Michelle’s quick note: Today I’m sharing a thoughtful guest post from Dan about how he manages to find time to blog while raising three children aged three and under. Dan Palmer takes a holistic approach to personal finance, writing about the underlying purpose behind money decisions, practical frugal-living tactics, and strategies for investing and building wealth.
Anyone who has taken a serious stab at blogging knows it takes a lot of time. Or at least, blogging well takes a lot of time.
You have to carve out hours to craft quality posts, maintain the site, promote content on social channels, network with fellow bloggers, research topics, respond to comments, and more. That’s a substantial load, especially for someone who blogs while holding a full-time job. On top of that, I have three kids, each three years old or younger.
Don’t mistake this for a plea for sympathy — no one’s forcing me to blog. I knew what I was signing up for, and I cherish the time I spend with my children.
Still, you might think I’m a little crazy. Maybe I am — or maybe most bloggers are. For the first months or even years, it’s common to invest a thousand hours for little or no financial return. You work hard for very little pay. Yet every blogger I know insists it’s worth the effort; otherwise they wouldn’t keep at it.
I’m no different. If I didn’t believe blogging was worthwhile, I would have stopped long ago.
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Why I Find Time to Blog
I keep blogging for several reasons. First, I believe my perspective adds value to conversations about personal finance. I hope my experience and insights inform, motivate, and inspire readers to improve — or to stay the course — with their money decisions.
I also write for personal growth. Blogging forces me to exercise my writing skills and remain accountable. The public nature of a blog creates a commitment: if I stop writing, people will notice. Watching my writing improve over time keeps me motivated. Reading my earliest posts is painful, but seeing progress is encouraging.
Researching posts benefits my own finances as well. Preparing content reminds me of principles I might otherwise overlook and holds me accountable. If I’m tempted to finance a new car or blow a raise on subscriptions, I recall what I’ve advised readers and often change my mind.
Finally, there’s the potential income. Blogging isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme, but it can become a viable business. Many bloggers earn a healthy living from their sites. Will everyone succeed? No. But the possibility of turning blogging into a full-time endeavor and gaining the freedom to work more flexibly and spend more time with family helps me push through on tougher days.
Related: The Ultimate Guide To Making Money Blogging – How I Earn Over $50,000 A Month Online
How I Find Time to Blog
My reasons for blogging are strong, but I still have three young children and a job outside the home. My wife also works outside the home. We don’t use daycare, so we coordinate schedules so someone is always with the kids. If you’ve had young children, you know writing while they’re awake is nearly impossible. The idyllic ads showing a parent juggling a baby and a laptop are misleading.
So how do I make it work?
Writing is the most time-intensive part and requires uninterrupted blocks. My most productive window is 4:00 AM, before anyone else is awake. Three mornings a week I must be at work early, so I don’t write then, but on the remaining four mornings I get up early and write until the kids wake or I need to leave. Most of my post drafts and substantive writing happen during these quiet hours.
The rest of blogging — scheduling social posts, responding to comments, editing, networking — doesn’t need long uninterrupted stretches, so I fit it into small pockets throughout the day: after the kids go to bed, during a nap, or while the older children play together. Sometimes it’s two minutes to queue posts, five minutes to comment, and often I pause mid-task for the usual family interruptions.
Related: How To Quit Your Job And Become A Full-Time Blogger
Is It Worth It?
Squeezing in time to run a blog with a young family is not easy. Some mornings I want nothing more than to sleep in, but deadlines — even self-imposed ones — keep me up and writing. I’ve even maintained my early writing routine on vacation. That often means long days and early nights, but readers and search engines don’t take vacations, so the work continues.
Staying on top of the blog can also mean sacrifices: I’m sometimes less present with my family than I’d like, and leisure activities like reading or watching movies take a back seat. There’s always another blog task to do, so free time often goes to the site.
You might wonder whether it’s worth trading personal time for a “stupid blog.” What if it never goes anywhere? Would all the effort be wasted? Those are valid concerns, and everyone answers them differently. For me, the enjoyment I get from writing, the personal growth, the chance to help others, and the potential for income make the trade-offs worthwhile.
My wife’s support matters greatly. She doesn’t resent the time I spend blogging and even helps proof posts and manage social sharing.
So am I making sacrifices? Yes. Is it hard? Absolutely. Is it worth it? Absolutely.
Ultimately, any meaningful pursuit will compete with other parts of your life. Whether you’re blogging, starting a business, chasing a promotion, or pursuing another goal, you’ll need to set priorities and make sacrifices. You might decide a project isn’t worth it, and that’s fine. But if you choose to commit, do it well: accept the trade-offs and avoid excuses.
How do you find time in your busy schedule?