When was the last time you took a blogging break?
Have you ever taken a blogging break?
Is taking a blogging break desirable or harmful?
The most common complaints among bloggers relate to time limitations.
If you continue to blog during times of stress, blogging can add to your stress.
If you stop blogging during times of stress, the result could add to your stress.
Consider these comments from a blogger that took a break due to personal stress and stopped blogging–
I have hid myself in the shadows for 9+ months, I have become unknown. People forgot about me. It’s like I have to rebuild what I demolished.
If anyone is out there, I am still alive. I will make it imperative to maintain what it is I started.
By the way, I’m afraid my writing skills went downhill.
Fortunately, my guest author Lillith Black will explain how to find enough time to blog without the stress.
Use Time Management to Reduce Stress and See Things Clearly
Time management is sanity management.
Time management is not the sexiest term out there, and many of us cringe when we hear it.
Time management might feel like putting restraints on what you do and taking the fun out of whatever little spare time we have.
But before you say “Bleh!” to time management, realize that it doesn’t restrain your free time, it frees you up from stress.
Stress is not only created by other people and events we can’t control, stress most often comes from us not managing our time wisely.
Just imagine the stress of running late, or not being dressed our best, or being late paying a bill or sending out an all-important package. All of this stress comes from not allowing enough time and not planning in advance.
When it comes to business, it’s even worse. Deadlines sneak up on us, customers or vendors get upset, bills go unpaid, projects we always wanted to work on get pushed back, and we look at it all and feel the wave of stress and overwhelm washing over us.
Why do we do this to ourselves? Is this freedom?
Time management is not there to restrict you; it’s there to empower you and make you the boss of your time.
Starting with time management is not complicated, and it’s not hard. You just need to start.
Start small; you already have plenty of things to take care of.
10 Ways to Blog Stress-Free
- Get a notebook or an app where you will keep track of what you’ll be doing with your time. Decide on your medium – paper or digital. Each has its advantages. Pick one that works for you.
- Take inventory of your time in a week-span and see where you have time pockets that are not taken up by unmovable commitments like your job, commute, kids’ functions, or family events
- Add up your available time. Now you know what you have to work with.
- With an inventory of time on hand, you are better equipped to decide if you have time for an extra project or if you can afford to waste your precious hours on an activity that won’t bring joy to you or progress to your business.
- Now, go one step further: go through your bills and see if all the due dates can be grouped into two times a month. This way you can sit down and pay a group of bills in one swoop rather than wasting time and tinkering with one bill at a time last minute. This alone will reduce your stress and time wasted.
- Grab a wall calendar or use Google calendar and write out everyone’s birthdays, anniversaries, etc., so you never miss buying that gift or sending that card again. Every month, sit down and take care of all the upcoming celebrations at the same time so you don’t have to worry about them later.
- Get in the habit of writing out daily the things you want to be done that day. Nothing creates more stress and missed deadlines than trying to jump on tasks as soon as they pop into your head (often a day too late). Every night or every morning, give yourself a short (I mean SHORT) list of things that are important and need to be done that day. Don’t pile up the tasks – they won’t all get done and you’ll feel frustrated. Plan less and end up doing more.
- When working on something, work on one thing at a time – multi-tasking is a myth. Really give it your all to that one thing you do and notice your new clarity and speed.
- When working, take breaks. Remember to stand up, walk around, sip some water and breathe. You’ve got one body and one mind – take care of them, and they will pay you back with speed, clarity, and reliability.
- Write everything down – things you need to do, ideas, reminders, worries, dreams. Get things out of your head and on paper. When you don’t carry a million buzzing thoughts in your head, your mind becomes clear, sharp, and fresh. When you get on task with an unobstructed mind, everything you’ll do will be better quality, done faster, and with less time-costing mistakes.
Time management is not a restriction, it’s a simple routine that brings you clarity, peace, and reduces your stress.
It lets you be in charge of your time, of your tasks, and frees up your mental power for the things you always wanted to do but never found time to.
To learn more about finding spare time in your week, you can also read a post on “How to find time to work on your side business”.
About the Author: Lillith Black is the founder of Nightpreneur.com and Nightpreneur Facebook group where she provides technical and business knowledge, and moral support to those who are building their dream business at night while still working 9-5.
Admin blogger’s commentary:
We really appreciate Lillith’s explanation about how we can blog stress-free.
Readers, please share this post, so others know about these tips to enable us to blog without the stress.
Can you think of any other time-management tips to help bloggers? I look forward to your views.
After you share in the comments section, go show Lillith some blogging love and visit her blog.
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