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When I first started my life as a stay at home mom, I didn’t have much of a plan. Get up, play with adorably silly baby, make decently edible dinner, clean small yet just-right house. It was wonderfully simple and peaceful, but I just knew that there was another equally important reason why God had led our family into this SAHM lifestyle.

The idea of blogging had been lingering in the back of my mind for quite a while. I loved to write in high school and college. How hard could it be? So, I set my (sleep-deprived-mama) mind to researching everything I could about how to start a blog. In the process, I found that there is sooooo much more to blogging than simply writing a few lines and hitting publish.

Blogging could potentially be a full time job.

But, would it be the right fit for me? Wasn’t the whole point of staying home that I could spend quality time with my son? How exactly could a blogging business fit in that framework?

Full disclosure here: I spent way too much time obsessing over my blog in those early months. I would work by the light of my laptop into the early hours of the morning while my hubby slept, squeezing in a post every minute my son was playing independently or napping. It wasn’t pretty. And I was stressed!

So what’s different these days?

Can I be honest? Now I work an average of 10-20 hours per week on my blog. And, almost all of this time is spent during my son’s naptime. It’s been a while since I’ve pulled a late-nighter blogging binge. I’m more relaxed, more fulfilled, and less plagued by the icky blogger-comparison-bug.

This is how it’s meant to be, fellow mama blogger!

So, I want to help you today. If you’re a mom blogger and you’re feeling burnt out, overwhelmed, and just plain tired, I’ve got the remedy for you today.

Here’s the secret: You need the right tools for the job.

Would you expect yourself to cook dinner with no pots or pans? Would you try to clean your house without a vacuum or broom?

If you’re tired of mama blogger overwhelm then it’s time for you to invest in the right blogging tools for the job.

These blogging tools are my favorites for a reason. They’re my secret sauce, my arsenal of simplification. They help me run a blog I love and live life with a family I love. (And, ahem… make a bit of extra money in the process!) Are you with me?

Disclosure: Affiliate links are included below. I’ll receive a small commission if you click through and use my link, so if that doesn’t float your boat, just do a quick Google search for these websites instead. No hard feelings!

3 Secret Blogging Tools for Mamas

Tailwind: Pinterest Scheduling Ninja

Um, can I sing Tailwind’s praises loud enough? Since starting with Tailwind, my Pinterest followers have increase from 150 to over 5K followers!

Did you know you can schedule pins on #Pinterest? Get started for free with @TailwindApp

Think I’m on Pinterest for hours a day? Think again. My Pinterest strategy is so simple. I take about an hour at the beginning of every month to set up my Tailwind schedule. Yep. One hour per month. I use this time to schedule my top performing pins to my profile and my group boards. Then throughout the month, maybe once a week or so, I go through the group boards that I’m a member of and share pins from other bloggers to my own boards. This helps me cultivate great relationships with other mama bloggers, too!

Tailwind is a major time saver.

Plus, you can get a free month trial! I signed up for the free month and promptly bought a subscription the next day. It’s just that good. After you free month, $15 a month is all it takes. I promise you won’t regret this investment, it pays for itself! This truly is a painless way to simplify your life as a mama blogger.

ConvertKit: Email Automation Made Easy

When I started blogging I made a huge mistake. I didn’t prioritize my email list. In fact I didn’t even know what an email list was! Sure, I signed up for MailChimp, but I didn’t really understand what to do with those emails.

Then came ConvertKit. If there’s one problem that I spent hours obsessing over as a blogger, it was just how to deliver all these free printables and resources to my readers. It just wasn’t possible with MailChimp, so I started looking for other options.

ConvertKit is an email service that allows you to segment, sort, and automate how you collect emails and send files and resources.

Did you see that key word, mama? Automate. That’s your new favorite word! I set up sequences and emails to automatically send when someone clicks a download, makes a purchase, or signs up for a free email course. It’s sooooo easy.

If you’re not using ConvertKit, I guarantee you’re spending way to much time stressing about your email list. Plans vary according to the size of your email list, but I started out at $29 per month.

This tool pays for itself too! Since I started sending out automated emails, my product sales have increased from $8 a month to hundreds! And you know what? My sales numbers will keep on growing while I sleep. Or swing with my son. Or grocery shop. Or eat ice cream.

Relax with the kids. Make a yummy dinner. Do whatever makes you feel joyful! …But let that email list take care of itself.

Click here to fall in love with ConvertKit…

Canva: Stress-Free Image Creation

Canva.com is another one of those “how did I ever live without it” tools. Canva is a visual editing tool that allows you to create stunning images for your blog. In minutes. For free! Yes, please.

Do you scroll through Pinterest and wonder, “How did she make that gorgeous Pin? I bet she spent big money on PhotoShop.” More often than not, the answer is probably Canva. Honestly, it’s so easy.

One of my favorite features of Canva is the built in library of icons, shapes, and illustrations. These items make it so simple to whip up a cute printable. Canva also allows you to upload your own images, which makes branding your images super easy too.

Did I mention it’s free? It’s free, y’all. Create your first image here…

So, before you go let me share a little nugget with you: Don’t be afraid to invest in your business! If I could do one thing differently as a beginning blogger, I would have invested in the right tools earlier on. Consider this, can you sacrifice something this month so that you can put that money toward your business? Skip the coffee, do whatever it takes. But get the right tools for the job.

Your business will love you for it PLUS you’ll have more time to spend with family. It’s a win-win!

Don’t settle for mama blogger overwhelm. You’ve got this!

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