5 Things I Do To Blog Productively
I've been blogging for over five years now, admittedly, on and off, but for at least four of those five years, I've been blogging pretty regularly, life allowing. So I think I've learnt a few things in that time about blogging productivity. I thought I'd share some of my wisdom with those of you who, like me, sometimes get bloggers block or don't feel motivated enough to get anything typed up. I hope you find this useful!
Re-Working Old Ideas
I often find it helpful to flick back through my blogging journal to see the ideas I had which never made it onto the screen. A lot of the time, the ideas I come up with get planned, photos are taken and the content gets written and it eventually gets published, but there are some which don't quite develop.
I find it helpful to go back to those ideas with a fresh mind and have another go at making it work. But if I go back to it and can't develop it, then the idea gets scrapped. I recommend you keep a notebook or a journal dedicated to your blog, somewhere to keep your ideas or drawings or drafts of posts for example, it really makes a difference when it coms to blogging content.
Don't Force Anything
This relates somewhat to the previous point I made. If an idea isn't working, then it's not working. You'll find the best posts flow well, you can tell they've been carefully planned out or there may have been a few drafts before making it onto the screen. But just as you can tell a well planned post, you can also tell when one has been forced out for the sake of it. If you have an idea and you've tried numerous times to make it work, then just scrap it and think of something new and fresh.
I live by the 'work once' rule. I have a book of ideas, some made it to the blog and a small amount haven't, the ones that haven't made it will still sit there in the book and I'll eventually come back to it. I'll have one more go at trying to get it published but if it doesn't work after one more attempt, I put a line through it and work on something new. It also saves you time and a lot of faffing about basically.
Plan & Make it Fun
In order to plan a good blog post, get creative with it. If you have a blog, you're more than likely a very creative and possibly visual person. Buy a scrap book and make collages, buy a notebook and colour code your ideas into categories (i.e. Beauty, Fashion, Lifestyle etc), get some plain paper and brainstorm ideas, colour code spider diagrams. Just get creative with it, don't be afraid to put a cross through ideas either, it's all about trial and error.
Ask Around
This is something that a lot of people don't often do. It's very easy for a blogger to keep things private, or to keep their cards close to their chest in terms of ideas, through fear of them getting copied for example. But it's always a good idea to bat some ideas around.
You don't even have to do this with other bloggers, you can ask your friends, your family, your partner or significant other. Ask them their opinion on it, or show them a plan you've done. They may be able to add something you haven't thought of, or suggest you change some bits and bobs. It's very important to include others, there's a huge, supportive blogging community out there, so help each other.
Put Down Your Smart Phone
It's so simple, but so important when writing blog posts. You can't be distracted really. It's not so bad when you're writing drafts or just planning something, but when you've made the decision to sit down and write up the post you've planned, it's a good idea to avoid distraction of any kind. Concentration is key, it reduces the chances of spelling errors and other small mistakes which can make all the difference to those eagle eyed followers you have. Instagram, Twitter and Facebook will all still be there when you're done ;)
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I hope you enjoyed this post and you found it somewhat useful. I will see you again very soon with a new post!
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I couldn't resist commenting. Well written!
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