Should you make a blogging schedule?
Bloggers are creative. We may be artists, poets, musicians at heart. We could also be sales reps, teachers, tech geeks, pundits, wiccans, humorists, moms, dads, risk-takers, introverts and class clowns.
In addition to our talents and writing skills, a lot of us are also time-stretched, conflicted, uninspired and disorganized. Creating a blogging schedule could be just what we need.
How productive are your days?
Blogger Nonamedufus posted a rundown of his day of (not) blogging. His afternoon went something like this:
3:00pm exhausted by all this high level activity I have a nap
4:00pm take creepy out of pool
4:14pm play mahjong app on iPad
4:40pm back to book
5:30pm recheck blog comments, visit other blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Google+
6:00pm come to the realization I haven’t found a bloody thing to write about
6:02pm decide to go with this
Jon Morrow explains what our friends and family members don’t always understand, which is that sometimes when we’re working, it looks like we’re doing nothing.
Personally, I spend about 3-4 hours per day watching television, reading books, and listening to NPR. On average, I also stare into space for about 1-2 hours, just thinking. If anyone asks what I’m doing, I say I’m working. Because I am.
Note: Whether or not you’re familiar with Jon Morrow, you need to read this post. Two days after it came out, it became Problogger’s most popular post ever. He is an editor at Copyblogger.com and runs his own Guestblogging.com website.
What should your schedule look like?
Of course, it depends on how many different tasks you have to manage every day. If you’re like most bloggers, the number of jobs to manage will only increase over time. To start off your own blog schedule, you can look at what other bloggers have done. Kiesha Easley at WeBlogBetter.com shares her detailed schedule here.
John from Tentblogger has been using a schedule for several years with great results. He shares his actual schedule here and says,
The point is that great blogs that have great blog content typically have a great blog posting schedule working behind the scenes. This isn’t always the case but more often than not there’s a so-called “method to the madness,” especially for those who consider themselves professional bloggers.
Will you really make a schedule?
Will you? Will I? I actually started one last night. As I get busier, I feel sure that it would help to schedule my days. I tend to get sidetracked as I’m blogging. I’d like to preplan my posts a couple of weeks in advance, and devote specific periods of time each day to other tasks (like writing ebooks). It remains to be seen how well I’ll stick with my plan.
Have you had success with a blogging schedule, or do you tend to wing it? Do you like to keep your schedule on paper (I’m hoping my cute new day planner will keep me on track) or electronically? If you have any tips for our fellow bloggers, please share them in the comments.
Source: Cover of Saturday Evening Post from May 16, 1959 features Norman Rockwell’s painting Easter Morning.
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