Previous tips:
Tip #1: Don’t try to do everything all at once.
Tip #2: Don’t be afraid to make friends.
Tip #3: Interact with other bloggers (outside of your blog).
Tip #4: Scheduling is your friend.
This doesn’t work for everyone, as some people prefer just writing posts the day they mean to post them, but if you can schedule in advance even one post a week it’ll be a big benefit to you and your blog. Scheduling, for those who don’t know, is when you write a post before the date you mean for it to go live. So, for instance, if I wanted to schedule this post in advance, I’d write in on Friday and set the post date for today, Monday. To set the date as something different from the day you’re writing it, check in the “publish” options on whatever blog platform you use. WordPress, for instance, has a thing that says “Publish immediately Edit”; if you click “edit” you can change that to any date you want! Yay!
So, why should you schedule posts? Sometimes writing a blog post a day, or even every few days, can get really tiring. It’s hard to keep up momentum over a long period of time, and eventually you’ll want to take a vacation from blogging. The easiest way to take that vacation without making your blog go silent for a week (or whenever) is to schedule posts!
For instance: In December I scheduled about two week’s worth of posts in advance. I did this because I knew I’d be tired from packing for my move– too tired to write a blog post every day like I usually do. So what I did instead was: I dedicated about two days a week to writing as many blog posts as I could! I wrote reviews, discussion posts, and prepped my meme posts so I could fill in the details later. Once I did that, I didn’t have to write anything for days at a time (except for filling in the memes). That meant I could then spend my time relaxing, talking on Twitter, and reading books.
Do you like scheduling posts in advance? Or do you prefer to write posts on the day they go live?
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This is so true. Over the past few months I fell into the habit of mostly writing posts at the last minute, and the quality of my blog has really suffered as a result. Not to mention the tiredness you mention. I really need to go back to planing ahead.
Nymeth recently posted..Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes by Mary M Talbot and Bryan Talbot
I haven’t actually been scheduling a lot of posts, even though I’ve been meaning to for forever. But I finally got one scheduled and it felt so good!
I live by scheduled posts, I usually do a batch over the weekend to spread throughout the week. It also comes in handy when I’ll be out of town for a stretch, its like I was never gone! Great series of posts!
Whitney recently posted..Pride and Prejudice Read-Along
That’s how I normally do it, too, if I can get motivated enough! Having all your posts written for a week or two feels really great.
Oh, how I wish LJ let users schedule posts! I usually write my reviews a few weeks in advance, but I still have to post them manually. It can sometimes be difficult to find the motivation to do so.
Ugh, that sucks! Is there maybe an LJ client that can schedule posts that you can use?
Oh goodness, I would most definitly prefer to schedule posts, but I have never ever been able to have more than one extra. It takes me so long to write mine, even though they themselves aren’t all that long, and then I don’t feel like writing another till the next day (let alone not having time….). Sigh.
Charlotte recently posted..This week’s round-up of middle grade fantasy and sci fi from around the blogs
Even one scheduled post is better than none!
I used to have it together and be scheduled out a week or so. Now I’m lucky if I have one post ahead saved but I hope to get back in a good writing place and get some extra posts in the queue — like you said, for those times when real life gets in the way of blogging!
Kristen M. recently posted.."The elevator continued its impossibly slow ascent."
Good luck!
I’d love to be a scheduler, but alas I’m usually running well behind on my blog! I have been looking at more guest posts and features this year, though, and that’s helping to take the pressure off a little.
Stephanie @ Read in a Single Sitting recently posted..Bookish News and Publishing Tidbits 31 January 2012
Yup, the nice thing about guest posts is that someone else writes them, haha!
I have thought about scheduling posts, but never seem to quite have it together. I’m usually behind on reviews.
Christy recently posted..Twitter, Books Read, Looking Ahead
I think most bloggers are behind on reviews, really, haha!
Even when I manage to schedule one review, five others still need to be written. Sigh.
Yes to scheduling! It was a life saver while I was away in Argentina. I need to get ahead again now, though, as my work schedule might preclude me from posting for a while.
Stephanie @ Read in a Single Sitting recently posted..RIASS visits the oldest bookshop in Buenos Aires