MY TOP 6 BLOGGING ORGANIZATIONAL HACKS

There’s a pretty big misconception that blogging requires minimal effort and only really entails snapping a few pics of your mojito. While those mojitos may be a sweet work perk they are certainly not the entire job and in all honesty, blogging is hard af.

It requires a ton of discipline, a wide range of skill sets (you get to be the head writer, photographer, editor, tech squad AND personal assistant. Yippie) and some serious organization.

I get emails asking how I stay organized and keep my sanity every day. It’s a good question because I truly am working every day, in some capacity and without a solid schedule and strategy I would probably be miserable and overworked.

If you’re an aspiring blogger and you’re feeling overwhelmed and are in need of some serious organization, look no further! Here are my top 6 organizational hacks.

#1: TRACK YOUR POST’S PROGRESS

This may not be super necessary if you’re blogging just for a hobby or if you don’t post very often. But if you’re trying to become a professional blogger and are producing content consistently every week, things may get a little confusing if you don’t keep track of what you’re doing.

I keep track of where I’m at for every blog post so I know which ones need to be written, which ones need to be researched, which ones need to be edited, etc. I use a really cute blog planner I got on Etsy a few years ago (no longer being sold, sorry, I’m a monster) but I also have used Trello in the past and loved it.

Trello allows you to keep different lists and boards at your fingertips so you can see what you need to get done for multiple projects at once. This can be super helpful when you’re trying to understand which tasks should take priority.

If you’re not a digital girl you can use a notebook to track each blog post’s status and check off tasks as you go.

#2: GIVE YOURSELF AN ADMIN DAY

When I was a store manager at Victoria’s Secret my favorite day of the week was Monday or what VS calls your “focus day”. Not only because this meant I got to hide from rude customers in the office and eat chips all day but because it was my admin day and I was able to get everything organized and ready for the week ahead.

I think designating a period of time each week for getting caught up on your emails, planning, and organization is an amazing way to ensure the rest of the week goes smoothly. I still use Mondays as my admin day but if you aren’t able to dedicate an entire day you could always just take two hours one day a week to get your life together.

I use this time to check my analytics, follow up on collaborations, plan out my editorial calendar and other tasks that I don’t have time to do during the week. Give yourself an admin day (or time frame) so you can feel way more prepared for the week!

#3: KEEP YOUR EDITORIAL CALENDAR VISIBLE

If you don’t have an editorial calendar, you should. It’s essentially a calendar that contains all of the content that will be going live throughout the month. Keeping one allows you to plan your content out ahead of time and with a lot more intention.

A common mistake I see is that a blogger will spend all of this time creating an amazing editorial calendar and then close it up and never look at it again until it’s time to write the following month’s calendar. What good is it if you don’t use it?

Same goes for writing to do lists or maintaining a planner. If you’re going to use these tools keep them somewhere where you can actually see them and reference them throughout the week.

My editorial calendar is on my desk and is always opened to the current month so I can easily check it every day. This keeps me on track so I don’t forget about any content I had planned to create. I also have a weekly calendar whiteboard on my wall where I also note each day’s posts. My planner is at my fingertips and I check it every night before I go to bed so I can create a to-do list for the following day. That list goes on my desk so I have it right in front of me every morning.

Do yourself a favor and keep your tools visible!

#4: SPREADSHEET IT UP

I am a spreadsheet maniac and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I use google sheets for everything related to my blog and they’re my favorite way to keep organized. For all of you list makers out there, they’re like to do lists but on crack.

I have a spreadsheet that tracks all of my blog post ideas, I have one to track my coaching clients, one for my brand collaborations, one for my affiliate programs…you get the picture.

I love being able to easily find what I’m looking for (like the contact info for a brand’s PR agency or the last time I used a certain affiliate link on my blog) in a few minutes instead of searching my inbox or tearing my office apart to find a coffee-stained sticky note.

Trust me, you’ll thank me later.

#5: OUTLINE YOUR BLOG POSTS

I’m so passionate about outlining that I did an entire live training on it in my Productive Blogger Facebook Group. The video is still there if you want to join and check it out!

I outline my posts before I work on them for a number of reasons. For one, sometimes I have what I think are brilliant ideas until I sit down to outline them and realize that they aren’t as genius as I thought they were. Another reason I love outlining is that I can organize my thoughts, make notes about images, jot down which links I’ll need and figure out my keywords for SEO purposes.

This means when I finally sit down to write my post I can do just that. I can just write it freely and use my outline as my blueprint. I don’t have to stop every two minutes to research something or add a link or see which keyword works best. I’ve already done all of that background work and I’m free to just write, which is my favorite thing to do.

You don’t have to be as crazy about your outlines as I am but I would definitely recommend at least loosely formatting your blog posts on a piece of paper so you know which points you’re trying to make before you sit down to write.

#6: UTILIZE YOUR ALERTS

I know that I go on and on about planners and to do lists and writing things down but that doesn’t mean I don’t utilize my digital calendar as well.

Each week when I’m filling in my planner I also add each event and task to my phone’s calendar and add an alert to each item. That way throughout the day I’m being reminded of the other tasks that need to be completed and I know when it’s time to move on from one task to the other.

This holds me accountable to the schedule I’ve created for myself and prevents me from spending 7 hours editing images when what I really need to do is create Pinterest images for the following day’s blog posts.

Set realistic time frames for each task but also don’t allow yourself to go overboard with one task while you have a mile long to-do list. Use your alarms to keep you on track and moving throughout the day!

Did you find these tips helpful? Share this post with your friends!

What are your favorite organizational hacks? Tell me in the comments!

Xoxo,

She