When I first started blogging, I posted whenever I wanted to and about whatever was on my mind at the time. That worked for the first couple of months, but then I (permanently) moved to Nashville and started working, and I knew that if I was going to keep blogging regularly then I would need to be a bit more organized.
It took me a little while to get a system that worked for me to plan blog content. Here is what I finally settled on.
Blog Binder
I like the binder approach because it has all my information in one place. Easy to keep everything together, especially because I usually need to flip through different sections.
Month Plan – Editorial Calendar
I make a general plan a month in advance. If I know that I’m going to be going somewhere or doing something special, then I plan around that. After that, I add different topics to the days. What I mean by that is I assign a topic to the days I’m going to post, but don’t usually identify the specifics of that post until the week before. This way I can make sure that I’m not posting a lot of about the same topic in a row.
Week Plan
Other Sections
My binder has multiple sections. I keep tracks of who I sponsor as well as who sponsors me, so that I can make sure that I’m doing everything I need to. I also keep track of analytics, which is especially helpful to compare statistics changes and to have handy. I have a couple pages of notes, too. They’re generally about blog tips, ideas for posts, or things to try out.
Kate Mitchell is a blogger, chronic illness patient, and advocate who helps people understand chronic illness and helps chronic illness patients live their best lives.
I keep a list going on my computer, but I like the idea of a physical binder! Might have to do that soon. 🙂
Thanks for the tips! I've been looking for a new way to organize stuff for Makeshift! great post love bug 🙂
Makeshift Munch
I am impressed! I rarely plan my posts (i know, it's bad!) i really should!
I'd love to know how you track your sponsors/who you sponsor. I'm just starting out and it would be so helpful.
http://www.blogslikeagirl.com
I'm realizing that if I don't keep a schedule on it and get more organized about how I handle my blog I'm never going to build the audience I want to, so I am definitely looking to get more organized. Thanks for sharing how you do it!
These are some great tips. I'm not super organized when it comes to my blog yet, which is strange for me because I am super organized in other areas of my life. I am hoping to get a system in place and I like how straightforward yours is. Thanks for sharing!
Sarah
Sweet Spontaneity
I love that! I try to keep a good list of link ups and draft things as I think of them, then move them around on a calendar plug-in for WordPress. I also try to keep a list of post ideas on my phone, for on-the-go. I think your organization plan is a lot better!
I love this plan. I have been struggling with motivation to get back on the blogging thing. i just don't know why it has been so hard for me.
UGH this is amazing! I need to really invest some time into planning and organizing my blog things. I'm so behind sadly :[
I like to keep everything in one place, so I basically use WordPress plugins to keep me organized. I have a calendar plugin so I can see what posts I have scheduled for when. I try to have my posts scheduled out as far as I can just in case I hit a run where I can't write as much (when Fibro pops up, or school gets in the way). My weekly schedule is consistent now with posts on Sun, Mon, Wed & Fri. Sunday is the only one I don't really post in advance, and usually write the week before based on something I've read that week that inspired me.
This sounds like a great ira and I loved reading the comments too. I need to get more organized about my blogging schedule.