How to Blog with Limited Time

When someone signs up to learn the top 5 things I learned my first couple years in business, I immediately ask them what their biggest struggle is when it comes to building their online business. The answer I hear most frequently is that it’s hard to find enough time to work on it. I definitely understand that struggle.

Most people who are new in business aren’t making a full time income yet (or most likely aren’t making  any money at all yet), so few people have the luxury of 40 uninterrupted hours per week to devote to building their business. If you’re working a full time gig or if you’re busy managing little ones all day while trying to squeeze in time for your side hustle, you are definitely not alone. In fact I think that’s how most entrepreneurs start. It might not be easy, but it’s definitely do-able.

You CAN build a profitable online business while you’re also tending to your day job or household responsibilities. I want to tell you how to blog with limited time.

FIRST: you need to treat your limited work time like a REAL JOB (even if you’re not making actual money yet)! You need to show up and work hard just like you do in your day job. Determine how much time you can commit to your biz each week, schedule it on the calendar, and treat it just like any other appointment. Even if it’s just 2 hours a week, you need to show up those 2 hours as consistently as you do anything. It’s tempting to think of your fledgling biz as a hobby that you can show up for or not, but that type of thinking is what will make it far more likely that your biz will remain just that – a little hobby instead of profitable business.

SECOND: you need to prioritize like crazy! You have a limited amount of time, so none of that time can be wasted. You need to determine which activities are the highest leverage and most important for your business. Start with those things and only do other things as you have time. This also means you should not try to do everything and be on every social media platform.  When you sit down to begin your work, you should always have a prioritized list of what you need to accomplish. Otherwise you run the risk of frittering away your precious work time chit chatting in Facebook groups – don’t ask me how I know that! ☺ If you need help figuring out what your highest leverage task is, I’d be willing to bet that it’s building and nurturing your e-mail list. If you want to hear more about that, stay tuned – I have an in depth course coming in March about why and how to grow and nurture your list. (Sign up for my e-mail list below to make sure you don’t miss it.)

THIRD: use your time outside your official work time to your benefit. Perhaps you can listen to training or podcasts while you commute or are folding laundry. I do this all the time, and I find it very helpful. That way I’m able to learn (and get motivated) without taking up much extra time.

FOURTH: consistency is king! Set reasonable goals and be consistent in achieving them. If one blog post every other week is all you can do, then just do that. DO NOT try to commit yourself to publishing 3 posts a week, do it for a few weeks, and then fall off the face of the blogosphere for a month. Your audience will recognize and value consistency far more than quantity. If you have extra time, work ahead. Resist the temptation to try to do too much.

Here’s a recent scope I did on this topic:

Do you have limited time to grow your online business? What are your tips and tricks? I’d love to hear them.