Many of you who are pretty active on my Instagram stories ask me all types of questions, whether it is fashion related, dating advice, pretty much anything under the sun. The last open question I asked for some topics to discuss on the blog, and I would have to admit this one felt a little intimidating. Hell, who am I kidding? I was hella intimidated—the topic of balancing a 9 to 5 and trying to blog full time. Now I am no guru to this topic, and I am still trying to figure this sh*t out. I lack consistency, I overthink things, and I get so wrapped up in what I think my blog should look like and want things to be perfect that I never take the first steps. I am one to celebrate the small wins. I have been trying to post more and be more active on my social media, all while staying focus on what is in my lane. It is so easy to become distracted while looking at others and what they are doing, harping on what isn't going right for yourself when that energy could be put into watering your grass instead of worrying about if someone else's is greener. I don't want you guys to be fooled at all. I am great at giving advice and saying all the right things; however, I suck at taking my advice. I am not just preaching to the choir. I am also preaching to myself.
Blogging can be roses and candy most days; however, it is hard work. Coming up with creative ways to engage with your audience, creating original content, and, most of all, find the damn time to get everything done when you are working a full-time job. Working forty hours or more a week can be exhausting and draining, so it becomes hard to work on anything else in your free time. I, myself, initially have been making an active decision to do something that makes me happy. Life can become so mundane, and it is easy to become stuck in the daily hustle and bustle. Go to work, come home, eat, shower, sleep, the same thing day in and day out. What has been working for me is taking the time out to do something that I find joy in, I tell myself that I am writing this blog post because it makes me happy. I am creating this content because I find joy in this. My therapist once told me that if I do not have a creative outlet, my creativity will soon turn into grief and that scared the living sh*t out of me. I can not afford to be wallowing around in self-pity or regret, especially when I witness those who may have half my talent succeeding, and the only thing they did differently is being consistent.
If you are like me and struggle with balancing everything, here are some things that have helped me along the way.
1. Accountability Partner
2. Plan Ahead
3. Do it Scared
Balancing work and blogging comes down to being consistent. Consistency works best when it is paired with planning. Planning is such a crucial part of balancing; knowing what needs to be done within a specific time frame makes life easier. I recently did a brain dump of my content ideas, once I created that I went back and tried to plan when I would post those things. Now I am one of transparency, and your girl was struggling initially at the beginning of the year. I would talk myself out of posting in fear of things not being received by my audience. I would overthink and get inside my head. Until one day, I just decided to F*ckin do it, do it with no regrets, do it scared, just put one foot in front of the other. I challenge you all to do the same, it is not always easy, but it is well worth it, hell many of us overexert ourselves for our jobs without no questions asked. So why not channel that energy into something you love to do, while working a 9 to 5 we are helping build and fund a dream of someone else who decided to go for it, so you should do the same.
With nothing but f*ckin love,
CarrieSierra