The Power of Planning: Blogging Success
November 18, 2007
Photo by Cunning Stunt.
If you are in the same boat I was or if you are struggling with figuring out what to write, then there’s one simple word: plan. If you plan, you’ll never be in a troubling situation with your blog ever again.
Step one: create a blog binder.
I highly recommended you get a new binder (no notebooks, you need to be able to move pages around) and don’t mix your blog business with your life or work business. Over time, your blog binder will grow and the point here is to be organized. So start out with a clean slate and don’t let things escalate to a mess.
Since we want to be organized, you might want to get some dividers for your binder so you can keep plans for separate aspects of your blog apart (content ideas, design ideas, etc.) However you want to make your binder is fine, as long as it works for you and your blog.
Step two: starting jotting down post ideas.
Today we’re mainly focusing on straightening out your content, so create a page in your blog binder where you can write down ideas for new articles. Whenever a thought enters your head, don’t discard it no matter what. Even if you don’t use the idea later, it’s still good to have titles you’ve thought up or good concepts for posts.
This way, whenever you are struggling with writer’s block, you aren’t sure what to write, or you are going to be away and have to write posts in advance, all you have to do is consult your trusty binder and there will always be a plethora of ideas you can use (as long as you use your binder properly, that is).
Step three: create a week-by-week plan.
If you’re like me and you’re not always sure what to write about when you sit down at the computer, a week-by-week plan is just what you need. Start a new paper for every week, and write down all the days of the week (Monday, Tuesday, etc.) Then flip back to your post ideas page and begin writing down what posts you are going to publish on what days.
If you have a good collection of ideas, you can know what you’re going to write about Monday though Sunday within half an hour. You can also work out to publish your best posts on the days you get the most traffic. When you plan ahead, you benefit and save time!
After you’ve got your content down and now you don’t go a day without posting (or, every other day is fine too if you don’t have as much time), you can begin working on other things. Use your binder to create to-do lists, design ideas, or lists of plugins you need to install. This blog binder is your way to be 100% organized, so use it to all of its advantage!
Ideas for things to include in your binder:
- A list of things you must do that have deadlines (such as entering a certain giveaway before it’s over, etc.)
- A list of things you must do that are timeless (entering blog carnivals, article marketing, etc.)
- A list of plugins you need to install.
- A list of blogs to comment on, to increase your exposure and interactivity within the blogging world.
- A list of tweaks and ideas for you to implement on your blog’s design.
- A list of sites you need to check out or things you need to check up on later when you have more time.
A well-run blog is a successful blog, and a well-run blog full of success can only be achieved with organized planning. So start your blog binder right now, and begin planning out what you’re going to write for the rest of the week. Don’t ever disappoint your readers or let your rankings fall again! Only losers don’t plan.
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19 Responses to “The Power of Planning: Blogging Success”
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This is something I have to implement. I am way to unorganized and when I go full-time online next month I need to have something keeping me on track!
Yeah, planning should be one of the most important part of blogging. I don’t really have a binder, just separate notebooks. I guess a binder will be better. By the way, creating a week-by-week plan seems to be a nice idea. I haven’t tried it before, I’m certain it’ll save me time if I decide in advance what posts to publish on what days.
Great post Tay :)
[...] Super Blogging - Make Money Blogging | Blogging Tips and Resources | Search Engine Optimization | In… wrote an interesting post today on The Power of Planning: Blogging SuccessHere’s a quick excerpt [IMG blog planning] Photo by Cunning Stunt. I used to never be much of the type of blogger that planned things out (aka, the smart blogger). The only planning I ever did was write my posts the night before and timestamp them to publish the next morning. However, I never knew what I was going to write until I sat down at the computer. On really bad days, I wrote something that didn’t turn out to be the kind of quality I wanted, or I didn’t write anything at all. If you are in the same boat I [...]
I’m guilty of the same thing. I don’t usally know what I’m going to write about from day to day. Lately, I’ve been trying to do better about trying to plan out some posts in advance. I don’t have a binder per say, but I’ve been using Google Docs for this purpose. I’m usally in a location where I can get to a computer so when I have an idea then I open up a doc and jot it down. This has really been helping and has stopped some of those great post ideas that you have one minute and then later when you sit down to write it the idea is gone.
This is a great idea. I’m getting a notebook when I go to Office Max for CDs on Monday!
Thanks everyone for your comments and input, I’m glad that this article could be helpful. Yes, I just started planning over a week ago but it was probably one of the smartest things I’ve done, besides switching to my own domain and to Wordpress! :)
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Nice post Tay. Planning is very important for me. I try to get an entire week set up over the weekend (doesn’t always happen). Actually I use a notebook not a binder, but it accomplishes the same thing and it works for me.
Nice image! I’ve been thinking about buying a fancy fountain pen to be able to shoot stock photos like that one.
@Steven - Yes, I’ve realized how helpful planning can be. It saves me countless hours so I can get other things accomplished as well. Even if I don’t write the posts ahead of time, just KNOWING what I AM going to write is helpful for me.
If a notebook works for you, then that’s great too! I like binders because I can move the pages around. It helps me to stay more organized.
Great post, Tay. I actually posted about this the other day, and while I’m not perfect about having posts planned in advance, I am getting better about it.
I can definitely see where a binder would help. Maybe I’ll try it in the future, my notebook is getting pretty full. Yes, I agree. You don’t necessarily have to write anything in advance. Just getting the ideas sometimes is the hard part. If you’ve got that out of the way you can focus on other things.
@Rod Templeton - I went and checked out your post, and it’s a great one. You included some good points that I failed to mention. :) I’ve been trying this blog planning thing for some time, but I’ve always never gone through with it like I should have before. Now I’m serious!
[...] worked on and tweaked. Comments and emails must be replied to all the time. There’s even a lot of planning involved. All of the above, and tons more, must be done to be successful. Blogging is not a get-rich-quick [...]
[...] The Power of Planning: Blogging Success [...]
Yes, I wish I read those points before I started. I realized about a month or so in that planning is a very important thing. Great tips :)
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[...] have people visiting your site but no great articles for them to read - then that is even worse. Set yourself a schedule and maintain great content, and no matter what, in time the exposure and traffic WILL [...]
[...] write about everyday on your blog isn’t easy, but having sources of inspiration, as well as planning your blogging schedule, can be extremely helpful for when writer’s block comes along and taps you on the shoulder. [...]