Life is busy. It seems I never have enough hours in the day to do everything that I want, and at times I can feel overwhelmed with the amount of things on my to do list. Which is why I thought this post might be helpful to others.
Let me begin by saying that I have no way mastered the art of getting everything done within the limited 24 hour time period. Even though my to do list might be longer than my Mulberry wishlist, it seems I’m never too busy to procrastinate. And that readers, is my biggest enemy. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve gone to bed and planned how I’m going to get up early and complete half my to do list by 11am, only to ignore my alarm clock and spend half the morning on my phone reading the Daily Mail or checking Twitter. It’s so frustrating, but I’m trying to be more organised this year and here are some of my tips on getting organised:
Make a schedule
One of the ways I try and be more organised is to stick to a schedule, especially for blogging. I write down all my post ideas in my notebook, then write in my diary when these will come out. This just makes it easier for me to see what posts are coming up and when, so I don’t overlap by posting eight nail posts over two weeks. I know some people use online calendars but I just love writing it down and having it in front of me to look at. I know I won’t be able to post every day whilst I’m working full time, so I don’t try to. That would be too overwhelming. Instead, I try and be realistic. For me five times a week is what I aim for. Sometimes I post more, sometimes I post less. But I always try and aim for five a week.
Staying organised helps me stay motivated
Having my posts scheduled in my diary and my notebook full of blog ideas helps to keep me motivated. I normally take the majority of my photos at the weekend, which means that come Friday night, I’m armed with a list of photographs that I want to take, and as I have the schedule written down, the amount of work motivates me. Often when I’m in the mood to blog, then I’m really in the mood to blog and can easily spend a whole day taking photos and writing reviews and can end up with 10 new posts at the end of the day. So when you’re in one of those moods, take advantage of it.
Use your spare time productively
I know what you’re thinking, that’s easier said than done. And it is, but what works for me is making use of empty time, so when I’m on my commute, or when I’m cooking dinner. Even if you spend the time writing down post ideas or planning how you’re going to photograph a product, it’s time well spent on your blog.
Crowd source inspiration
We’ve all been there. You’re in the mood to blog and sat down with the laptop and not been able to think of anything to blog about. No new products to review or outfit posts to write about. And it’s tough trying to grab inspiration out of thin air, so ask your followers what they’d like to see. Either through Twitter, or through a blog post. You’ll be surprised at what great ideas they’ll have and after all you blog for them so who better to ask what to blog about.
If you’re not in the mood to blog, then don’t
Blogging is meant to be a passion and if you’re not in the mood to review a product, or rave about a new pair of shoes then it will show in your posts, and that’s not fair on your readers. Instead, have a night off. For me spending time away from the blog, normally pushes me back into blogging because I miss it too much.
I hope this helps you all get organised and stay motivated. Let me know what you think and please share any of your tips.