8 Time-Management Tips for Bloggers

I manage a lot of blogs—four to be exact—and I guest blog for other sites as well. It’s no wonder, therefore, that I often get asked, “How do you get it all done?” Although I don’t consider myself the most effective time manager, I can offer you a few tips on how to make your blogging a speedy and effective endeavor.

It’s possible to spend way too much time searching for photos, promoting posts and even writing content. But that doesn’t have to be the case. Utilize these eight time-management tips and you’ll surely cut off some of the time it takes you to write, publish and promote your work online—whether you are simply blogging or blogging a book. Plus, your posts will pack more punch because you’ll write them and promote them with more focus.

1. Create a plan. A blog plan help you determine what you will write for the next month or year. That means that when you sit down to write a post, you don’t have to wrack your brain for a topic. In turn, that means you don’t waste time staring at a blank screen. Instead, you just start writing.
2. Have a schedule. Blog on a schedule, such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday. And publish your posts at the same time, like at 12:15 a.m. for example. This will push you to get your posts done so your readers receive them when they expect them.
3. Utilize deadlines. Get your posts done at a certain time and on a certain day or days. Knowing they are “due,” or that they must be formatted and scheduled by noon the day before (or three days before) they publish, keeps you focused. If you write them at the last minute, or whenever you feel like it, you won’t turn out quality work, and the stress will make it harder to work efficiently.
4. Don’t edit as you write. It’s best to write fast, and then come back when you’ve completed the first draft to edit and review. You can edit and proof again in “preview” mode.
5. Don’t ponder over pictures. It can take a really long time to fine “just the right” photo for your post. I’ve learned to peruse three or four sites quickly by looking just at the first two or three pages of photos. I then choose one. Otherwise, I could be searching for that perfect picture for an hour or more. My post may have taken me less time to write!
6. Update your table of contents. Assuming you are blogging a book (since you are reading this blog), take a moment to copy the link to your newest post and include it in your table of contents. This should be a page that contains a growing list of posts that comprise your manuscript.
7. Schedule your social media sharing. Use a calendar reminder to help you remember to share your post on social networks first thing in the morning. Also use a service like SocialOomph or Hootsuite to help you pre-schedule status updates that include links to your posts after they publish.
8. Check comments once or twice a day. Get in the habit of checking comments in the morning and afternoon, or at one or two times that are convenient for you but also that aren’t too distant from the time your post publishes. Reply to all comments, then don’t look again until the next comment “appointment.”

Do you have some time-saving tips that make your blogging fast and effective? If so, share them in a comment below.

Photo courtesy of mtkang / 123RF Stock Photo