Over the past 6 months my productivity has been all over the place when it comes to blogging. Sometimes I have written 5 posts in a row and gotten up to date on everything to with my blog. Other times however, I haven’t been able to write at all. The motivation just wasn’t there, causing a severe case of blogger’s block. When I started my blog I did some things from the get go that would help me in such times.
1.Write in Advance!
As often as I can I try to write my posts before I publish them (she says writing this post the day it goes up!). Sometimes the has even been weeks prior to the publication date of the post in question. Whenever I write a post I will type it up and schedule it as soon as possible! The more posts you have waiting to be published the less stress you will have further down the line.
2. Create a Schedule
I created my schedule before I had even shared my first post. Having made my blog on a Sunday evening, I didn’t put that first post up until the Monday. I decided on that Sunday that I would post on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, to break up my week and allow some free time for homework and my hobbies etc. on the weekends. This helped keep my stress levels down as I wasn’t worrying about constantly producing posts and I know the dates of every blog post I will ever put up, and therefore helps with point 1 as I can stack up these pre-written posts.
Creating a schedule has also helped my view count. Readers will get to know your schedule as you post, particularly if you mention it in somewhere like your About page. They will know when to come back to find new content. But, then again, you’ve got to make sure you post when you say you will otherwise you’ll feel the guilt of not having posted when you see your views rise that day.
3. Start a Series
I have a long running series called ‘5 Fridays’, where I post a list of 5 things… on a Friday. As you can probably tell from the title, this post is included in that. As my blog has no real niche, I can write about really anything in this series. In fact I’ve written on topics ranging from Disney soundtracks to books that have changed my life and steps to self love.
These posts are usually quicker to write as they have the same format. It’s really quite simple: choose a topic, write a brief introduction (or none at all) , decide on 5 points and expand on them.
Having a series means that some posts are much less time consuming than they need to be - which gives you more time to write more blog posts!
If you like this post you might like: How Blogging has Affected my Writing
4. Carry Around a “Blogging” Notebook
For my birthday I received two notebooks (and bought another one when I went shopping with my friend Katie… oops!), but I have only started using one of them. It’s really cute and I love the message it has on the front of it! I have owned millions of notebooks for practically my whole life - I love them. However it has only really been in the past 3 weeks that I have been using one for the specific purpose of blogging. I carry it with me anywhere and everywhere, so that if I get a sudden idea or inspiration for a post I can write it down in something more substantial than the notes app on my phone. I have written posts on the bus to and from school, while it is particularly quiet when I’m on prefect duty and really anywhere where I have a spare moment. I’ve got so much written in this one notebook already.
I don’t just write blog posts in that notebook though. I have some smaller pieces in there, 3 lines some of them. Little observations on life and the world that wouldn’t really fit into a blog post. I don’t know quite what I’m going to do with those yet - maybe they’ll never be published. That’s for me to decide.
5. PLAN YOUR LIFE!
This one’s more of a life tip in general I think:
Before I started Year 11 I bought myself a weekly wall planner. Not like the ones we are given in school, where I write down homework I am set and things I need to do in the school day. This planner is much more personal. For a start it has teacups printed on it! Back the point Jemima…
I write all sorts on my wall planner. From birthdays and trips to upcoming blog posts and homework due dates. I scribble my life onto it. And it hasn’t just helped me with my overall productivity it’s made me feel better in myself.
If I feel that I need a break or a relax then I can write down when I am going to do so. I write down notices on when I’m going to go out for a walk or go to a friend’s house. It’s all there, sorted so that I don’t put too much stress on myself.
So there are my tips for blogging productivity. Please bear in mind that I slip up and fall behind as well and I’m sure every blogger does. It’s just about doing your best in a way that suits you.
Jemima x
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