Tag Archives: Scheduling

How to write a quick, in-depth blog post even when you don’t have time

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Writing a blog post when in a rush

If you are publishing a business blog one of the greatest hurdles you’re going to come across is publishing blog posts regularly, on an ongoing basis. Otherwise your blog, no matter how well-written, well-maintained it is, is going to lose steam. People will lose interest. Since they will not be aware of your publishing schedule their visits to your blog will be erratic at the best. In order to draw people on a regular basis, you need to publish blog posts regularly and there needs to be a set pattern. But as a busy entrepreneur how do you manage that?

Of course, being a professional content writer my advice would be to hire yourself someone like yours truly, but if you don’t want to do that and you would rather write on your own, here is how you can manage to produce in-depth blog posts on a regular basis even if you are running short of time.

  • Maintain an ideas file: If you know what you want to write, you can write it quickly. A big problem is when you have time, you don’t know what to write. This problem can be solved if you have an ideas file or a section where you can store your ideas. I use Evernote for that. Whenever I get a new idea that will require lots of research, I create a new note and then as I come across various bits of information while surfing the net, I keep copy/pasting that information in that particular note so that by the time I get down to actually writing the blog post, I have everything ready.
  • Create an outline: You don’t necessarily have to complete a blog post in one go. Remember your purpose is not to complete and somehow publish the blog post in a couple of hours, your purpose is writing and publishing quality content on your business blog. Don’t compromise on that, so don’t be in a hurry. Even if you have time to jot down just a single line, do that and then stop worrying about the blog post. You may initially feel that you aren’t doing much, but when you are maintaining multiple blogging ideas you will very soon come across a situation when you have lots of material at hand on an ongoing basis.
  • Use a mind mapping tool:
    These days I find myself using Free Mind quite often. It is a Java-based mind mapping tool. Mind mapping tools are a great way to organise complex ideas. If you’re not used to the interface you may find it off-putting initially but once you get used to it, it will be an invaluable productivity tool in your kitty.
  • Install a blogging app on your mobile phone:
    You may get an idea while travelling and unless you have some system to quickly store it, it may be lost for ever. I have the WordPress app installed on my mobile phone and whenever I need to collect my thoughts on a blog I create the entry and save it as a draft. Then, as and when I come across ideas and information, I just use my phone to update the draft. Finally, when I sit in front of my computer I give the finishing touches to the draft and then publish the blog post.
  • Don’t get bogged down by the size of the blog post: Although here I’m talking about writing in-depth blog posts you don’t need to begin every blog post with the same purpose. Just focus on the single sentence and you will be amazed how the floodgates to new ideas are suddenly opened. Even if that doesn’t happen, there is no problem with posting just a single paragraph if you think you are running behind your blogging schedule. Later on you can always update a blog post that you have already published – there is no rule against that.
  • Crowd source your content:
    You can create a simple blog post and then ask your visitors to drop in ideas in the comments section on how a particular blog post can be improved. You can also seek opinion on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

The importance of rewriting your schedule everyday

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scheduling

Do you simply move your scheduled items to a new time or a new day when they are not accomplished on the scheduled day? I will explain what I’m trying to get at.

I have been trying many to-do apps as well as calendar applications to organize my daily tasks. Since I’m self-employed, having a clear direction of what I need to do is very important. Also since I work alone, I don’t feel motivated every day. So when you don’t feel motivated, and you still need to work, instead of fumbling around, if you have a schedule that you have already drawn, you can simply start working on the tasks rather than thinking what to do, or whether to work or not. You cannot realize the importance of this activity unless you try it yourself.

These days I use Google calendar. I create a tasks schedule, preferably the previous day, so that when the next morning I start my work, by just looking at the calendar entries of that day, I can start my work.

What if I cannot accomplish all the tasks (if you are wondering how I mark completed tasks in Google calendar, I simply append a smiley to the task text)? Do I simply drag-and-drop them under the new day or change their day settings? No, I leave them as they are, and instead, I’ll rewrite the task under the new date.

What difference does it make?

When you simply drag-and-drop tasks from older dates to newer dates, you may do it unconsciously without putting much thought into it, and the more you do it, the more irrelevant the task may seem. Instead, when you rewrite that task, you know that it’s important and that’s why you’re taking all that trouble to rewrite it. When you’re writing the task again, and again, it begins to nag you and the desire to complete it is heightened.

I was doing this unconsciously.

Inspired by the way I use the Google calendar to maintain my tasks list, my wife also decided to create her own schedule and also a schedule for our daughter. She isn’t much excited about using Android apps or even Google calendar. She purchased a small whiteboard. She made a list of things she needed to do on a particular day and she also made our daughter create her own list.

The first day they both were quite excited and made sure that all the items in the schedule were ticked off. The second day, well they created the list but the initial enthusiasm had worn off. By the third day, the whiteboard was lying on the floor somewhere in the corner and they had forgotten about it.

It’s not that my wife doesn’t want to do all the things she has listed on the whiteboard. It’s just that there is no active connection. When you are not able to tick off the tasks in the list, don’t simply assume that oh well, the tasks can be automatically transferred to the next day. This way you create a disconnect. There is no sense of attachment. There needs to be a constant communication between you and the task schedule you have created. It’s understandable that sometimes you cannot complete all the tasks. Don’t simply move them to the next day by leaving them as they are (when you’re using the whiteboard, for instance) or dragging and dropping them under the new date (when you’re using something like the Google calendar). If you are using a whiteboard, wipe it clean and ride the list again. If you’re using a digital tool, leave the items in the state of incomplete and rewrite them again for the next day. You will experience a marked improvement.