How do you find the time to blog?

Over the last couple of years, the question of how I manage to allocate time for blogging amidst a full-time job and various other commitments has surfaced repeatedly, posed by numerous individuals curious about the balancing act. My response to this query is rooted in a simple truth: engaging in any hobby or passion, whether it be golf, badminton, sky-diving, or in my case, blogging, indeed requires a commitment of one’s time.

However, what intrigues me is the disparity in how these activities are perceived and questioned. For instance, it’s rare to encounter someone expressing surprise or inquiry into the time dedicated to sports like golf or badminton. This observation leads me to ponder why certain leisure activities are more socially accepted or expected than others, such as blogging.

This discrepancy perhaps lies in the traditional view of what constitutes a ‘worthwhile’ hobby. Physical activities and sports often carry an implicit endorsement for their health benefits and social aspects, making inquiries into one’s availability for such pursuits less common. On the other hand, blogging, while equally a passion and a form of expression, might not align as closely with conventional expectations of a hobby, especially among those who view it as a solitary or less physically engaging activity.

Yet, just as golfers find early mornings or weekends suitable for hitting the greens, and badminton enthusiasts carve out evening hours for a game or two, I find my rhythm for blogging. It might be during the quiet moments of the early morning, the tranquility of late nights, or the in-between times on weekends. Blogging, for me, is not just a means of sharing thoughts or experiences; it’s a therapeutic exercise, a creative outlet, and a way to connect with a like-minded community. It’s about prioritizing what brings joy and fulfillment, much like any other hobby.

The key, I’ve found, lies in effective time management and the genuine love for what one does. Just as avid golfers or badminton players navigate their schedules to accommodate their interests, so do I with blogging. It’s about seizing those pockets of time that might otherwise be spent on less fulfilling activities and dedicating them to something that sparks joy and satisfaction.

In essence, the act of balancing a full-time job, personal commitments, and a hobby like blogging is not so different from managing any other interest. It all boils down to what we value, the passions we pursue, and how we allocate our most precious resource—time. So, to those wondering how I find the time to blog, it’s simple: I make time for what matters to me, just as anyone does for their passions, be it golf, badminton, sky-diving, or any other pursuit that enriches their life.

Here’s a little peek into my blogging workflow which will show how little time it actually takes to put together a post. There are two main tools I use for my trade, and both are available online as free downloads.

The first tool is what I use to prep my pics for posting. I’ve been using Google’s Picasa since it first became available few years ago, and now in version 3, it has become quite a rich and functional picture management tool. With Picasa, I import the pics from my CF card, crop/resize them, then export them into a standard image size i.e. 450px wide. This makes it easy to later just insert into my posts.

Importing pics and cropping/resizing on Picasa is a snap!

The second tool I use is something that has actually prevented me from moving over to a Mac. Its Windows Live Writer, “a desktop application that makes it easy to publish rich content to your blog. It’s easy to publish to most major blog services, including Windows Live Spaces, SharePoint, WordPress, Blogger and many others. Create a compelling blog, with your personal photos and videos, maps, tags and lots of other cool content, all in a snap. Preview before you post. Compose your entries offline, publish them later, when you get back online.“

The fact that Windows Live Writer allows me to compose offline is a BIG plus. This means I don’t have to compose using WordPress’ online posting. I can post without even having to fire up my browser and accessing the actual site. Believe me this helps lots especially when the internet connection goes wonky. Oh, and you know those fancy photographic borders and drop shadows you see on every pic I post? Its AUTOMATIC on Live Writer 🙂

Inserting the pics into Live Writer is a matter of dragging and dropping

Thats it really. Using these two excellent tools, assembling a blog post will take me no more than 10 minutes! The real killer is actually coming up with an idea for a post and then going out and taking the pics, and then writing the text or captions to go with the pics.

One neat trick I use quite often is to publish stuff ahead of time. Which means the post will only appear on the date that I set it to. This post for instance, was written last night, but I set the publish date to this morning.

Adding the extra stuff later is also another method of making sure that at least my pics are up before anything else. Once the pics are up, I can always come back and make the necessary edits and add the text whenever I have a spare moment or whenever an idea comes to mind.

Having a powerful rig also helps save time of course!

So, for those who think blogging is a painstaking and time-consuming affair, it ain’t necessarily so. It just requires one to work smart and use good tools. Here’s a good response to the same question from Rohit Bhargava.