This is a guest post from David Risley. David is a veteran professional blogger who got his start in the technology niche. Today, he actively blogs at DavidRisley.com about how to turn blogging into a full-time, six-figure business., I listen and watch David very closely he is making serious money and his advice has helped me a lot, David over to you;
One of my many mantras on my own blog has been this: If you want to make a business level income from your blogging efforts, you have to treat it like a business.
How does this translate into the typical day?
A lot of people think that making money online means you don’t have to work that much. You do what you want, when you want to. And magically, out pours a big pile of cash.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is that making money as a blogger means doing a lot more than just blogging. As I said, a blog isn’t a real business. It is just a promotional mechanism for a real business. Underneath any blog which results in a full-time income, you will find a real business – with all the work that it takes to run one.
What do most bloggers do? They spend all their time doing the following:
- Writing posts
- Commenting on other blogs
- Participating in social media
This is all very important stuff, however let me ask you this: Which of those three things gets you paid?
Answer = NONE.
So, the remaining things that get done regularly when you’re doing this as a business include:
- Product development
- Managing outsourcers (You can’t do everything alone)
- Preparing marketing plans for new products
- Answering emails, and prioritizing them.
- Admin Tasks (such as accounting)
- Strategic Planning
- and so on, and so on….
My Typical Schedule…
My typical day isn’t very templated. I tend to get up around 7AM. I’m usually working by around 8:30AM or 9:00AM (unless I have other things scheduled outside the house that day). I break for lunch whenever I get hungry. Sometimes I eat fast – other times I’ll catch a lost episode of 24 or something on the DVR before going back to work. Then, I work until around 6PM. In the evening, it is family time, however some nights I find myself doing some work even in the evening. Generally, I try to stay out of my office at night, so if I do have to do anything I’ll do it on my laptop.
Most of my actual blogging tasks (writing posts) takes place in the beginning of the week. I write most of my posts for the week ahead of time and simply leave them in queue to be posted later.
I try to manage my incoming communications in blocks. Twitter is open most of the day, although if I’m really grooved in on a project, I’ll turn it off. I’m usually pretty good about not being distracted by it. For email, I try to check/answer it only 2 or 3 times per day. It is too tempting to get engrossed in my email if it is left open all the time, and that doesn’t move projects forward. Blog commenting is usually done in focused batches when I have the time, and this includes also catching up on Google Reader.
Words of Advice
I wouldn’t want to write a post without offering a few tips that you might find value from. So, here are a few things which have helped me manage my time as a pro blogger:
- Never let the volume of incoming communication (emails, comments, tweets, etc) distract you from actually moving your business forward. It is classic 80/20 rule. You HAVE to focus on developing your business, otherwise you’re just spinning your wheels. Ultimately, you will serve your readers better by providing quality stuff than by answering every single comment that comes your way.
- Reduce distraction. If you can’t resist the urge to look at your email when you see that little “(1)” or hear that little notification sound – close it. If TweetDeck sucks your attention constantly, close it. Work on what you’re doing while you’re doing it. You can’t say you’re working on one project if you are mentally doing something else.
- Don’t let blogging take over your life. Realize that there is more to this business than just writing/commenting. Not only that, but we have families and they are more important than blogs. So, as much work as this business is, never lose sight of what is really important. And if you have a hard time balancing it all out, remember the 80/20 rule. Drop what isn’t furthering your business, and start spending your time more efficiently on the things that deliver the most bang for your hard work.
And with that, I’m about to take off, pick up my little girl from daycare, and spend some time with her. 
What does everyone think?
Please show your support and Re-Tweet, Digg and StumbleUpon
Matthew Needham (488)
Eric (413)
Karen (357)
Heather (296)
Ralph (237)
Rob Sellen (197)
Mars Dorian (160)
Mo "Mad Dog" Ston... (155)
Ben Lumley (149)
Olusegun (146)
{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
The points David makes are very valid and are great advice for anyone wanting to make a success of blogging. It is very important to keep balanced and not to let any business destroy your family rather than benefit it.
Roland Millward´s last blog ..Web Videos for Small to Medium Sized Businesses
Twitter: bluepop13
February 27, 2010 at 11:41
Sounds like more of a job than I realised though I knew it was more than just writing and commenting.
It sounds like you’ve got a good system set up for how you do things and seems to be working out well for you.
Good advice and your day sounds pretty interesting.
Eric´s last blog ..The Reason Nobody Knows That All They Want Is No Money
Twitter: theRealTadWolfe
February 27, 2010 at 11:59
David knows his stuff and gives out great advice, I love his point about the 80/20 rule.
Twitter: TylinaVespart
February 27, 2010 at 13:06
Thanks for that David
Paretta rule is definitely very important (not sure if that’s how you spell it, mind you). Good to see what you do throughout the day to make things work.
When you were starting out, did you follow the same model or has it changed a bit since then?
Heather´s last blog ..Youtube vs Vimeo; What do you use?
It has changed over time. When I started, I was single and life was simpler. Then I got married. Then, a kid. And just recently, a second kid. Each time, I have to adjust the balance between family/life/business.
Twitter: TylinaVespart
February 27, 2010 at 16:07
Oh yea, Congratulations again! Can’t remember if I commented at the time, but I sure meant to!
I could see why you’d have to readjust each time though, all the best with doing so again.
Twitter: AndBreak
February 27, 2010 at 13:22
Interesting advice David. I never thought about a blog this way. It’s of course important to spend time on developing products I think most of the people neglect to do that. I know I do.
Julius Kuhn-Regnier´s last blog ..How to Make a Great First Impression Through Guest Posts
Twitter: allynpaul
February 27, 2010 at 13:43
Nice post and I appreciate you letting us in on your daily life, David. I just think it is cool that you can take lunch when you want and watch 24 whereas the corp world tells you when to take lunch, how long, and where to eat at, ROFL.
AL
Allyn´s last blog ..Introduction To BackLink Stacking And Why
I think I’d rather shoot myself than comply with the traditional “Dilbert” lifestyle.
Twitter: robertbravery
February 27, 2010 at 13:49
Nice post David, Sounds like you got a cushy Job there.
Well from a blogger point of view I know its not easy. I find that blogging takes up huge part of my day. The writing part is the easy part. It’s the research, the planning, etc that takes up a huge amount of time.
Then there is coding and design and development. Never let anyone say a blogger has a cushy job.
Robert Bravery´s last blog ..Pay it forward
Twitter: HeyLiane
February 27, 2010 at 14:58
Behind every blog is a real business. This has been the principle that I’ve been working on for the past few months David. The more I tried to push my new businesses forward, the harder it seems to focus. But I truly am working on it.
As far as distractions are concerned, I’m keeping away from social networking sites. Made me twice as productive as ever
Liane´s last blog ..I Stared At My Wall and Got 70 Posting Ideas
Twitter: kruby
February 27, 2010 at 15:02
This is a great reminder, David.
“Don’t let blogging take over your life” –> this has been happening to me lately and it’s one thing that I need to get control over in my own life. My family and friends are mad at me because I’m not interacting with them and am on the computer every spare minute. This is not good.
I need to cut back and work more strategically on my site. Right now, I don’t think I have a viable business model so I will have to rethink about what I’m trying to build with my site. I was going to spend a few hours commenting on sites and doing some marketing, but I’m going to take a break and then write articles so that they are batched for the week.
Great advice!
Thanks,
Karen
Karen´s last blog ..Book Review: Switch – How To Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath
It’s great to see a break down of a typical day for other internet entrepreneurs. I’ve been battling the misconception for many years that making money online is a set it and forget it venture, which is far from the truth.
I’m a creative person myself and spend most of my days behind the scenes developing products, creating marketing plans and launch timelines as well as creating the graphics, landing pages and supporting websites that may help the products gain greater success. I’m also conducting consulting calls with clients at some point during the day. I schedule time to write and post to my blog as well as to interact with my followers through social media. Then I’m right back to running my business behind the scenes.
Thanks for the break down David. It’s always a good idea for others to gain that insight to see that blogging, or running an internet business for that matter, is more than just posting, commenting and social media.
To Your Success!
Sean Smith
Sean Smith´s last blog ..Increase Your Market Reach, Go Mobile!
Twitter: GiveABrick
February 27, 2010 at 16:01
I’ve been hearing the 80/20 rule all over the place recently. Great reminder
But what do you do when you’re still so new at it all, it’s impossible to identify the 20%? For a charity like us I’ve always assummed that an important part of things is awareness. If no one knows who we are, how would they know to give a brick?!
But seeing as brand awareness is important for any business, perhaps there are other more important things that need 80% of our time? What do you think?
Twitter: consciousmeblog
February 27, 2010 at 16:07
thanks David.
I will soon implement the first strategy of monetizing my blog which will take some focused efforts on my part to get everything set up and ready. Good to have this advice to prioritize my blogging tasks during that time.
Twitter: ralphcarlson
February 27, 2010 at 17:03
Thanks for that very useful example of how you conduct your business. Most of the time we have to interpolate from what we do and what we imagine we might do in the shoes of someone else. You don’t know what you don’t know so it is easy to make up crazy stories. Nothing you do in terms of commitment or effort is impossible for others but it isn’t a 4 hour work week.
Twitter: tbabinszki
February 27, 2010 at 18:46
David, lot’s of great tips, but the most important take away for me is to spend enough time with family. It is easy to work night and day especially when the business has some down time, or when orders are piling up. I think I’m doing better these days, but I still have ways to go. You can earn that buck later, but you can’t watch your child doing something for the first time when you want it, only when she does it.
Tom´s last blog ..A Day Through The Eyes of a Blind Woman: Part 3
Twitter: paulworswick
February 27, 2010 at 19:56
David,
A very enlightening post and subtle reminder to keep away from the ‘displacement activities’; the ones that keep us away from production. Whilst commenting and emailing etc help create healthy relationships, the production line must keep going.
Thank you for sharing.
Regards
Paul
Paul´s last blog ..Forgiveness
Twitter: cadilacjax
February 27, 2010 at 22:46
Thanks for this David. I’ve known for a long time the importance of balance. I just don’t always live it. Though when I focus on it and put incorporate it into my life, as with past experiences , I always was rewarded with better results. No matter what I was doing.
congrats on the little one. Gonna go read the 80/20 again.
Lees Shizzle´s last blog ..Don’t Fear Success with Lack of Courage ~ Share Your Goals
Twitter: ptcearner
February 28, 2010 at 04:38
James kept a bit of surprise about this post.But after reading the post, i feel it worth waiting for it.Thats a good advice given by david risely,in managing time with ur duties. Though u r earning thousands of $’s each month it’s not worth if u need to keep ur personal life ahead of it.i feel David touched the point internally in his post..
krish´s last blog ..Make Money Online – A Complete Resource List Part 1
David, thank you for sharing your days routine. I am big believer of the 80/20 rule.
I know that you work very hard, but didn’t know that you basically work through out the day.
Aaron´s last blog ..Why Apple is the King of the Tech World?
Twitter: stevescott1
February 28, 2010 at 05:38
Great stuff here David! Really liked the information about planning out the stuff that makes you money. Haven’t made that priority yet, but will start that really soon…
Steve Scott Site´s last blog ..The Secret of Successful To-Do Lists [Video and Free Template]
Twitter: getyourbizsavvy
February 28, 2010 at 06:04
Great post. People don’t realize that a blog is a business. Really enjoyed reading this David. Thanks and congrats on the baby!
Alex Monroe´s last blog ..The Entrepreneur All Star Football Team
Twitter: bloggersmarket
February 28, 2010 at 09:54
Hi David,
Great Post! I bet you hear that alot. However I have carefully gone over the post several times noting it’s style, content and spirit. One can easily see that you have gained a careful attention to detail in your method of communication over the years. This is something I am trying to focus on at this time. I remain convinced that this focus should carry over into the development of ones products offered to the readers.
Jeffrey Morgan´s last blog ..Time To Add Content – Lesson 8
Twitter: coblyn
February 28, 2010 at 13:12
Thanks for the solid advice, David.
The key takeaway from here is that it’s brilliant to engage in online relationships via blog posts, Twitter, commenting etc, etc, but you have to both have a picture of why you’re doing these things and solid money making products and services to offer to help you translate your efforts into income.
There’s a real balance to be struck between being present and doing stuff that moves things along. I’m not sure I’ve got that right yet and I’ve found both ideas and inspiration in what you’ve said here.
Christine Livingston´s last blog ..The virtual office of self-selected colleagues
I like this post a lot! My day is pretty similar but I usually work evenings as I’m just not a morning person AT ALL. It takes everything in me to function as a Mum during the morning hours. Any blogging, commenting or social networking I did in those hours would be incoherent babble. I actually love what I do and wonder what people do if they’re not working online lol. A bit sad on my part I guess.
Chavah´s last blog ..Yaaaay! New Zealand’s Got Talent Flyer
I actually commented on David’s blog in regards to this…figured I would continue on here.
The 80/20 principle is best used, in my opinion, as a way to determine what is working. For instance, if you check your analytics, you will likely see a very uneven pattern into how people are getting to your website. If it is organic searches, you can figure out how to leverage more traffic from the keyword.
Typically you will notice a pattern in regards to referrers as well. Chances are great that an unusual amount of traffic will come from 1-2 referrers with the majority looking more like a long tail graph.
What can you do with these numbers? JV partnerships? Possible Guest Post? List Exchanges? Let your imagination run wild. The important part is recognizing that the 80/20 principle exists. The next part is to figure out how to leverage your most powerful referrers/organic traffic/articles and compound it into more sales/rss subscriptions/twitter followers/ or whatever it is you are trying to achieve.
Leo Dimilo´s last blog ..How to Improve Your Hubpages Earnings
Twitter: websiteweekend
March 1, 2010 at 17:27
Having a set time to work on product development every (except Sunday) is working really for me. Typically, it’s the first thing I do during the day. I recommend it.
Dave Doolin´s last blog ..How to Read Your SEO Metadata Like Google (really fast)
Twitter: mslorax
March 3, 2010 at 13:13
Finally, I am starting to get at the truth about blogging! I have had a half-$%# blog for years. The old idea…just throw up a blog…put up some Google Adsense and take a vacation isn’t true..SAY IT ISN’T SO! Throw up a blog. Pay some guy in India or the Philippines to do the posts. Take a vacation. JUST AIN’T SO. People PAY for that advice. Thanks Dave, you did me a solid.
Ouida Vincent´s last blog ..The Secret Currency of Love (Book Review)
David, you are an inspiration to bloggers everywhere and have an excellent home/work ethic and promote a good business model. I know I am looking to emulate some of your strategies myself, particularly with trying to turn my blog into more of a business model instead of a blog which it is now.
I still don’t know what to put together to sell, too many people in the “how to be a blogger” business and technically all fields, hard to find a good niche.
Dragon Blogger´s last blog ..Dragon Blogger Earnings for February 2010
Twitter: jsinkeywest
March 5, 2010 at 09:21
I think the whole blog is really a sales page and it’s all about me and my time and my family and ME is a pretty close description of the attitude that has America locked in the position it’s in today. I put people first and money second never the other way around and I make plenty of money with no Products, list and other methods, works for me. We’ll see what method is better overtime.Good Luck
John Sullivan@The Blog No One Reads´s last blog ..Ping that Post
Twitter: Bigredtomato
April 17, 2010 at 22:10
Great post, I’ve only just seen this. You’re so right about treating your blog as a business, its the only way you can possibly make a living online.
matthew needham´s last blog ..How a tomato can help you get things done
I schedule time to write and post to my blog as well as to interact with my followers through social media. Then I’m right back to running my business behind the scenes.
{ 4 trackbacks }