Author: Lisa Sicard

Does creating a blogging schedule make you feel stressed? Many entrepreneurs don’t like to have set appointments.

It takes away their freedom of time. But having a set schedule for your blog will help it succeed.

I know I’ve not liked being under the pressure to write every day until it became a habit. Once that habit is formed it becomes much easier.

According to 2021 research, it can take from 59 to 70 days to form a habit.

To Become a Better Writer, Write!

Ryan Biddulph taught me that years ago, write, and write 1,000 words every day to become better at it!

Of course, I broke that up into 300 words a day then went to 500, and finally to 1,000 words per day. It took time and patience.

But it got easier as the days and months went on.

If you are new to blogging or even if you are an experienced blogger you need to create a blogging schedule that you can stick with: a blogging schedule that won’t make you feel all stressed out.

Otherwise, you will never begin the process of blogging and it’s a common  rookie blogging mistake.

There were over 570 million blogs on the internet in 2021. As of 2023, that number is over 600 million! This number is based on activities reported by:

• WordPress
• Tumblr
• Blogger
• Wix
• Squarespace
• Medium

And this number is constantly growing. In the United States alone there are 40 million blogs.

So, you see, having a schedule to blog, will set you apart from the millions and help you track your blog to success.

Not all bloggers have a schedule as you may have noticed.

So, you see, having a schedule to blog, will set you apart from the millions and help you track your blog to success.

Yes, that’s right. A simple calendar, one that you can write on or refer to on your mobile device.

Having this calendar is more of a psychological game.

This calendar will help you to complete tasks by writing them down and having them on a calendar.

It’s like setting a goal. For example, if you set a goal to write 2x per month you want to be sure to have the time to meet that goal.

Tasks for Your Blog Schedule

Now, there are also many tasks that are needed to complete a blog post. For example:

1. Research your topic
2. Define your audience
3. Research for keywords
4. Create graphics
5. Begin the writing
6. Create a video
7. Edit the blog post
8. Hit the publish button
9. Use a tool to automate social promotion
10. Send out an email
11. Engage with others in your niche

How Much Time Does It Take Do a Blog Post?

The average blog post today takes over 4 hours.  Now, everyone is different so your blog posts may take 2 hours or 6 hours or more.

But figure in at least that to complete a blog post. If that’s a lot of time in your schedule, spend 1-2 hours per day on a post.

Breaking things up into little pieces really helps you to complete a project. Otherwise, you may never even start it!

So go back to the list above with the 9 tasks and figure how long each task will take.

You may not do a video in each blog post so you can eliminate that from some of your postings.

The average blog post today takes over 4 hours. Now, everyone is different so your blog posts may take 2 hours or 6 hours or more.Click To Tweet

Keep Your Schedule Doable

Now, you don’t want to commit to writing a blog post every day or every week, especially in the beginning.

So, keep it doable for yourself. Plan out a blog post once or twice a month.

Whatever you do, be sure to stay consistent. Consistency is one of the keys to blogging.

Look over your life schedule, other commitments, jobs, family, health, etc., and find the best amount of time you can commit to blogging.

Pick the Best Time for YOU to Write

Some people can write in the early morning and others late at night. Find your sweet spot!

However, this doesn’t matter except to you. Choose your best time to be creative and think clearly to write concisely.

Not only the time to blog consistently but the place to write your blog posts is important.

Now, find the place that suits you best for your writing. However, you may need a quiet spot or a place away from others in your home.

Increase Your Blogging Schedule

Now, after you start blogging effortlessly for a while, increase your schedule a notch.

Go from one blog post per month to 2 or from 2 to 4 blog posts per month.

Don’t let yourself get too comfortable for a while. Otherwise, there will be no growth and no gain.

Most bloggers today post weekly. But according to Orbit Media, those that post more often do get better results.

According to their study:

• High-frequency bloggers are getting better results. In fact, more than any response to any question in the survey, daily bloggers are the most likely to report “strong results”.
• Conversely, inconsistent bloggers are the least likely to report “strong results”.

Most bloggers today post weekly. But according to Orbit Media, those that post more often do get better results.Click To Tweet

Add Contributor Posts to Your Schedule

After you have your blog up and running, it’s time to consider adding contributor posts to your blog schedule.

This will both help you achieve more blog posts on your website and free up time for you improve other areas of your blogging business, such as:

• Boosting website speed
• Security
• Relationship building
• More effective monetization

And when you add other reputable bloggers as contributors, it will bring in more and new readers.

Now, beware that you must edit your contributor posts. Not all contributors will include internal links and images the way you like them.

So be sure to save yourself some time for this process too.

But in the end, it’s a win-win situation for you and the other person contributing to your blog.

Become a Contributor Elsewhere

Now that you have others writing for your site, it’s time for you to write on other blogs.

This may help generate backlinks and will increase your own audience. Without it, you are blogging alone on an empty internet.

Teamwork will help you grow faster.

However, do pick blogging sites that are in your niche and have reputable readers and consistent traffic.

You don’t want to waste your time writing for just for any site that comes along. Choose wisely!

Finally, Consider Adding Sponsored Posts to Your Blogging Schedule

Once your blog is generating traffic and is up and running well, you may want to add some sponsored posts to your blog schedule.

This will help offset your time with some money for your time. Only consider those types of posts in your niche.

You don’t want to ruin what you have built up with unrelated content.

However, once you start earning money from your blog posts you will become excited to write more.

And the more you write, the more success you will have. It’s a vicious but nice circle to be in!

 

[Editor note: If you mark posts as sponsored, links in them should be nofollowed.]

Why You Are Not Doing By Hitting the Publish Button

They say you should spend 20% of your time writing a blog post and 80% of the time promoting it! Imagine that?

You worked so hard to write the post but now you have to spend more time promoting it!

You have to get the word out about your blog post to your readers and hopefully new readers.

How to Promote Your Content

Serious bloggers have many methods for bringing visitors to their sites. They may start with building their own list to send out email newsletters.

And then they will be creating videos and scheduling social media posts.

They take time to engage, share and post using forums, niche social networks, and other blogging groups online like:

• Triberr
• Blog Engage
• BizSugar
• Viral Content Bee

With that kind of time in mind, really consider the promotion factor when you set your writing blog schedule.

For example, if your blog posts take 4 hours to write, then your promotion schedule may take up to 7.5 hours!

Research shows we should spend 20% of our time writing a blog post and 80% of our time promoting it!Click To Tweet

Can You Take a Break from Your Blogging Schedule?

Yes, you can take a break from your blogging schedule. Like anything else, it’s good to get away as it will help you get more focused and energized.

Therefore, by taking breaks you avoid the infamous blogging burnout. You could update and schedule existing content to go out again.

Or for a longer break, enlist a blogging collaborator you trust to temporarily publish on your site.

So many bloggers don’t make it past their first year due to burnout and lack of making money for their time.

Your Turn

Lastly, how are you managing your blogging schedule? Do you have any schedule or a rigid schedule?

I’d love to know more in the comment section below.

Already a great blogger? You may want to read Content Audit Success: A Step-by-Step Guide [Videos]

 

Updated 8/10/23 to add a new video