Confessions of a Six Figure Professional Blogger

4 Powerful Time Management Tactics For Overworked Bloggers

May 12, 2009 | Advice, Feature

We all know that it is super important to spend time writing when you are a blogger. After all, everything we talk about (traffic, monetization, etc.) hinges on the fact that you actually have content on your blog that people will want to read, right?

But, what do you do when you don’t have time to write?

time_juggling It is a common concern that I see with people. In fact, this seems like one of the biggest stumbling blocks to so many budding bloggers. They simply lack the time to do effective writing.

So, what do we do about this? Here are a few pieces of advice for you.

Remove Distractions (ala Twitter)

Twitter, email, Facebook…all these things are very important for any blogger. But, when it is time to write, you TURN IT OFF.

Close your email program. Close your Twitter client. If you have instant messaging running, turn it off. You might even turn the ringer off on your phone.

When it is time to write, you remove all potential sources of interruption. You remove all “Shiny objects” that might distract you onto something else. When you do this, you will find that you can get into the writer’s groove much easier and actually STAY there.

Write in Batches

My long-time readers know that I’ve recommended this tactic many times, and I’ll do it again now because it has worked so well for me.

Sit down and write all of the posts for your blog for the week in one sitting. Just hammer them out. Then, for the rest of the week, you just publish the posts from your blog’s queue or you future post them by using the scheduling feature of Wordpress.

This has two big benefits:

  1. It leaves the rest of your week open to other things important for your online success, like thinking about your marketing, engaging social media, developing products, etc.
  2. You can get into that “writer’s groove” and take advantage of it by pumping out good stuff at once rather than having to redevelop your rhythm again and again because of routine interruptions.

Try it. It will work.

Develop a Schedule

A lot of my readers have full-time jobs and things other than their online ventures which take up time. If you don’t have a structured schedule for your blog, then it is really easy to make no progress at all because of the excuse of “no time”.

So develop a schedule and stick with it. Schedule a few hours (perhaps over the weekend) to hammer out all your content for the week. Place a limit on the amount of time per day you spend on social media sites. Actually schedule in time for marketing, blog commenting, traffic generation strategies, etc.

As an example, I usually write all of my posts for this blog on Mondays. It is in my schedule and on my weekly todo list for Mondays to write all posts for this blog. For the remainder of the week, I don’t have to do any blog post writing for this site. I have other things in my schedule.

Don’t Overthink!

All of this stuff that we have to do as bloggers can get pretty overwhelming if you’re constantly second-guessing yourself and having that little invisible man looking over our shoulders.

For example, have you ever spent too long on a blog post and never hit the Publish button? Have you ever written a report and never release it?

This business is dependent on ACTION. So, when you write that blog post, go in and tackle the idea that you have. Then publish or schedule it. Don’t get into an endless figure-figure on whether it is “good enough” to be published. Things will never happen when you do that.

There is no tougher critic of yourself than you. Your audience doesn’t know what you might have had in mind. Chances are, they’re going to be happy to hear from you, not sitting there critiquing your post to the Nth degree.

Have Some Input?

Do you have some tactics of your own that have worked that would help busy people become better bloggers? Please share in the comments below.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...

  1. 5 Time Management Tricks For Bloggers
  2. How To Never Run Out of Content For Your Blog Again
  3. 4 Tactics To Increase Your Blog Traffic THIS WEEK
  4. Bloggers, Don’t Lose Your Soul
  5. 3 Powerful Tools For Monitoring Your Brand

Learn The Real Story On Blogging As a Business...

  • Get immediate FREE access to the Six Figure Blogger Blueprint
  • Get exclusive stuff NOT available on this blog.
  • Get the latest updates from the weird Risley man who runs this site.

Enter email:

  • Darren at Pro Blogger also seems to hammer it all out on Mondays.
  • Bo
    Soem people are very good at talking and explaining verbally. So, it might be a great idea to tape yourself and post video and audio content instead of writing, if writing is such a challenge. Might be even fun. :)
  • Wizard, the Four D's really got to me -- pure genius, and some of what plagues me in work. Not delegating, not dumping, or not delaying in an orderly fashion. Thanks for the reminder.
  • The Four D's of Task Management.

    When a task lands in your lap, either:

    Do it. File those notes right now.

    Dump it. Decide that that you are going to pass on that offer and stick it in the bin.

    Delay it. Maintain a diary and a systematic to do list.

    Delegate it. Give someone else clear instructions, a deadline and an incentive for doing your job as if their success depended on it.
  • What about inviting others to guest post (setting up and managing that schedule) and purchasing some unique content in bits and pieces -- both of these seem to me to be in-a-pinch solutions when you are cramped for time and need some content.
  • I can attest to how well writing in batches really works. It's something that I started implementing recently and well, I get more done that way. Sure I don't always publish everything right then and there. But I certainly do make progress!
  • Very straight to the point and effective tips. Thanks for sharing them.

    I have a full time job and trying hard to manage my blogging schedule. Writing in batches is something I am planning to try. As you rightly said, once I get into Twitter and my Google Reader, I lose the next 2 hours :)
  • You must develop a commitment to providing fresh content and the time management element, as previously mentioned is critical.

    I set a goal to post an article each day for two weeks. Once accomplished, I could not back away from the pace I had established and the expectation set for my readership.
    This generates a sense of responsibility to keep the pace going.

    Know this, to be successful you MUST provide content regularly.

    Blogging is like a relationship, the pace established early on must be maintained throughout.
  • Thanks for the inspiring words! I have just completed my 1st blog writing session (as scheduled) and your article could not have come at a better time.. followed by @web2000
  • I believe the best time for writing a post wud be early morning or late in the night ..u need to arrange there the way it works for u!
  • I think one of the most crucial things is to set up a schedule. Without setting up a schedule it will be difficult to get everything done you need to.
  • I imagine some people spend a fair amount of time trying to come up with topics to post about. I just wrote an entry about a way to help facilitate and expedite the process of getting ideas.

    Basically you set up Theme Days for each day of the week. You can read more about it here: http://mathewson.me/theme-days-a-safety-net-for...

    In terms of Time Management, this would help cut down time wasted on trying to inspire yourself. It helps to focus your efforts and lets you work more efficiently.
  • I think time management is really crucial in any job that you have and in personal life. I would make a schedule and stick with it if you can. David what is your day like?
  • Hello,
    Thanks for this post first of all .Being a new to blogs and stuff ,its very hard for me to take time out for all .I either do just post or social network or just visiting other blogs .But I am sure this post has helped me a lot to work on all the factors
    Thanks and Regards
    Sudeep
  • The zen of blogging... When you're writing, just write.

    I love using the windows program Q10 for writing, just a black screen and orange fonts (can be customized) nothing else in the entire screen (wordcount optional)

    Just do the one thing can be applied to anything we do and it will profit from our undivided attention.
  • Hi David,

    Time management is crucial when it comes to achieving success in any field.

    Staying focused and removing all possible distractions is really important.

    Planning your posts in advance, writing them in one sitting and scheduling them can help you a lot...

    But there is something that has worked for me like a charm and it is working in blocks.

    Let's say that you can work only two hours/day then you can break down those two hours into two blocks of one hour each. Take a break of at least 15 minutes between each block.

    During this break you have to completely disconnect... exercise, take a walk, eat something, etc. You'll get new ideas and re-cover energy, therefore you'll be more efficient and productive.

    Thanks,
    ^PV Reymond
  • PV Reymond,
    Yes, I agree totally. Working in batches and taking a break is a good way to maintain your focus. It does work.
blog comments powered by Disqus