TIPS TO MANAGE WORKING A FULL-TIME JOB AND A PROFITABLE BLOG SIDE HUSTLE

Jan 10, 2019

It's no secret that I work two full-time jobs. Your home girl hardly ever takes a day off, but that's simply because I love what I do for both jobs, that it doesn't feel like work. Okay, I mean it's not all peonies and spring sunshine, but it's pretty dang close, and it's such a blessing. I work full-time as a manager for a major fashion company, and run social media for my store. Style + social media = perfection. It honestly couldn't get any better than that. Then, when I'm done my day job, it's time to hustle hard for the blog. During the holiday season, I was only slightly drowning, because both jobs were so.dang.busy, but somehow I survived and was able to make it through--stronger, and just slightly way past tired. haha!

Today, I wanted to chat with you about a few things that I do to help manage working two jobs. A lot of you that read my blog work two jobs just like I do, and you know just how hard it can be. Just know that if you have a full-time job currently and are debating on starting a side-hustle, just know it's a lot of work and it takes TONS of diligence and persistence, <---(Hey, that's my word of the year!) but it's so rewarding in the end.


First things first, map out your work schedules. I can't stress this enough. Get yourself a planner, and map out your full-time job's schedule, and block out those times--including travel times. Once you've done that, you will be able to realistically see how much time you have to dedicate to your side-hustle. I'm able to schedule out what posts I need to write, when I need to schedule to take photos, and when I can and need to complete any other side-hustle related tasks.

The amazing thing for me is that my full-time job is so extremely supportive of my side hustle, so I am given the perfect days off that I need in order to be successful in both career avenues. If your full-time job isn't as flexible, it's your responsibility to stick with your mapped out working times in order to successfully run a side business. 


This one seems like a no-brainer, but stay organized. From every contract you sign, to payment you receive, and expense you incur, document them in an excel document, and/or print it out and store it in a binder. I have every expense and payment in an excel document, and I update it weekly to be sure that I am still on track to where I want to be. For every contract that I electrically sign, I print it out, and have it in that binder--in case anything were to happen, I would always have a hard copy of it in a safe location. I'm also more a paper girl, and it's easier for me to process the amount of contracts I have active. I keep all currently active contracts in a tab within my binder, and I have all of my completed contracts in another. This way I can go back and refer to each contract to be sure I'm getting paid the proper amounts agreed upon, that I'm holding up my end of the bargain, and that everything is completed on schedule and in a timely manner.

Something else that has helped me through working two jobs--especially when I first started my full-time job was communicating openly with my campaign managers. I work with several brands with private contracts rather than going through a network, so it allows me to push back a posting date if I know I won't have the time to get a post done to my posting standards. Instead of having a three to seven day turnaround, I updated it to a two week turnaround, and because I openly communicated that with my campaign managers and contacts, they were totally okay with that, because I was open with them, and they know I only want to create the best of the best content for them.


This leads me to my next tip--only post quality content. Working two jobs will not allow you time to create fluff content. You will want to dedicate your time to creating your best content, because now that your time is limited, so will your content creation time. Don't waste your time creating a post for your blog just because you haven't posted in a few days--even a week. Wait that extra day or two to reveal a quality post that your readers will actually want to read. Working this way will save yourself time and stress. As long as you are creating content that is on brand and is something that your readers will want to read, your readers and followers on social media will still be there when you post. In this case, less is more, my friends.

In all reality, whether you think this or not, you will be posting less content than you think you will. When I first started my full-time job, I wanted to continue posting three times a week. Once I started getting into a routine, I decided that posting two quality posts a week was more achievable and would leave my readers happy and myself happy as well. If you are at the point of monetizing your blog, you will need to choose your partnerships wisely. When I was blogging full-time, I was able to pick up an extra blog post just for the extra money--even if it was slightly lower than my asking rate. However, now, I've realized that yes, less is more, and I have really stuck to working with brands that I truly love and pay my asking rate. This way I am still working with brands, but I am working with brands that recognize my worth as a blogger and social media influencer.

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Since I started paying closer attention to the brands I work with, I was able to narrow down my focus to the topics I'm truly passionate about--style, beauty, home decor, and a little life advice, too! Having the extra income from your full-time job (if you were blogging solely before) or just the extra income from your blog--(if you're thinking of monetizing) will be so exciting!

If there was one thing I hope you get out of this post, it's this next section right here--no matter what, you have to be persistent! At the beginning of 2019, I revealed that persistence is my word of the year. It's because I wholeheartedly believe that if you stay persistent, no matter how hard things may be or get, you will always come out on top. Through the late nights and early mornings, working crazy hours to make a project deadline, and every crazy thing that could and may go wrong, be persistent, stay confident, and make it happen.


Last and certainly not least, enjoy the adventure. Running your own business can bring you the greatest of adventures and allow you to live a life you never could have imagined. While you're in the heart of your adventure, remember to enjoy it. Reminisce on the good times and celebrate your milestones. Since you are working two jobs, make sure you take time for yourself, too. Your health will always come first, so if you need  a break, take a break--if you're not enjoying the adventure, take a step back for a few days and come back to it when you're passionate about it. Sometimes I take a week off, and I come back on my day off from my FT job, and I'm more than ready to get back at it. It's in these moments that I enjoy the adventure even more.

Good luck with your adventure--I hope nothing but the best for you!

Where are you in your blogging career? Do you work another job and blog as well?

1 comment

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