Blogging, Life & Getting It All Done

Guest post by Blog Manager Robbi Hess

You work from home? Great! That means that you can run errands for your friends and family,right? It's
not like you're punching a time clock. You don't have a boss breathing down your neck. The flipside of that is you work outside the home so have to deal with the 9-5, commuting, taking care of self and family once you get home at night. How and when do you find the time to blog for your personal enjoyment?

As a work-from-home-full time-writer, I have the luxury of setting my own work schedule and I have the luxury of not having to leave the house to deal with traffic, but I have a hard time finding time to do my "own" writing — you know the work that doesn't pay the bills but that I do for my own enjoyment and edification. In some ways I am in the same boat as those of you who work outside the home — trying to find time to do it all when it comes to my "personal" blogging and writing. 

Here are some ways I've found to "have it all and do it all":

1. Shut out distractions. It is very easy to get lured into the siren's song of the internet, whether it's reading Facebook updates, surfing the 'net for interesting tidbits all in the name of research, and answering emails. If you have limited time for your pet blogging, you need to make the most of it and I can almost guarantee that if you stay off-line for 30 minutes, you won't miss much. 
2. Get out of the house. Maybe your house just isn't conducive to your blogging because of the distractions of family and the lure of laundry needing to be washed. Grab your laptop or writing device of choice and head to a local coffee shop, fast food restaurant or park bench. Also, if you're out of the house, chances are you won't have internet access so you've already eliminated distractions! 
3. Schedule time for yourself and let your friends and family know you have this time set aside for your work. Make certain they view your blogging as work rather than a hobby — maybe they'll take it more seriously if they think you're working. Put your writing time on the family calendar so it's visible for all to see and put it in your own time management device so that you take it seriously as well. 
4. Don't answer the phone or respond to text messages while you're in your scheduled writing session. You need to value your writing time and not let interruptions get in the way of your productivity. 
5. Love what you do! If you love the blogging that you do for and about pets, it will be easier to schedule time to do your blogging. If blogging is a chore, it will get moved to the bottom of your To-Do list. If you find yourself losing inspiration, make certain you're connecting with other like-minded people whether in your hometown or through the Community at BlogPaws. 

What are your tips for carving out just-for-you blogging time?