We always complain that we don’t have time when we have a full time job.
I completely understand that.
But when I was working on a full-time job, I managed to publish blogs for more than 8 years.
First of all, having a full-time job is not an excuse for not starting a blog. Commitment is always going to be there. Whether you have a full-time job or not, you will have so many commitments and distractions.
It’s about self-discipline and commitment towards what you want to achieve.
I would like to break down this blog into the following.
- Allocate dedicated time everyday for blogging.
- Cut down on social media usage
- Stop binge-watching Netflix and avoid unnecessary parties.
- Don’t work overtime for someone else.
Lets have a look at each of the above points in details.
Time We Have Each day
On average, you need 7 to 8 hours of sleep.
Let’s say you sleep for 8 hours, that leaves you with 16 hours of time.
It’s in your hands how you spend those 16 hours.
Let’s say you spend 10 hours on your day job plus 4 hours on other household-related activities. Even then you have 2 hours left.
This 2 hours per day of blogging will have a huge impact down the line.
You don’t have to publish a blog in 2 hours. But you can work on it daily. It’s ok if you take 4 days to publish the blog.
Your first step is to take action and dedicate time to blogging.
Note: I am writing this blog at 2 AM the morning because I had some personal commitments. And that is no reason for me to skip writing this blog. I planned it and I have to stick to the plan.
Cut down on social media usage
Most of us are so attache to our smart phones.
For many of us feel like our life depends on our smartphone 😀
Now let’s be honest for a moment!
You cannot even buy a single cup of coffee with the number of likes or comments you get on your social media pics, status, etc.. (Unless you are a digital marketer)
Also, the more you scroll social media pages, you get depressed without your knowledge.
See social media as a marketing platform for you rather than being a normal user. This changes a lot of things for you!
If you realize that using social media platforms is doing more harm, you can save a lot of time every day and work on things that really matter to you.
Note: I uninstalled all my social media apps from my phone except Linkedin. I really don’t care about others’ personal life and I don’t want to post my personal life events on social media. If someone really cares about you, they will message you or call you or meet you in person.
Limit Netflix and Youtube Usage
Netflix/youtube and other online media platforms are a real time killer if you don’t use them with discipline.
I read about Sturgeon’s law in one of the books I was reading.
Wikipedia says Sturgeon’s law (or Sturgeon’s revelation) is an adage that states that “ninety percent of everything is crap.“
Sturgeon’s law is so applicable to Youtube. It’s hard to find good content on Youtube nowadays. You are bombarded with clickbait recommendations and content that adds no value to you.
But there is really good content on youtube that helps you grow. so you have to be selective on what channel you subscribe to and your recommendations.
And finally, don’t binge-watch Netflix. It is an absolute time killer.
So, if you avoid these time-wasting habits, you will be surprised by the free time you get to work on things that matter to you.
Don’t work overtime for someone else
Every company pays you for 8 hours of work per day.
Anything more than 8 hours is the free work you do for the company.
So, make sure you spend the 8 hours productively and stop working after office hours.
Spend the extra time you have on blogging. To blog about something, you need to do a lot of reading and research. Spend the extra time you have every day very wisely.