9 Blog Tips to Stop you Feeling Overwhelmed

Are you feeling overwhelmed with blogging and need help to get those blog posts published and out the door? Then maybe you need to build a blogging schedule, which will take out the stress of hitting that publish button.

You see it’s quite normal to fear putting your thoughts out there on the Internet, where hundreds and thousands of people will see it and will judge you, for your ideas, grammar and spelling mistakes. We all fear it, but in reality when you start off on your blogging journey, you are unlikely to have any traffic and it’ll be just you and the crickets. So why fear this?

It’s probably because you are looking too far into the future, and you need to reel it back in and focus on the now.

And right now you need to get your blog posts out the door, so you can begin to share with the world, all the wonderful things you are passionate about.

We are waiting for what you have to say…

As a fellow blogger, I recommend building, a bag of blog tips and tricks, you can use when you have those moments of need, and want to just get moving again. Here are 9 blog planning tips to throw into your bag of tricks.

Failing to Plan, Is Planning to Fail – Benjamin Fanklin

1. Be your own blog content generator

Being unique is a gift that we each have, and your audience is searching for something unique from you. This might not seem like an obvious planning tip, but without ideas you have nothing to plan. You can be your own blog content generator by developing your idea muscle.

Each day spend just a minute, brainstorming a particular topic you’re interested in blogging about. A brainstorm session is meant to be an unfiltered brain dump, so there are no wrong answers. Just write down everything that comes to mind, or better still do a voice recording as your writing could slow you down.

Brainstorming each day will help you develop your idea muscle and to overcome writers block, plus help you to uncover some great blog post ideas.

2. Take more notes

Now with a well developed idea muscle, you’ll want to take advantage of these moments of brilliance, so keep a notebook handy, ready to jot down any blog post ideas that come to you through the day. You have less than 10 seconds before that brilliant thought is replaced by another and is lost forever, so make sure you write it down.

Remember, you are a writer now, and instead of letting ideas flow through you, grab them and turn then into tangible posts.

Did you know that song writers leave notebooks everywhere so they can capture those lyrics, when it flows through them? Songs are usually created just one line at a time.

3. Create a blogging editorial calendar

Ok, it’s a bit of a fancy name, but publishing companies use a Editorial Calendar to get everyone on the same page, and to remove any nasty deadline surprises. Writer’s know what to write and the salespeople know what related advertising they should start sourcing, months before the article.

Similarly your blog could benefit from a schedule of blog posts so you know what deadline you need to meet. Let’s say you want to blog on various events, later in the year. A blog schedule or calendar could be used to remind you to start blogging several weeks leading up to the event.

Getting your schedule down on paper, frees up your mind to concentrate about the more important things, like your writing.

4. Prepare your posts in advance

Are you always trying to squeeze that blog post out, moments before your virtual deadline? If this is you, then you need a backup plan. Try creating a few weeks worth of extra blog posts that are ready to publish at a moments notice. This is a big stress reliever, because you’ll know you always have something ready to publish even if something important takes you away from your blog.

A blog series is always a great way to create a backlog of blog posts, because it’s easier to expand on the same topic over a number of posts and the audience won’t expect long posts each time. This is an easy way to build up a backlog of 5-10 posts for your scheduling pipeline.

5. How often should I update my blog

Blogging frequency is really your choice, but what’s more important is the consistency. If you commit to 3 blog posts a week then, you need to deliver 3 blog posts a week. Think of it like a TV series, and then imagine how frustrating it is, if you get the shows aired on random days of the week, or not even at all.

Once you work out your work schedule then stick to it.

6. Publish your best posts on your busiest days

It’s hard to pump out great content everyday, so it’s likely you’ll have a few ‘Side B’ posts that are great but not EPIC. Keep those EPIC posts back for the days of the week when you get the most traffic. You can use Google Analytics to give you an idea of what days you ‘rock’ and it even allows you drill down and find out the time of day your readers are tuning in. This is the time to post the really good stuff.

7. Schedule your Social Media

Until search engines like Google and Bing start sending you free organic traffic, you may need to generate a bit of interest on other channels. Social media is great for generating a lot of interest in your blog. The best way to create regular social content and drive interest is by scheduling your social media.

Hootsuite is quite a popular social media planner, but if you want to get more engaged with your audience then I recommend Post Planner as it shows you exactly what content and images are going viral in Facebook and Twitter, right now.

Knowing what people find remarkable, helps you to craft your own viral social media messages.

8. Take time out to recharge

Creating a planning schedule for your blog, isn’t always about freeing up your time, so you can start on a new project. It’s also about freeing up your time so you can, grab a coffee, recharge and prepare yourself for that next push.

Be sure to take time out from blogging as it’ll keep those creative juices flowing and will help you to feel less overwhelmed with blogging.

9. Be realistic with yourself

Remember we are only human, and blogging is meant to be enjoyable, so be realistic with your expectations. Initially just start with posting on a few days a week and slowly build up over time. A good rule of thumb is to work out how many days you’ll commit to blogging and then halve that to work out how many blog posts you’ll publish each week.

For instance, if you can commit to 1hr x 4 days, then days 1 and 3 are when you write the posts and days 2 and 4 are used to edit and publish the posts.

If you know someone who is feeling a little overwhelmed with their blogging journey then please share this with them. It might just help them to find some clarity and to know they aren’t alone.

And if you need a help with filling your bag of Blogging Tips and Tricks then be sure to subscribe to my email list, as I’ll send through some helpful tips each week.