Being a blogger or influencer comes with its own unique set of challenges. There are no defined hours. You could have days or weeks with no paid work and then be slammed with deadlines. And with the advent of technology work is wherever and whenever you are. Your phone is always with you so it’s hard to shift from home to work life. And of course, there’s no paid time off or maternity leave like in a more “traditional” job. Over the past couple months I’ve learned that getting ahead with blogging is not only doable, but totally essential for my sanity. Today I’m sharing how batch work helped me bank over 20 blog posts so I could relax a little and give myself a maternity leave of sorts from the blog.
getting ahead with blogging
I used to drive myself crazy by staying up until 1:00 am to finish a post and never getting ahead. The truth is that getting ahead with blogging isn’t just beneficial if you’re expecting a new addition to the family. Recent events with COVID-19 has made everyone’s lives turn upside down, mine included. What started out as preparing for our baby’s arrival turned out to be a blessing when all of a sudden I had to focus on other things rather than the blog. So whether you’re pregnant, planning an extended vacation, suffering from repeated blogger burnout, or facing a global pandemic these tips will help.
make lists
I am a list maker by nature. If I can write it down or type it into my phone and get it out of my head things look so much clearer. The first list I made is on a page of notes on my phone. Anytime I think of an idea for a blog post I open up that note on my phone and type it out. Once I have ideas and I feel inspired to start working on a particular one (more on that next) I can pencil them into my paper planner. That way I can easily see where I have spots to fill.
Blogging tip: Don’t forget to keep seasonal content in mind. Leave spaces in your schedule for evergreen (always relevant) and seasonal content. Evergreen content can always be moved around if you suddenly get a sponsored post with a deadline.
write when you can
Since I have a long list of ideas I can start the drafts for them anytime I have a moment. I generally have a few minutes in the car as wait for my kids at their on-site classes. Then I have larger blocks of time while my kids are at their various sports practices. One of my daughters has a 90 minute horseback riding lesson every week. We sit and wait in the car because time-wise it doesn’t make sense to drive home. I can almost always get one or two drafts written out during that time. And it should be noted that you don’t need a wireless connection to write up your drafts. When I don’t have Internet access I just type the drafts up in my phone and email them to myself later.
Blogging tip: Battling writer’s block? I have found the easiest way to organize my thoughts when I don’t know where to start is by creating an outline. I know by now the format I like to follow (intro, pinnable image, text, image, etc.). By creating an outline I can see the spots that I need to fill in and the text usually come much faster.
use what you’ve got
I would say that this tip has been the biggest help for me to get ahead with blogging over the last couple months. Think about images you already have on your computer. Images saved from trips, professional family shoots, etc. For example I realized that I had pictures of a St. Patrick’s Day cake I made last year but it was already after the holiday so I never shared it. I also found a ton of great pictures from our family trip to Crater Lake National Park last year but I never blogged about it. So look for a post about what to do with kids in Crater Lake later this Summer!
For example: I used images from the same photoshoot for this pregnancy announcement post and this one about Sciatica pain during pregnancy. And I have three more posts planned that use these images! Not having to take new pictures saves a ton of time.
You can also use this tip to apply to content you have already made. Have a lot of crockpot recipes? A lot of Disney tips? What about book recommendations? Create a roundup style post with several of your old posts and ask some of your blogging friends to use theirs as well. Six of my posts I currently have scheduled are roundup posts! Bonus–these types of posts usually do pretty well on Pinterest.
Blogging tip: Using the images you already have is also really helpful for creating new pinnable images. I like to use my own original images rather than stock images whenever possible (like 99.9% of the time). By using images I already have on my computer I have created countless pinnable images for old blog posts. Pinterest loves new content so this has been great for filling my Tailwind queue! Work smarter, not harder.
batch work
I tend to float from one thing to the other as my mood and attention shifts. However, batch working can be an amazing efficiency helper. A few weeks ago I posted in my InstaStories that I did three photoshoots with my kids in one day. And it only took me about an hour since I knew the three locations where I wanted to shoot. I dressed my kids appropriately, packed a couple props and change of clothes, and off we went! This also works well with scheduling social media (like filling your Tailwind queue) and sitting down to edit your posts at your computer.
Blogging tip: scheduling out social media (Tailwind, Hootsuite, scheduling on Facebook) can be a lifesaver. However, try just focusing on one and letting the other ones slide a little. For example, I know that Pinterest is my biggest referral so I try and keep me queue filled with quality content. Meanwhile, I just spend a few minutes filling in Twitter and Facebook here and there so that I don’t go completely dark on those channels.
