A peek into my blogging routine.
Today I’m here to share with you a little look into my blogging routine and the necessities that keep me going. Some may think that I don’t have another job, wake whenever I desire, go into a serene room with an endless amount of time or park myself at a coffee shop and hammer out whatever’s on my heart. And oh what an ideal world that would be. Whilst some of those things do happen, they don’t happen that often. I’m here to tell you that it’s not always that glamorous and life calls.
So whether you are on this blogging journey and looking for a little advice or just interested to see a little insight, I’m here to show you the few things that have helped me along the way.
Notepad. Yes, not a gadget, but your ordinary run-of-the-mill book of blank pages bound together screaming for your creativity to fill it. I found that this is the best way for me to remember that brilliant light-bulb idea that pops into my head at any given moment. I carry this with me at all times and it aids in assuring that I have all of my ideas in one fun place.
Editorial calendar. This may be the PR exec coming out in me but, I think this is a great tool when it comes to blog planning. At the beginning of the year I print out a blank calendar for each month and then simply go through and scope out the topics I know I’ll want to discuss around certain holidays and events. Take Thanksgiving for example, I start brainstorming what ideas I will want to write about encompassing this holiday. Maybe it’s how to adorn your dinner table, or how to be the hostess with the mostess? Whatever it may be take the time to brainstorm a little and plot some things on the calendar. It’s also useful when planning for the years to come because you can easily see what you’ve already written about and link to those post again or if relevant use them as building blocks for the posts concerning next year’s occasion. When considering holidays, events and occasions for your editorial calendar some great places to start are here & here.
Use the tools. That simple. And no, I’m not referring to a male who is being particularly factious, I’m referring to those apps and programs that will make your life a little more easy. There’s a variety of free applications out there such as SocialOomph, TweetDeck, HootSuite and the list goes on and on that can help you maximize your time. Whenever I schedule I blog post I make it a habit to draft tweets while it’s still fresh on my mind. I then schedule them into my SocialOopmh dashboard and then you have a job done. This aids in freeing up capacity to respond to comments, engage with other companies and readers and generally helps to improve efficiency.
Partner in crime. Find someone that you can bounce ideas off of + brainstorm with. It might be a fellow blogger, close friend or maybe even a spouse. But find someone that will give you honest and raw feedback, even the hard truth if needed. S has become this for me – I bounce ideas off him, I ask him to review my posts more times than not, he has become the photographer and sometimes video editor and although he rolls his eyes sometimes he makes the best teammate. He’s not afraid to let me know when my content is weak and encourages me to keep on going.
Obviously that’s a slim picking of the list that keeps this space alive. Nonetheless it’s a great place to start. Like anything, this passion takes time and dedication. It takes hardwork and even late nights but it’s what I love and when you find something you love, go after it with your whole heart.