ourselves!) to look after. I think you have to be quite disciplined so it doesn’t take over your weekly life! I tend to allocate two evenings a week to writing posts. when I can I like to post on certain day. I love my Instagram so there could be 2-3 posts a day as people seem to like them. I also make use of my train journey time as I work part-time. I like that you’ve thought of some ways to use your time carefully. I know when Baby Munch arrived (our second little one), things went a bit crazy for a while as we were juggling two little girls in the house! All the best and make sure you make time for you too! x Sunita #bloggerclubuk
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New to blogging this week, so just creating my schedule. This post has given me some great ideas to keep the balance right. Ta love x #bloggerclubuk
exciting times! I join ALOT of linkies too and it is hard to measure ROI really! id def be interested in guest posting ๐ #twinklytuesday
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I’m also a three times a week poster, I find that’s a good blog / life balance for me. I’m in awe of your linky participation though – I tend to find the time for around 3/4 per week. Mixing up your linkys sounds a great way to keep up with them all still though – I’m the same with Linky guilt, I hate if I miss one of my regulars! Best of luck with balancing it all, and I’m so looking forward to hearing all the news of your new arrival soon! #bloggerclubuk
I post four times a week and aim to vlog once a month – hats off to you for aiming for once a week!! They say a mother’s work is never done, well a blogger’s work is never done either!! #fartglitter
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It’s getting close now ๐ I agree, I think managing the schedule that works for you will help you manage your blog but also make sure you keep enjoying it, you don’t want it to become too onerous especially with a little one soon to join the world. Your schedule sounds great and I can’t wait to see your content! #bloggerclubuk
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Sounds like a great idea – 8 weeks to go, so exciting! I recently set myself a bit more of a schedule as I was started to get a bit overwhelmed and constantly feel like I have to be writing more and more. Now I post once a day Mon-Wed and then post a vlog on Fridays and it’s working well ๐ I think as you say you just need to find a balance that works for you…hope the rest of your pregnancy goes well lovely xx #anythinggoes
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I had no idea there were so many linkies out there. I am still new to blogging (almost at three months!) so thank you for the ideas. #BloggerClubUK
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Aw how exciting, not long to go now. I completely understand about not wanting your blog to suffer but still wanting to spend quality time with your children. I suck at organising my blog, but I know my baby will only be this little once so I’m making the most of it and blogging when I can. I’ve only just started to join linkys, I don’t even know 13! Ha. Great post and good luck xo
My blogging schedule is very similar at the moment and is working well but think I need to cut back again even more. It’s a fun hobby and difficult to keep up with it all! Good luck with your new arrival! #bloggerclubuk
Karen: TwoTinyHands recently posted…Good Bye #ABrandNewDay
Great post. I wish I could be organised enough to set up a schedule! You seem to have a really good one here. I tend to post 1-3 times per week but this does vary, especially when it comes to that writers block I often suffer from! Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy #ablogginggoodtime
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Great post. I have a schedule of twice per week, but am seriously considering cutting back to once a week. I have four children and #5 will be coming in December. You seem to be very organized with blogging, This is something that I am currently working on. #ablogginggoodtime
Author
Oh wow, how do you do it? I struggle to blog with one child let alone 5! Cutting back to one post a week wouldn’t be the end of the world and I’m sure your regular readers wouldn’t mind one bit xx
Some great strategies. The vlog idea sounds like a good one for busy or tiring times. I’m not a planner at all. I just wait for the ideas to pop into my head and if they come with enough urgency they get written. I get my ideas while relaxing and reading a book or out walking, and then it just pores out. A bit random but somehow it seems to work! #ablogginggoodtime
Author
That sounds like a great way to blog! I always have soo many ideas and that’s why I have to write in advance other wise my head would explode haha. I do have some posts that just come to me and demand to be written straight away, especially if I’m feeling particularly stressed/excited about something.xx
Sounds like a great plan. I hardly blogged at all for a month after my baby was born back in February. I felt it was too important to miss those first few weeks. Plus when the baby slept so did I, so no time for bloggin then! Now I blog mostly in the evenings or late at night.
I need to come up with a serious schedule for when I go back to work next month. At the moment I’ve been blogging betwwen 6 and 7 days a week.
Good luck with the new baby! xx
#ablogginggoodtime
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I think the first month will be the same for me Rachel, I think I will struggle with 3 posts a week..maybe they will mostly be pictures!haha. Good luck coming up with your blog schedule and with your return to work xx
Love the blogging shedule! It’s something I really should think about doing but my blogging has been so minimal over the summer. I found out I was pregnant so in theory it should have given me loads of things to blog about but I’ve had no energy in the evenings! By the time my 3 yr old has gone to bed I’m ready to snooze on the sofa ๐ Good luck with the impending new arrival! xx #twinklytuesday
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Haha, I know how you feel Elaine. It takes so much effort for me to blog in the evenings and during my first trimester I just wanted to sleep all the time! Congratulations on your pregnancy ๐ xx
It’s always good to have a plan. Blogging has been encroaching a bit on my everyday life recently so I’ve decided to not join any linkies on a weekend. Like you say, everybody needs to work out what works for them. I hope this new decision works for you. #TheList
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That’s a good idea Lucy. I only join in 2 on a weekend but I might drop that down to one. Thanks, I hope it works out too but I feel a may be being a bit ambitious trying to write 3 post a week with a newborn!xx
Wow 13 linkys that’s commitment! Sounds like a great idea to have a schedule, but don’t worry if you don’t stick to it. Life with a newborn and another little one to look after is tough. No one is going to mind if you miss a post or 2! Take care of yourself and your family first, your readers will still be here. X #TheList
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Aww thanks Laura. Yes I am not going to be too strict once baby is here, I am fully expecting to be a zombie for at least a month! I will try my best with my blog and hopefully I won’t disappear completely. I know, I think 13 linkys is probably too many..I just love reading blogs though ๐ xx
I dont have an schedule especially lately when holidays started. But when school will start I usually do blog before my son wakes up and when he is in school. It does take so much time to be honest. #ablogginggoodtime
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I can imagine it is hard for parents who are used to blogging when their kids are in school and then having the holidays with hardly any time to blog. I couldn’t blog first thing in the morning so well done you, my brain doesn’t function properly until about 10am!xx
Sounds lie you’re all organised! You’re right about blogging being so time consuming – it’s easy to slip into a place where you are blogging more than you are living.
I’d be happy to write a guest post for you, send me an email if you’re interested ๐
Thanks for linking up to #AnythingGoes ๐
Debbie
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I would LOVE for your to guest post Debbie, I will send you an email later. Oh yes I totally agree, I could definitely spend all day everyday blogging but that is not what I want for my life. It could be so very easy to do it though, I wonder if blog addiction is a thing?!xx
This is a great idea, I’m back to work at the end of next month and will need to be organised with my schedule! (#kcacols fb group)
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I can imagine being a work does mean having to be even more organised with blogging as you have less time to do it. I’m lucky I don’t have to work, I have no idea how I could find the time otherwise xx
I like your realism as you say, with a new baby coming on board Blogging is abut utting lide first and then getting it down onto your blog second!
Best of luck with the new schedule and the baby
xx
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#TheList
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Thank you! I am not sure how well I will be able to stick to this when baby comes but I am going to try my best xx
A blogging schedule sounds like such a good idea! At the moment I seem to spend quite a lot of my time either thinking about posts or trying to read other posts but not getting as much done because there are so many things I want to do! You’ve definitely inspired me to come up with a blogging schedule – I think that will help me hugely! #ablogginggoodtime
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I was blogging before I started using a schedule and now I couldn’t live with out one, it definitely helps keep me organised. Good luck creating your own, I hope you can start putting all your amazing ideas into posts ๐ xx
I think I need to be a bit more organised with a schedule – yours seems very sensible. I really hope all goes smoothly in these last few weeks of pregnancy. #ablogginggoodtime. x
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This was perfect for me to read today! I am looking at putting together a realistic schedule and this has helped. You little super star you <3 xx #TheList
Oooo I love this! I am just over a week away from my due date and really haven’t planned at all haha! Other than trying to get the reviews written that I need to get out because I got way behind. I do have Tuesdays and Thursday when Zach will be at nursery and I’ll be learning to multitask with cuddling/feeding baby and typing hehe! You’ve got a great plan here though so I might take some of it on board myself! Thanks for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday
I think it is great you are slowing down and planning a realistic schedule. The hard graft of setting up and establishing is done and now you just need to maintain – its easier in the beginning when they nap alot but when they start to stay awake…. hmmm!
Thanks for linking to #ablogginggoodtime
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Wow Wendy, I’m amazed by what you get done with two little ones! I struggle to get something out every couple of weeks, lol.