Five Ways To Streamline Your Blogging Process
I love blogging, I really do, but recently it has started to feel like it's taking up all of my time. I like to keep everything here up to a high standard, and I never want to churn out content I'm not happy with, but with ALO to run, freelance clients, and some behind the scenes projects I'm working on, I've found myself building a more streamlined blogging process so it no longer feels like it's eating up all of my time.
For anyone else who loves to blog but doesn't have unlimited hours in the day, I thought I'd share five steps I've found to really help keep things streamlined...
Plan ahead Planning ahead doesn't have to take the creativity out of blogging - it just gives you the freedom to create content you're really proud of and enough time to draft and edit before publishing. I plan anywhere between two weeks to a months content in advance, depending on how organised I am. Setting some time aside to brainstorm content and plan out your editorial calendar then means you can work in advance and no longer scramble the night before to put together a post.
Write in bulk Back when I had a full time day job I used to write all of my content in bulk for the week and I've been itching to get back into that habit recently. Sometimes I just want to feel like my blog is taken care of for the week so I can then focus on other projects, and apart from daily inbox and social media maintenance it can be quite a relief to have at least a week scheduled in advance. So Monday's are now a blogging day in my weekly routine where I draft, edit, and schedule the next seven days content in advance. My hope moving into the new year is that I can be two weeks in advance when it comes to scheduled content - but for now one week works a-okay.
Visuals I've shared before how I'm not all that confident with a camera, and one of the best ways I've streamlined my blogging process is by taking a step back from the camera and building graphics for my blog instead. They may not be as dreamy or Pinterest worthy as photos you find on other blogs, but I'm super happy with the visual side of my blog these days and it's all thanks to finding a style that suits me. This means now I can create visuals in bulk, whatever time of the day, and the biggest thing for me a few months back was just taking the pressure off and instead finding an aesthetic that suits my blog better.
Social media Managing your various social media channels can be super time consuming, and I'm not afraid to admit that I know I could be doing a better job of it. Buffer is my best friend when it comes to Twitter as I can schedule all my tweets in advance, though I do like to stay active throughout the day so I can interact with you guys and reply to any tweets sent my way. Pinterest and Instagram is where I struggle - I try and put aside an hour at the weekend to update my Pinterest, and Instagram is something I really need to re-think as an extension of my blog and explore what I really want to use the platform for. But my best advice for social media management is schedule as much as you can and if you're limited on time focus on just one or two platforms instead of spreading yourself too thin between 4 or 5.
Make time for what matters The most important thing I've found is that all that really matters is making time for the things that are really important to you when it comes to your blog. For me that's content creation and engaging with readers and fellow bloggers - so that means planning and creating content and replying to comments, emails, and tweets are what get the most of my attention throughout the week. Whatever matters the most to you when it comes to your blog, if you're short on time I think the best thing to do is to prioritise the essentials and the things that made you fall in love with blogging in the first place - and don't beat yourself up if you can't always do everything.
How about you - how do you streamline your blogging process?
Jen
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