HOW TO INCREASE BLOGGING PRODUCTIVITY

Hey, friends! Today I want to talk about something that has definitely been helping me regularly posting on my blog recently: Editorial Calendars.

Basically, we all have those days where we want to write but when we sit down to type…. We just can’t find a single thing to write about. We have so many ideas bustling through our minds that it’s almost as if our fingers and minds just can’t keep up, right?

I know I get like that a lot.

In those moments,  I like to keep a notebook with me at all times and I basically write down all the spur-of-the-moment ideas that catch up with me unexpectedly. I collect them until I personally feel like I have a good amount.It will defer from person to person, depending on much you want to post per month, your schedule, and personal preference, etc. But I like to aim for at least three posts a week  so I usually wait until I have around 30 solid ideas to begin mapping them all out.

An Editorial Calendar for blogging is basically an overview of planned posts for the upcoming month or so. It helps you get an idea of how many posts you’ll be putting up this month, physically see where they will be going. Basically, it takes the guessing game out of blogging. No more sitting there waiting for inspiration to find you anymore. You can just look at your Calendar, see what post is due that day, and go from there. And here is how I get the most use out of my own personal Editorial Calendar.

01. FIND YOUR HAPPY PLACE.

I encourage you all to try a bunch of different mediums and see what works for you. Because what works for me may not work perfectly for you. Some ideas are: Using Google Calendar, using your own physical planner/calendar, create your own physical Editorial Calendar, a simple notebook, or even just your smart phone.

I personally use Google Calendar for my blog scheduling, as I can access it whenever I need to, I can color code it, and it’s just overall simple to use. I like having everything in one spot. So I have my email, my blog post drafts, and now my Editorial Calendar all in one place for me to use at my own convenience.

02. BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF.

If you know realistically you cannot post seven posts every single week, that’s okay. But do yourself a favor and schedule realistically. Not only will it prevent you from being frustrated with yourself, and ultimately getting discouraged. Set a simple standard and work your way up. Maybe twice or so a week is all you can do right now, and that’s perfectly fine. After all, quality of quantity. So what I suggest is to basically just pick your blog posts you know you definitely want to do and then go from there. If you don’t know how to place them in your month, maybe look into having themed posting days. If you’re a food + lifestyle blog and post every Sunday and Wednesday, pick one theme per day and go from there. It sounds like a simple concept, but it wasn’t something I thought about doing until recently. After you schedule your posts, you will most likely have some posts left over that you’re interested in getting to, but don’t have any places in them. I like to pick a random day (typically the last day in the month or so) and write them down there. If you have a physical hand-written calendar, maybe keep a notebook with extra post ideas for that month listed and ready to go. And if you’re wondering why exactly why I do this, well…

03. REMEMBER TO HAVE FLEXIBILITY.

There are going to be times when you want to write an extra post, and have no clue what to write. There are going to be times when you’re supposed to be writing a post that day, but life gets in the way. And there are definitely going to be days whee you scheduled a specific topic for that day, yet your mind keeps wondering to something else you really want to write about. And in those moments please remember: it’s okay. The best part about an Editorial Calendar is it’s sort of a rough idea to keep you on the right track. But it is by no means permanent. Like right now, for instance. Today is my “off day” for blogging where I don’t write, post, or do anything blog related. However, I had some free time so today I actually this post and another spontaneously. Take advantage of your creative spark, but don’t discourage yourself if it isn’t there that day! It will come again!  It’s perfectly acceptable to change days and topics. Blogging should be enjoyable. So don’t pressure yourself into certain set guidelines and limitations for yourself!

What are your thoughts on Editorial Calendars? Have you tried them? If not, are you interested in giving it a go? Let me know!

And as always, thanks for watching!