Blogging Solutions That Help You Save Time and Accomplish More
I work full time from home as a blogger, writer, social media manager, and WordPress web designer. My daily routine starts at my desk with a coffee in hand to jumpstart the day. Truthfully I don’t know what shape I’d be in without that first cup of coffee!
While I love working from home there are challenges. The trouble is there isn’t usually tons of time available to get everything done. Such as how I manage my time and distractions. There are phones ringing, family in and out, and other demands of everyday life.
Developing habits that work for saving time isn’t easy. At least it wasn’t for me. I would commit to more than I could handle. As my workload grew the harder it became to keep up the pace.
There was a time when this created stress, overwhelm and burnout. I was always burdened by things left undone. It got so bad I almost quit blogging and working from home. What stopped me from quitting was my love for what I do.
I decided it was time to make a few necessary changes. Very quickly the outcome was amazing! I became a happier and more intentional blogger and writer! The jobs I did for my clients were no longer challenged by a lack of motivation. The joy I’d lost in what I was doing for a living came back.
In this post, I offer several tips guaranteed to help you work smarter and not harder.
Create a Daily Plan of Action
Whether you work full time from home or fit blogging into an already busy schedule you need a plan. Something you can consistently adhere to. I know many writers and bloggers who have full-time jobs outside of the home.
They have to squeeze in the time to blog and write. Usually, they pick a time of the day or evening that works best. This is especially helpful when developing a writing routine.
Developing a blogging and writing action plan works! It will be a roadmap for you to follow. Eventually, you’ll form new habits. Resulting in saving time and accomplishing more!
Time Blocking
Blocking time set aside to work on certain tasks has helped me tremendously! I picked up a kitchen timer that sits on my desk. The timer is set to the allotted amount of time for each task. When the timer rings I stop and move to something else.
Doing this has helped me with writing my posts as well. I set the timer for 15 to 30 minutes and just free write on whatever the topic is. When the timer stops I’m always amazed at how much I wrote.
When I’m working this way I don’t have any other browser tabs open. Allowing me to focus only on the one thing I’m doing at that moment. Removing online distractions helps me stay focused.
Take Breaks Frequently
The benefits of taking breaks help your focus, work quality, and motivation. Things that are difficult won’t be as frustrating. We need to step away. Walk around. That break in concentration is good.
I used to sit at the computer for long periods of time. I’d stay there hoping to complete whatever I was working on. Writing a blog post required focus. I’d stay there writing as much as I could.
The results of my efforts are always of higher quality when I take frequent short breaks.
Sitting for too long isn’t healthy. Our bodies require for movement and exercise. Michael Hyatt solved this issue by using a desk he stands at with the option to sit when needed. You can read the post he wrote about it here.
A popular item sold that has gained popularity is Varidesk referred to as the active workspace. In this digital world where we often spend much time on the computer this is a fantastic idea!
Avoid commitment overload
When we over commit or overload our schedule it’s difficult to follow through. If I commit to more than I can handle I’m thrown off balance in all areas.
Be intentional about how many things you will commit to each day. Less is more and easier to manage.
You can always add to your list of commitments later. It’s more important to know you can keep up with all you set out to accomplish. Stress and burnout happens when we over commit.
When we work from a place of stress and burnout we can’t enjoy what we do. Give yourself permission to do less and accomplish more!
Develop a Content Creation Routine
Blog post routines are certainly important to your audience! Keeping the pace of creating quality content regularly is time-consuming.
The best thing to do is create a routine you can manage providing consistency to your readers.
I now run 3 blogs. Writing blog posts regularly for each one can be difficult.
What I created was a tempo my readers can rely on for each blog. I don’t publish more than once per week on any of them. In fact on 2 of them I’m only posting 1 every other week. It is a consistency that I can manage.
Opening up your blog to guest posting has great benefits. Doing this enables you to bring in content from other bloggers in your niche. This helps you to expand your reach to a larger audience. Your guest bloggers will drive their readers to your blog.
Another tip is to batch create blog content and schedule the posts for publication. In WordPress, you can schedule your blogs posts publication in advance.
Social Media Management Tools
It’s all too easy to spend tons of time on social media channels. Integrating a few tools that work to save time has incredible benefits.
There are many social media management tools available. Utilizing a few of them can help you to save time by simply batch scheduling content.
Below is a list of a few social media management tools;
Both Hootsuite and Buffer enable you to schedule your social media content to share across various platforms. They are available for free or upgrade to premium.
Tweet deck is a free social media management tool for your Twitter accounts.
Conclusion: Working from home, being a blogger and establishing an online presence is work. Developing working habits that save you time will go a long way in helping you reach blogging success.
The best part is you’ll have more time to do other things you enjoy!
Join the conversation: I’d love to hear from you!
- What are a few key things you do consistently that help you to blog smarter and save time?
- Do you use any online tools that help you as a blogger?
