When it comes to blogging I think that most people assume that the end goal is to become a full time blogger. However, for me that is not the case and I enjoy my career currently whilst being a hobby blogger in my spare time. When Jenny from Jenny in Neverland began her hobby blogging series (an example of one of them you can read here) it got me thinking about my experience of being a hobby blogger.
I have always been the type of person that likes to be doing multiple things. For example, working and blogging. It is just who I am and I wouldn’t say I get “bored” if I was just doing the one thing but I am just interested in multiple things. However, it is totally fine if you are the opposite, we are all different. I am perfectly happy and I have some big future aspirations in my own career outside of blogging that I want to achieve.
Being a hobby blogger does not come easy though let me tell you, and this is why I thought it would be interesting to share some insight into working full time and blogging in any spare time I get. To do this I decided to split it into 6 pros and cons (3 pros and 3 cons to be precise).
Why I am happy being a hobby blogger
As I have mentioned above when people begin blogging there seems to be this assumption that it will eventually lead into being a full time blogger. However, in my current life I do not share this feeling/view. For me I don’t have any intention of turning this into my full time job. Now that is not to say in the future I won’t change my mind, but for now I like having my career separated from doing this.
I personally love using my spare time writing and sharing content and for me that is enough. It is a hobby and it is time for me to step away from work and do something I enjoy.
Anyway I am going to get into the pros first of hobby blogging.
Pros
There is no pressure
I mean technically if this is your job I guess you have control too, but for me there would be that certain amount of pressure. Whether that be to post regularly due to expectations, or create content because you need the money and to secure work with brands.
For me I don’t need to have this pressure because I am not relying on this for my income, I am writing purely as I love it. I also don’t feel the pressure to post every week or even more than once a week.
I am able to post once a week which is enough for me to not feel overwhelmed alongside my full time job. Therefore, definitely a pro to not have this pressure and I guess that is why it is a hobby.
Earn some extra money
Another pro is that if I do work with brands or on sponsored work it is a bonus for me. A way to have that experience of working with brands I love but also add extra money into my savings (which is always a win).
I don’t know if there is a myth that being a hobby blogger you don’t want to earn money from your blog at all. However, for me I just don’t want to have this as my full time job but I am happy to work with it part time and still earn a little income from it.
Connect with other people and make a difference
I know I kind of cheated a little here to combine two points in one but they do fit together. Basically being a hobby blogger can (I guess being a blogger in general) help me connect with other people.
Sometimes with an office job or any job you might not necessarily connect with those you work with because it is just a “job”. You do your job to get your pay whereas, as I am blogging as a hobby it is because I enjoy it. I want to write and blog in my spare time and this then connects me with others that feel the same. I love the blogging community and I have had the wonderful opportunity to speak with others that I would never have spoken to if I didn’t blog.
Not only this but through the blogging community I like to share my thoughts or tips and advice. If I can make a difference in one person’s life then I am happy with that.
Cons
You have set days or hours to write
For me inspiration comes at any moment and if this happens I have to write it down immediately. Also I cannot choose a day to dedicate to writing, normally I write on a Sunday. This is because I work Monday to Friday in my day job. This does limit me because I might be inspired and in the mood to write on a Wednesday but I can’t.
Therefore, I guess being a hobby blogger gets limited in this case because I cannot work on days when inspiration randomly hits me, or if I want to be more creative. It has to be just on a set day that I don’t work.
I invest my spare time for free
Being a hobby blogger means I invest a lot of time with no reward. Now I don’t think everything has to be about money, this is my hobby and I love it and love reading comments or just even if someone reads this for fun.
However, I pay for my website, I write the posts, plan, spend time promoting and so on. Therefore, it is nice to get feedback or a reward for this effort sometimes. I hope that makes sense. For example, with my running I love signing up for races and then receiving that medal as I cross the finishing line. It is not just about that medal but it does make you feel good.
I do think though that comments or people sharing my content is rewarding as well, and being able to connect with others as I have mentioned. So I guess being a hobby blogger can feel like a lot of hard work and graft, but I still love it so in terms of pros and cons I guess my love for it outweighs that.
It can be time consuming
There are a lot of assumptions with blogging and the amount of times I have had conversations with people who have stated that all I do is “write something quick and post” don’t understand how much behind the scenes you have to do.
For example, coming up with a title, thinking about key words, SEO, photos, editing a cover photo, thinking about how the website looks, and thinking about the content you want to create.
I guess in a way you could say “well you are just a hobby blogger” and that is true, maybe I don’t need to focus on these things. However, considering I post once a week it is not too bad, plus I do still want my posts to do well and for others to enjoy them. My main point is blogging is not an easy task and people that don’t blog need to understand that sometimes. Us bloggers work damn hard, and we all deserve the credit (even being a hobby blogger).
There you have it a little insight into my thoughts and feelings of being a hobby blogger and I am sure there might be other thoughts but these are just some that come to mind. I love blogging, I love the blogging community and this is I guess a little snippet into my life in case anyone wants to know about not wanting to be a full time blogger.
Do you blog for a hobby? What are your thoughts of blogging?
Gemma Jayne x
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This is exactly why I have a blog! I don’t think I’ll ever do this full time but I love having a blog to write and take pictures of as my hobby. The added extra money is helpful too x
Me too! It is a lovely hobby to have 🙂 x
I am the exact same Gemma! I would never want to be a Blogger full time and have it take away the joy/fun I get from being able to write whenever I want to, without the added stress of finding enough work to pay the bills!
I enjoy it and would never want that joy to be replaced by resentment. Its amazing I’ve stuck at blogging for as long as I have, never mind having a ton of added pressure on top!
Love this post & I agree with all your points!
Sarah xo
It seems there is a lot of people that are the same! I agree sometimes you turn a hobby into a job and it can turn into something you end up hating. Thank you so much for your comment xx
I’m a hobby blogger too Gemma and don’t have the intention of turning this into a full time job either. I love blogging, but it can have some pressures with it it too, especially when trying to fit it in around work and other commitments x
I am finding out so many others are the same! I thought it would be more rare. I agree though it can add some pressures when it is not something that is full time x
Great post. I’m a casual blogger so I guess that means I’m a hobby blogger ?. Likewise I have a full time career that I love but I really enjoy blogging in my spare time to share experiences and meet other bloggers ??
Thank you! Yeah I would think so, it seems a lot more people that I thought are this too. Yeah I agree and it doesn’t have to be something that you have to take full time x
Absolutely ?
Great points here! I’m not a full time blogger yet but it is my goal. I think it’s a great thing to do as a hobby though, especially if you already love your full time job. The main thing is that you enjoy what you’re doing!
Absolutely! I think as long as people do what they love that is all that matters. Also good luck and I hope you get to do your blogging full time! x
I’d say I’m a hobby blogger and I totally agree with your pros! I love spending time writing my posts and letting other people enjoy my recipes. It defiantly takes up a lot of spare time but I love it! Thank you so much for sharing this lovely, this is a great read. Xo
Elle – ellegracedeveson.com
That is great and I am in agreement with you there! It is such a joy when people read and comment and show interest in what you are posting or I guess benefit from it in any way. Thank you! xx
I started my blog as a hobby blog & I think it still is. I do make some money, but I don’t want blogging to be my full time job either.
I love being part of the blogging community too!
I also completely agree blogging does take a lot of time & hardwork & it isn’t as simple writing a post in 5 minutes then pressing publish.
It is so interesting reading the comments and finding out most people are hobby bloggers when I thought it would be the opposite! Thank you for your comment xx
An excellent two-sided show of hobby blogging – this was a great read! I’d say I straddle the two but blogging started as my hobby and it turned into so much more. I want to relieve some of the pressure that’s been added in recent years and strip it back a bit in 2022
Rosie
Thank you so much Rosie! I think it is definitely down to personal circumstances whether you want to be a hobby blogger or not, but I hope you do get to relieve some of that pressure! xx
It’s so wonderful that you’ve had such a great experience with blogging as a hobby. My blogging journey started because of a chronic illness diagnosis that left me unable to work a “normal” job. I wound up beginning a blog in the hopes of making an income from my bed. Unfortunately, that put an extraordinary amount of pressure on me from the get-go and I think it took away a little of the joy. However, after over six years of this being my job, I can say that I do love it and I’m so grateful for it. Every once in a while, I find myself wishing it could just be a hobby (and I guess that’s more or less what it’s been since my rebrand to book blogging, since we don’t seem to make a cent in comparison to the full-time income I made as a fashion blogger) but at the same time, I just don’t think I’d be able to hold myself back from going fully into this career. I’m not great at hobbying, as a workaholic haha.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I have found it so interesting reading different peoples views of blogging and what they view themselves as. I think it is great you were able to find blogging and create something amazing, especially as you have done it for so long! I love that I think sometimes I am a workaholic too but I have got better at switching off when I need too! Good luck and I hope you can increase the book blogging money 🙂 xx
Being a hobby blogger is definitely all about the passion! I love that you share some pros and cons because hobby blogging, like most things in life, has two sides and I think you pretty much nailed the balance between the two! 🙂
Thank you so much! Absolutely, and I think like you said it is all about the passion and that is what I love 🙂 x
I totally feel this and relate so much to this post! It can be so hard balancing a blog when you don’t write full time – loved seeing the pros and cons you came up with 🙂
Really agree with these – similar to you I work during the week so I only get the chance to focus on my blog during the evening and sometimes I just don’t have the energy!
It certainly is tough behind the scenes to juggle everything alongside the rest of your life but it’s worth it when it all pans out!
I love how you’ve talked about the pros and cons of being hobby blogger, I can definitely relate to most! Finding that balance of work and blogging can be difficult to do x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
It is important to remember that not all bloggers would like to do it full-time, some just want to be a hobby blogger and enjoy the writing. Thank you for sharing the pros and cons of hobby blogging.
Lauren – bournemouthgirl