Plan Ahead So You Can Have a Life
Yesterday at Freelance Writing Jobs, Jennifer Chait mentioned how she’s struggling to catch up after taking a week off from the blogosphere. One thing more traditional writers don’t quite get is how blogging never ends. We don’t write up a tidy piece, hand it over to our editors and say “Here you go. Done on deadline, call me if you need anything else.”
As soon as one blog post is complete, it’s time to plan another. If you have multiple blogs like Jennifer and I, you’re constantly blogging, networking and planning. Many of us don’t take off weekends and holidays but it’s good to know we can if we want to. Here are a few things you can do to make life a little easier when you need to take time off.
Post Ahead – Blogger doesn’t allow for this, but Wordpress does. If you know you’re going to be away from the computer for a few days, try writing a few posts ahead of time using the time stamp feature. At least one post a day will keep the traffic flowing.
Use Guest Bloggers – Not only do guest bloggers keep traffic flowing but they also add a different perspective to your topic. Your readers will appreciate learning new ideas and the guest bloggers will gain new readers for their own blogs. Guest bloggers helped me pick up the slack while I attended Blog World Expo and I’m always happy to return the favor.
Follow an Editorial Calendar – An editorial calendar won’t do your work for you while you’re away, but it will help you keep organized upon your return. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but if done properly an editorial calendar can give you fresh ideas every day.
For most of us, the next few weeks will prove challenging as we try to fulfill our blogging obligations and also spend time with our family, faith and friends during the holidays. It’s good to know we have options for the times when life takes over.
