Hello, Gorgeous! I recently asked you ladies what blog topics you wanted me to talk about and one of the most highly requested posts was how I balance blogging and a full time job. For those you new to Blush & Camo I am an Army Officer and I  am also a fashion blogger! Both of these jobs are highly rewarding and I love doing both, but let’s be honest, it can get exhausting!

From creating blog posts, conducting photo shoots, emailing clients, reaching out to companies, reading over contracts, and maintaining half a dozen social media accounts- it can feel so overwhelming. So the big question is, how do you balance both your online business and full time job?!

Many of us are millennial #Girlbosses who are in the current situation of running an online business while also working a full time job. There are many reasons to do this. Some of you may absolutely love your day job and don’t have any plans to leave while others have plans to leave their day job and run full steam ahead with their online business (get it, ladies!). Regardless of your plan there still remains the underlying issue of finding balance.

So for all you #Girlbosses waking up everyday and working toward your goals here are my top tips for maintaining balance while working two full time jobs (because I’m just going to call it what it is!).

HOW TO BALANCE YOUR ONLINE BUSINESS AND A FULL TIME JOB

BATCH. EVERYTHING. 

You may have heard this term before, but batching is when you focus on a single task and knock it out in a specified time! For example, if you get easily distracted by emails flooding your inbox all day pick a time in the morning to answer emails for 30 minutes to an hour. Then, turn off your email and focus on another task. Maybe this task is creating your editorial calendar for the month or creating a mood board for the upcoming quarter.

You won’t look at your email until the end of the day until a time you designated to reply to the emails you accumulated throughout the day while you were productive doing other things.

The reason why batching is so important is because this technique allows you to complete a task or a set of tasks more quickly then if you decided to do them individually.

How distracting would it be if you answered an email every single time you received one in your inbox? Would this take time away from the task you are currently conducting? The answer should be yes to both of these answers.

Carve out time in your schedule for when you want to batch tasks with your online business. Some of these categories can include:

• Answering emails
• Creating an editorial calendar
• Answering comments of social media
• Setting up meetings (take a chunk of time out of your day or week, depending on how many meetings you have, and schedule those meetings during that chunk of time.)

These are the top four that I instantly thought of, but depending on your online business, this list could look much different. You get where I’m going at though.

By batching you are giving time back to yourself, your family, and simply creating time to do things that interest you aside from your online business! This is one the keys to working your ass off like the #Girlboss you are and finding time to still live your life.

DO NOT STRIVE FOR PERFECTION 

As a perfectionist at heart it pains me to say this, but striving for perfection will eat up your time. Trust me, I’ve learned this the hard way.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to present your best possible work, and that is something every online business owner strives for. The problem is when perfectionism gets in the way of you actually producing products or content.

For example, when I released my Instagram e-course last year  and once the main material was written or created I edited and edited away. I spent more time editing and perfecting my course then humanely possible. I even spent an entire weekend glued to my laptop engrossed in every detail of the course to ensure it was perfection.

I realized I had been “holding on” to this e-course for far too long and I was using my perfectionism as an excuse not to release the course. I was afraid of what people would say- would they love it?! Would people hate it?! I was almost to nervous to find out.

I knew that my e-course was my best possible work, and that at some point I needed to stop editing and simply release the product!

When I released my course over 90 ladies bought it and found amazing success on their Instagram handles! Many doubled or tripled their growth after one month!

This course would not have been released had I not put aside my perfectionism tendencies and simply launched the course. My  course was ready to launch at least two weeks before I actually did and those two weeks I could have spent with Chuck or taking some much needed downtime. This is an example of how I didn’t do the best job in creating balance in my life, but this is also the example I use when I find myself going down the perfectionism rabbit hole and know that I need to create a balanced life.

Do the absolute best work you can and trust that amazing work. Obsessing or spending time trying to edit a product for your online business when you know the product is amazing will take time away from the things that truly matter in your life and throw your balance completely out of whack.

DO NOT SPEND ALL YOUR TIME ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Ok, I know this may be crazy talk! I totally understand the importance of social media in growing an online business, but you cannot spend all your time on social media- seriously, don’t.

Some days it’s totally possible to stay on top of your “comment game” and comment back on every sweet message left under your post on Instagram. Other days it just isn’t and that’s ok!

Your readers will understand that you are human and that you have a life outside of those tiny boxes. Spending all you time on social media will eat away at your time, and to be perfectly honest, it’s not the most productive use of your time.

Using tip number one above, batch the times you reply or send comments on Instagram or social media. This way you are still productive throughout the day while still maintaining your social media channels!

When I started batching the times I spent on social media the balance I found in my life was crazy and this was the number one way I found balance in my life. I didn’t realize how much time I was spending on social media and not enough time spent living my everyday life.

You can have both a large social media presence and a life while maintaining balance! Be honest with your followers about the boundaries you are setting. I know some women who do not post on the weekends because that time is spent specifically for their families. They are open with their readers about this and in return their community is totally fine with this!

Each online business is different, but finding the perfect balance is totally achievable!

These are the three biggest tips I have in finding balance between my online business and working a full time job! I would love to hear what you ladies think in the comments below of today’s post! What tips do you have on finding balance?! Don’t forget to follow me along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for daily style inspo!

Thank you so much for stopping by Blush & Camo!

xx Julianna

Photos by: Jacquelyn Smith Photography 

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