If you are like me. If you are like most people. Starting anything new proves to be a massive challenge and frustration. Call it the unknown. Maybe some internal fear creeps in. You begin to reason against doing anything but what you know. And as you know, all of these are killers to achieve what you really want in life.

For me personally, I have two little boys and a beautiful wife. I have  online and offline businesses. I have many volunteer activities that I am a part of deeply. A LOT of my time goes to these places. And in the mix of these things my work life is last on the list. It is not me. Sacrificing family time for work, or working when I want to go ride my mountain bike with friends doesn’t cut it. There is a time for everything. So why sacrifice? Why miss the precious moments for a few extra bucks?

How to Master the Juggling Act

So how do we balance it all? For you it may be different. Our circumstances and goals, our personalities and makeup are all unique to ourselves. But this is what has worked for me.

• Schedule it.  I need a daily time set aside to get it done. I like to usually do that when the kids are asleep and I can go to my office and work on my blog or other business. I read a story to the kids, we talk, and usually they are out by 8:30 every night.  I spend a few minutes with my wife, and then it is up to the office.
• Focus. It is so easy to lose focus and that is a big killer. You have ideas for different blogs pop in your head. You check your email and get sent to new product launches and free videos to watch. You check out your Twitter and Facebook pages. And if you are not careful (Most people aren’t) Your whole work time is wasted and you haven’t done a single productive thing. If you were at a job you would have been fired on your first night.

I like to write down on paper what I want completed before I even open up my computer. Get it done FIRST and then you can spend a few minutes doing the other nonproductive stuff.

• Consistency.  Set yourself up a regular time frame to do things and stick with it. Blog 1 time a day? Blog 3 times a week? Pick your routine and stick with it. And unless you have already been doing this a while and have a successful blog going, stick with one blog and work on it constantly. Whoever told you that having a successful blog is easy lied. Like everything else it takes work. It takes time.

Mindset is key in all of this. The fundamentals of building a successful blog are not hard. It’s the constant work, pushing through internal barriers, and not getting distracted by all the glitter and glamor out their that make it tough. Recognize why you want to do this.  Keep yourself motivated by either what you could gain from a successful blog, or what you will lose if you do nothing. I know you can do it. You know somewhere deep inside that you can. The next step is doing it.

Let me know any barriers you’ve faced and I will try to help.  See ya on the other side of the wall.

Brandon

photo credit: Pixel Addict