How I Manage A Fashion Blog As a Stay At Home Mom – 5 Tips for Time Management

Again I am so appreciative of those who gave me feedback about what types of posts they’d like to read.   Several of you commented you would like posts knowing how I fit in blogging commitments alongside parenting and a (part-time) career outside the house.  Specifically many of you asked how I am able to post so frequently on my Instagram account.   It’s been a lot of hustle since I started blogging and I would not be able to do it without my husband on board.   He often watches the kids if I feel pressured to hit a deadline and he’s willing to snap a picture whenever I ask.

As far as day to day things that have changed since I started blogging, I cook and exercise less than ever before.   It makes me sad to admit that because these are things that are so important to me.  This is something I am working on because I am not happy letting these things slip away from my priority list.  Another thing a bunch of people mentioned interest in was healthy recipes – so that is good motivation to cook :).  I have been working out here and there and the workouts I do are shorter but high intensity so I will share those in case others are looking for quick ways to fit exercise into their busy day.

Gray Cowl Neck Dress (size small for reference) |  Wrap Coat  |  Black Over The Knee Boots run a half size small (similar here)  |  Rebecca Minkoff Regan Bag  |  Burberry Sunglasses (on loan from Ditto – use code PINTERESTINGPLANS to get your first month free)

1. SHOOT AS MANY OUTFITS AS POSSIBLE AT ONCE.   For me this is usually on the weekend.   I wear something out to grab coffee with my husband and kids and my husband will take an outfit picture somewhere along the way.   This is usually just an I-phone picture.   If I want to do more detail shots we bring the camera and the kids cheer me on from the stroller with a snack (glamorous, I know!).   I often then take my kids’ nap time to plan 4 more outfits and have a sitter come for an hour while my husband helps me with pictures.  I change in the car, again, I’m glamorous, I know!  You’ll notice I often wear almost the same jewelry and my hair is the same.  This allows me to share several outfits during the week without taking time away from my kids.   My husband and I often make a date night out of these “shoots”.   We snap 2 or 3 outfits and then go grab dinner somewhere while we have a sitter.
2. GET OFF SOCIAL MEDIA: If you’re too busy noticing how green someone else’s grass is you’re not working on making your own grass any greener.   This is tough, but a real time saver. I spend almost no time on Facebook but I could easily get sucked into browsing Instagram for 20 minutes if I just let myself open the app.   Make a schedule of how many posts you want to get done and don’t go on social media until you finish your own work.
3. PREPARE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS AHEAD OF TIME:  For me this means when my kids are asleep at night (or occasionally during nap time).   From 8pm-11:30 pm I am frantically working on several tasks that I set during the day (blog posts, responding to emails, editing photos, etc).  One task I do every evening is preparing social posts for the following morning.  This way when I go to post it usually goes quickly and smoothly and doesn’t take much time away from my family.  I am bad about diversifying my content on for various platforms (specifically I really suck and never go on Facebook, therefore my Facebook traffic sucks in return).  There are only so many hours in a day so I have made my blog and Instagram the priorities for now (and dabble on Pinterest).
4. ASK SOMEONE TO SNAP YOUR PIC IF YOU ARE DRESSED (AND GET DRESSED MOST DAYS):   Every social media picture doesn’t need to be award winning.  I try to post often to gain followers so sometimes I post pictures taken by my 4 year old (or brother, or whoever else is around).  If I notice something is on sale I try to restyle that piece and take a picture wearing that item.  Real life pictures do well for me (by real life I mean an iPhone picture against a random brick wall while I am out running errands).  I also do this with my favorite pieces (this brown suede moto jacket for example has been restyled a dozen times on my Instagram feed) to hammer home what I consider the “must have” items.  You’d be surprised what people like to see.   Sweatpants and loungewear do really well.  So even you feel like you didn’t really get dressed – it might be worth posting what you wore on your weekend coffee run because people love COZIES (as my son calls sweats).  Flatlays are also a good option to share new content but I have not mastered the art of making an outfit looking good lying on my floor.
5. SET A SCHEDULE:  I try to post on my blog a minimum of 3 times a week.   I have a schedule of working from 8-11 pm about 5 nights a week and during most nap times (which was previously when I chopped veggies and cooked a huge dinner).  Then I do a lot of hustle in between (picture me hidden in the bathroom on my phone).  I socialize less in the evening than I did a few years ago but not just because I started blogging.  Many of my friends have moved or had children so getting together for cocktails is a little more difficult for everyone and I like being home with my husband.  He works out most evenings so he we both have our own hobbies that we tend to when we get the kids to bed.

I take pictures with a Canon 6D DSLR camera body that I bought used.  I had previously purchased and still use the Canon 50/1.8 lens from my older camera.  Learning the manual mode on the camera has been a HUGE game changer with photos and was much easier than I had thought it would be.   There are lots of tutorials out there on the web.  I don’t feel like I know enough to teach more than a few basics so you’re better served by an expert.  Practice makes perfect!

If you have any specific questions I didn’t cover I am happy to share!  Comment below or email me if you prefer!