Time is a finite resource and one that's often in short supply when you’re running a business. Ongoing tasks like blogging can be an unfortunate time sucker and if you have a thousand other things to do, keeping up with a consistent schedule of blog posts each week can quickly get pushed down to the bottom of the priority list.
Unfortunately, skimping on your regular blog posting schedule can mean your business doesn't grow as fast as it could. Regular blogging is proven to help increase website traffic, engage readers and help bloggers establish a solid presence in their industry.
Inconsistent blogging won’t get you the results that regular blogging can, but if you’ve been blogging for any length of time you have probably experienced the feeling of being on a relentless treadmill at times. The good news is that you really don’t have to feel that way.
Recently, in an attempt to develop better habits (and stay sane!), I have started to experiment with different time saving tools and techniques. There are a few things I’ve found that have really helped me save time and stay consistent with my blogging. Here are five of them.
1. Plan ahead. I’m sure I’m not the only one who finds the thought of having to sit down each week and write a blog post daunting. I recently started to experiment with writing my posts in batches and scheduling them at regular intervals ahead of time. Putting aside a morning or an afternoon once a month to focus on my blog posts means that it all feels a bit less unrelenting and getting them out of the way in one go means I am free to focus on other things for the rest of the month.
2. Schedule in writing time. If you are serious about your blog, you need to take your writing time seriously. When you’re running a business it’s all too easy to let other tasks take priority over blogging and before you know it you haven’t posted in weeks. I would suggest scheduling a block of time in for writing, whether it’s weekly, monthly or whenever suits you and make sure it is set in stone.
3. Keep a steady flow of ideas coming in. One of the most time consuming aspects of blogging (at least for me) is thinking about what to write. To combat this I keep a folder where I drop links to interesting stories, articles, emails and newsletters whenever I come across them. If I’m out and about and inspiration strikes I will drop a few bullet points in an email to myself and add it to the folder. This way when it comes time to sit down and write, I already know what I’m going to write about.
4. Make use of automation tools. Along with scheduling blog posts, there are a number of tools out there that can also handle the promotion side of blogging. Using platforms like CoSchedule, HootSuite or WordPress’ scheduling tool you can tee up your blog posts to be shared over social media and even arrange for older posts to be promoted and shared on social media at the time of your choosing. Set and forget is a busy blogger’s friend!
5. Write in small blocks of time. This is a well known productivity technique and one that works really well for me. Sitting down for four hours to write, especially if you don’t really enjoy writing, can be completely overwhelming. I work in 20 minute blocks of time with a short break in between. It’s surprising what you can get done in 20 minutes and I find that if I set a time limit I am far less likely to faff around on Facebook.
Blogging can be a time sucker but if you can find a few ways to reduce the amount of time you spend writing and promoting your blog posts, that’s more time to spend working on the rest of your business.
If you’re really struggling to find the time to write, or you want to make sure you get the best possible results from your blog, why not consider outsourcing to a professional blog writer? Whether you want one post a week or 10, I can take care of it all so you don’t have to!