When I first signed up for a WordPress account, I had no idea how much I’d love blogging.

I mean I’ve always loved to write, but now that I’m taking some risks, tackling different topics, and participating in the blogging community, I realize that blogging has become an important part of my life.

This will never be my full-time job, but lately I’ve found myself treating it as if it’s more than a “just a hobby” and something I’m truly proud of.

I have some big changes in store for this little space, but today I thought I’d share how I’m able to blog consistently while working a fulltime job.

1) Commit to a posting schedule—but don’t sweat it if you break it.

Since January, I’ve followed a loose schedule of 3 posts a week—usually a life or fitness post on Monday, a food-related (recipe or review) post on Wednesday, and a more contemplative “thinking out loud” post on Thursday. Sometimes, I have a busy weekend and skip my Monday post (or post on Tuesday like today). Often, I don’t cook or dine out (or the weather sucks for photos), so I miss out on Wednesdays. The point is, I have a general idea of the content I plan to share and when I’m going to post it. If I completely miss a post, I just move on. In my experience, it’s much better to post quality content less frequently than to scramble to share a post everyday.

2) Keep a handful of pre-written posts (or at least post titles + outlines) in your drafts and a notebook/editorial calendar for jotting down ideas

Right now, I have several posts (some tentatively scheduled, some I’ll probably never actually share) in my “drafts.” Based on my feelings, current events/holidays, or whatever else is happening, I will choose one or more of these posts for the upcoming week. Because, let’s face it: sometimes you’re on fire and bursting with ideas, but other times, you have major writer’s block.

3) Take advantage of your weekends and evenings

Some work days, I just don’t want to look at my computer again—so I don’t. Most of my posts are scheduled days ahead, although I will update my intros accordingly. I write my posts in increments at random times of the day, and I update links, make minor edits, and add all of my photography on the weekends. Sometimes my weekends are jam-packed, and when that happens I’ll usually work on the blog after the baby is put to sleep.

4) Share your content through Hootsuite and other scheduling tools

I’m really slow to this party, but a couple of months ago I discovered the social media scheduler, Hootsuite. I use this one because it’s free and is the first one I found, but I know there are other programs like Tailwind and CoSchedule that are probably more comprehensive or user-friendly (and require a fee). At night, I’ll go through my old content and other blogger’s posts I’ve enjoyed and schedule Tweets (weirdly I love Twitter!) and occasionally Facebook and Instagram posts. You can’t schedule pins to Pinterest, but apparently you can do that on Tailwind and CoSchedule.

5) Use free image galleries and photo editing tools

As much as I’d love to own a DSLR, become a master at photography, and create every single one of my images, I sometimes use stock photos, particularly on my “pin-able” images that include my post title and text. It’s illegal to just grab an image off Google, so I turn to sites like Unsplash and Pexels. When searching for images, look for the Creative Commons designation “CC0,” which means “no rights reserved.” Such an image is free for personal and commercial use, does not need attribution, and can be modified.

Once I’ve chosen an image, I’ll make quick edits (cropping and adding overlays/text) in either PicMonkey or Canva. It’s incredibly easy, although I’ve had to tweak how I save photos in PicMonkey to avoid my computer crashing. I’m still trying to understand how Canva works!

So, there you have it. I’m not a blogging guru by any means, but I enjoy sharing any “wisdom”—big or small—with you guys.

Before you go, be sure to check out my other posts about blogging.

• Why Do I Blog?
• 5 Types of Blogging Abusers to Avoid
• 5 Blogging Goals for 2016
• 5 Ways to Find Blogging Inspiration

(I must love the number “5”)

• How do you manage blogging with your other duties (school, parenting, work, etc.)?
• Do you have a favorite program or app that makes blogging easier?
• What are your honest thoughts on using stock photos?