Having looked at some of our reader’s rhythms and tools for enhancing productivity today we’re going to wrap up this mini series by looking at some other organizational techniques that they use:
1. Marko Novak tells how he sets himself daily tasks:
“I’ve made a week list which tells me what should I write on a particular day in a week. For example: from monday to friday I write posts about blog, seo, making money,… on weekends I write more entertaining posts. I guess is just like a job. On work days serious topics and on weekend more casual ones.”
2. Neena has a similar process:
“Everyday I allocate a set number of hours to work on my blogs. I also prepare a detailed “to do” list at the end of each blogging session. The next day I tackle the items on the list during my blogging time. This keeps me focused and I get much more accomplished.”
3. JD shares along similar lines again:
“I have an ongoing To Do list of a variety of tasks: writing, marketing, research, reading and commenting on other blogs, ad stuff, design stuff . . . the list is never ending! By having a lot of different choices of types of blog work, I can’t use the excuse that I’m not “in the mood” to do X, Y, or Z.
If I’m not in the mood to write, then I can read other blogs. If I’m not feeling motivated to work on marketing, I can jot down some ideas. If the idea of figuring out how to set up an amazon store fills me with dread, I can play around with my layout. And so on. I may not write a post every day, but I’m always working (playing!) on my blog in some capacity.”
4. Sean suggests a simple prioritizing method:
“Write down the 10 most important things you can do for the day and list them from most important to least important, now start with the most important.”
5. Mark plans ahead:
“I like to try to keep at least ten articles in my WordPress dashboard at all times, all ready to publish. I only resort to those when I am in a rush or for the rare occasion when I can’t think of anything to blog about. I also like to list hundreds of ideas on my Invision Power Board forum. I have hundreds of blogging ideas listed in a restricted forum (where only I can see them) with dozens of articles in varying stages of development. When I finish one, I pop it straight into my WP dashboard.”
6. Sharon Sarmiento shares a tip on hiring some help:
“Get yourself some help– Really, if you can make more money per hour than you’re paying the business manager or assistant who’s helping you, then it’s worth it to shell out the dough so that some of your blogging (and other) tasks can be taken off your plate. It also usually allows the blogger to increase his income even though he’s spending money on the help, because his time is freed up to pursue more projects. But, obviously for this productivity strategy to work, you have to be making money already, so it’s not for everyone :-) If you’re a seasoned problogger though, it could radically improve your life.”
This are all wonderful tips! Thanks to those who shared them! I especially like Mark’s plan. Good stuff!
Sean’s method (#4) is simple, but surprisingly effective! Great work on the miniseries, a lot of useful stuff has come from it.
Oganization?
“Web definitions for Ogan
An important musical instrument of Voudoun, related to the flattened bells found in Africa.”
Hmm.
(It had to be said.)
Thank you for including me in your post Darren :-)
Most Important Task First is a great one.
I’ve adopted a GTD wiki for tracking/planning actions, and that’s what it seems to be missing so far is a way for me to organize what’s my most important task.
Another great tip is productivity dashes to focus on writing blogs posts instead of all the extraneous stuff like reading feeds and commenting on blogs.
I started a new school year today and this post is timely !
I must say that these organizational tips are ideal to studying too !
i write for the moment, whether it is a news article i just finished reading or an idea that popped into my head.
my other method is listening to people and when i hear “i don’t understand” or “what does that mean” i jot it down on my notepad and try to write about it later.
Darren,
Thanks for the mention.
Hey, Darren! Thanks for including me. I’ve really enjoyed everybody’s tips.
Just to let you know that the image which is posted with this article has a spelling mistake in it.
Organization is spelt with the r missing.
Great tips! I’m just starting to become a really organized blogger, and for me, that means getting all my bookmarks organized. I’ve made folders for websites I visit daily and a folder for the various services I use to administer my blog. This allows me to spend more time writing and less time blindly surfing the internet.
The GTD wiki that I’m using is at http://dcubed.ca
you can also use a hosted version at http://tiddlyspot.com (choose D3 or dcubed from the flavours list)
Thank you very much Darren for mentioning my tip! I love reading your first-class blog every day! :)
Kashmiri – thanks :-)
Personally the biggest organizational technique I rely on is a clear mind. Usually I simply go someplace quiet, like the seashore and sit out on the rocks, reading the Bible and meditating. Once I get done a couple of hours later I get home and things just kind of fall into place. If I don’t spend that time with God I’m a wreck and seriously ready to go nuts.
Probably not the typical organizational habit you would expect to find, but an uncluttered mind will pay you back 1000 fold.
I really like Sean’s quick-n-dirty no nonsense idea. Write down what needs to be done, prioritize, and just do it!
This is a very timely article…just started a new job, expecting 24-30 hours, got 32 in my first two weeks and 40 next week. ;) Blogging has become a challenge alongside a house move. ;)
My biggest time-saver is to post ahead…I try to post content at least twice a day. Because I do the sponsored posts, it helps to schedule the two content posts ahead so that I can sit down and do the first one over morning coffee and the second when I get home. I have a variety of “regular features” (an award, a motorcycle brag session, etc.) so I pretty much know what I’m going to be doing during any given week.
I notice that traffic drops if I don’t schmooze, so doing this in this way allows me time to visit people who visited, read my ever expanding blog list, and comment on those blogs. (So does this morning’s insomnia. ;) )
My organization process (not like anyone cares) is to write whatever would make a good post down, then keep the good, scrap the rest and write these posts early and give each a date to be put up on my blog. That way I can fight blogger’s block when I run out of ideas.
Just plan your days in advance, put it down in writing if possible, and follow it. :) Allow some backup if something unexpected happens.
Whoa– I can’t believe my tip got mentioned!
Thanks so much for that Darren, and for posting the other wonderful tips as well. :-)
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