Time.
Its a funny old thing.
I always thought time went by quickly before I had children, but since becoming a Mummy it seems to have flown by. I mean Burton turned three this month – where the ruddy hell has the last 36 months gone?
One of the topics I found myself discussing at the recent Britmumslive event, aswell as on twitter recently, is time and how I for one am constantly wondering how to keep on top of everything.
When I say everything, let me explain:
I guess I lead two lives (at least!!)
1. Jenny the SAH Mummy
I don’t have a ‘show’ home. I keep it as clean and tidy as I possibly can. My children are clean as are their clothes, I cook meals and although I find it hard to keep on top of my house work, which has been especially more tricky since having more than one child, my home is not a complete dump. The main rooms are cleaned thoroughly on a regular basis. if I kept on top of it religiously, I would never spend any time with my boys and thats not why I became a full time SAHM.
2. Jenny The Blogger
Ok so I have this blog.
A small piece of cypher space which I can call my own. A haven where I can waffle on to my hearts content and be me, myself and my mummy self.
I enjoy joining in with linkies and reading other blogs (not as many as I would like to, mind you!), commenting on other blogs and when I remember commenting on the comments I get too. Oh and of course twitter (love twitter). Then there’s project 366, Pinterest, Google + , Instagram, Facebook etc..
A small piece of cypher space which I can call my own. A haven where I can waffle on to my hearts content and be me, myself and my mummy self.
I enjoy joining in with linkies and reading other blogs (not as many as I would like to, mind you!), commenting on other blogs and when I remember commenting on the comments I get too. Oh and of course twitter (love twitter). Then there’s project 366, Pinterest, Google + , Instagram, Facebook etc..
Basically there are a lot of commitments with blogging and social networking – at least I think so anyway. I think there is a certain etiquette if you like, and I believe that if you enter a linky you should spend some time visiting and commenting on other linked up posts. If someone visits your blog you should try (although I am guilty of not always doing this) and reply especially, I feel, if the comments ask a question or are in response to the subject I have written about and people have gone to the trouble of offering advice or sharing an experience themselves. If someone comments on a linked up post of mine, and I haven’t yet visited their blog and left a comment, I do my best to do so.
Then there are blogs I visit on a regular basis which I try to keep on top of and interact with as much as I am able to.
But what about new blogs?
I rarely find the time to seek out new blogs.
But then what about blogs I used to read but haven’t done for ages?? I realised from attending Britmumslive that there were several blogs mentioned in the keynote session, the BIB awards and just from speaking to people outside of the workshops, that I either had never heard of and now want to discover more of. It also dawned on me that I used to visit some blog lots when I first started blogging and don’t so much anymore (sorry if this is you!).
But what about new blogs?
I rarely find the time to seek out new blogs.
But then what about blogs I used to read but haven’t done for ages?? I realised from attending Britmumslive that there were several blogs mentioned in the keynote session, the BIB awards and just from speaking to people outside of the workshops, that I either had never heard of and now want to discover more of. It also dawned on me that I used to visit some blog lots when I first started blogging and don’t so much anymore (sorry if this is you!).
And – yes, sorry there is still some more waffle words I need to express about this – asides from all of this I have posts of my own to write, to think up to magically find time to compose. Reviews to trial and write up. Cakes to make and blog about. Photos to be taken each day for my project 366. You know, the usual work involved with being a blogger.
This is where I am foxed. How do I fit it all in???
How does anyone fit it all in to their already busy lives??
How does anyone fit it all in to their already busy lives??
How can I tweet, write, read and comment all at the same time?? Yes, I am a woman and I can multi task up to a point, but it does result with me rarely getting into bed before midnight each night!! And thats not including being kept up with children related incidents.
When I think about time management and how I can best plan my blogger commitments, aswell as all my SAHM tasks, it reminds me of the scene from the brilliant ‘About A Boy’ film where Will (Hugh Grant) is explaining how he plans his time each day:
I find the key is to think of a day as units of time, each unit consisting of no more than thirty minutes. Full hours can be a little bit intimidating and most activities take about half an hour. Taking a bath: one unit, watching countdown: one unit, web-based research: two units, exercising: three units, having my hair carefully disheveled: four units. It’s amazing how the day fills up, and I often wonder, to be absolutely honest, if I’d ever have time for a job; how do people cram them in?
I think if I , and I am sure most parents who may or may not blog would agree, added up all my jobs that I do each day and put them into units, I wouldn’t have any spare for sleeping, let alone anything else!!
Blogging is my hobby. I enjoy it. It means a lot to me now. I care about it and other blogs. I wouldn’t want to give it up as it is mine – my ‘me’ time I guess.
I am also a mummy: this is my life and my priority. My boys are my life now and I wouldn’t change this for anything.
BUT I really want to combine my mummy and blogging roles successfully, and not have them overlap (which I don’t allow to happen, well maybe the housework in the evening has suffered slightly since I got addicted interested in blogging and twitter!).
How the dickens does anyone squeeze it all in????
Do you have the answer??
I would love to know how you manage your time/roles.
I would love to know how you manage your time/roles.
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Thank you xx
Thank you xx
I so do not have the answer. I too struggle with managing my time. With the amount of time I spent on my blog, well, put it this way, if I got paid for blogging i’d be RICH! I spend pretty much every evening doing something blogging related, whether it’s a blog hop, or tweaking my site, or chatting on twitter, but that works well for me because my husband works most evenings, so we sit in the same room just doing separate things. I try and make meals family time, and I try and do a couple of activities with the kids every day. And then there is no time for housework. Thank god for dishwashers! xx
Nope, when you DMs the answer, can you let me know?
Are you writing from my head ? I am up at 4am. Yep and have been past 2hrs. Unwell child ? Nope. Brain going crazy with huge to do lists. Yep.
When I had 1 kid I managed quite well. But since having 2, SAHM duties when I am working 4 days a week. I am struggling. I have a hen day in 10 days I haven’t even started planning. I have 20 blog posts half written and I keep ending up eating take away. Something is going to have to give. I love my blog and blogging so I hate the idea it maybe that. I need a pa I think xcxx
Apologies I have just waffled. No help at all. Sorry 4am.
Oh bless you Kara your life is always full and busy from
When i have read your weeks that were posts!! You do really well to fit everything in and on top of that you have a funday to arrange!! You deserve a gold medal and i sm not surprised you are up at 4am!!
Thanks for commenting lOvely xx
I could have written this too! I love blogging so much but there is so much more that comes with blogging that it seems to be impossible to keep on top of it all. There was a debate in the Parent Bloggers Group the other day about how many times you should blog a day! I could have cried, I haven’t time to blog every day let alone twice or three times a day! Then someone mentions another thing that is interesting to use or look at I just wonder what I’m doing!
Thats the thing isnt it, there is always something new to look at and join in with it is never ending!! Still it seems this time management issue is a commin one which is reassuring
Thanks for commenting x
what an interesting post! The answer to your question is “who knows?!”
When I started blogging I felt it was a bit too time-consuming as I stopped doing some of the other things I enjoy (read books, watch movies, fashion magazines, exercise)
Then I made the decision to NOT blog every day (beside for my Project 366 photo) and my hobbies crept back up and I manage to exercise at least 3 times a week most weeks. You are a super star with regards to other blogs, I am not as good as you. I sign up by email to the blogs I REALLY love (yours, for example) as I love my morning email and I don’t want to feel like I’m missing out. The other blogs that I like I read them possibly once a week on the ipad before I go to sleep, hence I don’t comment much because on the iPad is a nightmare and because it is me “reading” time.
I agree with you about trying to comment on linkys and that’s why I stopped doing Capture Saturday. I do link up with Project 366 and I try to comment on 9-10 blogs most weeks. I know some people are quite upset about the lack of comments on their posts, me, personally, I think photos are photos, sometimes you just want to look at them and that’s that. Twitter is addictive, hence I spend some days on it and some days I consciously try to avoid it altogether to have time for me or my family.
Reviews? I have decided to not do them for now. I might do in future, but right now I just don’t feel that I have those units of time to spare. (sorry for the longest comment in history) x
I have exactly the same problem! I don’t really have an answer but I do have to remind myself to keep blogging fun and not get too worried, although now it has led to me blogging for paid work, I find myself thinking about blogging all the bloody time! I don’t seem to have any time to read new blogs anymore, I have a few which I always read but even then I don’t always have time to comment. I guess at least everyone is in the same boat so we can all understand! xx
This is the one part of blogging that bugs me ‘Fitting it all in’ and I never manage, I’m returning your comment from last week’s The Gallery now and it’d The Gallery again tomorrow!
I love the unit idea and if there’s one thing I want to crack this year in blogging it will be time management but I think being a SAHM the constant interruptions don’t help and some days the laptop has been open all day but that doesn’t mean I’ve been on there all day, I’ve hopped on and off around family life, hanging out the washing, getting dinner ready and so on
A real dilemma that needs solving 🙂
Hello 🙂
i try not to blog during the day if i have both boys and they are both awake, although i may tweet. it takes up my evenings and some nights i am really focussed and can write a couple of posts but then another night i struggle to write one!! as you say, a dilemma that needs a solution!! x
thanks for your comment and as you say it is reassuring to know that i am not alone and many of us, maybe all of us, feel the same. i dont get bogged down unless i have reviews and am behind then i feel slightly pressured!! x
yes of course!!! would be rich if an answer was found 🙂
Hello 🙂
i think thats a really healthy outlook to have as there are other things we need to do in our lives i admit. i am just a bit addicted i guess and see it as my hobby and my ‘me’ time.
great answer and not too long at all , thanks for popping over xx
thanks for commenting Steph
i am the same i blog every night once the kids are in bed and i have sat down – hence why i am often up very late like now (its 12.44am!). you have a good balance i think x
No idea why that autocorrected to DM, in fact I can’t even remember what it was supposed to say now!
I don’t know if I have the answer but I do totally get where you are coming from. My OH works nights so I do all my blogging when he is at work and the kids are in bed. I don’t blog during the day and I’m very rarely on twitter during the day – I’m boring to follow LOL I do a big house clean once a week, Husband does half in morning when I’m working and this is pretty much the only time kids have TV time. I do the rest in the afternoon whilst Husband entertains the kids. Then every other day, once I come in from work we make a point of doing something together. Even if it’s just for an hour. I squeeze in some exercise whilst the kids play with a toy and then when I make dinner the kids have a colouring book or play outside. I think we have an OK balance but if someone finds a miracle pill that means I can eat cake and not exercise then I would have more time LOL OH and a self cleaning house would be good too!
I certainly don’t have the answer but I know where you are coming from. My blogging and twitter have completely taken a back seat the last few weeks as I have had lots going on. I hope i will get my mojo back soon as I do love it. It is hard though- I have hardly commented on blogs for ages, and I am so behind, and it makes me feel bad I am not checking in on my friends. x
Katie dont feel bad i think we are all feeling it judging by the comments here . At the end of the day we all lead busy lives away from
Our pc’s and that life must come first . I think we put too much pressure on ourselves xxx
I have yet to find the balance. I clean on a Saturday morning. I blog in the evenings or try to in my lunch break. I tweet when I can. I need to find a better balance but right now I muddle along. x