A daily routine blogging | Creating an intentional blogging schedule

It’s no secret that the blogging schedule on Intentional Lucie has been limited, to say the least. In my blog post about recovering from failed goals, I shared that I felt called to return to my safe space on the internet and fulfil my desire to write. But, things haven’t quite worked out that way. I’ve been trying to create a routine while dealing with the competition in my mind between one goal and the next. It’s been hard to prioritise and fit everything in, especially with the countdown until my wedding.

I could say (and in part, already have) that right now, I don’t have the capacity to write blog posts or give my blog the love, I feel, it deserves. Despite this, we all know that time will pass anyway and, busy season or not, I’ll look back on when I first started and regret the time I didn’t spend on my passion.

So, I’m challenging myself to balance my corporate job, homemaking, wedding planning, health and fitness pursuits, and my blog, and I’m going to share how I’m making it possible.

Changing my daily routine, blogging style

I’m not going to dwell too heavily on routines, as I’m feeling called to write a blog post exclusively on this subject. But, ultimately, I know the problem – my blog isn’t embedded in my routine like it used to be, and my life is busier than it’s ever been.

If you read my blog post on my intentional morning routine, you might recall the seamless insertion of my blogging practice before daybreak. Now, it’s not as simple – I often go to the gym in the mornings, and, located 40 minutes away from my house, this is frequently a two-hour round trip per session. So, to create the habit of blogging during this busy season of life, I need to be more flexible with fitting blogging into my day, depending on the day’s commitments. To demonstrate, here is my current weekday routine:

Morning (5:30 to 9:00 AM)

– Reading (15 minutes)
– Gym, three days a week (2 hours)
– Get ready (30 minutes)
– Breakfast (30 minutes)
– Housework (15 minutes)

Day (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM)

– Work (7 hours, 30 minutes)
– Walk during lunch (30 minutes)

Evening (5:00 to 9:30 PM)

– Dinner and clean up (1 hour, 30 minutes)
– Wedding planning, approximately two days a week (1 hour)
– Relax (1 hour)
– Prepare for the next day (30 minutes)
– Get ready for bed (15 minutes)
– Read (15 minutes)

Now, I’m going to show you how I’ve modified my schedule to include blogging in my routine. To make it a habit, the most important part is that I’m blogging daily. This doesn’t mean writing daily, but rather, ensuring I do something productive towards my blogging goal, every day. Here is my updated weekday routine, incorporating blogging:

Morning (5:30 to 9:00 AM)

– Reading (15 minutes)
– Gym, three days a week (2 hours) / Blog, two days a week (2 hours)
– Get ready (30 minutes)
– Breakfast (30 minutes)
– Housework (15 minutes)

Day (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM)

– Work (7 hours, 30 minutes)
– Walk during lunch (30 minutes)

Evening (5:00 to 9:30 PM)

– Dinner and clean up (1 hour, 30 minutes)
– Wedding planning, two days a week (1 hour) / Blog, three days a week (1 hour)
– Relax (1 hour)
– Prepare for the next day (30 minutes)
– Get ready for bed (15 minutes)
– Read (15 minutes)

To create my blogging schedule, I’ve had to work on the basis that my days in the week are not the same. I realised there were gaps in my routine on the days I don’t attend the gym, so I’ve been able to plug them with my new blogging habit.

My daily routine isn’t perfect. I can’t blog at the same time every day, which is the best approach for forming habits, and I’ve had to estimate the length of time that some activities will take. For example, I have estimated the time I spend on wedding planning over the week, as, honestly, it’s been sporadic. But, I recently trialled working in one-hour slots for wedding-related tasks, and it’s helped me significantly with productivity. So, I’ve rounded it up to two hours a week, with the grace that I will have to flex during busier wedding-planning periods.

Building your daily routine for blogging

To build your daily routine, simply follow the process I have taken.
– List your current daily routine, blogging excluded. Make estimates on timescales for activities you’re unsure about, as I did with wedding planning.
– Look for gaps and opportunities in your routine. Is there a day in your midweek with fewer obligations compared to another? Is there a recurring gap after dinner where you often find yourself doomscrolling? If it can be at the same time every day, brilliant. If not, that’s fine – just work to what’s possible.
– Think about the timing of your blogging blocks. If you know you’ll be tired after the gym, don’t schedule blogging to take place as soon as you get home from the gym.
– Leave a bit of room for flex. For example, I’ve given myself more time than I need for dinner, because sometimes, I like to have a glass of wine and natter with my partner after a day at work.
– Write down your new routine. I use the Deluxe Law of Attraction 12-Month Planner by Freedom Mastery to safely store my routines, but use the medium that’s best for you.

Balancing slow living and a daily routine for blogging

At the beginning of the year, I felt the repercussions of a period that felt extremely out of alignment, which prompted me to delve into the slow living lifestyle. It’s been, once again, difficult to prioritise, and something I need to mention in the making of my blogging schedule.

I don’t want to give you the impression that I work like a powerhouse every day. To reiterate, this is the busiest period of my life, and working to a strict schedule every day isn’t realistic or, in my opinion, good for your wellbeing.

The daily routine I’ve set out to include blogging is an ideal, and I’m learning to boycott perfectionism when things don’t go the way I had planned. So, I’m upholding the slow living lifestyle in new ways and creating moments to simply be. Here are some examples:

– If I feel resistance to a task, I give myself permission to stop and move on to one that’s good for my soul, such as a walk or reading.
– I don’t schedule habits on the weekend – this is my opportunity to be free of alarms, spend time with my friends and family, and truly unwind. However, if I feel called to write, I can do so freely, without pressure to publish.
– If plans change and, say, I’m invited to an impromptu dinner with a friend, I can take an evening off! By creating a daily routine of blogging, I’m building the foundations to be able to pick up my blog again the next day, without letting go of it completely.

How to stay disciplined with a daily routine for blogging

On the other side of creating slower habits is how I’m planning to stay disciplined with blogging, especially after a hiatus. Truthfully, I love blogging, and my lack of showing up isn’t a case of not wanting to do it. As I alluded to earlier, the problem comes when I fall out of habit and don’t have it in my schedule. I feel like I don’t have time.

By adding it to my daily routine, blogging is made possible. If something comes up that will throw me off course, James Clear shared the perfect solution in his book, Atomic Habits: Never skip a habit for two days in a row. If you woke up late and weren’t able to blog in the morning, you will need to make it a priority the next day.

My weekday blogging schedule

Finally, the missing piece of forming a daily routine for blogging is the schedule of tasks that you’ll complete weekly in your time blocks. Of course, a blogging schedule will look different for everyone, depending on how often you post, the social media platforms you use, and your blogging business goals. For context, I’m setting myself a target of posting a blog on my website once a week, prioritising Pinterest and X alongside it. I’m thinking about starting an Instagram or TikTok account in the future, too. Here is my schedule:

Day 1 (evening) – Look at my content plan and research the topic for the week’s blog post
Day 2 (morning) – Have a focused writing session to produce new content
Day 3 (evening) – Polish writing, choose images and upload
Day 4 (morning) – Conduct outreach on social media platforms and engage with others
Day 5 (evening) – Carry out website tasks or learn a new skill

What’s your daily routine and blogging schedule?

This is a different style of blog post for me, but with blogging being a hobby close to my heart, I hope it’s provided useful insight into what having a daily routine and blogging schedule could look like for you. I would love to hear from other bloggers, or aspiring bloggers, on how you incorporate blogging into your days.