You may be well aware of the fact that I am both a student and a book blogger, and well aware of the fact that every so often, this is an unsightly combination. I know of many bloggers my age, who likewise, are students with much the same sentiments: It’s an imposing challenge to balance school with blogging. You may be wondering however: why is such the case, for me especially? Why have I been going on frequent breaks?
Well, ask no further because here’s why.
I don’t have eight hands. Not that I’m complaining—if I woke up one day to a cross between an octopus and a Machamp, I’d probably freak the hell out. This being a metaphor however, it is no less true that the two hands I have to work with aren’t copious enough for dynamic multitasking. As much as I’d like to do four different things simultaneously, the truth of the matter is that I can’t— and even if I indeed had four sets of arms, I’d need four sets of eyes to make it work. No, thank you.
Writing posts and accomplishing homework generally occupy the same timeframe. School over here runs from 7:30 in the morning to 4:30 in the afternoon three days a week, and at least 50 minutes earlier on the remaining two days. This means that because I live a significant distance from school, wrestling with consistently heavy traffic, I get home 5:30 in the afternoon at the earliest, and god knows when at the latest. I usually have around 3-4 hours to spare, which isn’t nearly enough. Because I study at an elite school (‘Science’ School, as they call it), by the time I’m done with homework (or by the time I decide to give up on it), my brain has ceased to cooperate out of sheer exhaustion.
Excuse me as I collapse onto my loving bed.
I get forced to work around the clock. Sometimes, when my brain is [miraculously] perceptive enough, and manages to sustain me more than two working brain cells at a time, I can stay up until 2-3 in the morning to finish my blogging responsibilities. Of course, this means that I get 2 hours of sleep at the most, which is about a quarter of the requirement for my apparent pubescence. Ain’t nobody got time for that! Matter of fact, ain’t nobody got time for anything.
I find it hard to sort my priorities. School should come first by default—blogging doesn’t necessarily ensure me an enterprising future. However, I do find this the more enjoyable and emotionally rewarding activity, and sometimes find myself around the blogosphere instead of around my school papers. I know I should be putting one before the other, but temptation is great, and I am but completely susceptible.
Additional distractions are everywhere. Blogging isn’t the only thing I enjoy apart from the weekends. I have to find the time to catch up on the latest episodes of Suits or Supernatural, and about a dozen other shows that I follow with devotion. Sometimes I have to find time for music, or for meditation, for a small snack or for a healthy conversation with my multiloquent brother. Most of the time however, I try to find the time for reading books, which is a prerequisite to blogging, of course. Due to the fact that I’m neither The Flash nor Father Time, I hardly find enough hours on the clock to accomplish everything I want to.
Distractions. They be EVERYWHERE
Blogging takes a toll on my academic performance. As much as I’d like to say that my grades haven’t been slipping and I haven’t been missing out on studying for long tests due to blogging obligations—I can’t, because then I’d be lying. Blogging hasn’t taken a serious toll on my studies, but sometimes I feel that if I could just concentrate on school and school alone, my performance wouldn’t be so lackluster (for my standards, at least).
So where do I go from here? This post wasn’t just to mope about the current state of my well-being—there are, of course, things that I do and find helpful whenever I’m in a cinch like this one. It would be well worth it to share them with you!
Schedule posts. This won’t take up much of your time. Trust me when I say, your writing becomes more fluid, and your light-bulb ideas more frequent when you’ve actually taken the time to gather your thoughts beforehand, or even to know what you’re supposed to be writing about.
Work in advanced. Do this only when you have time to spare (excluding the time for advanced homework, of course). When you do, try as much as possible to allot it to blogging, uch that you use the extra time for productivity.
Reevaluate your goals and adjust as needed. Sometimes, you may need to take a step back and think things through. Are your goals attainable given the amount of time you have for the blog? If you’re looking to post every day, but only have around an hour or two for homework and blogging both, it’s time to expunge your previous goal and set yourself a new, feasible one.
Resolve to blog at your own pace. The posts on your blog do NOT have deadlines—it’s not like you owe the world a new post. Don’t feel guilty when you’ve missed a day or two, or have gone on hiatus without prior warning. If, like me, you cannot help but feel like you are beholden to some form of explanation, feel free to write a post, or a simple side note. It’s important to remember however that you are in control of the schedule on your blog, and it will never hurt to let it adjust to suit your needs, and not vice versa.
And that’s it for this week’s Blogger Bites! Now it’s your turn. Are you finding it hard to balance blogging with school or work? What are some of the survival skills you employ to cope? Sound off in the comments and make my day 😀
Flip That Page 
It feels like I haven’t stalked your blog for a long time, Jasmine! Sorry for that. 😉 Anyway, great post as usual! School and blogging – those two really keep a student blogger’s life at odds. I’m still a student, albeit in college, but all these definitely still apply. I totally get what you mean about how frustrating it is to sort priorities. My blogging sometimes supersedes my acads and that isn’t any good. Honestly, it’s really hard to find equilibrium.
And what makes it even harder is that I’m prone to procrastination – meaning I don’t schedule posts. I schedule posts an hour before actual posting, sure, but a week or a month before? That’s just not me. I’m really really not good at time management. I get so easily distracted and that’s a huge problem. I think the only way I cope with this is your last tip right there- blogging at my own pace. It’s helpful and it doesn’t pressure me in to writing a post for every single day.
PS: So you’re from a science high school, huh! You’re a total smart ass! (More of smart than the latter, don’t worry) *winky face*
HAHA no, that’s alright 😀 You’re probably just as busy as I am with, you know… school HAHA XD Totally understandable! And I think that as much as a lot of us want to focus on our acads, blogging isn’t something we find easy to let go of. I certainly don’t think so, so even when it supersedes MY acads, I can’t help but let it! D: I just hope it won’t get to the point that I stop caring about school altogether (probably not that dumb though!) And yeahp, blogging at your own pace is very important if you really want to stop stressing out and pressuring yourself unnecessarily. So in that light, glad it helped! 😀 And yeahp, I don’t usually share the science school info, since it makes me feel like a total nerd-geek hybrid thing (which is totally just a stereotype). But thanks for the ‘smart-ass’ comment anyway! Sounds suspiciously like a compliment to me. HAHA 😀
Great tips! I know the feeling. Being a student and blogger – and someone with a lot of hobbies – I always try to squeeze in blogging time. Luckily for me, school is not so busy at the moment,, because I’m already in my specialization year and we have less subjects right now. Next year is going to be crazy however and then it’s time to prioritize what is important. I think I’ll need to make a schedule once I’m going to my last year.
Thank you! And hooray for relating to my woes. HAHA. Well no, not really, it’s quite a challenge isn’t it D: But I’m glad that even with your other obligations, you still have the time for blogging– I’d miss you if you didn’t XD I sure hope you’re prepared for the year ahead (even if I’m confident that you can pull it off!). And schedules are very effective too, so that you can sort out your ideas first before working on them. Always reduces the brain clutter 🙂
And it doesn’t get any easier when you start work, my friend. I schedule posts when I have time on the weekend, and this has worked so far for me. Now I just have to find more time for reading.
HAHAHA I knooooow D: Scheduling posts has been tons of help for me too, as well as the extra time I have on weekends. Oh what would I do without them?! HAHA. But yes, I’d wanna squeeze in a little more time for reading as well, and it kind of makes me wonder HOW some other people can manage to read 3-4 books a week, while still maintaining their blogs and living their outside lives XD Or maybe I’m just a slow reader. I probably am.
I like your ideas! I usually never struggle with my blog. I post when I have a new post. I don’t want to fill it with nonsense. Even though the school started on September 15th for me, I’m a private student, so I still have to buy textbooks and some other stuff. I usually take at least 6-7 hours a day to study (except for the weekends), since I’m doing it by myself and, like you said, DISTRACTIONS ARE EVERYWHERE. Besides, for some reason, even though I find it hard to sleep at all, every time I try to study, I feel sleepy and I just stare at the wall. And I do it away from the Internet.
I started blogging after my exams were over in April, so I don’t really know how I’m going to balance blogging and studying… But yours seems intense. I don’t know if I can stay that long at school and not go crazy. And I’m kind of admiring you right now 😛 heheh. And now at the end of the month I’m starting my Dutch lessons and my Literature lessons and I feel like I want to run away and live in a forest : D But kudos to you! You figured it out. Just give yourself more time to sleep, okay? Sleep is important!
P.S.: I’m sorry I sound like a mother : D I’m used to telling people what to do (it feels really good!).
Aww no, you don’t! Advice is always welcome, so thank you Eve! ❤ Do what makes you feel good 😉 And kudos to you for keeping your blog up whilst doing your schoolwork! It's a lot harder (at least for me) to blog during school days, because way back when I could do it pretty much every day, as much as I wanted– kinda like a day job! But I'm sure that you can manage– you've been amazing since you've started 😀 Well, Dutch and Literature sounds like a hefty combination, but I hope that your lit is the interesting kind XD And yep, I definitely need more time for sleep. I usually sleep like a log on weekends. HAHA!
I was lucky enough to have graduated before I started blogging, but now I’m coming up against the old work schedule getting in the way. In the summer (when I first started the blog) I was working 20 hours a week, 25 at the most. Now that the school semester started (wherein I am no longer a student but a teacher), I’ve been working anywhere from 35-40 ish hours a week.
I did not feel human for the first month. ZOMBIE POSTS.
Now that I’ve settled into the new schedule, I’ve found that scheduling posts works best for me. I have a new system: on Saturday I write my Stacking the Shelves post, my Monday review, and my Top Ten Tuesday. On Tuesday I write my Wednesday review, my WWW meme, and my discussion post for Thursday. Then Thursday I write my Friday review and whatever randomness I decided for that Saturday. That way, all I have to worry about each day is commenting on a few posts! It’s made everything a lot easier, and I find myself stressing less each week.
I hope you can balance everything! I love your blog, but no failing classes Jasmine! We’re watching you 😉
Woah, a teacher!! Yes ma’am I shall be working on my all-important grades (especially since I’m graduating, and applying for schools and all :O) And thank you for the blog lovin! HAHAHA that came out funny XD Ohh, and you seem to have organized a pretty nifty schedule there too. I don’t set a certain post for a certain date, because I’m afraid of some factors that may change that (like my brother’s availability), so I give myself that much freedom to post whatever I feel like. But of course, a fixed sched works effectively too (and even moreso, I think). So kudos to you for making it work! 😀
I feel you, Jasmine! Being a blogger and a student is hard! There’s just so little time in a day! Between these two I’ll have no time left to do other things! But to be honest, I’ve been holding up okay. I’ve been following the same guidelines you have listed and they’ve been working great!
The only thing is that I still procrastinate a lot…
Happy that you are! 😀 It’s hard yes, but with the right mindset and the right attitude about it, nothing can really go wrong 🙂 HAHA procrastination is sometimes an inevitability, that’s okay. You’re not alone I’m sure. HAHA!
I feel the same way! Blogging definitely gets in the way of school work, and vise versa.
Everything (a.k.a. the blogosphere) is distracting when I’m trying do to homework, but everything is distracting when I’m trying to blog! Somehow I manage to get it all done, though, but it does get difficult – especially during a hard week.
HAHA oh I love how you put it! It’s like school and blogging are mutual distractions of each other XD It’s difficult to keep up, but I’m glad that you and I both can manage to 😀
I completely understand where you’re coming from! As a recent college grad, I can vividly remember how hard it was to fit in blogging time into that schedule. Now that I’m working, it is slightly easier. I have a more rigid schedule, which helps, and NO HOMEWORK to do when I get home! So, don’t worry, you won’t have to deal with it forever. I just try to use my free time as productively as possible and schedule posts in advance. And always have a few posts on the back burner in case you need to throw one up in an “emergency.”
It’s quite the challenge 🙂 But ohh, congrats on your graduation! I’m not sure if I look forward to work or dread it (sometimes I just wanna stay a kid FOREVER), but it nice to hear that you can end up with a lighter load XD The ‘no homework’ part deffo sounds like the best part to me! And yep, I like to keep my free time productive too, scheduling posts and all that. I don’t have emergency posts, but it’s cool that you do! I’ll try make them in case 😉
Oh, Jasmine. You’re not the only one facing these problems! I think I’m about the same age as you (16?), and about to sit for a MAJOR exam early next year, but that doesn’t stop me from getting distracted with blogging and commenting and generally just doing things on the internet when I really should be studying. *hangs head* And I can totally relate with finding it hard to sort out priorities as well. I mean, I’ve been staying up later and later at night — now the average time I go to sleep is around 3 am — just to finish my homework, because I spent the evening typing up posts and visiting other blogs! >.< "blogging doesn’t necessarily ensure me an enterprising future. However, I do find this the more enjoyable and emotionally rewarding activity” — Story of my life.
And like you, this habit has started to take a toll on my schoolwork. My grades aren’t exactly falling — not yet — but I’m starting to find it hard to concentrate on them because my mind is constantly worrying about my blog! My problem probably runs deeper than yours. 😦
But I’m glad that you managed to find some ways to help you work things out. Scheduling posts in advance is definitely a good idea; that’s what I try to do, only my reading has gotten so far behind that I can’t write reviews until at least a day before it’s scheduled to go up. And yes, I totally agree that sometimes I just need to say “enough is enough,” and try to set my priorities right — or at least work in that direction. I mean, I want to do well in my studies so that I have a good future, but… you know how hard it is to resist temptation. Us student-bloggers really have it tough sometimes!
Yep, I know I’m not alone on this boat XD WOAH you’re 16?! You write like a pro for 16 O.o I sometimes feel guilty (well scratch that, most of time), especially when I have lots of homework to do, yet prioritize my blogging. It’s like a defense mechanism of sorts– I try as much as possible to stay away from the things that stress me out, so I usually go for the blogging, which I actually LIKE to do. But of course, there are consequences. I’m not sure if my grades are due to my blogging, or due to the fact that senior year is just comparatively harder, but still. This is my last year, so I really wanna make the most out of it! If your problem runs deeper than mine… than OMG good luck Meggy! You can keep up, I know it 🙂 I think it’s really important to set boundaries as well as priorities. If we manage to find the right balance, I think we can rock both school and the blogosphere 😉
Awwww, you’re so sweet, Jasmine! I swear I’m not just saying this to flatter you, but your writing ain’t half-bad either! It’s not half-bad. It’s wonderful. 😀 And thanks for all the luck. ❤ For sure!
HAHA aww thank youuu! And you’re welcome as well Meggy, I know you can do it 😉
Yes yes yes! I’ve been seriously struggling with this since school started. I’ve been bogged down with school, with life, and everything in between — it’s tough finding that balance. And I know that my grades suffered last year because of blogging, and since this is my last semester of university, I really have to focus and do well! But it’s like you said, blogging is a pleasure.
And while all your tips are great, I can’t even manage to find time to write the posts in order to schedule them, haha. See my predicament? I was supposed to have a Thoughts for a Thursday post up today but I couldn’t write it last night (my only time I could have wrote it during the week). So once again for the second week in a row, my blog is discussion-less. It’s so frustrating! But I need to regularly remind myself that A) I’m not getting paid to blog so I should therefore not stress if I don’t get a post up because it really isn’t a matter of life or death and B) blogging is supposed to be fun. If I’m freaking out over not posting enough or commenting on other blogs enough, then what’s the point? Blogging is an enjoyment and as much as I would love for my followers to see a new post everyday, I just can’t make that happen right now. And if people truly do love my blog, they’ll understand. You know?
I understand! And I love your blog, you know that 🙂 Sometimes I have to stop thinking as well that people expect me to write posts for them as much as they want me to. It’s my blog, so I get to choose how (and how often) I run it. And I tend to forget that, pressuring myself unnecessarily. Blogging is STILL fun, put it would be a lot more fun if I started working at my own pace– I think that’s the key! 🙂 School / Uni / Work and blogging can’t help but clash sometimes, but as long as we set things straight and organize, and try to make free time as productive as we can manage, then I think we can survive this with both the blog and our grades intact 😀
I can totally relate to the school and blogging thing. Before I started school I was posting everyday. I found out pretty quickly that it just wasn’t possible for me to do that anymore. I try to get my posts scheduled on the weekends because I just don’t have enough time during the week. I know it would probably be easier if I just focused on work, school and my kids, but blogging is something that I do for just me and something that I truly enjoy and I just can’t give it up.
HAHA me too! I posted everyday and thought I could manage the same thing during school, but that’s just not the case D: Blogging is something I’m not ready to give up on, so I’ll just have to try and find a way to strike a balance, and I’m getting there! So yeah, I understand 🙂
Amen sister!!
I still haven’t started school, but I was blogging last session, and it was tedious. Between writing, reading, doing homework (lots of it), and blogging?! It was too much. Especially since I’m a huge procrastinator, and 90% of my free time has to be spent doing absolutely nothing.
That BANANA gif? It sums up my existence.
I think that’s why I’ve always been a random blogger. I don’t have a schedule, I don’t have a certain pace, and I definitely don’t review books on time 😛 It suits me, though. If I have a deadline and I miss it, it’ll start getting pressuring. But you gave some really good advice!
I WRITE AND TELL?! Must stalk this.
HAHAHA anyway, I think that procrastinating is somehow inevitable, since we’re not all such diligent citizens of the world. But as much as possible, I try to do something productive during my free time 😀 If writing and blogging and reading does that for you, then I think that’s totally aight 🙂 But school is important, so I try HARD not to neglect that either XD I’m a random blogger too, and its nice to know that you are as well (even if I kind of sort of maybe knew a little bit ish from the start that you were random, and not just in terms of post schedule XD). But yeah, no need to pressure yourself! And thanks, I hope in some way it helps 🙂
I don’t know, man. Procrastination and randomness don’t go well together. Maybe I’ll end up one of those beggars with a kickass cardboard.
Hmm… interesting 😀
Oh, and I Write & Tell.. it’s still inactive, but I wanted to claim the domain ’cause I’m greedy like that 😀
Its the Reem combination XD I can adopt you if that happens. HAHA! Ooooh, I see. Strategy :> I look forward to its activity!
Hey Jasmine! I haven’t stopped here in a while…sorry! School is eating up all my free time too!! I can only read one per week now and I guess that’s okay since I have got gazillion of school work and tests. Haha and whenever I’m determined to study, I get distracted and open my twitter or commenting on some blogs >< I guess we are the same then haha 😉 *highfive*
HAHA I’ve always only been able to read one a week XD Yep we are definitely the same. Twitter is distracting, but I try so hard not to let it! And I’m totally fine with you not stopping by. I haven’t stopped by yours in a while too, but I will soon, I promise 😀
FRICK YES this is so true. Because we have book blogs, the amount of time spent on blogging is HUGE because we have to read books as well as write posts and stuff. Tack on commenting on other blogs, and I HAS NO SLEEP. Other people in my uni course are always like “Nara, how do you have time to read?!” and my answer is always: at the expense of studying and sleep.
The best piece of advice is definitely just to work at your own pace. No one’s going to drop kick you for not following a schedule or not posting for a week or whatever. We all understand that blogging is a hobby and other things will probably take priority i.e. school/uni.
TRUE! A drop kick sounds terribly painful, but I have to remember that that doesn’t apply to me XD I want to prioritize school, but it’s a touch challenge, since I have completely embraced blogging. If only I could get paid to do this forever. HAHA! But that’s not the case, so I have to set things straight. I usually make up for sleep on weekends, but there will always be a shortage of time for homework with or without the blogging. But I think we can work our way around it! 🙂
Ummm, yes to everything you’ve said! I think every student-blogger can understand where you are coming form. School takes up a large portion of the day, especially when you factor in studying and the hours of homework. While I don’t attend a private school, I still feel a lot of pressure because my school is competitive to the extreme.
Like you, I think my grades are slipping a little because of my blog. It’s just that I love blogging so much more than studying for tests and quizzes. I too find it hard to be motivated to study when my blog is calling my name. 😉
I will definitely listen to some of your advice. I think that I really need to work on not letting my blog cause any additional stress in my life. It’ supposed to be something I do for fun. If it starts to feel like work, I am sure that I will stop. I get enough of that from school! Also, I need to work on scheduling my posts farther in advance, so I don’t worry late at night that I don’t have anything up for tomorrow.
Student-bloggers unite! I think we deserve a support group.
It definitely does take up a lot of my time XD School is the extreme source of stress and pressure, so I think we need to remember not to let blogging add that to our daily lives– this is supposed to be something we enjoy and have fun with, you know? So yeah, I think its important to work at your own pace 😀 HAHA aww thanks for taking the advice! I hope that in someway, it helps 🙂 And yes to the Support Group!!
I couldn’t agree with you more! I go to a private high school and finding time to get both schoolwork and blog posts done along with countless other things can be really hard. But let’s face it, life would be boring if we had too much free time we didn’t know how to use up ;). I just came across your blog recently and I am soooooooo happy to find there are more 16-year-olds like me with a book blog :DDD! I just adore your design! I also added you on my blog roll and just so you know, I’ll be watching out for your future posts from now on 😉
REALLY?! THANK YOU ❤ I'm glad you like the blog ❤ I should check yours out, pronto :O Yep, we 16-year olds (+ every other student out there) seem to find this student-blogger combo a fully loaded one, but I am so glad that we've been managing! But yeah, relaxation all-day, every day is boring. This is definitely a welcome spice to life 😀
Oh this was great to read, as you know I’m back off to uni next year and I’ve been worrying. But it’s definitely reassuring, that even though there may be some times where all you want to do is blog rather than do school work, or times where you just can’t post too much, people understand!
I guess I haven’t spoken to many bloggers who are also studying full time (or at least been aware of it) so I’m glad you found my post where I shared my concerns, and that you posted this one!
Oh, I hope it did help you out in someway, Rinn! 😀 And of course I understand– it’s something that I’ve been thinking about too, why I stress out even when I know that the people around me will get why I’m not around as much 🙂 And I AM glad to have found your post too! Thanks for stopping by 😀
Great post! I managed to blog throughout high school and I’m still blogging. I found that having an editorial calendar and jotting down notes on what needs to be done that day (and throughout the week) is really helpful to stay on top of school work and blogging. When there’s free time between classes or standing in line for something, I try and keep up with Twitter and Feedly. Life sometimes gets in the way though, and I try to catch up with work that I slacked off on during the weekends.
Nice! Those are some seriously great strategies there 🙂 I do like jotting down notes on future activities, but I keep it online because I can NEVER sustain a physical planner. And I think optimizing free time is very helpful as well 😀 Glad you got through high school blogging and still haven’t given up on it 😉
Thanks for the great post! I’ve been feeling like I don’t have time for all the things I’d like to do a lot recently. I do feel a bit of guilt when I go too long without doing anything with my blog, but I always remind myself that I never unfollow a blog for not posting at all for as long as a few weeks so hopefully no one else does either 🙂
HAHA yeah I haven’t exactly experienced an unfollow after a hiatus, so that relieves me too! But of course, it’s our time and we can do what we want with it, you know? 🙂
I took a three month break when I started college this fall. I just couldn’t find time to spare for blogging, but I’m happy to be back and hope I don’t have to take that long of a break when I started this next semester.
Well I went on hiatus as well, and I have to say that it’s been pretty beneficial 😀 I’m glad you’re happy to be back, and hope all goes well this time around 🙂