Blogging Myth #10: Blogging is Never a Distraction

It's time for another round of Blogging Myths. This series explores the common misconceptions that many bloggers and readers have about blogging. If you're new to my blog, you can start from the beginning of the series here.

Today is the last Blogging Myth I have for you! I'll be back next week with a wrap up and some blogging resources.

Myth #10: Blogging is Never a Distraction

Starting up a blog will be easy. I'll post a few times a week, gain a bunch of readers, and make some advertising money without disrupting my family's schedule. 

After a few months of blogging, it occurred to me that there was a whole world of fun reads and inspiration in the blogosphere beyond my little corner of the web. Watching other more experienced bloggers taught me that the best way to find loyal readers was to take the time to interact with the folks who stopped by my blog, whether they clicked over from a blog party, or if they saw my link on someone's Blog Roll. It wasn't too long before bloggers started hosting more blog parties, creating Facebook and Twitter pages, etc. I felt like maybe I should be a part of it all, especially if I wanted to expand my audience.

Networking, social media promotion, ad campaigns...and let's not forget the actual blog--writing posts, editing, taking photos, adding links, etc.--It can easily consume your day if you let it. And for the sake of being completely real, there are most certainly days that I have let it consume me.

One of the first blogging myths I covered was Blogging is An Easy Money Maker. We can pretty much all agree that in order to grow your blog and/or make money from it, you have to put in some effort.

One of the hardest things about being a new blogger is trying to grow your blog while balancing work, family time, household chores, and commitments.

One of the hardest things about being a seasoned (or even successful) blogger is trying to grow your blog while balancing work, family time, household chores, and commitments.

Wait...did I just repeat myself?

Getting your blog out there while trying to keep your focus on family priorities is something that all bloggers struggle with! Anyone can fall prey to the lure of spending too much time online. I'd wager that you could ask just about any experienced blogger that you come across, and he/she will tell you that it is still a challenge to balance blogging with personal life. Every person I have interviewed for my Blogging and Beyond interview series has mentioned that achieving the perfect harmony between work and family life is a daily battle. It's certainly not a new issue for me...I wrote about it last year in my Eighty Three Percent post.

No one seems to have the perfect answer to balancing life and blogging!

It is so, so easy to tell yourself "I'll just check out a few more links on my Pinterest page and then I'll fold that laundry." A few more links turns into a half an hour of Pinning and "oh wait I haven't updated my Facebook page or Tweeted today's blog post link". Before I you know it, your laundry is still sitting in the basket, now crumpled, and it's almost time for dinner.

Here are a few things that I am making an effort to do or at least set goals to work on:

• Schedule

Set some "office hours" (breaking them up throughout the day if necessary) and stick to them. My girls are old enough that they entertain themselves. I try to sneak in emails/networking when they are playing or after they are in bed at night. When preschool and kindergarten start next week, I will try to use those hours for catching up on housework or errands (or coffee with my friend Christy).

I've been considering using HootSuite to schedule promotion of my links each day, but I also don't want my social media interactions to start looking like some robot took over my accounts. If possible, I'd like to limit scheduled Tweets and Facebook posts to mentioning whatever blog post is live that day.

• Time to Network

Posting neat projects and watching your Followers/Subscribers numbers grow is great, but are you taking the time to interact with your readers to build a loyal network? If this is something you struggle with, please read my post on Responding to Comments. I read and appreciate every single (non-spam) comment I receive, but there are days that I have to appreciate the comments, respond to a few, and leave it at that.

• Look for ways to Simplify

In my case, writing a series and hosting interviews turns out to be helpful. After writing up some notes or sending out interview questions, I have lots of new material, and I don't have to worry about coming up with a new post idea every day. If posting regularly is something you want to do, but have a hard time committing to, consider reaching out to other bloggers and arranging guest posts or blog swaps.

At home this will mean working on meal planning, saving money, and spending more time with my family!

• Just say "No"

Sometimes I have to say "no" to guest posts, collaborations, or campaigns that I know will only stress me out. The same goes for commitments here in the "real world." People might say or think that I'm letting my kids miss out, but we don't participate in the Awanas group at my church because my girls go to bed early, and Natalie already has ballet class once a week. Add in MOPS, preschool/kindergarten, a Bible study, events, the dreaded church nursery duty, and family time...I can't add anything else and do it well, with a good attitude! I want my kids to be healthy and well adjusted. Carting them around to various activities, programs, and events just because it will make us look good to our peers is not something I want to do.

• Know that you can't "fit it all in"

Every day we make choices and prioritize our time. My worst fear is getting to heaven and telling God, "So I had this great blog, but I just couldn't get it together at home." Fitting it all in is just not possible. Super Woman is not reality.

You'll have nothing to blog about if your time is spent staring at a computer screen 80% of the day. If you want to share your life with your readers, you have to get out there and live it!

How do you balance your personal life with blogging?