Ep #35: Finding Work-Life Balance as a Food Blogger

Working as a full-time food blogger can be demanding on your time. In fact, because a food blog also represents your passion, it can easily consume more and more of your time. Traci York is here with me today talking about ways of Finding Work-Life Balance as a Food Blogger. If you’ve ever struggled with this issue as well, listen on for some of Traci’s great tips!

Traci started her blog as a passion and within a relatively short amount of time was experiencing great growth on her blog. Sometimes success so early on can be a great thing, but it can also have some negative parts to it as well, such as trying to find work-life balance.

I’ve had a problem finding working-life balance and so food blogging has really helped me do that on so many levels. Not only the creativity level, but also being able to share what I love. — Traci York of Vanilla and Bean

Traci was previously a teacher. Have you noticed this trend? How a lot of successful food bloggers have been teachers before? It seems like that’s an important process to blogging that we oftentimes overlook— the art and science of teaching our audience. Traci said she was in the process of becoming vegetarian when she began searching for resources on how best to do that. She feels like her blog is now a way of giving back, by helping others who may be considering the same lifestyle.

Sometimes we allow our schedules to get a little harried because we’re desperately trying to take things to the next level. It’s a little bit like applying the “more is more” philosophy to blogging. And in some cases, when done correctly, that can work. But if you’re feeling like you’re hitting your head against the wall or exhausted, maybe it’s a sign you’re taking on too much. Maybe what’s required in a situation like that is a little faith.

Where I am is exactly where I need to be. I trust the timing of my life. — Marie Forleo

I love this quote from Marie Forleo in her episode called Falling Behind in Life. A lot of Falling Behind Syndrome stems from spending too much time comparing ourselves to others. What Traci recommends is really knowing yourself and understanding how you can do your best work. That can bring the passion back to your work!

I'm excited every day to get up and great my audience and my fabulous kitchen. — Traci York #choppedpodcast Click To Tweet

We talk about the concepts of fear and how that can hold us back from doing our best work. Traci has a way of starting her day that helps her stay grounded. If you listen, you can tell that Traci really knows herself. This helps her understand what’s important to her, how long different parts of each blog post will take to accomplish, and the steps to make them happen.

Just in case she sounds a little too planned out, Traci also points out that she’s had some kitchen fails, along with surprises that come along in her CSA packages, that cause her to improvise her day. Most importantly, Traci recommends having a life, and spending time in that life, to make your work the best that it can be.

Finding the time to step away from your blog and care for yourself...is just going to enrich your work. — Traci York #choppedpodcast Click To Tweet

Traci also shares some of her favorite blogging tips as well. Learn more about finding work-life balance as a food blogger today!

Featured Content – Finding Work-Life Balance as a Food Blogger with Traci York

Here are some of the highlights of my discussion with Traci, where we discuss:

• Why Traci started her food blog Vanilla and Bean
• Traci talks about her background as a teacher and how that helps her with her blog
• How Traci centers her days
• Traci talks about her big WHY and how that helps her stay motivated
• Traci shares how she plans her days for best productivity
• We talk about Pinterest sharing strategies, including our favorite scheduling app!
• Traci talks about her favorite app, Instagram, and how she incorporates social media into her work
• Engagement is an important part of Traci’s work and she builds time for this in her day

Show Notes

This episode includes references to some resources you might find interesting. Here they are:

• Check out Traci’s site: Vanilla and Bean
• Give a shout-out to Traci and connect with her via Twitter and Instagram!
• Marly shares a quote from the book The Art of Extreme-Self Care by Cheryl Richardson and also talks about the book Essentialism by Greg McKeown
• Traci shares about the book The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte
• Connect with Chopped Academy Online:  Instagram  | Twitter
• Connect with Marly: Namely Marly |  Instagram  | Twitter
• Production, music, graphic art & sound design by Shawn Beelman

Announcements

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2. Next week’s podcast episode will feature an episode recorded live at the Chopped Conference!  We’re talking about nutrition tips with Sarah Downs of Best Food Facts. Subscribe today so you won’t miss it!

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Thanks so much for listening to today’s podcast. I hope you found it informative and helpful to the work you do every day. Make sure you don’t miss out on any of the Chopped Podcast episodes by heading on over to iTunes to subscribe to the Chopped Podcast. While you’re there, provide a review and rating is a great way to help other podcast listeners find it too! That’s it for today’s podcast. As always, thanks so much for joining in the discussion!