Managing Your Blogging Time When Family and Friends Don’t Understand

Posted: 25 Oct 2013 07:40 AM PDT

In the DailyBlogTips survey, one reader wrote, "It is difficult to deal with friends and family and to make them understand that I have working hours even though I work from home."

Is this a problem you have too?

It's one that a lot of bloggers face, especially in the early stages of their blogging career.

If you don't tackle this, it can be enough to stop you blogging altogether.

Not Everyone Will "Get" It

Some people in your life simply won't understand why you want to blog – at least, not straight away.

They might not see it as a legitimate way to build and run your own business.

They might think that regular employment is better or easier.

They might even be a bit envious of your ambition and dedication.

Even when people have a vague understanding, they might not realise how much time you'll need to invest in building a successful blog. Perhaps they think your blog is just an online diary where you write about your day – not the foundation of a business.

So one of the best things you can do is…

Treat Your Blog as a Business

If you don't take your blogging seriously, you can't expect other people to. Ideally, you should:

Stick to your working hours. If you say you're going to be busy blogging from 9am til 12 noon, work! Don't stop at 9.30am and watch daytime TV.
Be business-like. For instance, if you intend to make money from your blog, have a clear plan about how you're going to do that.
Track important metrics, such as cashflow. Once your blog starts making money, track how much you're getting month after month. You can show this to family and friends to explain how your blog is growing.

When the people around you see that blogging is more than a passing whim, they'll be much more likely to take it seriously.

Quick Fixes

If you're really struggling to get people to respect your time, try these:

Get out of the house to blog. Your spouse / roomie / mom can't bother you if you're in a coffee shop writing.
Go in a different room. If you can't escape the house, at least find a quiet corner – perhaps working in your bedroom rather than in the living room.
Wear headphones. People are much less likely to interrupt for a chat if you've got headphones on. (You can even crank the music up so loud that you can't hear them if they do!)
Work in short bursts. You don't need to blog all evening, every evening. How about working on a post from 6pm – 7pm then having dinner and watching a bit of TV with your partner, before doing another quick burst of work from 9pm – 9.30pm?

Do you struggle to get people to respect your working hours – or is this a problem you've successfully overcome? Let us know your experiences in the comments!

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