I often see questions from women in the facebook blogging groups asking how others "do it all"
My mother's generation has a lot to answer for, because while I believe strongly in feminism giving women "choice", the reality of the situation is far different to what they lead us to believe!
It took me a long time to discover the truth - I've been a parent for 16 years, and a blogger for 7 years, but I think it's only been in the last twelve months that it has truly hit home.
Social media makes it far too easy to see the highlight reels from other peoples lives, and we often find ourselves lacking when we look at our entire life that way.
You can't see the box of cereal being eaten by the dog, or the puddle on the floor from the toilet-training toddler, or even the crappy driver who yelled at someone on the weekend.
So here is the ultimate truth about blog life balance - there is no balance. You will give up something in order to follow your passion.
There are, however, ways you can minimise the impact on your household.
It took me a long time to discover the truth - I've been a parent for 16 years, and a blogger for 7 years, but I think it's only been in the last twelve months that it has truly hit home.
Social media makes it far too easy to see the highlight reels from other peoples lives, and we often find ourselves lacking when we look at our entire life that way.
You can't see the box of cereal being eaten by the dog, or the puddle on the floor from the toilet-training toddler, or even the crappy driver who yelled at someone on the weekend.
So here is the ultimate truth about blog life balance - there is no balance. You will give up something in order to follow your passion.
There are, however, ways you can minimise the impact on your household.
- don't multi-task. You can finish your jobs much quicker if you focus on one activity at a time, whether that is concetrating on blogging, or ironing, or mopping.
- have set times for writing. Sometimes it feels like the world is falling down around your ears, but sticking to your schedule can help you gain perspective in the chaos.
- remind the family, especially partners, that you're capturing memories for the future. Writing the stoies down means that future generations can hear your voice. If people get something from your writing now, that's a bonus.
- when all else fails, head outside with pen & paper. This has become my go-to answer lately to get the words flowing and calm the kids. They get to play (even Sophie loves the backyard or a visit to the park), and I clear my head and get the trapped words out.