3 Priorities Bloggers Must Not Neglect

As a blogger, I would have to say that one of the hardest things for me has been finding balance and keeping my priorities in place.  It is so easy to get consumed with all that comes with running a blog!

I realized one day that I was putting my blog before things that were more important.  I wasn’t keeping things in balance, and as a result, I was neglecting my priorities.

God spoke to my heart reminding me that if I was to encourage other moms, I needed to get my priorities in place.  He then laid some specific things on my heart which I needed to work on, and that really should be priorities for all bloggers.

There are 3  key priorities that bloggers must not neglect:

1. Time with God

Everything that we do as Christians should rest on the foundation of our relationship with Jesus Christ.  It is from HIM that we get strength and wisdom.

When we fail to spend time with God regularly, we are going to struggle as we try to do things in our own strength.  As a result, our posts will end up not being very inspiring and may lack the encouragement we are trying to convey to our readers.

I know it’s easy to get up in the morning and start right in on the blog hops, posting in our social media groups, etc.  The truth is that our work will be more productive if we spend time with God BEFORE doing any of our work for the day.  

When we seek Him first, He gives us direction and focus on the day.    “Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.”  Proverbs 16:3

No matter how many things you have on your list for the day, don’t neglect your time with God.

2. Sleep and self-care

How many times have you stayed up working later than you should have?

I know I have often found myself thinking that I would just do one more thing, then I’d go to bed.  Before I knew it, it was past midnight.  I always paid for it the next day when I struggled to get up in the morning, and then dealt with fatigue all day long.

As I’ve gotten older I have found myself dealing with adrenal fatigue, which is a direct result of not taking care of myself over the years.  I have learned that I absolutely have to make sleep a priority.

If you struggle with this, determine how much sleep you need each night, and then set work hours that allow you to stop working early enough that you will get to bed on time.

You may get away with skimping on your sleep for a while, but if you continue to push your body for too long, it WILL catch up with you. 

Sleep is probably one of the most important parts of self-care, but make sure you are also taking time to eat three meals a day, drinking enough water, and getting some exercise daily.

Self-care will enable you to be able to give your best to your family and your readers, so make it a priority!

3. Husband and kids

It is easy to get caught up in and consumed by your work, and as a result, neglect your husband and/or your kids.

There have been times when my husband came home from work right when I was in the middle of writing a newsletter or post, and I’d give him a quick “Hi!” and go right back to work without taking time to ask about his day, or just chat with him.

There were  many times when the kids were younger that I found myself saying to them, “Just a minute – let me finish this first.”  It usually took more than a minute, and I said it way too often.

Then there were the times when my teens wanted to talk later in the evening right when I was trying to work.  I loved that they wanted to talk to me, and recognized that often evening was the only time they had a chance to talk to me alone.

I learned to stop what I was doing, and give them my attention while reminding myself that the relationships in my home are more important than anything I’m doing on or for my blog.

The best solution for this is to have set work hours and set them around your husband and children’s schedules.  Guard your time with them, and as much as possible don’t let your “work” interfere with your relationships.

In summary, be sure to closely guard your time with God,  time for sleep and self-care, and time for your husband and family.  Ask God to help you not to neglect these important priorities!