Oh yes… the age-old question every new blogger whispers to Google at 2 a.m.:
“How many hours do bloggers really work per week?”
Because depending on who you ask, the answer ranges from ‘5 hours on a beach’ to ‘my blog owns my soul.’
Here’s the real answer: it depends on your blog’s stage of growth.
Not your talent. Not your zodiac sign. Not how many iced coffees you consume while writing.
Your blog’s stage.
And as someone who has sprinted through every stage — from “I don’t even know what a plugin is” to “this thing pays my bills,” — here’s the realistic breakdown of weekly hours for 2026.
This post is part of my ‘Proven Strategies to Monetize a Blog in 2026’ Master Guide. Absolutely go check it!
🟣 Stage 1: Early-Stage Blogs (Months 1–3)
Estimated weekly hours: 8–14 hours/week
This is the messy, awkward, hormone-filled teenage phase of blogging. You’re setting things up, Googling everything, breaking things, fixing things, and wondering why WordPress keeps asking you to update 12 plugins every day.
Here’s what eats your time in Stage 1:
1. Setting up your site (2–6 hours)
Choosing and customizing a theme, making your site look like you did it on purpose, wrestling with colors that somehow all look wrong… the classics.
2. Connecting analytics (1 hour)
GA4 is confusing for everyone. You’re fine. This won’t take long.
3. Basic security + must-have plugins (2–4 hours)
You install:
- a security plugin
- a backup plugin
- an SEO plugin
- an anti-spam plugin
- and sometimes you wonder: Is this too many plugins?
(It’s not. But don’t get too excited. Too many plugins can open your site to security breaches; keep it at 15 plugins max. Just a friendly reminder from your older blogger sister.)
4. Writing your essential pages (3–6 hours)
About. Contact. Legal pages. Trying to sound “professional” but also like a human being.
AI is dominating the world, so readers enjoy knowing you’re an actual human being — not a Cyberman coming directly from Doctor Who. Delete, delete, delete. 🤖
5. Writing your first 10 posts (~4–7 hours each)
This is the real time-suck.
Beginner writers need more time to research, structure, edit, define a few personal blog templates, panic, delete paragraphs, un-delete paragraphs, and finally hit publish.
6. Basic SEO structure (3–5 hours)
This is when you figure out “pillar,” “supporting,” “clusters,” and realize Google is just a picky librarian who wants everything shelved correctly.
7. Applying to affiliate programs (optional at Month 3) (1–2 hours)
Some approve instantly.
Some take days.
Some ghost you.
It’s fine.
Total Early-Stage Time
If you want to get out of Stage 1 in around 2 months, expect:
8–14 hours per week (or more if you’re not speedy).
If you’re working a 9-5? It may take 3–4 months. Still normal.
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🟣 Stage 2: Underway Blogs (Months 4–36)
Estimated weekly hours: 15–33 hours/week
This is the “everything is clicking, I kinda know what I’m doing, I’m so excited, I got my first 1,000 pageviews so where’s my money” caffeine-filled era.
Your blog is functional, legal, optimized, and starting to look like a real business. By months 12-18, you start seeing some payments on your PayPal account here and there, and you already know you just about to make it big.
Now you do the thing that actually grows blogs:
1. Writing 2–4 quality posts per week
(4–7 hours per post)
Welcome to the grind.
Content = growth.
2. Maintenance (1 hour/week)
Updating plugins, monitoring analytics, and making sure nothing is on fire.
3. Promotion (2–4 hours/week)
Pinterest, YouTube, social posts, newsletters…
(Because sadly, Google won’t read your mind.)
Total Underway Time
Most bloggers at this stage work:
15–33 hours per week.
It’s basically a part-time job disguised as “just sitting at a laptop.”
🟣 Stage 3: Full-Time Income Blogs (3+ Years)
Estimated weekly hours: 5–29 hours/week
Yes, the range difference is huge — because this is where bloggers choose their own adventure:
Option A: “I love writing and want to grow aggressively.” (*I* fall under this category.)
→ More hours.
Option B: “I would like money while doing as little as possible, thank you.” Then you’re either:
→ Outsourcing.
→ Is a freaking genius at getting massive traffic from Google and Pinterest, so you monetize with less content.
Here’s what Stage 3 usually looks like:
Writing 4–5 posts/week (3–5 hours each)
OR
Hiring a writer and just doing research/strategy.
Maintenance (30–60 minutes/week)
Click update. Refresh. Done.
At this point, you’re probably doing the same as I am: upgrading to a managed web hosting service that handles most of the techy heavy lifting for you.
Promotion (30 min–3 hours/week)
Less if outsourced.
Or if your blog is a two-person company — like, I brought my brother into the business, so he’s the one responsible for my Pinterest maintenance and creative direction (AKA he creates the visuals for my Pins, tests and improves them, and sticks to the ones that bring massive traffic).
Total Full-Time Blogger Hours
5–29 hours per week, depending entirely on how hands-on you want to be.
Yes — some bloggers genuinely work under 10 hours/week.
No — these bloggers are not lying.
Their past selves already did a LOT of work.
🟡 So… how many hours do bloggers REALLY work per week?
Here’s the simplified summary:
| Blog Stage | Weekly Hours |
|---|---|
| Early-Stage (Months 1–3) | 8–14 hours/week |
| Underway (Months 4–36) | 15–33 hours/week |
| Full-Time Income (3+ Years) | 5–29 hours/week |
Yep, the more experienced you become, the fewer hours you need to work.
Final Thoughts
Blogging isn’t “easy,” but it is flexible. And once your content compounds (usually by Year 3), you enter this magical zone where you can work fewer hours while earning more.
Like a plant, your blog needs consistent sunlight (posts) and water (maintenance).
Ignore it, and it wilts.
Take care of it, and it starts paying your bills.
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Quick FAQ
Nope. Blogging hours vary wildly based on experience, niche difficulty, and your blog’s stage of growth. Early-stage bloggers work the most.
Yes! It’ll be slower, but totally possible. Weekend bloggers built half the internet.
Around 8–14 hours per week if you’re trying to get out of the “baby blog” stage in 2–3 months.
Because they’re fast, efficient, and often outsource the tasks they don’t want (or don’t have time) to do.
Only if you want it to be. Most bloggers don’t hit 40 hours unless they’re building something big—like a digital product, course, or empire.
→ Don’t miss the next step on your blogging journey:
Master Guide “How to Grow a Blog in 2026 With Traffic Strategies That Actually Work.”
