I'm often asked how I organize my blogging time.
Well, let me first say I have had a terrible time figuring out a good blogging rhythm, but this dead simple approach seems to be the ticket. I hope it might be helpful to you.
First, if you've read Tell Your Time, you know I'm all about quick and easy-to-implement time management strategies. Basically, this is my "Envelopes of Time" principle and my "Roles & Goals" applied to blogging.
Step One: Determine What Needs to be Done
As I see it, when it comes to blogging there are 4 main things to be done (like Roles):
- Create – This is the regular content I'm creating for my blog whether it be posts, videos, guest posts, etc.
- Engage – This entails all the interaction I'm doing with others such as responding to comments, answering emails, interacting on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Skype, etc.).
- Read – I try to keep up on blogs in my niche or read about topics that I might post about myself.
- Projects – These are special projects that are not included in my regular content. Ebooks, coaching, freelancing jobs, blog tweaks, etc. are included here.
Step Two: Determine How Much Time You Have to Blog
How much time in the day do you have allotted for working on your blog (and related activities)? One hour? Two hours? Eight hours?
Step Three: Divide
This is not hard. To start, simply divide the time allotted by number of tasks. So, if I have 2 hours allotted and I have 4 tasks, I have 30 minutes to devote to each task.
Step Four: Tweak
Depending on your blog, it's likely you won't spend exactly the same amount of time on each type of task so adjust as necessary. Just make sure the amount of time you're spending in total doesn't exceed your time allotted.
And remember, you can only do what you can do.
See? Easy peasy. In theory anyway. 
Photo by Chovee.
I'm a new blogger and while I'm passionate about my blog, I can see that I need to work on making my time investment a little more manageable. Last night I even DREAMED about my blog (though maybe it was a nightmare because I dreamed something wasn't working quite right! LOL!) I've just read 'Tell Your Time' and love the 'envelopes of time' concept. The bottom line is that we only have so much time for blogging or anything else–and we can't sacrifice our other goals, responsibilities and dreams for just one thing. Thanks for giving me a nice post to wake up to this morning!
I dream about my blog too Cheryl, haha. Nice break down of the four critical parts Amy, that is help to me as a set the boundaries for the behind the scene time I do for my blog. Letting go of perfectionism is not easy!
It's a constant battle for me to—remembering that I can only do what I can do.
Ladies I am in the same boat! I wake up in the middle of the night with my brain on overdrive thinking about what I can do for the latest post!
Thanks for the awesome advice Amy!
Love this post! As my blog as grown, I've struggled with this so much! Such a logical approach- why didn't I think of that?!
Thanks Amy!
Thanks for these great tips, Amy! You break it down so well. The girls (7 of us) in my mastermind group have recently been discussing blogging "growing pains." It seems like there is so much to do and so little time (we all have young, young kids at home). I tend to spend the most on step #1. I mostly just use FB for social media.
This is just one of my New Years resolutions for this year, so your article was particularly timely for me. I love the approach you've laid out…..I hadn't thought of it exactly this way. My idea was to dedicate certain days to certain tasks, because to expound on my resolution(s), I need to balance my time overall so I can fit in ALL of my hobbies. Thanks for sharing!
I love the way you divided what needs to be done. That simplifies decisions so much!
I want to write reviews, blog, homeschool, get stronger, get my house under control, and more…but my default is blogging because It. Is. Just. So. Peaceful.
Now I'll be able to manage that part of my time much better. And, yes, thanks for writing Tell Your Time. It is very helpful. (http://anniekateshomeschoolreviews.com/2011/01/review-tell-your-time/)
Annie Kate
I did something like this recently. I made a list of all possible blog activiites, and sorted them in categories of priority. I shouldn't move onto the "should do" tasks until the "must do" ones are completed.
It's helping me stay focused and make better use of my time!
@Kacie,
Great advice. Just like Amy says in Tell Your Time (fixed/non-negotiable/negotiable/wasters).
Just the order you have here is so fabulous. If I don't create first, then I get so stuck in engaging I never get back to the creating! Do you force yourself to do it in this order, or is this just the order you wrote it in?
I'm trying to do each task at the same time during the day to take advantage of my productivity peaks.
That is so true! A real turning point for me was when I put the creating new content at the top of the list! Nothing else matters to your blog if you don't have new, engaging, and really good content for your readers.
Thx for the great tips.!
I just found you today through MoneySavingMom and wish I would have found you sooner.
Thanks for all the great tips!!
You're welcome. Glad you stopped by, Michele!
I've been spending a lot of mental energy thinking about how to divide my time. Looking at this, I've realized that's just become another way I procrastinate.
I need to just divide my hours into categories as you suggest and go for it.
Thanks for the push.
I also love the projects category. Again, this is a huge area of procrastination for me, because I've frequently bitten off more than I can chew. I need to quit waiting for the magic moment when I'll be able to get them all done in one sitting.
Oh you sound like me!
I really needed this post today! My blog is brand new and I feel like I am spending every waking moment reading about blogs.
I can relate.
Such good tips. I have been blogging for about 6 months & have figured out that, at this stage, I only am able to consistently post 3-4 times a week. I really like the idea of 'envelopes' of time that you describe here to get things done!
Thanks for the tips! This seems to be my biggest problem. I have a MAJOR shortage of time. I work a full time job and try and squeeze as much blogging in as possible when I get home (without staying awake all night in order to still be able to function at work the next day).
I know that it's important to have blogs updated regularly in order to sustain views and traffic (especially from google) but working and blogging is extremely hard.
I hope that one day I can be at a stage where my blog will be doing well enough for me to quit my job and work on it full time. My only concern is that in order to get it to that level I would need to work on it full time so how possible in that in any case (very confusing)
Thanks again!!!
It's after 2am here and I just woke up, thinking about ways to improve my site. Happy my research led me to your site. Been at it for a few months and am grateful for clear & concise information from experts like you. It's highly motivational to hear it from someone who actually experienced it.
I especially liked the way you divided up the "4 main things to be done." Dividing my website time into clearly defined roles definitely keeps it more organized & more manageable.
Thank you for sharing!
I needed this so bad. You are like a lighthouse on a rocky coast. Corny metaphor, but how I feel right now. LOL how did I let Engaging push Creating aside?
Step One was tremendously helpful! Thank you so much! I have a set time each day that I spend on-line and I have been logging my hours for a long time now – trying to sort out what exactly I'm doing on-line lol!!! Engaging is squashing out all the other time!
I appreciate your orderly way of dividing my time and I know that I need to balance these out – thanks for putting words to my findings! So helpful!
Have a great day!
Courtney
Hi Ms. Amy I am now your fan when it comes to blogging, being a mom is quite hard to manage blogging, the truth is this should be less priority, but it was the opposite that happen to me now I try to get up early to update my blog, if i'm not done i leave it. this post of yours really help me manage time in blogging, more tips please
I love my blog..but between Fb and twitter and reading blogs in my niche, and doing my own blog PLUS everything else i need t do during the day, i am having a heck of a time organizing my time…I appreciate your advice…
so glad that i found this helpful info! and i am glad that ifound this awesome blog to refer to!
Thanks, Tonya. I'm glad you stopped by!
I have been blogging since January and I finally sat down just a few weeks ago and printed out a time schedule for my blog. I was posting every day but found this left me no time to try and improve the look of my blog and as you mentioned in your last blog, blogs these days can look so polished and mine…well it looks like the amateur that I am. So now I am posting 3 to 4 times a week, with an extra book review thrown in here and then ( I signed up to review for two companies and am loving the books coming in the mail). I am spending the time I am saving writing to improve the look of my site, and my affiliate links. So far progress is still slow but at least now I have time to work on it at my snail's pace!
Sounds like you've done a great job of adjusting as you go. I have the same problem…posting takes me hours and hours so that's why I've cut back as well. Plus, I'm finding people are less and less interested in reading so many posts!