I realized early on that the key to making blogging work for me and my schedule was to be really organized and plan ahead, so today I wanted to share my tips for creating and maintaining a blogging schedule.
Deciding how often to post and what to post
For me, posting 3-4 times per week is the sweet spot. It's enough to keep things interesting without committing myself to posting all the time. Capping my weekly posts to 3 or 4 allows me to stretch my existing cache of discussion ideas and book reviews. Also, I don't do a lot of time-sensitive posts, like weekly updates, so they can be scheduled for any time.
My blog posts tend to fall into one of just a few categories:
- Book reviews
- Weekly features hosted by other bloggers, like Waiting on Wednesday or Top Ten Tuesday
- Discussions and features I've created
- Outdoor-related posts (like talking about the different hikes we go on)
Drafting more posts in less time
Some types of posts can be done in advance and quickly. For instance, take Waiting on Wednesday hosted by Breaking the Spine, which spotlights upcoming releases. It's easy to keep a list of upcoming releases and their publication dates. The posts themselves don't take very long to put together, so I can often do a month's worth of WoW posts in just a few minutes. It's the same for Top Ten Tuesday - the ladies at The Broke and The Bookish often helpfully publish the topics several weeks in advance. I can decide which ones I want to take part in and put together my posts. This saves me time since I can do everything at once and just block out a half-hour or so. Since I know these posts are happening almost every week, I can then plan everything else around them.
Putting together a schedule
Remember when I posted about my low-tech blogging tools? Here's where my printed monthly calendars come in handy.
I take a look at the posts I want to do and see where they will fit in. I try to make sure the different types of posts are evenly distributed and all posts are spaced out somewhat equally (about every other day or so). Not blogging everyday means that some posts will be scheduled for weeks away, sometimes even more than a month, from when I originally work on them, but this helps me maintain a steady stream of posts. I worry a lot about running out of material.
So, maybe the book reviews aren't the freshest, but I don't think that's a huge deal. For me, it's more important to have things planned out and ready to go just in case something happens and either I'm not able to work on the blog or a slump hits and I'm just not into it. It also gives me time to work on things without stressing that I need to post something immediately; I'm not one of those people that does well at the last minute! The ability to pre-schedule my posts is one of the best tools I've come across.
This is what has been working for me since I started blogging, but I'd also like to hear from you and how you plan out your posts!
I’ve been blogging for so long that I’ve settled into a routine. I blog pretty much every night while I watch TV, and I answer comments in the morning. I’m usually able to stay ahead of things.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I try to do a lot in the morning as well. That's when I catch up and comment on a lot of posts.
DeleteThis sounds like a lot of work! Good thing you are so organized and plan well!
ReplyDeleteIt's actually not that bad. Blogging is really so individual and it's up to you how much time you want to put into it. Posting 3-4 times a week does require a good chunk of time, but I try to be smart about it so I'm not doing it all the time. The more I can do ahead, the less I have to worry about it.
DeleteI have a schedule too. I post 5 times a week. I do a weekly update, usually 2 reviews, a top ten and some sort of discussion. Sometimes I have to let go of it because 5 times a week can be a lot but I feel so committed to it lol!!
ReplyDeleteWell, I love seeing your posts everyday! I'm so impressed that you post 5 times a week. I've been trying to do a discussion, TTT sometimes, WoW, and a review each week. The discussions are definitely the hardest to come up with consistently!
Delete3 to 4 times a week tends to be my sweet spot as well with a similar mix of posts, although I really need to do more with the discussions. They definitely involve the most thought so if I'm busy, I tend to just say 'Eh, maybe next week', lol.
ReplyDeleteYes, discussion posts are the hardest - I have a list of a few ideas, but it's a matter of actually getting my thoughts down in a coherent way.
DeleteWow, your method sounds almost exactly like mine! I post 3-4 times a week plus a weekly update. I could post more if I wanted to, I have a bunch of posts already finished, but I like knowing I have extras for weeks when I don't have time or feel well or if something comes up in the future. And I also try to keep things balanced, like if I post 3 reviews one week, I'll try to post only 2 the next week so that I can post more other types of posts, like discussions. I even try to balance the mood, like, I don't put too many serious/heavy posts in a row, try to post something fun every so often, etc. But I use a spreadsheet to plan everything :-)
ReplyDeleteAh, I love a good spreadsheet! I love that you balance the mood on your blog; it's fun to throw something a little different in there once in awhile. I like having a cache of draft posts, too, so if I need a review or discussion to fill in an empty spot, it's all ready to go.
DeleteI sort of do the same thing, I think. Somes I have a movie review or something new to add, and I can slot that in any time. I like doing the rec posts -- all the reading I do gets me thinking about writing and reviewing differently.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I like being able to come up with different kinds of posts that I can just fill in if it looks like there's too many empty days!
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