If you are plugging away day after day in a job you have little or no passion for, you are not alone. So many of us are stuck in 9 to 5 office jobs and the two things keeping us there is not knowing there’s a better way to earn an income and the fear of failure that comes with starting something new. We let our comfort of a steady paycheck hold us back from making huge advances in our lives and careers. But what if I told you that you could live out your passions and do the things you’ve always dreamed of doing through blogging without leaving your comfy office job? Read on for how to jump into blogging without quitting your day job.
Figure out what you want to do
Get ready because this will be the toughest decision you’ll ever make in life. I went through many years of college, switching majors, changing jobs, and I still don’t have it completely figured out. But I’m getting there and you will too. The first step in jumping into blogging is figuring out what it is you want to blog about.
You don’t want to get started in just anything because it’ll be a waste of your time if you don’t enjoy doing it. It can quickly become more like a chore than your passion, making it more difficult to stay motivated. When asking yourself what your purpose is, consider things you enjoy doing without being asked to do it. What are some of your hobbies and interests?
Also think about what your strengths are. What do you constantly receive compliments on? What are people always asking your advice or help with?
Consider the everyday objects you use that you absolutely love and recommend to friends often. For example, I could go on all day about my crock pot and the easy meals I can make in it. Are there any objects you’re obsessed with and practically sell just through your recommendations?
Figuring out what to blog about will take some time so have patience. Sit down for a brainstorm session and consider the pros and cons of each idea that pops into your head. Don’t become overwhelmed if your calling doesn’t come to you right away. You will get there with time.
Make the commitment
Once you have your blog topic in mind, it’s time to commit to it. This means being consistent day in and day out, telling your friends and family what you’re taking on, setting focused blogging hours for yourself and determining the best course of action to move your blog forward.
Being a blogger is not working on your blog just on days that you feel like it. It’s not doing only the tasks that you enjoy doing. Let me be real with you for a moment. As much as I believe blogging is incredibly rewarding, you do have to put the work in. Buy a good planner and determine when and how much time you’ll invest in it. Stay consistent even on the days you rather sit on the couch and watch TV. If you put the work in now, you’ll be rewarded for it later down the road.
In my opinion, telling friends and family your plans makes it all feel so much more real. It’s important to tell the people closest to you what you’re doing so they know that you’re serious about this new adventure. Be clear about your focused blogging time and so they know what to expect from you.
Just like retail stores are open during certain hours of the day, you should plan to get blogging in during certain hours as well. Set hours for yourself of when you’ll blog and make sure your clients are aware of them. This will help keep you on track every day and be consistent. Just remember that you need down time too.
When first starting out, it’s important to figure out the key tasks that will move you forward. Stop wasting your time doing the things that don’t matter! Do your research, follow the top leaders in your industry and get focused.
Learn to manage your time
If you’re working a full-time job in addition to your blogging, you most likely don’t have a ton of extra time available. This means you’ll have to work smarter rather than harder.
The first thing you need to do is eliminate the time-wasters, a huge one often being TV time. Even some of the hobbies you love may have to be cut down unless of course, they’re related to your blog.
Next, buy a planner and block out the times each day you’ll dedicate to blogging. This is your focused time.
You’ll also want to make use of your extra chunks of time throughout the day. For example, you can think of new blog ideas while waiting at the doctor’s office, sitting on a bus, waiting for your dinner to cook, etc. Be as productive as possible during these blocks of free time.
Have a strong and powerful why
It’s certainly not easy trying to juggle an office job, a blog and home life. There will be many times when things get difficult and you’ll want to throw in the towel. This is especially true for those who have the cushion of a steady day job. But you will not give up this time because you’re going to come up with a strong and powerful why that will keep you moving forward with your blog even when you want to quit.
Think about why you wanted to start blogging in the first place. It shouldn’t be just to earn a little extra money. Get deep with it. Why do you really want to do this? Would you one day like to turn blogging into your full-time gig so you can work from home and set your own hours? Do you want to one day have more time with your family? When it comes to your why you must have emotion because this is the one thing that will keep you going when things get tough (and trust me, they will).
There is more in life for you than just your boring day job. You were born to do more than sit at a desk all day and enter numbers into a computer. You are unique and have something so valuable to offer the world. You may or may not know what that thing is yet but the fact that you read this blog post to the end tells me that there’s something in your heart that’s pulling you to do something more with your life. The jump into blogging doesn’t have to be as scary as quitting your day job. Why not start a blog on the side that you can actually be proud of?
Nicole Tinkham is the author of this article. She’s a busy wife, mom of four fur babies and entrepreneur with a passion for cooking, family, blogging, and the great outdoors.
