7 Ways to Blog When You're Busy
If you a run blog but you also have a full-time job, or you’re a stay-at-home mom, or just have a busy life with lots of other demands, it can be hard to find time to blog.
Do you ever feel like blogging is the last thing on your to-do list? If so, this article can help! We'll talk about blogging for people who are busy and have a lot going on.
In this post, you’ll discover 7 strategies to blog regularly no matter what your schedule looks like.
Here are some tips and tricks to make it easier to find time to blog as well as be ready to blog as soon as you sit down at your computer.
#1. Make blogging part of your daily routine
Niche out a spot in your day where you can spare 30-60 minutes for blogging and schedule it.
It may take a bit of trial and error to find the best time of day that works for you but it doesn’t need to be a huge block of time nor do you need to finish an entire blog post in one day.
As long as you are getting a little bit done each day, you will move closer to your goal.
#2. Attach Blogging Another Habit
I recently heard Mel Robbins on a Marie Forleo podcast talking about habits. She said if you are trying to adopt a new habit, attach it to something that is already part of your day.
That will create a pattern and our brains like patterns and repetition.
For example, maybe you check email at the same time every morning. So when you check your email, block out time immediately after that as your blog time.
This technique allows your brain to connect the two tasks. After a few days, checking your morning email will trigger you to remember its blogging time after email.
You can watch the Marie Forleo/Mel Robbins podcast for even more details on this technique.
#3. Avoid Writer’s Block
One thing I learned years ago about blogging is you can waste a lot of time if you sit down to your computer each day and think, “what am I going to blog about next?”
You’ve got a blank screen staring at you and you have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what you should write about.
This problem happens more frequently than you think. It’s so common it has a name, BLANK PAGE SYNDROME.
Rita Alexandra at The Writing Cooperative says it can keep writers from producing content for weeks but there are a few ways to overcome this problem.
She recommends creating a relaxing environment. Try lighting a candle, put on some relaxing music, work in a room that is calm and with few distractions.
Close your computer. Alexandra says, pulling out a notebook and putting pen to paper can help you come up with some creative writing ideas.
My favorite tip she recommends is to skip the beginning. This is something I have also been doing on a regular basis. I find it easier to start with the body of the post and then write the introduction when the rest of the post is complete.
#4. Keep a Running List of Blog Ideas
This has been my secret weapon in blogging. I keep a notebook filled with blogging ideas!
And blog content ideas can come at any time.
I might get a blog idea in the shower, while having lunch with a friend, at the grocery store, or even while driving.
So I take a notebook with me everywhere I go. Analog works well for me but you can just as easily use the notes section on your phone to keep a running list of blog ideas.
By doing this, I always have a list of ideas ready to go that I can choose from when needed.
#5. Plan Posts In Advance
In the last tip, I recommended keeping a running list of blog ideas.
Once I choose an idea I’m going to blog about, I don’t just sit down and start writing. I usually plan it out ahead of time by creating an outline.
An outline helps me organize my thoughts and create sections. That way, when I go to write the post, I’m just inserting content into each section instead of starting from scratch.
I usually create an outline a day or two ahead of when I’m going to actually write the post.
I’ve found it gives me time to mull over the ideas then and when I’m writing, the content usually flows because it’s been on my brain for a while.
#6. Don’t Edit When You Write
One of the biggest ways to lose your concentration is by trying to edit your content while you’re writing.
When you’re in writing mode, just write.
Don’t try to edit and format the content.
Once you’ve written the bulk of your post, then go back and do the editing and formatting.
It may seem like it’s going to take a lot of time to write first and edit/format second but it actually makes the tasks much easier and more efficient.
#7. Keep a Blog Checklist
Blogging is just writing and hitting publish, right?
Well, if you’ve been blogging for a while, you know there’s so much more to it than that.
You’ve got to come up with blog ideas, research them, find keywords for search optimization, create an outline, write the post, edit it, and format it.
Then there’s the task of adding links, photos, and videos.
Once you publish your post, you’ll want to promote it on social media as well as cross-link it in some of your other posts.
To keep from feeling overwhelmed by all of these tasks, create a checklist of these to-dos so you don’t have to think through the process again and again.
Do you have any blogging tips that have helped you during busy times? Let me know in the comments below!
