18 Tips to Become a Productive Blogger
Time offers the same value for all of us. And yet, some bloggers seem to manage cramming all kinds of activity into their life without having to justify their writing quality and amount of stuff they get done within a single day.
While most of us struggle to get it all done, these bloggers have managed to sharpen their focus and their skills to get more things done in less time.
Since we live in an ever more hectic world we tend to loose touch with out core being. It is so easy to get sidetracked with this and that and before we know it, another day has gone by and we find ourselves subjective to our own excuses in why we just couldn’t manage to finish a particular task.
I know too well on how this feels and I can honestly say to you, that it isn’t a pretty feeling. It feels like somebody just pulled the floor out underneath me and I’m falling…falling toward an abyss.
Productive behavior as a blogger is essential, if we are to make money at all. Naturally we need to focus on why we are here in the first place. And then plan from there.
I like the feeling of control at the end of each day when I know exactly that I did everything I could in order to step one more or several steps toward my intended targets.
Admittedly I don’t always feel like that. As a matter of fact I’m still learning to attain better self control in order not to waste my time. The following list will show you, what I am actively doing or what tools I am using to help me become a more productive blogger.
- Subscribe through RSS to your favorite blogs (it will save you hours)
- Focus on your own niche
- Think ahead: plan monthly, weekly and daily.
- Have a backup plan
- Concentrate on ONE income producing strategy and make money before moving onto the next. Don’t buy every ebook that hits the market, focus on one, save your money and turn your new found knowledge into income.
- Use a time and activity tracking tool.
- Check your stats and analyze what works and what doesn’t
- Write blog posts first, comment after, surf last
- Assign time slots for each task. If you feel stuck move onto the next task and go back later.
- Outsource work: this obviously only applies, once you are earning money and you simply feel that you cannot effectively use your time for tasks that you struggle with.
- Always carry a small notebook and pen: I get inspiration at the weirdest of moments, like at 1AM in the morning and if I don’t write these ideas down immediately they will be lost forever.
- If you want to make money, you will need to start each day by focusing on your income producing tasks first.
- JV with a trusted person: a JV can take some of the workload off you and since both partners focus on the same results it will help each person get more done in less time.
- Don’t get caught up in negative name calling on your own or other blogs. Unfortunately this seems to be the current scenario on some blogs and really all it serves is to stop the individual from being productive. Name calling will rarely get something achieved.
- Read personal development: this might sound strange to some as you might think “how the heck can I find time to read, when I already struggle with my time”? Trust me, it helps!
- Start small: most often we fail to accomplish things, because we are trying to do too much at once. Use building blocks to top up your productive blogging and within 1 month you can already achieve double to what you do now.
- Keep balance in your life: I’m still working on this one.
- Have fun: take fun out of the equation and you might as well pack your bags!
Please understand that things don’t just improve overnight. Implement what works for you and see, where this will take you.
Hopefully to a more productive blogging experience.
Enjoy
Monika
Technorati Tags: productivity , getting more done , effective blogging.blogging
About the Author: I'm a passionate freelance writer and problogger. To further build my business I'm also in the process of building my own niche empire which pays me residual income.
Court | Nov 14, 2007 | Reply
Monika this post is spectacular! As more and more time passes I realize how inefficient I am. Thanks for some good advice.
Terry Didcott | Nov 15, 2007 | Reply
Hey Monika, stop making me feel so inefficient and unproductive!
Ok, maybe not unproductive – it just happens I produce an awful lot, just very inefficiently
Great post to get the motivational juices flowing… now where’d I leave that pesky time and somethingorother activiteee tooool? …Hehe
Terry
Monika | Nov 15, 2007 | Reply
Court: Happy to have you inspired, obviously it happens to all of us.
Terry: LOL, hey, as long as things get done who cares. You are moving ahead and that’s all that matters.
moneytalks | Nov 16, 2007 | Reply
nice post Monika. thanks for tips. blogging is not my thing yet. still need to improve on my writing too. still not satisfy with my english writing. need to write more smoothly. hopefully could find someone later on who can teach me write better or advise how can i improve my writing. maybe if i comment on blogs regularly everyday i could improve. hope it does.
Steven | Nov 16, 2007 | Reply
Excellent post! I am always looking for ways to be more productive and focus on what really helps develop my blog. I will definitely implement some of these tips. Thanks!
Mark Dykeman | Nov 16, 2007 | Reply
good ideas! planning one’s time wisely does seem to be pretty darned important.
Monika | Nov 17, 2007 | Reply
moneytalks: the best way to get better at writing is to practice everyday. So yes, commenting does help, but you also need to write articles or blog posts. This would be a good reason to start a blog.
Steven: that’s really great! I’m happy that these tips help you in some ways.
Mark: I agree, by being organized and having more time, we also get to have more fun.:-)
YC | Nov 18, 2007 | Reply
Solid post Monika. Shows how important planning is in the grand scale of things – I think it is still a concept not taken up by most when they wish to make money online but in reality are not able to treat it as more than just a passing fancy. I have seen how crucial it is currently having had to spend much time on personal issues while not having much time left each day for business – gotta squeeze every last second of time to make it productive.
Monika | Nov 19, 2007 | Reply
YC: yep, you are right. It is easy to get side tracked and we need to apply quite a bit of focus to keep doing what’s most important first = income producing work.
moneytalks | Nov 23, 2007 | Reply
Monika, ya i a agree i need to write more. i need to be better in my writing and typing too. long way to go but one step at a time. i would love to blog but don’t think have the time yet because still need a lot time in getting my sites work. i got three niches site that i really enjoy doing but at the moment doing some design change on my sites for better management and testing purposes. maybe if you have some free time you could write a post about tips on improving writing not blogging. just a thought.
Lyman from Creating a Better Life | Nov 27, 2007 | Reply
Excellent tips! #8 is my personal favorite (and one that I struggle with.) Usually if I’m surfing or commenting first, I’ll tell myself that I’m doing it for “inspiration”. But I know from experience that the best way to be inspired to write is to start writing.
Tejvan Pettinger | Nov 28, 2007 | Reply
Great list. Also, I find the more you blog, the more efficient you can become. You learn as you go along.
Good blog btw
Tejvan
Sheila @ GoVIsitHawaii | Nov 28, 2007 | Reply
Hi Monika. I’m visiting from the Litemind Writing Project. Very nice article! Point number 8 really resonated with me. I definitely need to put that into regular practice. Thanks.
Monika | Nov 29, 2007 | Reply
moneytalks: I wrote a post for you the other day, hope it will help you on your endeavors.
Lyman: I know exactly what you mean and you are correct. Sometimes when I’m stuck for an idea I read a book or a magazine and I get inspired most often with an idea flash.
I found that reading my RSS feeds provided the opposite effect due to information overload.
Tejvan: thank you for the nice comment. I agree with the practice makes perfect statement. After all everything does become easier with practice and our ability becomes more refined.
Sheila: cool, I have yet to visit and read all the entries. I’m currently busy counting votes for my own draw tomorrow.
Thanks to all of you for visiting and taking the time to comment.
Neena | Nov 30, 2007 | Reply
Monika,
Excellent post and good points. You’ve got my vote for the Litemind Group Writing Project.
Lawrence Cheok | A Long Long Road | Dec 1, 2007 | Reply
Hi Monika,
Tips for these tips about blogging. Especially 15 and 17. Personal development principles have kept me on the endeavor so far.
As my blog is about balance and personal development, I have to practice what I preach. If you follow my link, there’s should be some useful references for you. Hope that it helps you too
Monika | Dec 2, 2007 | Reply
Neena: cool 1 vote, thank you very much I appreciate your thumbs up.
Lawrence: I’ve bookmarked your blog for weekend reading. Looking forward to it.
Dr.Mani | Dec 3, 2007 | Reply
Excellent list, Monika. One of the 3 I’ve picked for the contest
All success
Dr.Mani
holli jo | Dec 3, 2007 | Reply
Thanks for these tips! I enjoyed reading them.
Monika | Dec 3, 2007 | Reply
Dr. Mani: hey cool, I appreciate that. Great to see you again.
Holli Jo: you are welcome and thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. I just finished my votes after 3 hours of reading and stumbling.