Starting a blog and taking care of it full-time isn't the easiest job in the world. And that's when life is on a normal schedule! Do you stress out during the holidays or when you get back from vacations? I've had some crazy to-do lists lately myself and have some stress management tips to share.
If you follow me on Instagram Stories then you saw that my family and I are moving. To say that raising a toddler, packing up boxes, running a business, and still finding time for myself has been chaotic is an understatement! I know you can relate!
Here are some of the ways I've been juggling everything and still keeping my cool.
Tip #1: Prioritize and list everything
I'm a huge fan of lists and use them in nearly every aspect of my life. Just ask my husband about how much he adoooooores my never-ending lists. Ha!
If you can, begin to write down the tasks you'll need to accomplish before your chaotic schedule gets here. So if you leave for vacation in 4 weeks, write down everything that needs to happen before, during, and after that time.
Then prioritize everything! I like to play the "Highest Priority" game that I mentioned in this post about how I stay productive.
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Tip #2: Automate as many tasks as you can
We just wrapped up the most successful launch of my Blogging to Win course and I've got a big secret to share...I literally did nothing during that launch.
Let me explain.
I sat down and wrote an incredibly detailed list of tasks that needed to get accomplished months before I opened the doors. Then I woke about a few hours earlier than normal for about two months and accomplished them all.
This means that every email that was sent, all promotions that were created/written, and some of the posts that were published were scheduled months before the launch actually occurred.
Automating your posts is easy with platforms like ConvertKit, Hootsuite, Recurpost, Facebook scheduling, and even the integrated scheduling systems on your blog platform and YouTube.
I scheduled as many things as I could and then switched focus to packing. I checked in each day of the launch to answer any emails and see sales figures (WOOOHOOO!) but that was it. I was making money while I was packing my home. Best. Launch. Ever.
“ I was making money while I was packing my home. Best. Launch. Ever. ”
Tip #3: Simplify and let go of the need for perfection
If you watched the video above (and you've watched all the others on my channel) then you could immediately tell that this one was a tad more casual than the rest. That's because I literally took 15 minutes to sit down and record it in between packing up my kitchen.
As a business owner, I know it's a bad idea to have a long period of radio silence. But I HAVE to move my family so what am I supposed to do?! My answer was to simplify the process I have to create, edit, and publish content and then let go of my need for perfection.
It was killing me that I filmed this on my living room floor in a baseball cap. But you wonderful readers don't care about that, do you? No! You care about whether or not I'm providing useful content.
Tip #4: Attack harder/dreaded tasks in 20 minute spurts
Let's just take a minute to talk about how boring it is to go through the junk in your garage. Or how boring it can sometimes be to proofread long blog posts.
Take a little of the pressure off by setting a timer for 20 minutes and tackling as much as you can. If you're feeling good at the end of it, then do another 20 minutes. But is not, hey, you're accomplishing that hard task a little bit at a time and that's okay.
Tip #5 (my favorite!): Seek out positive and happy influences
Misery loves company so resist the urge to let your chaotic schedule take over all of your conversations too. Instead, reach out to those friends or family who will give you an positive piece of advice or just some encouragement.
My mom was an actual cheerleader in high school and her "We Can Do It" attitude hasn't faded over the years. I normally talk to her pretty often but lately we've been talking almost every day.
She's the one person I can count on to place a positive spin on almost any situation. This really annoyed me when I was a hormonal teenager. But as a grown woman with a baby of her own, I recognize just how lucky I am.
I also recommend reaching inspirational books to help keep your spirits up. I'm reading Matthew Kelly's Resisting Happiness right now and it's so good, I can't even begin to describe it!
My favorite quote so far has been, "The ability to delay gratification is intimately linked with success. You cannot succeed at anything unless you are willing and able to delay gratification."
Always remember that holidays, vacations, and sports seasons all come to an end. Just hang in there!