How Much is Too Much // The Biz of Blogging // Part Four

This is part four in a series in which I am sharing my story as an Instagrammer/blogger. Last week I wrote a post about using an Editorial Calendar. You can read that post here. Today I am going to share with you my thoughts on how you can manage your time and be more productive as an Instagrammer and blogger. The key is figuring out “how much is too much”?

The most often asked question I get is, “How do you get so much done on Instagram and blogging?”. The real answer is that I struggle with this issue every day. Let me tell you what I try to do every week so I can hopefully provide you with some guidance on this issue. I post 14 times a week on Instagram and try to respond to all of the comments on the day I write the Instagram posts. Often that is over a hundred responses for each post. I am in a lot of groups on Instagram which may involve sharing and lots of communicating behind the scenes. I also write three to four blog posts, which involves taking photos, etc. I work with brands which includes reaching out, responding, writing proposals, creating, styling and photographing the post, posting, capturing analytics and making revisions throughout the entire process. I also have some design projects in the works and a big project that I am trying to make happen.

The time it takes to do all of these things is more than a full-time job. The good news is I love it. Every part of it. The bad news is that it is too much. And that there are some things I haven’t done that I need to do. (Like painting … I am an artist, in case you didn’t know.)

So how much is too much?

Too much is when I have a total stress-out, break down, flip out day. I had one of those on Tuesday. Too much is when both my son and husband independently have a discussion with me that I need to prioritize my day and “job”. Too much is when I am on my phone in the evening when I am with my family (although there is one exception and this is when the Dodgers game is on TV … so boring).

So what’s a girl to do?

Here is the problem. I love everything I am doing. And there is nothing I want to give up. So I just need to get smarter. And manage my time.

Regardless of whether you are just starting out in this crazy Instagram/blogging world or are a veteran, you must be organized and you must prioritize your day. And one of the most important things you need to do is learn how to say no. 

The easiest way to do this is to make a list of all the things you are doing. Then number them 1 – 10 (or in my case 1 – 19) from most important to least important. This is the hardest thing to do. Is it based on monetary gain, fun factor or growth? Probably a little bit of all three. For me, I am more motivated by the fun factor and personal growth (and my dear husband if you are reading this I am sorry!).  Once you have done that, try to create a schedule and block out times to get everything done. The key here is to be disciplined. Once the time is up, move on to the next task. This is what I need to start doing! Like right now. 

I say that because I I often start responding to comments and the next thing I know, three hours have passed! The other thing you need to do is complete the least fun tasks first. I am pretty good at getting the tasks done asap that are causing me stress. I know how good it feels to get rid of stress so I am very motivated to get those off my list. Plus, I need to say no more often. From now on, when an opportunity comes my way, I am going to look at my list and see if I am willing to bump something else down the list in order to make room for something new. I know this is all common sense, I just need to be more focused. 

In a perfect world, I would spend all day styling amazing things to share on my blog. The outdoor dining room I created with HomeGoods was simply magical. But I don’t want to give anything else up. I am just going to become smarter. 

And you can too. Just manage your time.

I would love to know your thoughts on this.