Sunday, 26 February 2017

Blog Planning & Organisation Tips



Two of the most frequent questions I am asked on a daily basis are; what do you do as a blogger? and how do I plan my blog posts three months in advance? So I wanted to make a blog post explaining my top tips for blog planning and organisation. I really hope some of these tips are helpful to some of you who are bloggers or who are thinking of becoming bloggers.


 - Get a blog planner // life planner.

I started a bullet journal in June 2016 and I have never looked back. I can't believe how helpful it has been to me! I really recommend everyone at least trying one; blogger or not. I list everything and anything in my journal; my blog check-list, my social media check-list, personal appointments, blog events and meetings, twitter chats, etc. It really has helped me out so much to keep a track of everything and to see everything out in front of me each morning on paper makes my life a whole lot easier. 

 - Get yourself a monthly-view year calendar.

This is the best tip I could ever share with you! I've put in a picture of this months blog posts but I've left out days which haven't happened yet as I don't want to show you upcoming blog posts and spoil them all but as you can see, I write my blog post idea on a post-it note and put it in the free day I have next, then whenever I am contacted by a brand who wants to work with me I can just move the post-it notes about through-out the month to what works best for my blog and myself, and of course the brand. My calendar is filled up until March so I know what blog post is going up on what day and it's so easy and cheap to do. 

 - Use a notebook for ideas.

I love notebooks and notepads, I must have about one hundred of them. Write lists and tick them off once done, write blog post idea's, doodle, but most importantly take your notepad everywhere with you! You never know when you're going to get an idea for a blog post. 

 - Blog somewhere you won't get distracted.

Don't blog when surrounded by friends who aren't bloggers, or whilst you're watching your favourite TV show, or whilst you're cooking etc as you won't get the blog post done because you'll get too distracted by what's going on around you. Dedicate some time away from 'the world' and write your blog posts then, even an hour a day makes a big difference. 

 - Keep yourself a routine.

Whether you're blogging full-time or part-time, getting yourself into a daily routine is a must. Set days/times aside when you're going to blog; day time, night time, weekends. I personally blog Monday - Thursday from 10am until usually around 5pm most days - but sometimes gone midnight depending on what I'm writing about. Bare in mind I am a full-time blogger, if you're part time then dedicate a full weekend where you just focus on your blog, from 10am until 5pm each day. Keep a routine and stick to your routine! If you don't keep to a routine then you'll end up seeing blogging more as a chore than a fun hobby. 

 - Set days and times when you're going to upload.

For example; Last year I uploaded every Tuesday and Saturday at 12noon GMT time. I have swapped that up a little for the new year and I now upload every Wednesday and Sunday at 12noon GMT time, although I do throw in the odd Friday blog post. Knowing set days and times your blog post will be going live for the world to read is really important information for you to remember as I've found a lot of bigger brands ask about this when working with them. 

 - Prepare your posts and schedule them.

Once you've got yourself some blog posts together don't upload one every single day, schedule them with a couple of days so you can promo them on different social media websites which will get more views as more people will be interested in them. 

 - Schedule your social media promos.

Following the above tip, schedule your social media websites too with promo. I personally use Hootesuite for this as I think it's an awesome social media scheduling platform but there are others out there you can use if you don't like Hootesuite. 

 - Create regular features.

Creative features which you love and which you get your most feedback from. For example: On the 1st of each month I upload a Monthly Favourites' blog post, I also do regular features like "Our Day Out" where Phil and myself go and explore a wonderful new place. 

 - Self care is important.

Taking time for yourself is so very important. If you're having a full day of blogging then make sure you take a break now and again; go make a drink and have a snack, sit outside to get some fresh air, call a friend, go for a wall, etc. Just take some time away from electronics for a little bit and you'll feel so much better for it and re-charged when you come back to finishing your blogging. 

How do you plan your blog posts? Any tips you can share with me?

With love, Alisha Valerie. x

22 comments:

  1. This is a great post with great tips hun! I having a planner really does make so much difference doesn't it, I find writing things down on paper makes things so much easier then having things saved on my phone :)

    Thanks for sharing!

    Lxoxo
    www.lovelibby.co.uk

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    1. Yes! I agree so much babe, it's so much easier to keep track of everything too! Thanks for your comment. πŸŒΈπŸ’—

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  2. These tips are great! It's so important to try and plan ahead and schedule posts! Self care is a massive thing for me, it's so easy to forget sometimes.

    xxxx

    www.beauteagenes.com

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    1. Thanks for your comment lovely. I agree self care can be so easy to forget. πŸŒΈπŸ’—

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  3. Extremely helpful post! I deff need to get like you in the planning department!

    Shawn Bethea
    Blogger | IBD Advocate
    Web: MoreSpoons.com
    Twitter | Instagram: @ShawnBethea_

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  4. Such a good post with such great tips xxxx

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    1. Thank you for your comment Tasha πŸŒΈπŸ’œ✨

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  5. I definitely think that being organised is the key to a successful blog! Great tips Alisha!

    Sian x
    http://theenglisheverygirl.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Thank you for your comment Sian, hope it helps you out! πŸŒΈπŸ’œ✨

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  6. Great tips, I'm awful at scheduling social media promos, some weeks I do it and some weeks I don't at all! I do have a schedule thought and I'm generally planned about two weeks in advance so not quite as organised as you!
    Amy xx
    www.callmeamy.co.uk

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    1. I'm sure you can be more organised if you put your mind to it beautiful. Hope my tips help you out a little. Thank you for your comment πŸŒΈπŸ’œ✨

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  7. Fab tips, Alisha! I always set aside one day a week for blogging, scheduling tweets, taking photos etc. etc. Sometimes life gets in the way and I don't manage it, but I always plan in advance so if I miss a week, it's not a disaster! A blog/life planner is definitely an essential!


    Abbey 😘 www.abbeylouisarose.co.uk

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    1. I couldn't agree more with you Abbey. I think what works for you best is the way to go ^_^ Thank you for your comment πŸŒΈπŸ’œ✨

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  8. These are really good tips!
    I find that planning post is the best thing for me. I usually take pictures in one day for the whole week. Sundays are spent editing.

    Tania || www.taniaalexandraribeiro.com
    xx

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    1. I really hope my tips help you babe. Thank you for your comment πŸŒΈπŸ’œ✨

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  9. This is such a handy post! Thanks for sharing, need to get back to blogger, very hard when I can't sit on my bum haha. xxxxxxx

    lucylovesbeautyxo.com

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    1. Hope you get back to blogging soon lovely. Thank you for your comment πŸŒΈπŸ’œ✨

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  10. Fantastic tips! I love having my notebooks to write down my outlines of blogposts. I really need to get into using my planner and yearly planner now. Thank you for encouraging me to 😊

    Steph xx

    Steph’s World | Lifestyle Blog | www.stephsworld.com

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    1. So happy to hear that I encouraged you lovely, that means a lot to me. Thank you for your comment πŸŒΈπŸ’œ✨

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  11. Loved this post! I have LOVED scheduling my posts it makes me feel on top of things, great tips!! Also, I found this on twitter!

    love,
    Sisters Daily

    sisters daily.com

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    1. I really hope that it helps you some Tiffany! Thank you so much for your lovely comment πŸŒΈπŸ’œ✨

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