FBFF: Finding the Balance

This is my first week participating in Katy Rose from Modly Chic Friend Fridays. This is definitely a growing community of wonderful bloggers and I'm excited to be a part. I've learned quite a bit already. This week's posts are about finding balance. This comes at a wonderful time, because that is a constant struggle for me and especially as it relates to blogging. I could and should be so much further in my readership, writing, contests, reviews, etc. So here are my thoughts on the subject...

Finding the balance – I think this is one of the hardest things for us as bloggers to deal with. How do you do it all and still live, work and play as you should?

1. When it comes to prioritizing your life, in what place does blogging fall?
Unfortunately my blog often comes in last. But I'm working on disciplining myself to make it part of my schedule like other things in my life.

2. We all wish we had more free time to dedicate to blogging and all it entails. What are your tricks for taking advantage of the time you do have to be as productive as possible?
My trick is one many bloggers use. I find that when I blog in bulk and set them up to publish daily, I feel accomplished and my readers respond.

3. Have you discovered any short-cuts that makes blogging easier or more time efficient?
On days when time is short, I usually find an inspirational picture and post with maybe a comment or two underneath. I've finally come to grips with the fact that not every post has to be an essay with bullets, charts, and pictures (kidding about the charts LOL).

4. Do you have an editorial calendar or something similar that helps you plan ahead?
No, but I think that will be my next purchase. I have ideas, but always neglect to write them down. The editorial calendar will aid in that process. There are times when I plug things into the task function in my phone or Outlook and that reminds me. That would definitely be an economical way of doing so. You can also set up a cheapy chart or spreadsheet in Excel to do the same thing.

5. If time wasn’t an issue what you would be doing on your blog/for your blog that you aren’t doing now?
Ahhhh....to dream! If time wasn't an issue I'd have a different feature every day and run a lot of contests and/or giveaways. I'd also run fashion, hair and beauty challenges and offer more substantive posts on those same subjects. Lastly, I'd talk about other subjects including interior design, event planning, cooking, etc.

This was a wonderful post for me. You can check out other bloggers' responses by clicking the FBFF button on the right. I think this post renewed my excitement about the potential of my blog. Maybe I will spend some time planning while I'm at work tomorrow. Working on Saturday?!?!? Yeah, that's a whole other post...

Enjoy your weekend!