Earlier this year I started a feature called Behind the Blog to show the other side of blogging. It’s been a long, long time since the last post (February!) but here we are today with another one.
I just finished my 3rd year of blogging, which I find pretty remarkable and a little bit crazy. I didn’t go into blogging thinking I’d stick it out for this long, but you guys make it pretty fun and hard to stop! Anyway, the first 1.5 years or so blogging took over my life in a way that I didn’t like. At first I was okay with it because it was a new hobby and I was learning and discovering things about blogging and myself. In that sense it felt okay to immerse myself in it. But as more time passed I found myself still in the pattern of being consumed and immersed with it all, and I didn’t like that. To me, that wasn’t a healthy focus to have or a way I wanted to do life as I had other things in life that I wanted to give energy to as well.
Maybe you’re not like me and don’t have an addictive personality like I do and don’t go overboard with things. I envy you! But for myself, to help me better manage my time, energy, and focus, I came up with a blogging schedule. Somehow knowing that blocks for blogging were carved out in my schedule helped free me to better focus on the non-blogging things. Otherwise I would haphazardly waste time doing unproductive things related to blogging…or as Benson calls it…”dwaddling” around. (aka dawdling…)
Here are some of the basic ways I organize my blogging schedule:
1. Plan Outfits for the Week
This is actually more for real life and just partially for blogging. I look at my calendar with the week’s upcoming events and plan some outfits for them. Call me anal or crazy or whatever, but I’d rather do that than stare at my closet each morning scratching my head and wondering what to wear.
2. Plan Posts for the Week
Once a week I’ll look ahead and plan posts for each day of the coming week or two. I’ll list the type of post for each day (outfit post, Mix & Match, style tips, Shopping Help, sponsored post, etc.) and if I can, the specifics of that post. For example:
- Monday | Outfit: chevron maxi dress + yellow cardi
- Tuesday | How to Style: Patterned Shorts
- Wednesday | Outfit: grey t-shirt dress + black
- Thursday | Day to Night: t-shirt dress
- Friday | Shopping Help
3. Keep Track of Deadlines
I also use the banners in my calendar shown above to help me keep track of deadlines and posts I’ve committed to. These are things like sponsored posts, giveaways, linkups, collaborations with other bloggers, etc. If they’re not in this calendar, I’m not going to remember they’re happening!
4. Carve Out Slots to Work on Posts
I also schedule blocks of time where I can work on posts for the week. If I can get it together and work fast enough I’ll write a couple posts at once. It’s helpful to plan ahead so that some days I don’t have to write any posts, and it’s especially helpful if I *can’t* write a post one day. It also helps me plan ahead to make sure I’ve allocated enough time for posts that take longer to put together.
5. Stack My Picture-Taking Times
When I first started blogging, I took outfit pictures by the day. Now I usually only take pics once or twice a week, doing multiple outfits in one session. Since I plan outfits weekly I know what I’ll be wearing later in the week so I can take pictures of them in advance.
All of this helps me to know that I’ll be able to do all I want to do but also provides boundaries so that there is a definitive end to the time I’ll spend on it. All in all, scheduling keeps me sane!
If you’re a blogger and ever feel overwhelmed with it, I’d really encourage you to find a rhythm that’s sustainable for yourself. Otherwise you’ll burn out and blogging may not be fun for you anymore. Sad! Whether it’s a schedule or simply some “ground rules of blogging” that you will hold to, do it in a way that’s sustainable and that you’re happy with!
Catch the rest of the Behind the Blog series here!
