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14 Top Bloggers Share Their Daily Blogging Routine

Posted By Darren Rowse 7th of September 2023 General, Increasing productivity 0 Comments

14 Top Bloggers Share Their Daily Blogging Routine

Last week I shared some tips for busy bloggers on how to find time to blog based upon a lot of questions I’ve had of late on that topic.

As part of that post I was intending on describing my own blogging routine – but on the spur of the moment decided to email a group of blogging friends to ask them to describe how they go about blogging.

Each have graciously allowed me to share their responses. I hope you find them as fascinating as I do.

My Question to these bloggers was: Can you give us a quick snapshot of your blogging schedule – when do you do it? Do you have a routine or is it more spontaneous?

Tsh Oxenreider from Simple Mom

14 Top Bloggers Share Their Daily Blogging RoutineI have a pretty set routine, simply because it is my job (that I also happen to love)—but that doesn’t mean I don’t also have lots of random things I need to do here and there, which I squeeze in with I can with three little kids. I typically write in the morning, since that’s my brain’s best time, and then I’ll fill in the gaps with tasks that don’t take as much brain power for me. Every day is different, to be honest, but here’s a typical day for me:

  • 6 am—Wake up, personal time, coffee, writing time (if my toddler doesn’t wake up).
  • 7:30-9:00 am—Breakfast with the family, get the kids ready for the day and out to school.
  • 9:00 am-1:00 pm—Work, work, work in my office at home while our babysitter is out in the rest of the house with the boys (my oldest is in school).
  • 1:00 pm—My second goes to preschool and my youngest naps, so I either wrap up work or catch up on household stuff.
  • 3:30 pm—Pick up kids from school, help with homework, start dinner, clean, and other typical mom stuff.
  • 5:30 pm-8:30 pm—Dinner, baths, storytime, family time, bed.
  • 8:30 pm-10:00 pm—Any combination of work catch-up (although I don’t write, I do more brainless stuff, like photo editing, email processing, etc.), but I prefer to do things like watch a movie or read a book.

Chris Garrett

chris_garrett_blogworld.jpgI used to have a routine, now I write when I have something to say, and when I find time (which never seems to happen recently).

In the past I had a proper schedule because at one point I was writing for a dozen blogs and people depended on me to deliver (contractually and out of a feeling of obligation). Like many bloggers, I used an editorial calendar, and such. This makes me feel I should get back to that!

Christina Butcher from Hair Romance

14 Top Bloggers Share Their Daily Blogging RoutineMy most productive time is the morning so I get up early and head straight to the computer to write. I just work on blog posts for 1-2 hours.

I ban myself from checking emails or social media as it’s too distracting. I work to an editorial calendar which helps me plan my content, but it’s still flexible so I can add stories at the last minute.

I have a waterproof notepad in the shower as I always get blogging ideas while I’m washing my hair!

Leo Babauta from ZenHabits

leocomputer-300x290.jpgI write every morning, after I meditate upon waking.

But just twice a week is for my actual blog (as opposed to writing for books/courses).

So about an hour, twice a week, first thing in the morning.

Sarah Wilson

14 Top Bloggers Share Their Daily Blogging RoutineI tend to bang out some ideas and clip links as I go and keep about 20 “on the boil” posts in my drafts folder which I add to, patchwork, fiddle with over time.

Each Monday I try to devote to getting my blogs sorted for the week (I post Tuesday – Friday…ish).

I’ll write some afresh, or I pull one that inspires me from my drafts and tidy it up. My gorgeous assistant Jo will often add any links, caption pictures, do some extra research and run an extra eye over things. Invariably I get up on the morning of the post and tinker with it a little…often a bit of distance allows me to bring even more to it.

Neil Patel from Quick Sprout

neilpatel_1284435007_44-300x274.jpgI tend to schedule my blog posts, which means I blog in advance.

The 2 main days I find myself writing each week is Sunday and Wednesday. Typically I blog when I am at home or on the airplane.

As for my routine, I typically think of ideas to write on and then I just start writing.

Nicole Avery from Planning with Kids

Nicole-Avery.pngI have a content plan spanning most of the year. Most of the time, I will write my posts on the weekend. This is when the kids have their dad home to look after them and I can work uninterrupted or at least that is the theory!

As I have a plan for what I am writing, I can look at the topics earlier in the week. This lets ideas and often large chunks of the post, start formulating in my head, when I am doing other things like running. So when I actually sit down to do the task of writing the posts, it is much easier and quicker. I will schedule my posts in advance, so regardless of what happens in the week amongst family life, my posting schedule stays consistent.

If I have extra time and have something I want to say, I will write and post spontaneously, but this would occur only a very small amount of the time.

Tina Roth – Swiss Miss

untitled.jpgI blog in the mornings, mostly.

I have multiple tabs that automatically open to my favorite online stores, specifically to their “new arrivals” pages to get an idea for new products.

I am also so lucky to have loyal readers that send along wonderful things to my submissions email account!

Jonathan Fields from Good Life Project

untitled.jpgFor Good Life Project, we air a new show every Wednesday and often batch shoot 4 episodes in one-day.

For my personal blog, I use a very disciplined methodology I call “When I’ve got something to say, I write.” lol.

Chris Brogan

14 Top Bloggers Share Their Daily Blogging RoutineI blog a lot more spontaneously than not. I often have a core question that the idea of the post bounces against, but the actual “typing it into WordPress” happens quite randomly. For instance, I decided to write a post about Google+ the other day, but I framed it against the “if I’m a business person looking to get my feet wet, here’s a recipe for starting.” That’s the idea (google+) against the core question (how would I get started). I do that.

Crystal Paine from Money Saving Mom

14 Top Bloggers Share Their Daily Blogging RoutineI try to get up at 5 a.m. every day and get in two hours of blogging and computer work before my kids get up (yes, they are late risers!). I then try to get in a few more hours in the afternoon, as well as a few hours on Saturday.

I’ve found that I’m much more productive when I compartmentalise my blogging time and try to leave my laptop and phone in my office as much as is possible so that checking emails and social media is something that I do during blogging hours — instead of during family time or at the dinner table.

Rand Fishkin from Moz

14 Top Bloggers Share Their Daily Blogging RoutineI blog almost exclusively very late at night on weekdays (between 10pm-2am) and on the weekends.

My work schedule is such that these days, that’s the only time I have to quietly reflect, write, build graphics, etc.

 

Trey Ratcliff from Stuck in Customs

14 Top Bloggers Share Their Daily Blogging RoutineMy daily blog post the sweet albatross around my neck. I do it every day before 5 PM in New Zealand so that it appears around midnight in the US, which is still the biggest target market for English-language blogs.

I need to produce 365 unique pieces of photography art per year, so the production of the art actually takes much longer than the actual blog post. Maybe this is why I don’t mind the blog post. The blog post takes 5% of the time of the creation of the art. I write a short description of the photo and talk a bit about the art and the science behind it.

Chris Guillebeau

14 Top Bloggers Share Their Daily Blogging RoutineI have only two (main) posts a week, but they are rigidly scheduled and I’ve never missed one in five years of blogging. The streak helps to produce built-in accountability.

As for the actual writing, that tends to happen more spontaneously. I have a general quota of 1,000 words a day, but that can include a variety of writing. If I’m working on a book manuscript or traveling overseas, sometimes I create the blog posts in advance.

Stay Tuned for More

Tomorrow I’ve got a followup post to this where I ask these 14 bloggers for their key tips for finding time to blog.

Also – don’t forget to check out our eBook on the topic: BlogWise: Discover the Secrets of Productive Bloggers.

About Darren Rowse
Darren Rowse is the founder and editor of ProBlogger Blog Tips and Digital Photography School. Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Comments
  1. Heather says: 04/26/2013 at 4:40 am

    Curious that half of the women mentioned working around their kids schedules, but none of the men did, unless they’re all single.

    • sylwia says: 04/26/2013 at 10:50 pm

      Leo does. He talks about it on his blog. He wakes up at 4 or 5 am to do his stuff before the kids wake up.

  2. Nice resource and this would be helpful to newbies to manage their time to post like this way. Ofcourse if it is possible to those members.

  3. Darren – great insight. Always nice to understand how other bloggers balance life with the important (and time consuming task) of blogging and managing their social media interactions. Some surprises here, other things not so surprising (i.e. working late at night or early in the morning, utilizing an editorial calendar, etc). Also nice to know that I’m not alone in always trying to find more time to get things done and communicate what I want when I want. :) Nice round-up.

  4. I schedule my posts ahead of time; this makes my life much less stressful and I have more time for research, content marketing, product reviews, and speaking engagements.

    I write when an idea hits me – so I’m probably drafting out 3 article a week.

    I also have regular guest contributors for my blog, which also helps to take a lot of the pressure off.

    When I stopped posting 5-6 days a week, I felt a little shell shocked – where is all the content going to go? The change came at the perfect time and allowed me to take a look at my pet blog and blogging goals to get 2013 start off right.

    Thanks for this great post. I love that there are so many people doing things differently!

    ~ Kimberly

  5. Always interesting to see other peoples work flows and how they break things down. It also a nice little piece of validation to see that some of my own blogging/writing habits are similar. Not that the goal is to be like everyone else but knowing your own thinking isn’t totally crazy helps!

  6. Like Crystal, I blog at 5 am before my family wakes up and before I have to get ready to go to work. Love working in those quiet fringe hours of the day.

  7. Good to see a post like this on ProBlogger. As a productivity and personal development blogger I find this awesome.

    I typically blog in the morning after I’ve done other necessary tasks, it’s generally the most productive time of the day for many.

  8. Wow!! really awesome post. What would we ask for more. We are getting to hear from 14 tops bloggers sharing their blog routines. Loves Neil of QucikSprout and his approach has always inspired me. :)
    Keep Blogging Bloggers!!

  9. Love the wide variety of writing styles here, and knowing that my writing schedule is not as spontaneous as I thought…. Thanks!

  10. I stepped in blogging world about 25 days ago and wondering that how people become successful bloggers. I searched all around the internet to get to know about the professional and successful bloggers. I am really motivated by reading the success stories of above mentioned successful bloggers.

    Excellent post at ProBlogger, God Bless All.!

    With Best Regards,

    Ubaid.

  11. This blog is interesting, Darren. One of the main things I do in the morning before starting my online workday is give thanks to The Lord Jesus and pray for a moment. Afterwards, being that my PC is right near my bed, I turn it on, pull up MS word, load up my speech program, and start writing with my voice. I sometimes write an article first, or might go straight to Pinterest and start pinning with links back to my site. I am looking to expand in the future when my revenue grows, by getting an Apple iPad and stay connected and publish to the web from anywhere I go. Thank you for bringing this topic up! :-)

  12. It’s interesting to see how top bloggers plan their day and actually how their day starts.

  13. Great post, but I’m curious about all th other things that go into my daily blogging routine. Today that included outsourcing photoshop and CSS work on fiverr, going back and forth with my host company about my php.ini max file size limit (after spending about an hour trying to upload a plugin, wp touch pro, without success and then trying to figure out what php.ini was, updating older posts for better Seo (during the late afternoon brain dead time)… The actual writing is the easy part, for me, but I struggle with the growth issues of a bigger blog (mine is over 750 page views each month).

  14. Wow very interesting life of bloggers, i like the way one blogger most that is Tina Roth – Swiss Miss, I observe that she is doing her job with cool minds. she loves her work therefore she is one of the best blogger, as a blogger I have experience about it..

  15. Awesome Article the article proves that the every expert blogger has different style which proved it by above article where by this fellow and Newbie bloggers should plan their schedule Thanks Darren For the Awesome article which surely useful for Fellow Bloggers!

  16. This was pretty interesting to see the different routines, but it seems most try to knock it out in the morning. I personally like to blog ahead and schedule things out.

    I really appreciate see Tsh answer and the way she responded I felt was the most helpful.

    Thanks for sharing this one!

  17. Very nice.. Top bloggers don’t work hard, they work smart!!

  18. Thank you for the fantastic and most generous content. once again you over deliver for your readers. I do enjoy reading your blog posts and take inspiration from all of them regarding their style of writing the blogs,their daily routines….

  19. Great idea for a post. Thanks everyone for sharing. It’s great to see the blog writing is not a chore for most. I can see that having a schedule seems to be the best way to keep you focused and on track. I’d love to know how you keep your posts fresh and the ideas flowing naturally?

  20. these are really cool to see the different schedule from so many people is has thier unique take on how start the day.It kind of gives me ideas for my own schedule which I am still developing slowly.I thinks important to find time considering we all have to live our lives outside of the computer at the same time

  21. I vote for the blogging routine from the seomoz, I am learning to blog often for building authority.

  22. Great to see the schedule of these bloggers.

  23. Great list of bloggers. I have visited all the blogs. And all blogs are awesome. Thanks for providing this list.

  24. Interesting how varied their routines are. I tend to write my blog posts at weekends when I won’t get client distractions. It’s amazing how productive Sunday mornings can be.

  25. Interesting to hear the methodologies of this variegated cast. I will definitely steal some of these habits!

  26. Very helpful post. I can see a lot of morning bloggers, and I guess that does to show that our brains are ready to kick out the best when the sun is rising. As mentioned in an earlier comment, I too wonder if this blogging time includes all of the legwork done behind the scenes, such as photoshop, other design work and technical issues. Thanks ProBlogger and guests!

  27. WOW, Just awesome post.

    You really did a good job by sharing their routines, Why don’t you contact some other top bloggers to share their routines as well?

    How that sound?

  28. Vow……….one thing is pretty much clear from their schedule whenever they do they do regularly with consistency; so in this post we have eivdence from twenty bloggers that without regularity you can’t become a successful blogger

  29. Thanks for sharing, very interesting!

  30. It’s interesting to see other blogger’s routines.
    My kids and I work together on our blog, posting things we are currently excited about, whenever we get a moment.
    I have a Google doc where I keep a tidy pile of post ideas, with links and pics, I can access from anywhere, at anytime, even if I only have a few minutes to work.
    You’ve inspired me to set up an editorial calendar. So, thanks!

  31. Great post. Here’s what I learned about blogging and me.
    Bloggers have to be serious and consistent. (I try to be).
    Like many here, morning is my best time to blog. I don’t know how people can work at night.
    Have a loose editorial calendar.
    Other than that, distraction free is consistent with most bloggers.

  32. Great resource of tips. Found this very helpful as I need to be a little bit more organized and disciplined on my day to day routine.

    Thanks,

  33. Nice to see daily routine of some of my favorite bloggers. In my case I write blog posts early in the morning while listening to really good music. Believe me the outcome will be just awesome!

  34. It’s always fun to read what motivates other writers. It’s a very individual thing, and while there are things you can learn and improve upon (such as discipline), what works best can only be found by experimentation.

  35. Thank you for these tips! I like your series of time management articles so much, I featured them in a separate post in my blog. They also fit my topic perfectly, so I would do a disservice to my readers if I didn’t.

  36. Thank you for bringing this group of great bloggers together! They all have helpful things to say! I like how everyone has their own way of doing them, but they all work for each person!

  37. Another great work Darren,
    It’s really nice to see, How these top bloggers find time to blog. A good blogging routine is most important factor for regular Blogging. Great piece of information.

    Awesome list, Thanks.

  38. Great article, I tend to just try to stay consistent and use free time during weekends or lunch breaks at the 9-5 to get more work done on my blog.

  39. I struggle with keeping my blog updated regularly, so reading these bloggers’ routine helps (I think). :) I’d have to establish my own soon if I want to make a success out of blogging!

  40. Darren- what about you? : ) What is your routine?
    I imagine you blogging on a mystical mountain with a halo above your head…I am in Jon Morrow’s blogging course and he speaks so highly about you..

  41. Lesson learnt – am writing a blog in another window and got distracted by this posted on Facebook, am relatively new to blogging and if I am going to take this seriously I really need to get an editorial or time planner sorted, as per my recent blog http://myzoneblogger.wordpress.com/2013/04/23/how-can-i-manage-everything-being-self-employed-a-full-time-mum/

  42. Being that I am a full time blogger and a mother of six wonderful children it is hard to find time to blog on a daily basic but I don’t let that get me down. I still make time for my work. Because determination is my middle name and my family is my why I do this so I focus on the primary of what made get started doing this . My day starts at 4:45 am in the morning every day. I wake up have a cup of tea get the kids up for school and I let my brain work and I start to write no matter how I feel or where I am because people get lost thinking to hard about what they want to write about when it is apart of you just being your self so I am grateful that I can stay commented to blogging

  43. Love that you contacted others and gave their thoughts here. A lot of morning people who with kids have learned to compartmentalize and not get distracted by social media.

    Being a night Owl, my wind kicks in around 9pm and then I think I should go to bed soon to get up early and work – finding the right rhythms is very important – working on adding things to blog – want to do email and ebook(s)

  44. I’m a combination of Sarah Wilson and Nicole Avery. I like to jot things down throughout the day and form partial posts in my draft folder. Then when something strikes a chord with me a go in and complete a partial post (or sometimes create a new post altogether), filling it out with images and video to support my topic.

    I love the way things come together in my brain unexpectedly while washing the dishes or watching some silly cat on YouTube… don’t judge me! :)

  45. good and nice sharing from top bloggers

  46. Great post! I especially like the advice from Christina Butcher (Hair Romance): “I ban myself from checking emails or social media as it’s too distracting.”

  47. Informative post that how they manage time for blogging with their daily routine .

  48. Now here is some gold. Sit up and take notes people. I have always said model those that are showing results and success. Don’t re-invent the wheel.
    Awesome post.

  49. Interesting post… Wish I could keep to a schedule! Or have that many ideas? Haha

  50. Way to go to Tsh Oxenreider. Managing a blog and a family isn’t very easy to do!

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