Even though I have been blogging for more than 2,5 years now, I am definitely not a blog expert. And that’s why I have stayed clear from any posts about blogging.

But then here I am… after 2,5 years… still blogging away… without writer’s block so far!

And that got me wondering: how is it that ‘The good, the fab and the lovely’ is still up and running while so many others that started with or after me quit blogging after only a couple of weeks or months?! Is it just pure perseverance or is it something else?

Well to be honest, perseverance is one thing, but I think the main reason to keep a blog up and running is to have a blogging schedule! I know there will be a lot of opponents, but before you all start raising your voices, hear me out 🙂

Oh, and for those who don’t have a blog, don’t click away just yet. A lot of the things mentioned below, can be put into practice in your job and in your household so please keep on reading as you might get some inspiration out of them!

What is a blogging schedule?

A blogging schedule is like a fixed ‘timetable’ on which blogposts appear on a blog.

This can relate to time: for instance a blog has 2 random posts weekly: every Monday and every Saturday.

This can relate to topics: for instance a blog has 2 posts weekly: one about beauty and one about fashion.

And of course these two can be combined: a beauty post on Monday and a fashionpost on Saturday.

Now you can take this blogging schedule as detailed as you wish. Some bloggers make a weekly or monthly schedule, others even one per season. They may not put exact topics on each and every day they will blog, but they will put ideas so that they can work on them when they’ve got the time and inspiration.

Tips and thoughts on working with a blogging schedule:

Buy (or make) a planner

I use a weekplanner/deskplanner which is so handy! I mark the dates on which I want to publish a post, I use it to take notes and to make a weekly checklist,…

Make sure to set an achievable number of posts

And the main word here is ‘achievable’… Take in mind how much time you can afford to spend on your blog weekly. Be realistic!!

Blogging is a fun way to keep yourself occupied… but it’s very time-consuming. So if you just start blogging, don’t be too over enthusiastic and publish a post every day! You’ll soon run out of content/time/energy… Perhaps you can start with a weekly post and build it up as you go.

Set a fixed moment on which you want to work on your schedule 

I usually work on my schedule on Thursday or Friday evening: I take a look at the schedule of the coming week, make a checklist of to do’s and put down notes and ideas for coming blogposts.

Then I take a look at the next couple of weeks and months and see if I can start planning posts with the content and ideas I already have.

Set a fixed moment on which you will work on your posts 

I usually work on my blogposts during the weekend (writing the posts and taking pictures). During the week I will reply to comments, check whether the date and time of my scheduled posts is correct, re-read my posts and adjust/correct where necessary, add pictures,…

Calculate time for your photographs

If you take the pictures for your blog yourself, calculate enough time to take and edit them.

 

Blogging schedule: Q&A’s

Question: ‘Doesn’t a blogging schedule make you feel restricted?’

Answer:

That can certainly be true.

When I started blogging, I had a fixed blogging schedule for 5 days a week. It felt safe as I knew what was expected from me… I knew what to deliver on which days. But after some time I felt restricted. I wanted to write about certain things that didn’t fit my schedule… so what to do?!

After some debating with myself (which must have included some wine and crisps) I decided to change my blogging schedule. Simple as that. It’s my own blog… I can change whatever I like whenever I like 🙂

So from then on I allowed myself one day of ‘free wheeling’: I don’t have a fixed topic on Tuesday and I can fill it in however I want: sometimes there’s a book review, sometimes  a ‘nostalgia’ post, a quotes post,…

And who knows that might change again in future?!

Question: ‘Having a blogging schedule surely must mean that I cannot write spontaneous posts anymore?’

Answer:

Of course, when your blog covers one specific niche, it is quite hard to write about something else. It would be a bit strange that a bookblogger suddenly starts rambling about the newest Urban Decay eyeshadow palette or something.

But when you’ve got a blog like mine, in which several topics are covered, you can be as spontaneous as you wish, even with a blogging schedule! You just got to work your schedule around your sponaneous ideas… use your creativity 🙂

Question: “What will my readers think of a fixed schedule?”

Answer:

Your readers might not even notice hat you’ve got a fixed schedule… most readers follow several blogs so I can imagine they don’t keep track of what topic features on which blog on what day.

But if they do notice, I bet they think it’s easy! Take my blog for instance: readers who are only interested in travel, know that there is usually a new travelpost every Thursday so they don’t have to bother to check my blog on other days.

Question: “Can I still take time off my blog when I have a schedule?”

Answer:

Of course you can take time off your blog!! Please do so once in while…

I would however advice you to inform your readers that you’ll be away for a couple of days/weeks. You could do so by making a personal post on why you take time off and end it with a cliffhanger to make sure they’ll come back!

A blogging schedule for ‘the good, the fab and the lovely’

I am quite structured so for me a blogging schedule is a handy tool. That’s why from day one I’ve had some sort of blogging schedule.

My current schedule:

Monday: beauty – usually the post is a review of a beauty product I have been using.

Tuesday: time for some free wheeling – I have a blogpost every Tuesday, I just don’t have a fixed topic on that day. Sometimes there’s a book review, sometimes it’s a ‘nostalgia’ post, a quotes post, another beautypost,…

Thursday: travel – I usually tell something about a place I’ve been: where I ate, where I slept, what I visited,… Sometimes it’s a post full of traveltips of some sort (e.g. about planning a trip, about packing your suitcase,…).

Saturday: fashion –  I show an outfit of the week, assembled from my own wardrobe. Sometimes there’s another fashion-related post.

Sunday: ‘the week ahead’ – this is a post in which I look forward to the blogposts of the coming week, a bit of a teaser for my readers so they know what to expect.

Why do I stick to this schedule?

To me a blogging schedule is like a safety net. I’ve got a fulltime job and a household to run, so I need this blogging schedule to make sure that the posts are up and running when they should be.

Most of the time I’ve got 20 blogposts lined up. These are blogposts that are almost ready, they just need a bit of editing here and there. Now that might sound like a lot, but remember that I blog 5 times a week and weeks do fly by…

I usually have about 30-40 drafts. My drafts usually contain some ideas and I work on them when I’ve got the inspiration and time. Sometimes they make it to my blog… sometimes they don’t!

Conclusion

Now believe it or not, all that’s written above is not exact science 😀 I don’t say that your blog will be so much better with a blogging schedule! So if you’re a blogger without a blogging schedule, good for you! Whatever works for you I guess.

But I hope that the tips above have been inspirational for you. If you want to bring a bit of structure in your work or in your blog they might be helpful.

Love, Kathleen