I have found in the last month that my blogging rhythm has changed quite considerably.
My Old Blogging Rhythm
A year or so ago I used to spend a higher percentage of the time I dedicated to blogging actually writing content. I was blogging as a solo blogger (no network affiliations) and the administrative demands of my blogs were quite low.
As a result I used to spread out my posting rate pretty evenly through the day. I would write a post, then move onto email, check RSS and then maybe write another post. I was averaging 25 or more posts per day.
My New Blogging Rhythm
The last month or so things have had to change.
The changes have largely been the result of different circumstances and demands on my time (being a part of a large network of blogs like b5media has been a bit part of that). It’s also probably partially as a result of blogs growing which increases the administration levels needed to maintain them (ie moderating comments, responding to emails, participating in discussions etc).
These changes have not always been easy to handle – some days lately I’ve felt like I’m barely keeping on top of things – but just this week I’m noticing that I’m beginning to change my blogging rhythm to accommodate the different circumstances. Some of the changes have included:
- Writing in Longer Blocks of Time – Rather than posting spontaneously throughout the day I’m now setting aside specific time for writing content. These times are longer blocks which are spread further apart. In one such block of time I might write 5 posts for a blog (for example I just completed three longer posts for Digital Photography School and now have set myself the task of writing three ProBlogger posts).
- Utilizing Advance Posting – In a sense what I’m doing with the longer blocks of writing time is building up a stock of content to be used in the coming day or two. So on a blog like Digital Photography School where I have a posting rhythm of one post per day I’ve just completed three days of posts which frees me up to focus my time on other things. For ProBlogger the rhythm is different as here I write a longer post each day and then include other more spontaneous news posts between them. I obviously can write the longer posts in advance but do need to keep on top of the daily news. I use WordPress’s advance posting functionality to automate the new posts going up on the blogs.
- Reducing Posting Frequency on Some Blogs – I’ve naturally moved to posting less frequently on a few of my blogs (and as I mentioned a month or two ago have let others go completely). Instead of writing 2 posts per day on these other newsy link blogs I’m now posting every second or third day and when I do am posting a few more posts at a go. This is not ideal but to this point is the rhythm I’ve adopted.
I’ve not really intentionally done any of these things. Instead they have come pretty naturally over time as the need for change has arisen.
Darren, I think as blogs become more esatblished (at least in my case), it is safer to take a leaner approach to blogging. In the beginning it’s about cranking out regular content to satisfy the masses and generate critical mass. But at some point, it becomes a whole lot easier to scale back farther to a quality not quantity routine. You’re doing a lot. I can’t imagine. :-)
Once you have a baby blogger crawling around you’ll use advance posting a lot more. After seeing Barney, wiggles, barbie, shreck and any other video 50 times you get tot he point where it’s ok to blog while you sit in TV room and they are on.
Yep – what graywolf said – if you thought that your work rhythm was changing now just wait till mini-blogger arrives.
My blogging rhythm includes having some posts already written but not published. I try to post at least once a day, but only if I feel like I want to write something. If I write a lot during a given day, I save some posts for those days I don’t really feel like saying anything special and I publish them then. Works for me.
I have 4 kids and 5 blogs. I post to each of them daily. Darren should be fine once he finds a groove. Give him some time though to find a good groove.
Darren, newborns sleep like 20 hours a day. I didn’t know this until my first was born. I wanted to play with her all the time but she slept most of the time. The thing that may happen is they are not on a 24 hour schedule yet like we are so you may have a lot of time during the day but then when you are supposed to sleep the baby will be awake wanting to be fed and changed. So you may even feel the need to nap during the day when they nap.
The hardest age is when they learn to crawl and up until 4 years old. You should be fine…
I’ve just started blogging (www.intellistore.ca) and I’ve been finding myself very exhausted at the end of the day. Although, I love blogging and talking about latest trends online, I’m finding myself wanting to quit. Could this exhaustion be part of the ‘blogging startup process’ and it will eventually go away?
I’ve just published the website and would like now to concentrate on the content of the site. Do you guys find yourself exhausted at the end of the day? How many hours do you guys blog?
Just curious.
Sorry Why – I can’t agree with you about being a problem up until they’re 4. My partner and I have 10 kids – trust me, even once they have grown up they’re sitll going to be a ‘problem’ :)
@IntelliStore: I feel the same way, I post at least once a day and it is very tiring to write a good article. If your like me and have a regular job to pay the bills, you pretty much have to do your blogging in your spare time, leaving little “recreation” time as it were.
I’ve been going for about 2 and a half months now, and as a little ray of sunshine it has gotten better for me.
Stuart, 10 children? Wow. That is great. My wife and I love kids and will probably have more some day. But where i am actually staying home to work I spend all day back and forth from work to parenting. It isn’t easy at any rate but you do find a groove and what works you stick with it.
How old is your oldest and youngest?
IntelliStore: if you find yourself very tired at the beginning, try spacing your posts more in the time, until you get used to that rhythm. Then you can begin posting more frecuently.
As for answering your question, I don’t blog more than 1 hour a day. That doesn’t include reading other blogs a commenting on them.
Why – our oldest is 37 and the youngest is 18 – we also have 4 grandchildren too
Actually – we are a blended family – the Brady Bunch from Hell – well it was like that 10 years back but now that the rough edges have been knocked off they all get on well together :)
Don’t give up just yet IntelliStore. I know the tired feeling. I’ve been blogging little longer than you though not much longer. Early on there were times when as much as I enjoyed blogging I wasn’t happy with my posts and not looking forward to them.
I write mainly about search engine optimization and web design and development topics and my posts tend to be rather long and take a good amount of research. I probably spend as much time researching a topic as I do writing it.
I think getting into a rhythm can help a lot. At first I posted whenever I could. I soon realized it just wouldn’t work. I decided I would post 3 times a week. Like I said my posts do involve a lot of time and I thought that was a reasonable amount that I could write each week. Based on the rest of my schedule Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday have become my blogging nights. Knowing when I will be writing has helped to keep me focused. The consistent rhythm has made a huge difference.
In betweem I am always looking for new topics. I have plenty of sites bookmarked and organized into topics and I keep a file with a growing list of topics. I try to decide on the topic for a given post a day or two in advance to keep my brain thinking a little about it when I’m not writing.
A concept I got from readding this blog was to sometimes write a series of posts. I recently finished a series of post that serves a basic tutorial on search engine optimization. It didn’t necesarily make any single post easier to write, but it was amazing how much easier it felt just staying on the same basic idea for two weeks. I’ve been writing single posts since as I keep my eye out for another good idea I can turn into a series.
Point very well taken.
I think the exhaustion is caused by lack of sleep. I have just finished designing the site so I should get more hours of sleep in the coming days.
With the content of IntelliStore.ca, I think I will do what Darren, which you just mentioned..to write a series of posts. Well, thank you guys for all your help.
This blog is great! :)
I haven’t got any rythm at all on my blogs. I just write what’s really interesting to me, thet’s it.
But I have to say I’m impressed by your traffic.
Interesting post. I use these same techniques. I have to balance farming, homeschooling, construction and my blogging. Blogging happens in three blocks, once in the early morning when I am waking up. Then I do farm chores.
During the heat of the day I blog just before lunch and usually write several posts for Sugar Mountain Farm which is still on Blogger.com which is on rented web server space in my own domain under WordPress.
I do homeschooling with our kids and desk work while the sun is high and then more blogging in the end of the day.
During each period I moderate comments and do quick email. Most post writingis done during the mid-day and like you I make extensive use of WordPress’s advanced posting for NoNAIS.org. I need to move SugarMtnFarm.com over to WordPress just for this feature.
I’m curious whether anyone here is blogging full-time and earning profits from them. I’m currently unemployed and I’m thinking of blogging full-time. I was curious whether you guys blog full time, part time, etc?
well i’m full time IntelliStore.
Regarding the commenter who mentioned exhaustion: When I feel myself getting tired, I stop. I also never write after 9:00pm.
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