One of the best ways to start on anything new is to search for ideas and tips from those who have already done it. Throughout the process of having this site, I’ve read a bit on other bloggers’ tips about blogging. Many of them have been helpful. Others I’ve decided aren’t right for me, at least for now. One of the common tips is to develop a posting schedule.
Early on, I had little interest in doing that. I felt like most readers probably wouldn’t even know or care if I posted according to some schedule or not. I wanted to post the things that I felt creative and passionate about and I didn’t want to be limited by a time frame or post something because I felt like I needed to stick to the schedule. To some extent, these things still hold true.
However, I have started sticking to a posting schedule for the last month and I have seen many benefits from it. Tuesdays are when my Hoppy Living posts go out and Fridays are travel posts. I’ve also just started doing Best Books posts which I am going to aim to publish every other Sunday. I might have to modify this one if I run out of truly fantastic books to feature as I really don’t want to post about books that are just good.
There are other series I’d like to start- things like posting more creative stuff like poetry, art, etc. Or perhaps doing more journal-style posts that are a little less ‘formal’ and more of an insight into me. These ideas can sit on the back burner because I want a schedule that I can maintain long-term so I want to start with a couple of posts weekly and see how that goes.
So, why the change and what have the benefits been?
No shortage of ideas
I found that there were a couple of topics that I had more than enough to write about and I wasn’t going to have to stretch to write regular posts about them. I can still write when I’m feeling creative or have the time, then schedule the posts to publish when I want them to.
Privacy
In addition, I do worry a certain amount about privacy and in some ways I feel better when I’m writing about where I’ve travelled knowing that the post about it won’t show up right away. This way people don’t know exactly where I am. Maybe I worry too much, but I don’t want people to know when I’m away from home. I feel like it’s saying, “Please, go rob my house.”
Consistency
It does create regular new content for repeat visitors. Let’s be honest, I don’t have all that many readers at this point. Which is OK. I think the readers I do have (you!) are the most fantastic people ever. Early on, I wanted to grow my site, to attract a following, to do all of this amazing stuff with it. And I still have those goals in mind, but now I accept that it is going to take time. Now I am comfortable with that idea and actually appreciate that it gives me the freedom to work on making things better, figure out my voice and my topics, change things around and not worry. Some day, I do hope to have more readers and I want to set up the process now so that when I get to that point I have new content being released regularly to keep people coming back.
Sticking to the writing process
It helps me stick to a process of writing. Sometimes constraints inspire creativity. I’m starting to appreciate that there is a certain process of creating posts and if I stick to it, then things work out.
I have a pipeline- listing ideas, thinking of the things that I want to write about. Keeping notes on the topics I’ve thought of. Figuring out what I want to write about next for my series. Developing a rough draft, getting some thoughts down. Figuring out what pictures I want to use and get them ready. Putting it all together and playing with the layout. Scheduling the final version.
In addition, I’ve heard some tips for success from a couple of sources lately that discuss this idea of focusing on creating systems to do the things we want to. This means focusing on the actions that will get us there rather than the results. Hal Elrod for example talks about this in relation to sales. For him, it was about focusing on making the number of sales calls he needed to make each day such that over the year he would make the number of sales he needed. A day when he made the calls was a win, regardless of how many calls that day led to sales. Another example is that eating healthy each day is a process. Losing 10 pounds is a goal. Focusing on the process means that each day you eat healthy is a win. Focusing on the goal means that you don’t win until you get there. I want to put my focus on the process of writing for my blog, not on the number of readers I get or some other measurement of success.
Demonstrating dedication
Being serious about blogging. I have big dreams for my blog. I want to really create something amazing that will provide value to others. I want to share the best of what I have to offer with the world. This isn’t going to happen with occasional effort. This is going to happen through consistent, persistent effort. Having a posting schedule makes me accountable to this goal. Plus, writing is something that I really enjoy and this helps me to ensure that I don’t let it get moved to the back-burner.
Order
There is something about things being ordered that I like. One thing that I’ve noticed is that I like the feeling of being prepared. When I see that I have a few finished posts written ready to publish it makes me feel like I’m on top of things. In order to be consistent about having posts go out on schedule, I know that I need to be a bit ahead of things because some days or weeks I might not have as much time to write.
So far, sticking to a schedule has worked out well. I know I can always tweak my posting schedule down the road if it becomes too much or add more series if I’m really on top of things.
