Module 5 – Create Consistent Blogging Habits
Blogging requires consistent effort on your part to keep producing content and sharing it with your audience. In order to do this, there are certain behaviors and strategies that you should cultivate and practice.
In this module, we'll look at different strategies you can employ but one universal tip that applies to any blogger is that you have to write a great deal. The more you write, the better and faster you'll get. If you find writing arduous, it will get easier the more you do it. Dedicate time to researching, writing, and editing without worrying about the outcome. Think of it as a skill you're learning and honing.
Another universal tip is that consistency counts. Consistency is important for posting on a regular basis, but it's also important for your writing skills. If you set aside a little time each day for writing, you'll see a great deal of improvement quickly. It's a bit like exercise to train your body. Daily writing trains your brain to write.
How to Create Strong Writing Habits
Step 1 – Create a Goal
Create a goal to write a certain amount per day. For example, commit yourself to writing at least 1,000 words per day. Set a daily goal that's something you can actually achieve but don't be afraid to push yourself a bit. Whatever your goal, make sure you're consistent with it. You can also use your ideal post length and commit to a certain number of posts per week. For example, if you want to set a goal of 200 words per day, you can commit to publishing two 500-word posts per week.
Step 2 – Hold Yourself Accountable
It's not as easy as just setting a goal. You also have to keep yourself accountable. Sometimes this is hard to do by yourself. You can enlist the help of a blogging partner. The two of you discuss your goals and then check in once a week or at any pre-arranged and regular interval to see if you're both sticking to your plan. If you have a coach, they can help with this too.
Another idea is to tell your social media followers what you're doing. Post to your wall that you've set a goal and then report about it. You'll have to be accountable to everyone you know on social media.
You can also use an app or software program that helps you create habits and track progress. On example is coach.me, which has a free habit tracker.
Step 3 – Create a Process
In order to blog consistently, you need to establish a process and create a schedule. List the specific tasks you need to accomplish each week and estimate the time it will take to perform each.
Here is an example of a blogging task list:
⦁ Brainstorm topics using customer data (20 minutes)
⦁ Create titles for those topics (20 minutes)
⦁ Create headlines or sub-headlines (20 minutes)
⦁ Write introductions in inverted pyramid style (30 minutes)
⦁ Write article bodies (3 hours)
⦁ Create or find images (1 hour)
⦁ Edit and re-edit (1 hour or 30 minutes per post)
⦁ Create your social media plan to promote your posts (30 minutes)
You can create the same type of process for any related content as well, such as your lead magnet. This allows you to continue working on your blog posts while also taking on other projects at the same time.
Be careful that your process does not include non-writing tasks such as creating a marketing strategy or monitoring your efforts. All tasks should be focused solely on writing and publishing.
You may want to turn off social media and email during your writing time. It's best to create an environment with as little distraction as possible.
Step 4 – Add Your Tasks to an Online Calendar
Many people only use online calendars to keep track of meetings or appointments. But highly organized people use this valuable tool for everything. Your calendar shows you visually what you need to do day by day and week by week. It also keeps you honest. Your calendar gives you a complete snapshot of how you spend your time.
In the sample task list above, there are about 7 hours of work. These 7 hours should be distributed over the week. If you work on your blog for 1 hour per day, you might make it 2 hours on Monday and Friday because you have work Tuesday through Thursday. Or, you can split the work into a regular 1.5 hours per day. Choose according to what works best for your schedule.
Next, decide when you will work. For many people, morning is the most productive time and best time for writing. Even if you're not a morning person, you may feel freshest in the morning and this might be the optimal time to use your brain power. Also choose a blogging time when there are the least distractions; for example, before the kids come home from school. Some people prefer to blog late at night or before sunrise.
You might choose to break up your tasks into different times of day. For example, you might find that you have better brainstorming sessions at night when all your other work is done, whereas the best time for the actual writing and editing is the morning.
Other Tips to Help You Maintain Your Blogging Schedule
Plan your diet well to optimize your productivity. For example, you may find that you're most productive at your second cup of coffee. Or you may feel that you're more productive if you eat a light breakfast of just fruit and yogurt. Find out what works best for you and plan accordingly.
Choose the right length of time after waking up to get started writing. You might feel that you're best at working as soon as you wake up. On the other hand, you may feel that it's best to have a cup of coffee, watch a little TV, and do some light exercise first. Decide on how long after waking up you'll start.
When you work for any serious length of time, take short breaks to re-energize. When you take a break, physically get up from the computer. You may want to stretch or do some housework or other busy activity to clear your mind so you can refresh. You'll find it much easier to focus when you sit back down to work again, and it's also better for your body.
In addition to developing good blogging strategies, it also helps to develop good reading habits. Reading informs a person's writing. Get into the routine of reading blogs, websites, and news. Subscribe to your favorite blogs. A good way to put it all together and save time is to use an app that lets you put all of the blogs and sites you read in one place, such as Flipboard or Feedly. Schedule time to read each day to keep in touch with what's happening in your niche or industry.
You can also use tools like Evernote to keep track of your brainstorming. Whether you brainstorm on paper or maintain a list on an app or your smartphone's notes, keep your list somewhere consistent. Another trick that helps with brainstorming is to sign up for Google Alerts for keywords related to the content that you create.
Action Steps:
⦁ Use the steps outlined in this module to create a schedule of activities that you put into your calendar.
⦁ Review your reading habits and pick a tool for automating your updates so that news/blogs/content gets pushed to you automatically or is all in one place, such as Feedly. Find 15 min/day to read or scan headlines.
⦁ Identify where and how you will build an ongoing list of brainstormed ideas, such as Evernote or a simple pad of paper.
Conclusion and Next Steps
Now, you're ready to take your blogging to the mastery level with the strategies you've learned in this course.
You've learned:
⦁ How to discover and define your target reader so that you can tailor your topics, writing style, and voice for them.
⦁ Strategies for writing captivating and shareable blog posts; which includes planning, drafting, and writing the best blog posts possible.
⦁ How to share your blog posts with the world and maximize engagement to reach your target market.
⦁ Various monetization strategies to earn pocket money or a full-time living from your blogging efforts.
⦁ Tricks and techniques for effectively planning, organizing, and self-discipline.
With blogging, you need to invest a great deal of time in order to see the rewards. Remember that it can take a few years before your blog builds its readership to the extent that it can earn money. Make sure you're prepared for this time investment.
Now, take your action plan with tasks and deadlines and take the next steps.
Action Steps:
⦁ Make sure the schedule you've outlined for blogging is in your calendar of choice, and be prepared to adjust as you see what works and what doesn't
⦁ Review all the work you've done on the different Action Steps and use the provided action plan to list your priority to-do tasks right after you finish this course. Set deadlines for each.
Blogging requires consistent effort on your part to keep producing content and sharing it with your audience. In order to do this, there are certain behaviors and strategies that you should cultivate and practice.
In this module, we'll look at different strategies you can employ but one universal tip that applies to any blogger is that you have to write a great deal. The more you write, the better and faster you'll get. If you find writing arduous, it will get easier the more you do it. Dedicate time to researching, writing, and editing without worrying about the outcome. Think of it as a skill you're learning and honing.
Another universal tip is that consistency counts. Consistency is important for posting on a regular basis, but it's also important for your writing skills. If you set aside a little time each day for writing, you'll see a great deal of improvement quickly. It's a bit like exercise to train your body. Daily writing trains your brain to write.
How to Create Strong Writing Habits
Step 1 – Create a Goal
Create a goal to write a certain amount per day. For example, commit yourself to writing at least 1,000 words per day. Set a daily goal that's something you can actually achieve but don't be afraid to push yourself a bit. Whatever your goal, make sure you're consistent with it. You can also use your ideal post length and commit to a certain number of posts per week. For example, if you want to set a goal of 200 words per day, you can commit to publishing two 500-word posts per week.
Step 2 – Hold Yourself Accountable
It's not as easy as just setting a goal. You also have to keep yourself accountable. Sometimes this is hard to do by yourself. You can enlist the help of a blogging partner. The two of you discuss your goals and then check in once a week or at any pre-arranged and regular interval to see if you're both sticking to your plan. If you have a coach, they can help with this too.
Another idea is to tell your social media followers what you're doing. Post to your wall that you've set a goal and then report about it. You'll have to be accountable to everyone you know on social media.
You can also use an app or software program that helps you create habits and track progress. On example is coach.me, which has a free habit tracker.
Step 3 – Create a Process
In order to blog consistently, you need to establish a process and create a schedule. List the specific tasks you need to accomplish each week and estimate the time it will take to perform each.
Here is an example of a blogging task list:
⦁ Brainstorm topics using customer data (20 minutes)
⦁ Create titles for those topics (20 minutes)
⦁ Create headlines or sub-headlines (20 minutes)
⦁ Write introductions in inverted pyramid style (30 minutes)
⦁ Write article bodies (3 hours)
⦁ Create or find images (1 hour)
⦁ Edit and re-edit (1 hour or 30 minutes per post)
⦁ Create your social media plan to promote your posts (30 minutes)
You can create the same type of process for any related content as well, such as your lead magnet. This allows you to continue working on your blog posts while also taking on other projects at the same time.
Be careful that your process does not include non-writing tasks such as creating a marketing strategy or monitoring your efforts. All tasks should be focused solely on writing and publishing.
You may want to turn off social media and email during your writing time. It's best to create an environment with as little distraction as possible.
Step 4 – Add Your Tasks to an Online Calendar
Many people only use online calendars to keep track of meetings or appointments. But highly organized people use this valuable tool for everything. Your calendar shows you visually what you need to do day by day and week by week. It also keeps you honest. Your calendar gives you a complete snapshot of how you spend your time.
In the sample task list above, there are about 7 hours of work. These 7 hours should be distributed over the week. If you work on your blog for 1 hour per day, you might make it 2 hours on Monday and Friday because you have work Tuesday through Thursday. Or, you can split the work into a regular 1.5 hours per day. Choose according to what works best for your schedule.
Next, decide when you will work. For many people, morning is the most productive time and best time for writing. Even if you're not a morning person, you may feel freshest in the morning and this might be the optimal time to use your brain power. Also choose a blogging time when there are the least distractions; for example, before the kids come home from school. Some people prefer to blog late at night or before sunrise.
You might choose to break up your tasks into different times of day. For example, you might find that you have better brainstorming sessions at night when all your other work is done, whereas the best time for the actual writing and editing is the morning.
Other Tips to Help You Maintain Your Blogging Schedule
Plan your diet well to optimize your productivity. For example, you may find that you're most productive at your second cup of coffee. Or you may feel that you're more productive if you eat a light breakfast of just fruit and yogurt. Find out what works best for you and plan accordingly.
Choose the right length of time after waking up to get started writing. You might feel that you're best at working as soon as you wake up. On the other hand, you may feel that it's best to have a cup of coffee, watch a little TV, and do some light exercise first. Decide on how long after waking up you'll start.
When you work for any serious length of time, take short breaks to re-energize. When you take a break, physically get up from the computer. You may want to stretch or do some housework or other busy activity to clear your mind so you can refresh. You'll find it much easier to focus when you sit back down to work again, and it's also better for your body.
In addition to developing good blogging strategies, it also helps to develop good reading habits. Reading informs a person's writing. Get into the routine of reading blogs, websites, and news. Subscribe to your favorite blogs. A good way to put it all together and save time is to use an app that lets you put all of the blogs and sites you read in one place, such as Flipboard or Feedly. Schedule time to read each day to keep in touch with what's happening in your niche or industry.
You can also use tools like Evernote to keep track of your brainstorming. Whether you brainstorm on paper or maintain a list on an app or your smartphone's notes, keep your list somewhere consistent. Another trick that helps with brainstorming is to sign up for Google Alerts for keywords related to the content that you create.
Action Steps:
⦁ Use the steps outlined in this module to create a schedule of activities that you put into your calendar.
⦁ Review your reading habits and pick a tool for automating your updates so that news/blogs/content gets pushed to you automatically or is all in one place, such as Feedly. Find 15 min/day to read or scan headlines.
⦁ Identify where and how you will build an ongoing list of brainstormed ideas, such as Evernote or a simple pad of paper.
Conclusion and Next Steps
Now, you're ready to take your blogging to the mastery level with the strategies you've learned in this course.
You've learned:
⦁ How to discover and define your target reader so that you can tailor your topics, writing style, and voice for them.
⦁ Strategies for writing captivating and shareable blog posts; which includes planning, drafting, and writing the best blog posts possible.
⦁ How to share your blog posts with the world and maximize engagement to reach your target market.
⦁ Various monetization strategies to earn pocket money or a full-time living from your blogging efforts.
⦁ Tricks and techniques for effectively planning, organizing, and self-discipline.
With blogging, you need to invest a great deal of time in order to see the rewards. Remember that it can take a few years before your blog builds its readership to the extent that it can earn money. Make sure you're prepared for this time investment.
Now, take your action plan with tasks and deadlines and take the next steps.
Action Steps:
⦁ Make sure the schedule you've outlined for blogging is in your calendar of choice, and be prepared to adjust as you see what works and what doesn't
⦁ Review all the work you've done on the different Action Steps and use the provided action plan to list your priority to-do tasks right after you finish this course. Set deadlines for each.
