Pretty much every single day of the working week, I spend most of my time during the day blogging in some way. I guess you could class me as a full time blogger and that is one of my aims this year to go freelance with it! I thought it might be a good idea to share what a typical blogging day is like for me, giving you the chance to see what I get up to and spend my time doing to have a good successful blogging day. And also give any non-bloggers an insight in how hard us bloggers work each day.
So what do I do all day?
7:00am - 9:00am: 7am is the time I come back from Matt's (my boyfriend) most mornings after a weekend together or sleeping over during the week. It's been an absolute game changer for my productivity getting up at 6am when he does and then getting back to mine for 7am to start the day off properly. I usually start the day by writing out what I need to do for the day ahead and also any plans I have for the week. This gives me a clear idea of everything I need to do for the week ahead and gives me the chance to see what things I can look forward to, which is also great for motivation.
I then spend time catching up on any social media from the night before and seeing how everyone is getting on in the mornings. This usually involves me sending out a tweet for the morning and also responding back to any tweets I've missed, catching up on my Instagram comment pods, as well as liking pictures, checking out stories and also responding back to my own comments. I also might check out Bloglovin and Pinterest in this time.
Once I've caught up on all things social, I'll then get stuck into any blog or photo planning/organising that needs to be done. I'll get out my notebook and finish planning posts or start planning new ones for the month ahead. If I am taking blog photos on a particular day, then I like to go over the plan I've already written for the posts I need to take or build on the ideas, so I have a good idea of what images I want to achieve. This also includes any Instagram photos that need to be taken too.
Also in the morning I like to check the weather to help with photo taking or to see what it is going to be like when I like to venture out during the week.
9:00am - 10:30am: This is the time I usually stop for breakfast and to also give myself a chance to get ready for the day. Even when I'm working from home, I still like to get ready as I would if I was leaving the house to go to work. It really helps with motivation and helping me to feel less sluggish. My typical breakfast is usually some toast or granola and yoghurt with a smoothie. I'm obsessed with smoothies at the moment. My favourite is the Naked Red Machine. It's so delicious!
I also like to sometimes head out for a bit of exercise during this time. Even if it's only a light walk around the block, it can make the world of difference and as a mental health sufferer it can really help keep my stress levels down. The fresh air always makes me calmer and almost grounds me in a way from all the negative anxious thoughts that can cloud my mind way too often. I like to try reduce my screen time during this time to rest my eyes, but also to keep my headspace off the online world.
10:30am - 1:00pm: During this time I get back on with all things blogging. There's a whole load of different tasks I could be getting on with during this time. If the lighting is good, then I'll opt bulk shoot my Instagram and blog photos. This usually takes a couple of hours to do, as I spend time shooting lots of photos for different posts and also like experimenting with different shots before I feel I have achieved enough good shots. If the lighting isn't playing ball or I don't have any photos that need taking, then I might be doing anything from scheduling tweets, continuing my planning, editing photos, writing posts, catching up on blog comments or responding to emails. There is never a day when there isn't something to be getting on with.
1:00pm - 2:00pm: Between 1pm and 2pm, I like to take another break and this time I stop for lunch time. Again, I like to take some time away from the screen at this time, so I'll either sit down my blog notebooks to plan more and keep organised, or I'll grab something to read like a magazine or book. My mind never stops thinking about blogging even when I'm stopping for a break!
2:00pm - 3:00pm: This is the time I try to finish off my to do list, (which rarely happens because the day seems to go by so quick or I get distracted by something on social media usually, but trust me I'm trying to work on limiting my distractions!!!) I could be working on finishing up blog posts, scheduling tweets, checking my emails again or editing photos. It's a real mixture just like before lunch. I'm not always doing the same thing every day, even though the structure is fairly similiar, it's never the same tasks at the same time each day. I never shoot photos in the afternoon though because the lighting never works in my favour, so that's always a morning task.
3:00pm - 4:00pm: Towards the later half of the afternoon, I like to try and unwind for the day and get myself ready to head on out. I like to take myself off for a long relax in a bubble bath or a pamper in the shower. This is a good way for me to unwind from the day and also treat myself, all about that self care! I also spend the time tidying up from the day, so if I have been shooting photos I have a lot of mess to tidy up. Anyone else always make a mess when they take blog photos? It's a nightmare to tidy up sometimes. I also like to tidy up around my room and make sure everything is looking nice before I leave.
4:00pm - 6:00pm: Anytime between 4-5pm is usually when I head back off to Matt's for the rest of the night or he comes over for some tea. It's nice to sit down with him and have a little catch up to see how our days went etc. Whilst I try be present and stay away all things blog, I sometimes am still working on my blog behind the scenes, such as preparing Instagram photos e.g editing them ready to be uploaded or catching up any social media notifications. But when I do actually give myself the chance to switch off, I like to use the time to focus on my mental health, so I'll do some journaling or even just put on my favourite tv series or movie to watch with Matt to cheer myself up if I'm feel a little down or anxious.
6:00pm - 7:00pm: This is the time I usually have some food and socialise with my family or Matt's, so I again switch off from the screen, but before I do that, I upload a post on Instagram usually for the day. And also use the time to respond to comments on there and comment on other people's posts to share the love. This is one of my favourites things to do ever!
7:00pm - 9:00pm: Now between 7pm and 9pm is a real mixture and hugely depends on the mood I'm in or how productive the day has been before hand. Whilst I aim to switch off from the blogging world in the evenings and spend the time living in the present with the people I love, I sometimes end up doing more blog work in the evenings. Most of the time it's finishing off posts or planning, so nothing that is too difficult for that time of the night. I love writing and planning, they both relax me and somehow end me up in a good head space anyway, so I guess I could sometimes class them as being self care things I enjoy doing. But when I'm not focusing on my blog, I'll either be chilling in front of the TV or playing on the Sims (yes, I still do that at 20).
9:00pm - 10:00pm: Again another hour used to unwind and I try my very best to make it a no phone hour. Ideally I like to get into bed by half 9 with a good book to read and be ready to drift off into a good nights sleep. But most of the time, I'm usually scrolling through social media and telling Matt to go clean his teeth, because he's already fallen asleep beside me and is hogging half of the bed, and won't move his butt. Men, ey? We love them really!
And then I wake up in the morning bright and early, ready to repeat the same sort of day again.
Who ever said blogging was easy, ey? It's nearly a 24 hour round job and I never stop thinking about it.
What's your favourite part of a blogging day?
Lauren x