“This blog isn’t a business for me. It’s not close to being my whole life, it’s just a hobby”
Says the girl who pulls her hair out over it on a regular basis.
I'm gonna be honest...
This isn’t the post that I intended to write when I wrote this title in my calendar. Initially this was going to be all about having a life and not getting too carried away with all of this, and how I’ve finally struck a balance with this fun little hobby of mine.
However, I’d drafted and redrafted and re-redrafted that other post a tonne of times, and it wasn’t coming to fruition. Tonight (The day before this goes up), as I packed my suitcase and had a mini breakdown because my tweets weren’t properly scheduled while I’m away, I realised why I couldn’t complete my post about balance.
My blog-life balance "skills" are a filthy lie.
I wouldn’t say that I am necessarily a “fake it til you make it” person. In fact, if we’re gonna get specific, I’m a “fake it forever and just hope no one notices” person. I tend to just panic my way through most things and stress out to the point of breaking down, but acheive the final result, so nobody’s the wiser. Is it a way to get everything done? Yes. It is healthy? Definitely not.
My main problem with all of this, is that I’ve been living this lie so long that I’ve started to believe it myself. I notice that I’ve always (with the exception of exams and a nasty first year break up) had at least one post out a week, and they stay at the quality I like them to be at, so I convince myself that I’ve got the hang out this all. But the truth is, I absolutely don’t, because I always end up in this same stressed out predicament.
It's just hard to make this my "priority"
I pour my heart and soul into this blog. I make a little chunk of my income from it. It’s my pride and joy and I actually invest in it now. However, it has never been my top priority. I started it whilst I was studying my degree, so it’s always had to take a backseat, and now that degree is over I still know that I don’t want to do this full time. Yes, it’s definitely taking more of a front seat during my year out, but it’s still not my main goal. And yet, despite it not being a priority I’m always worried that I’m not investing enough time into my blog.
So I guess it's all about balance
Anyone who believes that you can’t have your cake and eat it too has never considered cutting the cake in half.
In that same vein, my goal for the next few months is to learn how to continue to have a life, but to feel like I’m putting enough time into this blog. It won’t be easy because I’m an overworker and a perfectionist, but hey, I like a challenge. Here’s to seeing what the next few months hold… After I get back from my holiday, of course…
Are there any areas of your life that you struggle with balance-wise? Let me know in the comments!
Lots of love,
Jas xx
I feel like this is where I am with my business. I absolutely love my business (being a social media manager) and I love doing the work because I love being able to work from home and not have to answer to anyone but myself, but I know that what I really wanna do is blogging, being an influencer, and my YouTube Channel full-time. Those are my real goals, but I also feel like I don’t work hard enough to grow my business and it drives me crazy. I want to continue my business but I am realizing that I just want it to be a supplementor, not a main focus.
I get you girl! I’m actually feeling the same way too! I know blogging is just a hobby, but sometimes i get too obssessed with making sure the quality is great and i’m doing my best in seo and things like that. I realized it’s taking way too much of my time. But then again, remember the skills you’re gaining along the way too. You could find it useful in other aspects of your life – maybe you want to be in the digital marketing career path or social media management. I guess that’s how i see it in my case 🙂
Good luck with balancing life and blogging!
– Hazel https://dressmeupbuttercup.com
That’s so true! Transferable skills are always a great bonus haha