Typical Day In The Life of a Part Time Blogger
I thought I would share how I’m a part-time blogger while I work a full-time job.
When it comes to blogging, there are no two schedules that are identical. Everyone seems to have long to-do lists, a million different things to do, virtual assistants, etc.
I find it really fascinating to read what other bloggers are up to mostly because I’m nosy amazed by how much other people accomplish!
On average, I spend 2-2.5 hours on my blog or blog related work a day.
I still consider myself to be in learning mode and am actively working on improving my blog. As a part-time blogger, I wish I had more time to spend learning more about blogging!
However, blogging as a side hustle is working for me right now.
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I was able to quit my job and blog full time, all within my first year of blogging. I’m really glad I took a chance and started a blog! I invested a small amount of money to start my blog using Bluehost, and I made $13,000 in 6 months of blogging. That’s the best return of investment ever!
Along with getting hosting for your blog, you’ll also need a theme. While you can get them for free through WordPress, I prefer these:
An average day as a part-time blogger
Since I’m in full-time hustle mode in addition to my day job, I thought it would be fun to share what my average day looks like as a part-time blogger.
This will also show you the work that goes into side hustling as a blogger.
Now I could sugarcoat this and just write about what a day is like when I’m not at my day job. But let’s face it – we are all doing a million things and are all super busy.
So it makes more sense to write about a real, hectic day.
The most realistic days include working my day job, blogging, and side hustling, taking care of my dogs, trying to have a social life and trying to sneak in some TV time on the couch.
My typical day as a part-time blogger
5:30 am – Alarm goes off and my dog wakes me up to be let outside.
I debate whether or not to go back to sleep, but decide I should probably make some coffee and get ready for the day.
6:30am – 8:30am – Work on blog.
Every day is slightly different, but there tends to be some patterns in my daily work schedule. I also work efficiently and the best in the morning.
My typical morning routine as a part-time blogger during the week looks like this:
- Write or edit a post
- Read some of my favorite blogs, share them on Twitter and/or comment
- Respond to comments or emails
- Upload new photos to Pinterest and schedule them on Tailwind
- Do batch work, like look for stock photos for future posts. Even if I don’t have a post written, I will look at photos and save the ones that I think I will use in the future.
- Or if I have a few photos and posts done, I will create and edit them in Canva.
On my days off, I actually spend about half a day working on my blog.
This is usually geared towards random things, like updating a broken link, applying for affiliate programs, or brainstorming new blog posts.
Post Ideas For Bloggers
I’ve started getting a lot of emails on how to do things, so right now I’m working on these tutorials for future posts:
-How to use Tailwind (Pinterest scheduler)
-How to shop online with Rakuten (my FAVE online shopping site where you earn cashback when you shop online)
-How to use Ibotta (another free cell phone app). You use it after you go grocery shopping and use your receipt. It’s basically a rebate app, so you can earn anywhere from 50 cents to $5 off everything you buy.
My favorite part about this app is that it’s not always brand specific, like a lot of coupons are. So you’ll be able to scan “any brand of bread” for 50 cents off, etc.
If you do coupon – you can STILL use Ibotta and get a rebate.
For the diehard couponers out there, this will often result in getting an item for FREE. Crazy, right?
Related reading:
- Typical Day in the Life of a Full-Time Blogger
- 9 Ways to Avoid Blogging and Freelance Burnout
- How to Manage Your Time as a Blogger
- 90-Day Blogging Guide For Beginners
If you want to grab the Ibotta app and start making money off your grocery receipts, click here to get started. You will receive a cash bonus of $10 when you scan your first item!
Part-time blogger schedule
8:30am – Walk dogs.
9:15am – I pack up and drive to work. I debate if I should get Starbucks before heading in.
9:35am – Get to parking lot downtown. I curse the parking meter and pay $15 for the day.
Now that I drive to work, I’m paying significantly more than my daily $6 bus pass. It hurts, but I’m saving well over an hour of my time than riding the bus.
An extra hour lets me be more productive at home!
9:40am – I pass Starbucks walking to work and say no to myself.
On my walk to work, I cover three city blocks and 2 traffic lights to get to my office. During this time, I check on Twitter and finish all my social media interactions.
10am – 6pm – I realize how much I like my job, but detest working in an office environment. I still manage to have a lot of fun with my coworker.
The two of us work remotely from our NY headquarters and always have a ton of work to do. Realizing we have no chance of taking a break, we have a courier bring us coffees from Starbucks.
6:01pm – Leave work
6:25pm – Home !!
After Work
7pm – Grab the dogs for a walk and run errands.
We live on the main street and everything is right outside my front door!
We swing by the pharmacy (it’s actually on the bottom floor of my building), stop at the ATM, and finish at the grocery store. My favorite part of where I live is everything’s outside my front door and walkable.
7:45pm – I make dinner, feed the dogs and tidy up, as well as check on Twitter or do some pinning on Pinterest.
8:30pm -10:30pm- Watch TV , eat dinner and blog. If my workload is light, I’ll play around online or do some stuff around my apartment.
10:30pm- Plan my to-do list for the next day. I always feel more productive when I have a list.
11-11:30pm – Lights out!
Is blogging a good side hustle?
Overall, this schedule is a little hectic for me! During my work week at my day job, I am super busy.
Usually by Friday night, I’m exhausted and end up zoning out at home.
Every aspect of my life seems busy right now due to trying to do it all.
I’m really thankful to have found a job before moving. I would rather work both these jobs right now instead of moving and having no job at all.
I also think it will be interesting to post my typical day as a part-time blogger in a few months as I grow and learn new things.
Everything is going to be different, especially because I will be working from home at least 50% of the time!
Thanks for introducing me to tailwind. It’s really useful for my email marketing. And thanks to you for sharing this beautiful information and ideas.
Blogging part time is no joke! I work from home for my 9-5 and staying consistent and managing my marketing and social media is a whole job in itself . Thank you for sharing
Thanks!
Hey, thanks so much for posting your schedule as a part time blogger! I also work full time and am currently trying to turn my blog into a career. It’s inspiring to see other women succeed and I’m glad I found this post! I’m working on a marketing blog and would love your advice if you have the time? I’ve just recently changed it from a travel blog so some of the older posts are about that. (I’m not sure if I should take them down?) My site is http://www.roamingqueen.com but i would like to change it to my own name soon! I know you’re busy so if you don’t have the time I completely understand! Thank you!
Hi! Thanks for laying out my schedule for me! LOL jk. I’m also a part-time blogger with a full-time job. I’m trying to get my blog, When She Roams, on a consistent schedule but I’m still having a difficult time trying to get ahead of content. I recently heard of this thing called, “Batching, ” so I’m trying this strategy. Wish me luck!
And thank you so much for sharing. Now, I know I’m not alone!
Good luck with your blog!
Yes! I recently heard about time batching a couple of weeks ago and have been trying it out on Google Calendar. It’s working great so far but I also still have trouble figuring out a good schedule. I wish the best for your blog!
Batching is great!
This schedule sounds awfully familiar….. Wait a second…. It’s mine!! Minus a couple things, this is where I’m sort of at right now. I work a part-time job, run a dance studio, run a small marketing business, run a small farm, AND am trying to get my blog, Life’s A Dance, going. It will happen!! This post definitely helped to encourage me. Way to go for reaching your goals!!!
Life gets crazy, right?!
This information was helpful I have tried working on my schedule before actually starting a schedule and this take up to much time so procrastinating so I will add steps to my planning.
I spent around 3 hours to write a post. Every morning to read blogs. I still finding my time to focus on my job and blogging.
I work on average 35 hours a week, go to school part time, and have just started a blog. Its so hard for me to find time to do everything! I am going to try to start waking up earlier and getting more done in the morning!
Love this post!
And, how is your schedule now that you blog full-time, have product and then some?
I enjoyed this post. This resonates well with me as I am part time blogger . This shows the determination to be organised and dedicated as a Blogger.
I just began blogging a week ago and I really like reading this post. I am also working full time and would love to figure out a schedule so I can be most productive. Thank you for sharing yours! You’ve given me a lot to think about!
Hi Elaine! Congrats on starting a blog – that’s awesome! I keep meaning to update and write a new blog post on my schedule these days as it’s totally changed. Working on a blog while working full time is tough – but the payoff is worth it!
I really enjoyed this post. Caught my eye at a moment when I was just about to add another reason to my growing list of reasons why I don’t have time to blog! This post eliminates all excuses! Thank you, this was just the nudge I needed to get organized and set a regular schedule for my blogging efforts. Great post!
Ha, thanks Dietta!
I am brand new to blogging and am trying to figure out where and when to fit it into my crazy schedule. It’s nice to know that others have this same issue. I likely need to do what I did when I first started working out, and schedule time to work on it. I appreciate you sharing some insight into your typical day, as well as offering free courses, tips and tricks!
Thanks Carrie! I have got to update this post now that I blog full time. But this was definitely how it was for MONTHS while I juggled everything. Everytime I re-read this post, I seriously ask myself how I handled it all, ha! Determination I guess 🙂
I have a back to front version of your day. I start work early so I can finish at 4pm. I blog and pin during my lunch hour, get home and help the kids with homework, have dinner, get them to bed, then do my blog stuff. I also do a huge chunk of my blog work at the weekend.
It’s crazy how much time blogging can take in addition to working and having a life 🙂 Totally worth it though!
Hmm- I wished some of the blogs had dates just to track when things happened. To clarify- was this before you left your day job? I just read your “About” page and it says you left your corporate job, but in here it says you have a day job. Am I right in assuming you eventually left after this post?
Hi Mika, you can refer to the comments to see when the post was published. Correct – This post was written while I had a day job. I was eventually able to leave my day job and blog full time!
I love your determination!! it´s so difficult for me get up at 6 am.
Where do you work?, I´m from México, and here most of us tend to work from 8:30 to 7 pm. u.u
Thanks Elvira! I don’t know how I maintained this schedule for so long, it was tiring! My day job was from 10-6 give or take 🙂
It varies too much. I also have school… I’m looking at these posts to get an idea for a schedule.
Yes, working full time and blogging is tough! Thanks for the reminder – I need to do a blog post about my schedule now that I’m blogging full time!
I love day in the life posts! Also, that parking price is outrageous.
I need to do an update on this! Parking KILLED me when I lived in Seattle!
This article is very helpful. My niece and I are starting to think about doing a blog together. Your routine is very doable for me. What is your goal for number of posts/week? Thank you!
Hello! In 2015, I had 3 posts a week. This year I will be trimming that to 2 posts a week, but each post will be a little longer. Good luck!!
Great post! You day looks a lot like my day. If only there were a couple more hours in the day.
Right?! Sometimes I think if I had a personal assistant, I could get so much more done!
Wow, what a busy and productive day. Good for you, you should be really proud. I like to get 8 hours of sleep a night and am probably online 1.5 – 2.5 hours a day. I am home with a baby so most of my time is in the evening or during afternoon nap 🙂 Baby is a good sleeper and does not get up until 7:30am so I will try to be inspired by you and get a head start on my day…we’ll see! Thanks for sharing, I love a typical day blog post.
Nothing beats being home with baby 🙂
Thanks for giving us a sneak peek into your daily life! You are one busy lady! I always find it interesting to see what other blogger’s lives are like. I currently get about 5 or 6 hours of sleep each night. Sometimes it catches up to me and I need extra sleep one or two nights a week.
It catches up to me too. Sometimes I come home from work on Friday and crash out, ha!
Blogging is a huge time investment! More than I imagined and I think I do a lot less than most bloggers. I find it hard not to get distracted and start watching the twitter scroll or other unproductive things. Looks like you have a pretty good schedule though. Good luck with your move.
It’s a struggle to stay focused. I get distracted easily and my mind is always thinking about 10 things at once!
Oh man I’d never be able to get up at 5:30 if I went to bed at 11:30! It’s always interesting to see people’s schedules and what they do to squeeze stuff in. When do you actually move to Nashville?
I move in October!
We definitely need to be organized, otherwise it is just impossible to get things done. I use a planner for myself (one for my consultations, one for my blog and one for the virtual assistant work). I’m working full-time for a finance company, but I currently do that from home. That gives me some flexibility 🙂 I run my online business before, during and after my job 🙂 I usually start my day at 6-7 AM and go to bed around 1-2 am. I wish I could get some more sleep, but there is so much to do! 🙂
Wow, that’s impressive! I don’t know if I could sustain that for long. Sometimes I wish I had a personal assistant.
Eesh, I’m exhausted just *reading* that.
I have a full-time job, plus chronic illnesses for both me and my husband. So blogging has to take a backseat a fair amount.
Especially in spring and summer, my workload is light enough that I can start reading blogs each time I get the inbox cleared out. Usually, I can get it cleared by 11 a.m., then a few drift in at a time throughout the day.
Generally, I post one day and read/comment on other blogs the other day. Sometimes I’m able to fit in blog reading on both days, but it’s rare.
Lately, I’ve been trying to get (very) short workouts in during the workday. I just do 10 minute videos (chronic illness, after all), and then I can get back to work.
I get off work at 4 p.m. and try to just chill out with my husband. If I posted the day before, I try to muster the energy to write a post that night. Other times, I end up writing and posting all in the same day.
Good job on the workouts, that’s something I need to get better at. I like how you do 10 minute videos! When I got sick earlier this year, I had absolutely no energy to do anything, so it’s great that you can still do so much!
Great post!! I also love reading “day in the life” posts. I’m definitely amazed at all that you can accomplish! I just started my 9-5 office job so my schedule now looks like this:
5:45 am – Wake up and get ready, get the girls ready, eat breakfast, clean, etc. No time for blogging or the computer at all in the morning!
8:00-5:30: leave the house, drop the girls off at daycare, go to work, pick the girls up and back home by 5:30 or so.
5:30-7:00: Dinner and playing with the girls.
7:30-bedtime: Freelance work! I’ve had at least one assignment to tackle each night. To say I feel “busier” would be a massive understatement lol!!
I do still get 7-8 hours of sleep a night tho, which is great!! And I drink a lot of coffee 🙂
I can’t even imagine having kids, working full time and blogging! You and Alexa are awesome! Cheers for coffee 🙂
I normally get at least eight hours of sleep each night. If I don’t get enough sleep I’m pretty much worthless. Then I’d say I probably spend around 6 hours on average per day working on blogging or freelancing tasks. It will probably be less once school starts for the girls though. We shall see!
That’s great you are able to do everything in 6 hours working for yourself – considering most full time jobs require 8!
I’m impressed with how you’re able to squeeze in extra time for your blog and I think it’s great that you can walk most places when running errands. I would love that because I feel like I sit way too much. I actually just did a post about my typical day (great minds think alike) and I spend about 15 hours per week blogging and freelancing but honestly most of it is probably freelance work because the to-do list for my blog never gets any shorter. I’m getting at least 6 hours of sleep on week days and more on weekends thankfully.
I don’t think my blogging list gets any shorter either! I am definitely going to miss walking to everything once I move.
That is a busy day. I try to get up early but if my kids are fussy at night, I end up sleeping in (and my sleeping in I mean 7am). I usually go to bed around 11, although I’m trying to push this up to 10.
Ha, when I sleep to 7am it feels amazing!!