Written on June 15th, 2009 at 01:06 am by Darren Rowse
5 Ways to ‘Systemize’ your Blogging
Guest Post by Nick Thacker
If you’re anything like me, you struggle with self-discipline every now and then—especially when it comes to your business. I run two businesses, and am trying to build a successful blog. My businesses, luckily, are getting to be more and more self-sustaining every day, though they constantly need work and updating to maintain their “edge.” My blog, on the other hand, has been a terrible headache for me to grow and manage.
Until I realized it, too, was a business.
I never planned to sell anything on my blog, and may never want to. I knew that other popular businesspeople, “gurus,” and professionals had started blogging, some for pleasure and some for money. For a long time, I was under the impression that these people only found their success through hard work, determination, and a bunch of luck. I assumed that starting my own blog was going to need that luck as well.
When I began writing and blogging, however, I quickly realized that the workload and planning that my blog needed resembled the time commitment my companies required in their infant stages. Recently, I began thinking of my blog as a business, and that has made all the difference.
If you are starting a blog for any reason, it will greatly benefit you to begin viewing it not just as your own personal journal, but a living, growing business. Businesses need nurture, dedication, and planning, and one of the best ways to grow a business and “make your own luck,” is to look for ways to “systemize” it. Here are five great ways to begin systemizing your own blog to take advantage of processes, time management, and growth control:
1. Post schedule
There are already numerous articles on ProBlogger.net that discuss ways to schedule your posting frequency, but understand the importance a set schedule can have, psychologically. By writing out a physical schedule, I’ve been able to maintain a steady stream of fresh content for my own blog, and having the schedule on my desk has provided a great deal of “accountability” for me—if I miss a post day, my calendar will be there to remind me! A post calendar or schedule is also a great place to manage post topics and ideas, as is the Post Ideas WordPress widget.
2. Daily schedule
Going hand-in-hand with the first tip, planning out the time you spend in front of your computer can pay huge dividends in the long run. Before I had a plan, I would sporadically check email, write a bit, browse the web, read favorite blogs, and a plethora of other things. Now, I sit down around midnight every day (I’m a night owl) and spend 15-20 minutes checking emails. I spend about half an hour checking my RSS reader and commenting on insightful posts, and then work for about two hours on client work. For a break, I write—sometimes a blog post, sometimes just a rant. I finish up any client work, and then I spend about 1-2 hours researching and writing a post for my blog. This schedule is not perfect, but it keeps me active and ensures that whenever I’m working, I’m in “the zone” and not bouncing back and forth between numerous tasks.
3. Communication filtering
Part of promoting a blog, as you know, is reaching out to fellow bloggers and authors and becoming an active part of their communities. Commenting, posting on forums, and emailing are great ways to do this, but you can get carried away “following up” in so many different capacities that you forget to “follow through.” I used to comment on blogs and forums so often that I wouldn’t remember where I’d commented, and my efforts would go to waste. Eventually, I decided to set up a “system” for my communications to keep me in line. For example: whenever I comment on a blog or forum topic, I immediately drag the page to a bookmarks folder called “Threads.” At the beginning of my workday (night), I click “Open all in tabs” to see what changes, if any, have taken place on the sites. In addition, I always subscribe to “comment updates,” if available, to ensure that I’m contacted immediately after someone else has left a comment or post.
4. Staying in the game
I mentioned earlier the importance for my businesses to maintain their “edge,” and now my blog (about entrepreneurship in college) needs to be on top of current events and trending topics in my arena of business. Being a professional in your own industry may be enough for you to stay aware of what’s going on in your community, but if you want a little extra support, consider using services like Google Alerts and Twitter “hashtags.” Another great way to stay ahead of the curve is to become active in popular social media communities (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.). While being able to drive referral traffic to your blog, being a Web 2.0 socialite has the added benefit of letting you build these social systems into your blogging schedule (dedicate a specific amount of time to developing relationships, communities, and followers every day).
5. Building habits
My schedule is not ideal for many people, but remember—I’m not married, not (currently) taking classes, and don’t have a day job. I maintain a midnight-7am schedule for blogging because that’s when I’m able to focus without being distracted—no matter what. I may be able to work undisturbed during the day every once in a while, but by choosing a time to work that is consistent has led to my building a habit around this time. My body now knows at midnight that it’s time to focus, crack down, and produce. Habits are a great “system” to have in place because they can help force efficiency and effectiveness in everything. Get in the habit of writing at least once a day, and start building good habits around your blogging “business” as soon as possible.
The ultimate goal of systematization is not necessarily automation—though when executed deliberately and correctly, automation can be a welcome hand in your business’ operation. By systemizing your blog, you are able to begin working “on” your blog, not “in” your blog—to borrow from a popular business expression. Sure, you need to provide great, original content, but understand that there’s more to blogging than what you type (unless, of course, the blog is for your eyes only!)
Systemize whatever processes you can that will free your mind and time for “business building” tasks, and you’ll find that your writing quality will actually improve rather than suffer!
I hope I’ve started the ball rolling for you to begin examining your current habits and systems, and I hope you’ll consider working out your own “systems” for maximizing your effectiveness blogging. If you have any thoughts or advice I’ve left out—please comment to let us all know!
97 Responses to “5 Ways to ‘Systemize’ your Blogging” - Add Yours
Dan Miranda
June 15th, 2009 1:41 am
Awesome post! I’ll be sure to use these tips and strategies when applying to my own blog, Command Your Time.
Now the most useful tip – for me – is one I’m going to highlight right now:
Have a daily schedule. Once I have that daily schedule I can often get down to business and actually start working.
I suggest all of you to have that daily schedule as well!
The Bad Blogger
June 15th, 2009 1:46 am
Creating a habit and planning out ahead is good, when I started out, it seems the habit was not in me, so I always feel I had left out something, but not long ago I started to write what I need to accomplished today, and it did really force me to do.
I believe in planing ahead and writing down what’s need to accomplished as a habit to move forward to my goal everyday.
But there is one more element that’s very important, which I learn from the late Gary Halbert’s newsletter and that is “always be pro- activity”
Rahul Jadhav
June 15th, 2009 1:48 am
As of now, I am blogging as a hobby. When my blog grows I will think of organising it.
lair360
June 15th, 2009 1:53 am
That is one heck of a good article. Great write-up!
However, controlling two blog is very difficult and it can frustrate you.
So, my recommendation is to hire somebody as a staff to control your other blog.
Lair360 – Globalnews Administrator
Andy MacDonald
June 15th, 2009 1:57 am
This is such a fantastic blog post, i have always thought of my blogs as ‘businesses’ and even have a schedule, but your advice about communication filtering is a very good piece of advice, and one which i will definitely utilize in helping me run my two biggest sites, and hopefully help me promote and succeed in opening up new sites in the future.
Thanks a lot Nick!!!
Andy MacDonald
http://www.mileycyrus-online.co.uk
http://www.cherylanncole.co.uk
The Casual Observer
June 15th, 2009 1:58 am
I have the weekly schedule (different topics each day) for The Casual Observer at the top of the right column. It is intended to inform my readers, but it also serves to keep me on topic :)
Salman
June 15th, 2009 2:01 am
Hi Darren
Really awesome post.I am developing my blog with your tips and tricks.
Thanks
Regards
Salman
http://www.tips4blogging.co.cc
Jason
June 15th, 2009 2:01 am
Awesome Post! Just the motivation I needed to set my blog on autopilot and keep the content running!
agentmango
June 15th, 2009 2:07 am
I got plenty of time to blog. But I ain’t got the bucks to stay on blogging so I went on free hosted blog.
I’m gonna transfer this maybe If I can buy my own domain and hosting.
Alex
June 15th, 2009 2:07 am
I’m also not married, no kids, and love to work at night, I do like the last point since it is really about building the habit that will help systemize a lot of your work.
Bests,
Alex (GuruOfSales)
Andrew Wong
June 15th, 2009 2:10 am
Brilliant post, very useful because I am about to start my own blog.
Question: Do you think my new blog should have something to do with the current trend, which is social media and web 2.0. Just by looking at Mashable, it really motivates me to start something similar like that. Would the competition be fierce if I choose this field? (you are welcome to recommend any other blogging themes as you see fit) I wonder if there is any services online via which I could do qualitative and quantitative research about certain blog topics in terms of competition, profitability, popularity, etc.
Let me know. I have been following your threads and believe it’s definitely a useful resource for everybody. I would recommend it to everyone that I come across who needs help with blogging.
Trevor C
June 15th, 2009 2:15 am
It’s funny, I have systemised my main business for many years, it seemed the obvious way to move it forward.
I did not view my blogging activity (which has nothing to do with my main business) as something that needed to be systemised or even structured, BIG mistake.
Your post has some great ideas and has made me realise that if I am to succeed with my blog, I need to get some structure and a healthy dose of discipline into the way way I current work.
Saad Kamal
June 15th, 2009 2:21 am
Great post. well managing that ‘extra’ time is often a big issue for me. Especially for people who have a full time day job.
Ugo onah
June 15th, 2009 2:21 am
It all boils down to discipline and self organistion. There’s no way you could achieve keeping a ’schedule’, ‘habit’, and its siblings without ‘them two’. I think i need some training there.
My blog is presently parked – in the “limbo”. Am redesigning, purchasing a domain and putting all logistics in place. That’s where am begining to take my blog as a business. Nice one nick!
mike
June 15th, 2009 2:24 am
Treating it like a business is a great way to get motivated.
Hameedullah Khan
June 15th, 2009 2:27 am
Wow! what a perfect timing for this awesome post! I am just planning to start my own full time blog. Thank you very much!
Peter Shine
June 15th, 2009 2:30 am
It’s good to see some practical examples of yours for ’systemizing’ blogging. I may start developing mine from imitating what’s you’ve done, since I am also un-married, un-employed too. Thank you.
Jennifer
June 15th, 2009 2:43 am
I have done a decent job with systemizing the blog itself (have a great editorial calendar), but not so much with systemizing my life. I am a touch easily distracted and find it hard to keep to a routine.
I’d love to hear more about ways to make blogging more routine. How can you trigger the mental shift into ‘blog time’? I seem to get it done, but its from a mix of batch blogging, blogging while at my day job and late-night-get-it-done work.
Ferry Prima
June 15th, 2009 2:45 am
I dunno if i can do it or not. But i must do it aniways :) Thanks for your advice
Daniel Richard
June 15th, 2009 2:52 am
Insightful stuff Nick.That’s a very good way to run a blog that will auto publish articles on a given schedule too. Another positive thing to note is on going on vacation, the “publish later” button helps to set the post to be published on the date that you might be away, hence still sticking to the post schedule.
We Fly Spitfires
June 15th, 2009 3:06 am
Wow, you work from midnight to 7am? When do you sleep? From 7am or before midnight?
Jackie Chia
June 15th, 2009 3:22 am
THE POST IS REALLY VALUABLE FOR ME.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS.
JACKIE CHIA
Celes | EmbraceLiving.Net
June 15th, 2009 3:29 am
Great post Nick! To add on #3, I subscribe to the comments, then set up an automatic filter which filters all comment replies to a folder for comments. This is so that I don’t get flooded with comment replies in my inbox. Every now and then, I just check by the comments folder so I can follow-up on all the replies in one go. I just wrote a post on how to 9 easy tips to manage emails effectively, which readers can check out here if they are interested: http://embraceliving.net/blog/2009/06/9-easy-steps-to-effective-email-management/
DK
June 15th, 2009 3:41 am
aaah! Bingo! Step 1 and Step 2 are so so true! My mind wanders like a wind!
Its simply hard for me to do one thing at a time and not 100 other things – Well it all comes down to self discipline. I am a food blogger, so naturally, its not that hard for me to think of content per se – but to do the scheduling and planning and setting aside it on a day to day basis, – that;s what puts me in the backlog!
It all comes down to planning and setting aside time for every small activity and I hope to be able to do that:)
Julie B.
June 15th, 2009 3:51 am
Writing regular blog entries is much like fitness. If you practice regularly, it becomes easier to write. Ideas pop into your mind while you’re in shower or mowing the grass. Exercising without regularly scheduled routines usually results in dropping out, not reaching your fitness goals, and maybe even being worse off than when you started! Your blog has to have regular “fitness” too. Get your blog in shape!
Gina
June 15th, 2009 3:53 am
Coming from the other side–I am married, with three kids and plenty of other responsibilities besides blogging–keeping a system is essential. I actually don’t mind a little automation here and there to get me through the busy “real life” weeks. I wish I had more time to write, but right now I do try to squeeze in all the tasks you mention–reading, commenting, email, etc.–but it’s hard.
Dave Doolin
June 15th, 2009 4:00 am
If I have a problem, it’s that I could write 8-12 hours a day, several days a week.
This interferes with stuff like eating, paying bills, etc.
Currently, I use blocks of time where I work continuously for several days (5-10), then take some time completely off. The scheduling feature of WordPress is stupendously useful.
I’ve never in 30 years mastered a daily schedule. And I’ve tried, very, very hard. Even weekly schedules are hard. I like to work when I feel like working, no matter what day it is.
So now I play to my strengths.
Does anyone else have trouble with daily schedules?
DK: I don’t attempt to do one thing at a time anymore either. I am much more productive having several threads working. I see it as “productively managing distraction.”
Hunter
June 15th, 2009 4:05 am
Planning and actually executing is the biggest problem with my writing. Great article and tips though. It’s great to get motivated every once and a while.
jan
June 15th, 2009 4:31 am
There’s merit in having a daily schedule, but coming up with this can have a spotty effect on the direction of your blog.
A more coherent approach in my view is to develop an editorial calendar as opposed to just slotting or scheduling posts for certain days. An editorial calendar can give your blog momentum it badly needs if you want it to grow. This means you’re building upon the previous ideas you have written before. Can be a series of articles. Can be pillar posts.
How do you come up with an editorial calendar that covers a month long schedule? Use mind mapping. That will be a great help.
Of course, I have an insight on this kind of approach because – aha, I have completed Darren’s 31 Days BBB. How about that. lols.
Now, if I can only tie myself up before my desktop and really, really work on my own editorial calendar, I’d be an uber blogger. At least in two years time. Ahahaha.
But the rest of your points are great, Nick. I would love to adopt them into my blogging routine. This is great stuff. Well done.
Amy Shropshire
June 15th, 2009 4:38 am
I’m trying to explain to a client that they need to organize their blog and not just use it as a dumping ground when they decide that they have something to say. Think I might send this to them…:) Thanks!
Increase Yoru IQ
June 15th, 2009 4:51 am
I have found that consistency is major when it comes to all of my blogs. Sadly though, when I can’t seem to write any more I just kind of turn the blog static and make all of the relevant old posts easily available on the front page and just let the site sit there.
Nick Thacker
June 15th, 2009 5:47 am
@The Bad Blogger: I like your addition of ‘always be pro-activity’ – great quote, thanks!
@lair360: True, controlling two (or more) blogs can be difficult, and if you have the funding available, hiring out some staff writers can be the way to go. If you’re strapped for cash, consider finding an ‘intern’ of sorts who might be interested in working as a blogger in exchange for your expertise in your field.
Nick Thacker
June 15th, 2009 5:51 am
@Jason – I am an addict of automation (at one point I almost talked my business partner into hiring overseas ‘help’ to write posts), but be careful–automate enough to build habits, but there’s no great way to automate ‘genuine’ posts–for some reason, the “best” posts seem to have taken the longest for me to write!
@agentmango – what’s your niche? I’m setting up a blogging network soon focusing on college entrepreneurship and closely related fields…
Nick Thacker
June 15th, 2009 5:59 am
@AndrewWong – Thanks for the kind words; to answer your question: the “Web 2.0″ niche is becoming less of a “niche” and more of a way of life–pretty soon every website will be included in that description and the trend, by definition, will be replaced by the de facto style of the internet. I know there are plenty of blogs already focusing on the social media aspect (DoshDosh, this blog, and Mashable come to mind), so I know there is competition, but if you have an interest in the subject and would be able to sustain a posting frequency, I think you could certainly build a successful blog based around these ideas.
I know this sounds like a shameless sales pitch, but I wrote two ebooks that might help you out. They’re completely free on my website, and both are written around your question. Check it out and let me know if you have any more questions!
Lou
June 15th, 2009 6:15 am
This is a great article, and definitely a must-do if you seriously blog and wish to maintain readers and income.
Unfortunately, not all of us are so lucky with our time. I have a full-time day job, and I’m married. Scheduling out time seems to be the hardest thing to do for any of my non-day job endeavors, as you never know what mood the missus will be in.
For me, it seems that a productive blogging schedule and photography schedule has been completely failboated at this point, so I’m still just doing what I can when I can. But hey, these things happen.
Nick Thacker
June 15th, 2009 6:19 am
@Jennifer – Motivation is always easiest for me at the outset, when the sky’s the limit. Keeping myself motivated throughout the long haul is unbelievably difficult sometimes. Try bringing your blog with you wherever you go: Think about ways to incorporate your everyday life into something you can blog about that makes sense in your niche. There are ways to do this without forfeiting your personal life–for example: my blog is about business (specifically entrepreneurship as a college student) so whenever I’m out, I make mental notes (and sometimes not-so-mental notes!) about the businesses I patron; what they’re doing right, and what they’re doing wrong. I can bring these things back to my readers as evidence to build a post around.
The point is that I start thinking about a certain thing a business does, and I am eager to write about it as soon as I get back–I’m not much of a writer, so this helps me STAY motivated! Try it out and let me know!
@WeFlySpitfires – Haha, seriously! I usually try to schedule business meetings and such after noon, so I can sleep til then… I wouldn’t recommend my particular schedule to anyone who has a responsible 9-5 job, obviously, but it’s all about making do with what you have. I chose to get my work done when I normally would be destroying noObs in Halo 3… but I pay the price for it every Sunday morning at church!
@DaveDoolin – I understand completely. To extent though, you must realize that working for a time and taking some time off IS your schedule–especially since it works for you! I would get too used to not working to start up again, so I try to push myself to do something productive every day no matter what. Like you said though–realize what works for you (as a schedule) individually and stick to it!
@jan – Thank you for your tip–when I got started, I just needed something SUPER easy to keep me in the direction of producing content. I had no idea where I wanted to go with the blog, but I knew I wanted to talk about business. Now I think I should crack down and take it to the next level with an editorial calendar. My readership is looking up, and hopefully by offering “deeper” content streams (by following an editorial calendar), it will jump up even more.
BTW (to everyone), Darren’s 31DBBB stuff is great–I got the daily email tips and can vouch for their sincerity and merit… Check it out if you haven’t yet.
Jim Gaudet
June 15th, 2009 6:32 am
Staying organized is, for me, the most important aspect of my life. I am currently running too many projects to count and trying to be “social” can suck away all of my time.
So I create my schedule and haven’t looked back..
Good article Nick, too many people overlook this, and not just for blogs.
Nick Thacker
June 15th, 2009 6:36 am
@Jim – If I had to follow this post up with something, it would be called “Oh, yeah, and those tips aren’t just for blogs…” I’ve got the blogging thing down, now I just need to apply the scheduling and habit-building tips to all the other areas of my life!
You hit the nail on the head–thanks, Jim!
Kayla
June 15th, 2009 6:45 am
My biggest problem is my daily schedule. “I would sporadically check email, write a bit, browse the web, read favorite blogs, and a plethora of other things.” – Sounds just like me.
Thanks for this post, I’m going to take all these tips in!
Rohit
June 15th, 2009 7:00 am
This post has a lot of depth in it and it re-iterated the need of planning ahead in me which, I think I am very bad at.
Michelle
June 15th, 2009 7:01 am
To echo everyone else, this is a great post! I’ve been blogging since 2000 but until now, it has always been a personal journal for me. This post really is helping me wrap my mind around treating my blog as a business, a concept I have been having trouble with. Thanks!
Gerry Faehrmann - YourLawnAndGarden
June 15th, 2009 8:21 am
Thanks for what really are obvious tips. Blogging is just another business requiring the same disciplines as your other pursuits.
It’s good to be reminded of the basics.
José
June 15th, 2009 8:43 am
Hi,
Planning your blogging tasks and time spent is important not only because of the blog itself, but also (even probably more) to avoid that your blogging activity may get in the way of your other daily ones.
We all have read about how blogging can prevent us from doing our daily tasks and even worse, important ones.
Also blogging cannot interfere in a negative way upon quality time spent with family and friends.
Blog wisely and you won’t need to spend hours to get a quality blog.
Have a nice week,
José
needmoney.com
June 15th, 2009 9:13 am
I still don’t get the twitter hashtags.
Nick Thacker
June 15th, 2009 9:43 am
@needmoney – hashtags are a way to mark your “tweets” with a keyword that will be indexed by sites and APIs that follow Twitter. I believe (though I haven’t looked into it much) that Seth Godin and the guys over at Squidoo have built on this concept with “saveable” Twitter searches or something to that effect.
If anyone has any more information regarding hashtags, let us know!
Diana
June 15th, 2009 9:43 am
Point 4 is one I’m particularly bad about – it hadn’t even occurred to me to track with simple bookmarks. Great tip, thank you!
Nick Thacker
June 15th, 2009 9:44 am
@Jennifer – Motivation is always easiest for me at the outset, when the sky’s the limit. Keeping myself motivated throughout the long haul is unbelievably difficult sometimes. Try bringing your blog with you wherever you go: Think about ways to incorporate your everyday life into something you can blog about that makes sense in your niche. There are ways to do this without forfeiting your personal life–for example: my blog is about business (specifically entrepreneurship as a college student) so whenever I’m out, I make mental notes (and sometimes not-so-mental notes!) about the businesses I patron; what they’re doing right, and what they’re doing wrong. I can bring these things back to my readers as evidence to build a post around.
The point is that I start thinking about a certain thing a business does, and I am eager to write about it as soon as I get back–I’m not much of a writer, so this helps me STAY motivated! Try it out and let me know!
@WeFlySpitfires – Haha, seriously! I usually try to schedule business meetings and such after noon, so I can sleep til then… I wouldn’t recommend my particular schedule to anyone who has a responsible 9-5 job, obviously, but it’s all about making do with what you have. I chose to get my work done when I normally would be destroying noObs in Halo 3… but I pay the price for it every Sunday morning at church!
Nick Thacker
June 15th, 2009 9:44 am
@DaveDoolin – I understand completely. To extent though, you must realize that working for a time and taking some time off IS your schedule–especially since it works for you! I would get too used to not working to start up again, so I try to push myself to do something productive every day no matter what. Like you said though–realize what works for you (as a schedule) individually and stick to it!
@jan – Thank you for your tip–when I got started, I just needed something SUPER easy to keep me in the direction of producing content. I had no idea where I wanted to go with the blog, but I knew I wanted to talk about business. Now I think I should crack down and take it to the next level with an editorial calendar. My readership is looking up, and hopefully by offering “deeper” content streams (by following an editorial calendar), it will jump up even more.
BTW (to everyone), Darren’s 31DBBB stuff is great–I got the daily email tips and can vouch for their sincerity and merit… Check it out if you haven’t yet.
Josh
June 15th, 2009 9:59 am
I always find systems helpful, and I love the idea of thinking of your blog itself as a mini business. What a great idea!
I wrote something similar on finding a blogging schedule and sticking to it here: http://bit.ly/i9Snx Interesting we should be thinking along the same lines on the same day!
Laura Corby
June 15th, 2009 10:17 am
Excellent post. I need to not only follow this advice for my blog, which has been allowed to go by the wayside for far too long now, but also for my podcast, which is in the same shape!
@Dave Doolin I have never mastered a schedule of any kind, no matter how hard I try. It’s not possible for me to only have one thing going on at a time! Just ask my frazzled administrative assistant, who by the way, saves my life on a daily basis!
I do think if I could find at least a way to pick a broader goal such as a specific day, not necessarily a time slot, but at least a day, and do a weekly podcast and blog, I would be in great shape.
Who knows! Perhaps if I got good enough at sticking to that broad schedule, I would be able to whittle away at narrowing the parameters! Let’s not hold our breath though!
Rob
June 15th, 2009 12:30 pm
Great post! This keeps me motivated to help my blog.
Erica Stone
June 15th, 2009 12:32 pm
As a fairly new blogger, and an even newer Twitter-er (? LOL) I was reading this post and the responses, absorbing info and stopped short at the comment by @needmoney.com. I also don’t fully understand hashtags. I’ve been doing some research to better understand them and maybe this will help someone – or at least pull some additional thoughts from other readers.
Hashtags are a way to track information about a topic or subject. Think of them as tags you would use in a blog post. If you “follow” hashtags on Twitter, they will track any hashtags you use. You can then collect information about all tweets using that hashtag.
The site itself gives a great example about how a hashtag was used to keep interested parties up to date on information regarding the evacuation efforts caused by the 2007 San Diego fires.
Intuitively, I can see the value of hashtags – there’s so much information to sort through on Twitter that any method of lasering in on your key topics should be useful but that only works if the population fully adopts the concept, or at least the population with which you would want to interact. Applications like TweetBeep can help you do this without requiring a shift in user actions.
I am also on Squidoo, and, yes, there are several Twitter modules available including a hashtag module useful in tracking a debate one might launch on Twitter. The module will capture and display all the resulting tweets with the hashtag you use for your debate. Reportedly, it takes a lot of work to promote these modules.
Any other thoughts on how to use hashtags would be helpful.
Great blog, by the way. I’ve read several posts and am learning a great deal from your material. Thanks!
Wayne Lindgren
June 15th, 2009 12:48 pm
Great post-Discipline my dear Lads and Lasses Discipline!!!!
I never said most of the things I said.
Yogi Berra
Tech Slice
June 15th, 2009 1:09 pm
Schedules are easy to make, but hard to stick to. Time management is the key.
Colette Bouchez
June 15th, 2009 2:13 pm
Nick;
Somewhere between that midnight and 7 am time slot, :) maybe you can fix the links to your websites. Tried to click on
A Higher Calling Music and kept getting error page:
http://www.highercallingmedia.com/report/?id=291339120252&s=default
Sounds like an interesting site – hope you fix it!
@topherthoughts
June 15th, 2009 2:51 pm
Nick,
Great post… Its always so beneficial when topics that seem like they should be obvious disciplines are backed up with practical applications… Because sometimes they’re so obvious we forget to practice what we know. Thanks for the reminder. Its the attention to little disciplines that distinguishes the great from the good!
Nick Thacker
June 15th, 2009 3:39 pm
@Michelle – remember, most great products started out as a solution to someone’s personal problem… if your blog is a personal blog, what are your problems, and do you offer solutions? If so, you’re probably not unique (sorry!); if you can round up others who are looking for your solution as well–your blog just became a business!
@Laura – Definitely try something broader to get started! Broader, in the sense of an “easier” goal, is a good way to start building a habit. Once you regularly meet your target of one productive day a week, you can add days as you see fit. As an avid eater, I found it easier to ween myself off of one thing at a time and introduce a healthier substitute. Once I got used to the substitute, I’d pick something else–until my entire diet consists of healthy stuff I actually WANT to eat. Treat your blog/business the same way; start slow and small with habits.
@Erica – Thanks for insight–I wonder if there would ever be any benefit to starting/finding a resource that analyzes hashtag trends like Google Trends does… seems it would be a good way of seeing what Twitter is thinking about at different times of the year. May be an interesting aside for Google, or a cool website someone can build!
@TechSlice – I keep seeing the theme of time management come up, and while I do recognize the importance of managing personal time “better,” I feel that much of what I do is based around what I can see as short term, attainable goals–I wouldn’t set out to conquer the world in one night, but I could feasibly annex my neighbor’s apartment if I set my mind to it. The takeaway here is time management is a skill that must be practiced, honed, and perfected, and is not a destination, but a journey. Instead of focusing on managing your time, focus on managing what you want to get done today. One thing. Period. And then do it. Chances are you’ll soak up the great feelings of productivity and strive to do one more thing. And then another. And so on.
I actually wrote a post about that on my site, in response to something Havi Brooks wrote–it’s called “One Thing,” and it was a fun post–check it out.
And thank you ALL for the outstanding comments–this is fun!
sci-man
June 15th, 2009 3:55 pm
Thank for useful information.
Deepak @ BusinessAttitude.com
June 15th, 2009 5:53 pm
More and more people are realizing that blog is a business model and not a “make-money-easy” model. Great information!
Alex
June 15th, 2009 8:18 pm
There is 5 ways as Nick posted .
1# Post schedule
2# Daily schedule
3#Communication filtering
4#Staying in the game
5#Building habits
well done .Save it .
Girish
June 15th, 2009 9:42 pm
Totally agree with you , even I had written about scheduling
http://dotgiri.com/2009/06/15/how-to-publish-post-on-a-future-date-time-scheduling-post/
PraShawn
June 15th, 2009 9:59 pm
Great post. I think dedication is a very important word when growing a business. I think planning is a great way to keep you motivated. I have no problem with planning. I work 6 days a week on my blog for couple of hours a day. I think planning can systemize the workflow.
Raoul
June 15th, 2009 10:23 pm
Hi,
as always, an insightful post. I agree totally and the principles fit quite nicely with all sports as well – planning a season, a year, or even a few years, to peak at specific periods requires you to be systematic so that you can experience small continuous improvements (the Japanese call it Kaizen).
Thank you
Raoul
Laura Cococcia
June 15th, 2009 10:27 pm
Insightful and timely post. I’ve been struggling with this myself lately – I have a general idea of what I’ll be writing during the week, but then the week’s obligations come at me and I get distracted. And then I get tired simply because it is a lot of work – rewarding, but a lot. But you’re absolutely right – it has to be viewed as a job of sorts, even if you’re not aiming to make money from it. I love the idea of setting up a strict calendar…that will be my project for the week! Thanks for this!
Eric Cummings
June 15th, 2009 11:00 pm
To add to this post, read Getitng Things Done by David allen for more tips on systems like these.
Brick Marketing
June 15th, 2009 11:23 pm
I think the most important thing is to just stay motivated to keep writing as much as possible.
Nick O'Doherty
June 15th, 2009 11:25 pm
Good stuff Nick.
Not sure about the the physical timetable but I like the simple, pragmatic and memorable steps.
We (two of us) are just starting a blog for a new company. Any guidelines for that? We are making it clear which of us is speaking, and not attempting to change each others style. Anything else?
Jennifer Blanchard
June 16th, 2009 12:12 am
Great post, Nick!
In the last few weeks, I have begun systemizing my writing life so that I can be at my most productive when I need to be (since I have so many projects going on).
I like your idea of creating a daily “schedule” to help keep you on task. I find when I have things scheduled out, I’m a lot less likely to spend 2 hours on Facebook when I should be writing the next chapter in my novel or coming up with an editorial calendar for next month.
I’m going to try making a daily writing schedule for every day this week and see how it goes.
BloggerDaily
June 16th, 2009 12:59 am
Yeah. I started to write seriously when I accept blogging as a business. And I agree we need a systematic way of blogging to ensure that we could optimize the profit from our blog.
I’m a student and I only a little time for blogging. But I’d made a schedule for myself so I can maintain my blogs so it’ll be there for the readers.
Thanks for the list! It inspires me =)
Vikas
June 16th, 2009 1:39 am
Nice put….
Have a posting schedule can also have adverse effects.
1. if you post regularly on weekends and by chance you miss to post on some weekend it hurts your readers and keeps frustrated who have been waiting for you post.
2. Regular schedule can put you pressure to post, even when not prepared and produce not good quality content.
Its better to have posting at + or – days and keep you readers on toes and not give them any idea as when the next post will be published.
Teresa
June 16th, 2009 1:52 am
Thank you for the tips. It makes sense of course. I’ve wanted to monetize my blog for sometime but need to revamp the design and my personal habits in getting to that point. I have a cooking blog and most of my time turns to research, cooking and testing, photographing and then writing. I will take your helpful hints and try to incorporate them. Thank you.
ramaraobobby
June 16th, 2009 2:23 am
Guest Post by Nick Thacker is indeed a great post and I have to agree regarding Scheduling n all.
There are quite a lot of similarities that makes me connect with Nick Thacker like working at nights where I can disturbance free and doing what I can do the best and outsourcing the rest etc.,
Regards,
ramaraobobby
http://twitter.com/ramaraobobby
http://facebook.com/ramaraobobby
MJ Doyle
June 16th, 2009 3:36 am
I think for me, posting a schedule is critical. I get “lost” quite easily on the net and forget where I was headed. In other words, if I don’t have a daily schedule, my day isn’t very productive at all. I’m all for being organized, but also for leaving room for surprises. I guess that’s why I write an organization/personal development blog!
Jane Cavanaugh
June 16th, 2009 4:22 am
Best new thing I learned: # Communication Filtering. What a great system! Thanks for all the tips.
One more thing that’s been working for me is keep a wall of ideas–literally. I find ideas for blog posts come to me throughout my day. I jot them down on scraps of paper, then tape these to a wall in my office.
As much as I love all of my electronic devices, pen+paper+view of everything at once works best for me. I can move things around, cluster ideas, take it all in at a glance. Putting my ideas away in an electronic file usually falls into “out of sight, out of mind”.
Heather Nolte
June 16th, 2009 4:46 am
Great tips! I’ve got the classic “shiny object” syndrome…I sit down to write and 5 seconds later I see something “shiny” and my focus is shot. As much as I hate to admit it, I need more structure in my schedule. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction! ;)
Nick Thacker
June 16th, 2009 5:09 am
@deepack – IMO, “get rich quick” schemes are anything but that: they’re not going to make you rich, and they take awhile to implement (correctly) to even be able to make you some money. The closest thing I’ve found is a well-written, manicured blog that generates highly-targeted traffic.
I’m actually working on a book/video package about this, called “WordPress Success – The Definitive Guide to Making Money Blogging,” and it will cover EVERYTHING needed to set up and run a “business” from a blog. Check it out if you are interested–I’ll keep it updated on my blog when it’s going to be released.
Nick Thacker
June 16th, 2009 5:14 am
@Laura – sometimes emotions can play an important role in getting that “edge” in a blog! Use your day-to-day emotion-packed grind as fuel for your posts, and you’ll create great content. Naomi Dunford does this extremely well, as does Havi Brooks!
Nick Thacker
June 16th, 2009 5:19 am
@Nick O’Doherty – Are you talking about the Bright Beehives site? I would recommend some sort of accountability between the two of you–when I first started my blog, my business partner and I both started simultaneously to keep “one-upping” each other. The friendly competition really helped keep us motivated, and I contribute much of my blog’s success to this aspect. Find some way to introduce the same concept: “Hey, man, I’m three posts up on you this week–let’s get to it!”
Hope that helps!
P.S. – I would recommend changing your first paragraph on your Beehives site to not say “Welcome to…” like every other page that shows up on a Google SERP. Basic SEO principle–I’d like to know what you guys are all about rather than seeing “Welcome to…” first!
Nick Thacker
June 16th, 2009 5:24 am
Just a general tip (in response to some comments as well)–it really helps personal motivation and self-discipline to “build in” accountability throughout other projects. For example–I wrote a guest post here knowing that people would be visiting my site if it was published. So, in order to keep me in line, I used the guest post’s publish date (which was indefinite!) as a deadline to have EVERYTHING on my site in pristine, working order. I also wanted to offer some free downloads, so I had to make sure those were written and available (thanks to those who’ve downloaded them! I hope you enjoy ‘em!).
So if you are juggling many different things, try to figure out how they’re connected and then tie them all together to ensure you’ll get what you need done!
Also, thanks to the MANY comments here! Keep them coming!
VerbalHaze
June 16th, 2009 5:25 am
It’s hard for me to imagine ever being able to think this way about my blog, I feel like the second it becomes a system that that’s when you cross the line of it no longer being as enjoyable as it may have been at one point, but that’s just me, of course.
I have to say, I am really enjoying writing blogs now that I’ve gotten into it and I’m a pretty lazy person with certain things.
Nick Thacker
June 16th, 2009 5:31 am
@Vikas – I respectfully disagree–the point of an editorial calendar or post schedule for me is not to necessarily post something on those days, but to write something on those days (if not every day!). Sticking to a schedule should be less important than creating solid content–if you need to miss a day because you just can’t think of something to write, skip a day. Who cares?
The schedule is not for your readers, but for you. To write every day will build better writing skills–even if you don’t post what you’ve written because it sucks, you can save it as a draft (at least in WordPress, I don’t know about Blogspot…) and rework it later.
Vikas
June 16th, 2009 2:00 pm
@ Nick Thacker
Having a Schedule for yourself is the best things, you won’t get lost. but having a posting schedule is something which i think.
yes in blogspot you can save as draft.
Ganesh
June 16th, 2009 3:51 pm
A great post!!!
but…
I AM NOT ABLE TO GET – how by being active in social media would help being ahead in our niche.
What becomes famous in social media sites are that which are popular and already well known to others.
Won’t forums/books be a better option….
however, was very informative. Thanks
Nick Thacker
June 16th, 2009 6:42 pm
@Ganesh – Being active in social media *can* drive more traffic to your site and *if* you are engaged in communication with people from your niche (especially easy with site like LinkedIn), you can more easily be “on top of your game.”
Forums/books are a great way to maintain your understanding of your niche, but if your niche would benefit from brand new (and time-sensitive) information, nothing travels quicker than at the speed of social media.
nudgeme
June 17th, 2009 10:41 pm
Really useful tips for setting up a system for blogging. I’d just add that with your point 4 Staying in the Game – can be a good idea to schedule in your social networking, research, keeping up with trends work on a weekly or every other day basis rather than daily, which can in itself keep you from your posting schedule!
Hicham
June 17th, 2009 10:58 pm
This is interesting specially #4 regarding being in the game. Blogs need attention in order to keep them alive and kicking or else it will be ignored and all the time & effort implemented in will be simply wasted. Thanks Nick for this handy list.
VirtualMissFriday
June 18th, 2009 1:55 am
Very well said. It is indeed difficult to include blogging in your daily schedule esp if you have tons of other important things to do. But having a working system and adhereing to a strict work schedule helps me systemize my blogging.
Andy from Workshopshed
June 18th, 2009 2:49 am
Midnight till 7am! That sounds terrible, worse than commuting.
Edunetsys
June 18th, 2009 3:49 am
It all depends upon how you set your biological clock. But working late till wee hrs will take its toll in times to come. You better start working in day time. Or simple get married and take some responsibilities. This way you are ruining your health.
Tim Smith
June 19th, 2009 3:32 pm
What a great article! Darren, you are such an inspiration to beginning bloggers like me. I really enjoyed your article and I definitely have things to work on. Thanks again.
Nick Thacker
June 19th, 2009 3:41 pm
@nudgeme – I definitely need to schedule my Facebook time every now and then; I tend to forget I’ve got an account there!
@Andy & Edunetsys – Yeah, it’s tough sometimes, but like I said–it works for me, and that’s what I have to go off of right now. It’ll inevitably change one day, but I have to take advantage my free time now!
TheBlogISMine
June 19th, 2009 9:00 pm
Best new thing I learned: # Communication Filtering. What a great system! Thanks for all the tips.
One more thing that’s been working for me is keep a wall of ideas–literally. I find ideas for blog posts come to me throughout my day. I jot them down on scraps of paper, then tape these to a wall in my office.
Luke Turcotte
June 20th, 2009 5:00 am
Nick,
Any tips for generating fresh content on a timeline? I have no problem getting in the habit of writing everyday. However, I struggle to produce post worthy content whenever I sit down for a writing session.
Thanks! Great Post.
lataminoka
June 20th, 2009 12:25 pm
I love the article. valuable advice.. thanks
Leo
June 21st, 2009 7:13 am
Long time reader here but first time commenting on this wonderful resource site.
I myself wrote on the subject of systematizing my time and efforts in writing on my own blog Road to Priesthood.
While I can’t say they are all original ideas and have been touched upon on this and other blogging for blogger sites, my article is more of a case study in how effective the techniques given actually are. I know I’m impressed.
You can find the link here to the first part of the series:
http://roadtopriesthood.wordpress.com/2009/05/19/building-a-better-christian-blog-content-is-king/
Nick Thacker
June 22nd, 2009 4:58 pm
@Luke – Try this (it’s part brainstorming, part productivity exercise): Go to Google’s AdWords Keyword Research tool, type in a long-tail keyword that sums up your blog (two to three words), and run down the list of results. This isn’t for finding proper titles (though it can be used for that), but for finding “spin-off” topics related to niche.
Start writing immediately, without hesitation or tampering or editing, and try to at least a post about each of these keywords. You should start feeling opinionated enough about a few of these that you can immediately expand upon what you’ve already written and turn them into a full post. The other “unfinished” posts should stay in your drafts folder until you feel like you can finish them.
Start putting “ideas” down left and right, and “starting” some articles/posts, and you’ll find that your non-worthy content can be much more easily reworked and adapted to fill out some posts.
Having the “idea bucket” of unfinished drafts lets you start scheduling, as you can spend much less time researching your post when you’ve already got a topic and maybe a perspective.
Hope that helps,
Nick
Ed Hardy bags
July 22nd, 2009 10:24 pm
As of now, I am blogging as a hobby.
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