5 ways to make blogging easier

 When you’re juggling a day job and blogging it can be really hard to fit everything in.  And that can be stressful.  But it doesn’t have to be.

Over my three-and-a-bit years as a blogger, I’ve struggled with finding a work/life/blog balance.  But I’ve found some nifty little tricks that make the process a whole lot easier.  Even though I now have less time for blogging than I ever did before, I manage to get a lot more done.  How is that possible?  Let me tell you:

1. Automate.

Automating your blogging means that you can be flexible about when you tackle your blogging tasks.  Scheduling your posts in advance is easy and is a huge time-saver.  It gives you the option of sitting down and writing a bunch of posts whenever you’ve got the time or motivation.  It helps you to maintain a regular posting schedule.  This is really important because it gives your readers a sense of consistency, which will encourage them to visit your blog.

Nowadays you can schedule so much more than just your posts.  Sites like Hootsuite allow you to draft your social media updates and set a date and time for them to be published.  This makes promoting your blog posts effortless.  You can also use services like Mailchimp to schedule emails.

Whenever possible, utilize tools that allow you to automate your blogging.  It leaves you with so much more time to spend on other important things.

2. Keep a running list of ideas

One of the toughest parts of blogging is coming up with post ideas.  When you’re sitting at your computer and that blank page is mocking you, it can be bloody hard to think of an original idea.

At other times, you’ll probably notice that your mind is overflowing with ideas for posts.  I find that this often happens when I’m away from my computer.  You don’t want these ideas to go to waste, so keep a running list of ideas.  Whenever you come up with an idea for a blog post, jot it down.  Then, when you’re trying to think of something to write about, refer back to your list.  Simple!

3. Come up with an editorial calendar

Another hurdle to blogging is deciding which idea to write about on any  given day.  An editorial calendar can help with this.  Plan out all your blog posts for the next week or month.  Make a note of whether there is any background work (such as taking photographs) which will need to be completed before you can do the post.  Having a plan really takes a lot of the guesswork out of writing your posts.

An editorial calendar is also a great way to make sure that the content on your blog is varied.  If you’ve got a plan, you’re less likely to accidentally write two very similar posts in the same week.  If you usually like to post a certain type of article on a particular day (such as my Things I Love Thursdays) a plan will help you to stick to this.  An editorial calender also helps you to schedule your posts and save time.

4. Do like tasks at the same time

This is one of the biggest time-savers for me.  I waste so much time if I flit around from task to task.  If I plan to complete a batch of similar tasks at once, I get so much more done.  For example, if I’ve got a bunch of photos to be taken for my blog and etsy store, I’ll do it all in one afternoon so that I don’t have to faff about setting up by camera over and over.  I’ll write all my etsy listings in one go, answer emails at a set time and so on.  Save time by completing similar tasks in batches.

5. Schedule time for blogging.

If your blogging time is limited, make sure that every second of it counts.  If possible, set aside some time each day to spend on your blog.  Even if it’s only a half hour a day, that’s still something.  Plan exactly what you’re going to work on in each blogging session and try your best to stick to it.  You’re going to be more productive and on target if you’ve got a plan.

What are your tricks for making blogging easier?